World Heritage Identification Number: 199
World Heritage since: 1982
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: Yes
Country: 🇹🇿 United Republic of Tanzania
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
Map
The Selous Game Reserve: A Haven for African Biodiversity
The Selous Game Reserve, now officially known as the Nyerere National Park, is a sprawling expanse of pristine wilderness located in southern Tanzania, East Africa. Established in 1922, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to its exceptional biodiversity and extensive, untouched natural landscapes. Covering an area of approximately 50,000 square kilometers, the park serves as a vital refuge for countless African wildlife species, making it one of the largest protected areas in Africa.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles live in this immense sanctuary, which measures 50,000 km2 and is relatively undisturbed by human impact. The park has a variety of vegetation zones, ranging from dense thickets to open wooded grasslands.
Encyclopedia Record: Selous Game Reserve
The Selous Game Reserve, now renamed as Nyerere National Park (in-part), is a protected nature reserve and wilderness area in southern Tanzania, East Africa. It covers a total area of 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi), with additional buffer zones, as well. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, owing to its high levels of biodiversity and vast, undisturbed natural landscapes, such as the grasslands and the miombo woodlands habitat. Among the numerous species within the park are some of the continent's largest and most iconic, such as the bush elephant, black rhinoceros, hippopotamus, lion, leopard, spotted hyena, painted dog, Cape buffalo, Masai giraffe, plains zebra, white-bearded gnu and the giant Nile crocodile. Due to the fragility and sensitivity of the many species and ecosystems within the park, human habitation is not permitted within its bounds, and all persons entering and exiting are tallied and tracked by the Wildlife Division of the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.Additional Site Details
Area: 5,120,000 hectares
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: -9 , 37.4
Image
© Panii at German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
