In April, the Museum’s Biodiversity Lecture Series took us to the exquisite Serengeti with Dr. Anthony R.E. Sinclair at a presentation titled, 50 Years in Serengeti: the Story Behind the Science. It’s easy to see why Dr. Sinclair is passionate about this World Heritage Site. Delighting us with stories of acacia trees, elephant, wildebeest, and lions, Dr. Sinclair truly brought us into his research life in Serengeti.
Few of us have the opportunity to visit a site such as this, and even fewer are those who can watch it grow for nearly half a century. The changes that Serengeti National Park has experienced are tremendous. Conserving this area has made a huge difference in the biodiversity within Tanzania.
If you have missed Dr. Sinclair’s presentation, enjoy his fascinating stories with this video:
Dr. Sinclair’s appreciation of the political and human history of Serengeti is impressive. Understanding the rise and changes of the National Park puts the area into perspective, including the current ecology. The exciting stories and exotic biodiversity left many of the lecture-goers appreciating life in Africa, and wanting to help conserve valuable research programs in spaces such as Serengeti.
We are fortunate at the museum and UBC to have the opportunity to work with impactful and truly important biodiversity researchers, like Dr. Sinclair. Our sincerest gratitude goes to Dr. Sinclair and every guest in attendance for making this a very memorable talk.
His latest book, Serengeti Story, is available at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum gift shop. Dr. Sinclair was recently interviewed on CBC’s Quirks and Quarks. Listen to the podcast here
Written by: Nicole Littlemore