Lesson 12: Miscellaneous Cool Topics

Assignment: Managing the Serengeti National Park

For this assignment you will design a comprehensive wildlife plan for the Serengeti National Park. Each park in the rift valley has a unique set of problems, as well as guidelines that are used for management. Please use all the information that you have learned (or that you may continue to search for) about a few species in the park to help you make wise decisions. In your mind, think of how you would lay out the park and designate land uses. Where would you put fences? Will there be tourist accommodations (lodges, campgrounds, etc.), and should land be given to the Maasai for use? You will be coming up with a list of rules for the park, addressing a set of issues listed below.

You will find a form in the Lesson 12 ANGEL folder called "Managing the Serengeti National Park" Submission Form. This is where you will submit your responses to the questions listed below.

Suggestions for tackling this assignment

  1. First, carefully read the assignment directions and grading information (i.e., this entire document!).
  2. Review the "Resources to help you get started" (below). You are encouraged to start your Internet search with the Internet links provided below. Be very careful with what you find online in your own searches - evaluate the source and authors of the Web sites you view.
  3. Copy the questions below to a Microsoft Word file and work there on developing your responses. This is a safeguard against any Internet and/or ANGEL glitches that might occur while you are drafting your work. Remember that you should provide clear and thoughtful responses to each question with enough detail to support your point of view.
  4. When finished, submit your paper to the Turnitin.com Inbox for "Managing the Serengeti National Park" to confirm you have no accidental occurrences of plagiarism.
  5. After you have your report back from Turnitin.com, copy and paste your responses into the boxes in the "Managing the Serengeti National Park" Submission Form. Include your references in the final box on the form.

Keep in mind... I am going to assume that everyone knows nothing about the Serengeti or conservation management! So your job in this course is to prove to me that you are learning something! I will look for details and evidence that you have thought about the material. And trust me, I can see through "fluff" that is copied directly from the Internet!

Deadline

All responses must be uploaded in the ANGEL no later than 11:00 PM on the due date (see Calendar tab in ANGEL). Note that is 11:00 PM by ANGEL's clock, not by the clock on your computer! The submission form will disappear at 11:00 PM, and this assignment will not be accepted late under any circumstances. I have no problems giving students a zero for an assignment if they do not take the responsibility to submit by the deadline, so don't even think about trying to submit this late!

Assignment Questions

  1. What rights do the Maasai have to land in the park? Will agriculture be allowed and if so, how much? Will herding be allowed? In what areas? Can villages be established within the park?
  2. What specific actions need to be taken to manage the individual species studied?
  3. Will you allow any hunting in the park? If so, how will you regulate it? Do any species need to be reduced in population, and how will you achieve this?
  4. Will you set guidelines for use around the park in the "dispersal areas"? Is it legal to kill animals there? Will the Maasai be compensated for wildlife found grazing on their land? Will they be compensated for crop damage or cattle damage from wildfire? How?
  5. What will you charge for gate fees? Recently, $15-20 dollars per person was the fee for entering the park. Will you increase this fee? Is there a reduced fee for residents on Kenya or Tanzania, or do all people pay the same fee?
  6. How will you patrol the park?
  7. Will you set limits on the number of tourists allowed in a given day or year? Are tourists allowed to stay overnight in the park?
  8. What percentage of the gate receipts from entering the park should be given to local villagers? The government? What percentage will be used for park maintenance and employee salaries?

Resources to help get you started

  1. The pages in this ANGEL lesson should prove the most use. But you can always search for additional internet sources.
  2. As usual, Turnitin.com is available to check your assignment before you submit.

Grading criteria

Your responses will be graded on a scale of 1-3, with 3 being the highest score. You will start with a grade of 2, and I will adjust up or down. No response or an extremely brief and poor response will score you a zero.

As for your references, I am looking for correct format in APA style. If you do not have the correct style, then I reserve the right to deduct 15 points off of your final assignment grade (once it is scaled to 100%) for inaccurate documentation. If there is an academic integrity violation, I will pursue the procedures outlined in Lesson 0. If you do not use any references for this assignment, please write "no additional sources used" in the space provided.

Your final assignement score is out of 24 points and will be scaled out of 100%.

How do you find out your assignment grade?

One week after the assignment is due, the submission form will become "active" again. You need to go back into the form and click on your responses to see your score and my comments. Again, I will be recording in my gradebook your score based out of 100%.

If you have any questions...

...on this assignment, on Africa, on anything! Don't hesitate to get in touch with me via phone or email ASAP. I would not recommend waiting until Sunday evening to contact me, as I cannot guarantee a response before the assignment deadline.