Serengeti Story: Life and Science in the World's Greatest Wildlife Region

by Anthony Sinclair

Serengeti is arguably the most well-known and highly treasured conservation area in the world. In 1972 the United Nations meeting on National Parks and Protected Areas agreed to set up World Heritage Sites, now supervised by UNESCO, and at that meeting they voted Serengeti top of the list. What makes this site outstanding? What happens in Serengeti biologically? How did it become a protected area? What are the historical events that have shaped its present dynamics? What will happen to it in future? How has it become relevant to human society and conservation? These are the questions that Anthony Sinclair answers.
First arriving in Serengeti in 1961, he has worked as a scientist in this ecosystem since 1965, and continues to do so today. In the process he has documented not only the ecological events as the system has changed but also the political, economic, and social events that have driven these changes. Including personal accounts of the dramatic events brought about by the vicissitudes of political turmoil, he tells the story of Serengeti and its surrounding research. Providing the historical background - both the paleohistory going back 4 million years and the modern history of the region - he examines the future of conservation, considering the ominous threats facing the Serengeti today.

Genres: Nature, Africa, Nonfiction, Tanzania

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice blend of the ecology of the Serengeti and the author's personal experiences as a naturalist and researcher of the Serengeti. It reminded me of a book version of a TV show that I especially enjoyed during childhood, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom".

He shows the challenges of being a scientist in Africa during that time. His field of research involved investigating the population fluctuations of the Serengeti's herbivores like wildebeests and buffaloes. Then, post-independence Africa had little infrastructure --- just getting spare parts and fuel for Land Rovers and research aircraft was a challenge. Then there were the chaotic nature of African politics and foreign relations that could make the life of a researcher caught in the maelstrom risky and even dangerous.

Nevertheless, Sinclair and his colleagues persevered and our body of knowledge on the Serengeti and the world at large are better for it ---- understanding the beauty, intricacy, and grandeur of its ecosystem much better now than before.

I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the Serengeti, in African wildlife, and in how African scientists do their work there. Fascinating, enjoyable, and interesting throughout.

[Harriet Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Anecdotal stories woven into ecological science well done. The ending was powerful & somewhat alarming with regard to the future of our planet. A MUST-READ if you are heading to Tanzania or Kenya.

[David Rudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a quote from a scientist whose name I’ve long since forgot. It goes something like “Ecosystems are not more complex than we think, they are more complex than we can think.” Certainly this tale from Africa’s Serengeti National Park proves the truth of this quote.

Sinclair’s book tries to delicately balance the telling of stories, ala’ a memoir of time spent in Africa with great misadventures, dangers faced and glorious triumphs, with a tale of ecological discoveries. On the whole this book delivers but at other times it digresses into “war stories” that detract from rather than enhance the deeper themes the author seems to be searching for.

In the end, it is the ecological discoveries by many scientists over many years that is the heart of the story. Trying to unlock the many secrets of this vast land and its even more vast spectacle of mammal migrations, opens up a window on earth’s forgotten past. It reminds us that we live on a planet of inconceivable natural riches that are at the same time fragile and completely at the mercy of the juggernaut that is modern mankind’s economic ambitions.

As the first World Heritage Site designated by the United Nations, we have shown that we recognize the importance of a place like Serengeti to the world. Now we must show the resolve to protect it against future threats along with the greater planetary biosphere that all life ultimately depends upon.

[Dri Tattersfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

sinclair’s adventures are entertaining but he really seems to view local communities as beneath him. when you care about conserving animals more than you care about your impact on humans, displace communities and keep them out with machine guns, is conservation just a new form of imperialism? i enjoyed reading the stories but wish he was more aware of his condescending tone.

[Lee Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condensing fifty years experience of living in and researching the Serengeti - most notably the famous gnu research - this book manages to present important ecological and conservation research in an easily understandable and readable manner, combining it with autobiographical anecdotes.

This is a book that should be high on the reading list of anyone with an interest in wildlife, conservation, ecology or Africa. Anthony Sinclair shows himself to be one of those rare scientists who are equally as capable of writing about their research and their field in an engaging manner as they are of publishing significant scientific papers.