In 1948, the population in the eastern [M 001 / Lake Victoria] basin was 1.5 million. Today, this region supports over 4 million. As the basin's fertile lands have become overpopulated, people have moved towards the Serengeti National Park.
In some places along the western side of the ecosystem, human populations have been growing at 19 percent per year. The numbers of domestic grazers such as cattle, sheep, and goats have also sharply increased, pushing grazing of these animals to the very border of the park in some locations. The spread of agriculture in the region has also eliminated the buffer zone between the ecosystem and cultivation in some places along the ecosystem's western rim.
