13. Masai Mara • Kenya

We have selected 100 unique places on Earth that are projected to
undergo profound changes within the next few generations.

We based our selection of the 100 places on the 4th Assessment
Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Simply by drawing attention to the beauty of these places, 100 Places to
Remember Before they Disappear creates an argument to preserve
them.

The 100 Places we have chosen to highlight, and the people who
live in them, are in serious danger because of rising sea levels, rising
temperatures and extreme weather events triggered by climate change.

Among ambassadors are Joss Stone, Desmund Tutu for more info visit http://www.100places.com.

Home to the Longest and Largest Migration in the World

The Masai Mara savannah in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania cover a combined area of some 25,000 square kilometres and form a unique ecosystem. The Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem is the site of the longest, largest and most diverse migration of grazing animals in the world, including 1.3 million wildebeest.

Every July, the wildebeest, accompanied by large herds of zebras and gazelles, migrate north from the plains of the Serengeti to the fresh, green pastures of the Masai Mara. The huge blue wildebeests provide protection against the kind of hungry predators lions, cheetahs and leopards that inevitably prey on such a heaving mass of herbivores. Hyenas, marabou storks and other scavengers also forage for scraps.

In October, led by the wildebeest, the whole caravan of migrating animals turns around and heads south again towards the Serengeti savannah.

Serengeti-Mara is now a national park. It is surrounded by urban settlements and privately owned farmland, so expansion is not an option.

The green pastures depend on seasonal rainfall, and the current outlook for climate change indicates that precipitation patterns in the region will change. It is impossible to say with certainty where rain will fall in future, but it seems likely that much of it will be outside the boundaries of the protected area of Serengeti-Mara. Any change of this nature would pose a serious threat to the ecosystem and to the survival of the migrating animals.

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