Where
is Savanna found?
Savanna
grasslands are found between tropical rainforests and desert.
This includes areas such as Central Africa (Kenya), America and
The North and East of South America (Brazil).
What
is Savanna?
Savanna
is similar to grassland but with scattered trees. These areas
have seasons: cool and dry, hot and dry followed by warm and wet.
All savanna areas have a wet and dry season.
How
did the Savanna get like this?
Nearer
the equator the heavy rainfall during the wet season, and the
fairly high total amount of rainfall during the dry season encourages
vegetation to grow. This vegetation includes thick lush grass
and heavily wooded areas. Away from the equator, vegetation in
the form of trees and poor quality grasses are only found near
rivers and water holes.
What
is the impact of humans on Savanna?
Indigenous
People (native people) - Savanna areas are popular with nomads (people
who move from place to place) e.g. Masai tribe of Kenya. This method
of farming can be beneficial to the environment. Grazing animals
are not kept in just one area. They are moved from place to place,
allowing vegetation to recover. However, in times of serious drought
animals can remove the scarce vegetation cover. This leaves the
soil prone to erosion. Desertification (land turning to desert)
occurs in extreme cases.
Tourism
- The rich variety of wildlife in savanna areas attracts many
tourists on safari. Transport used by the tourists often damages
vegetation and scares the wildlife.
What
is the future for the Savanna? - Sustainable Development
If
development in areas of savanna is to be sustainable (e.g. although
the resources are used to aid development, it/they will still exist
for future generations to use) a number of measures must be taken.
These include:
Tourist
Guides - only using the well defined tracks when taking tourists
on safari. This will reduce soil erosion and aviod scaring animals.
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