The Serengeti is perhaps the most well known of the great African game parks. The sight of the great herds of wildebeest and zebra as they move in search of new grass has enthralled people for years. This migration has been possible because of the huge size of the Serengeti, extending north into Kenya and the Masai Mara National Park. Here the seasons and the vegetation are different, giving year round grazing.
The spectacle of the migration and the sheer number of animals has made the Serengeti world famous and underlined its importance, so when the Tanzanian President announced last year that a road was to be built across the reserve there was a huge outcry. The road is to improve access to the west of Tanzania to help trade and development in a poor part of the country, but it cuts across the middle of the reserve, and more importantly, across the route of the migration.
Thus began the classic standoff between a country trying to look after its people and the world wildlife community trying to look after animals. Battle lines were drawn with the President staking his reputation on it, aid agencies threatening to withhold money and wildlife experts warning of the end of the Serengeti.
Compromises have begun to appear as the aid agencies promised help with a road to the south of the reserve and the President promising that only essential supplies would use the new road. The Government then announced that the road would be downgraded to gravel – this despite the fact that it never stated that it would be tarmac.
The solution must be some sort of compromise – would you be happy on safari knowing that it was only possible by keeping the people of West Tanzania in ongoing poverty? The problem was summed up well by Paula Kahumba, Executive Director of Wildlife Direct: “ I think we need to re-frame our approach if we are to win the hearts and minds, and the involvement of Tanzanians must be genuine and fair. If we are to save the Serengeti from the threats that it faces, we need good science and we must listen to the voices of Africans. So maybe it’s a wild idea but why don’t we start thinking creatively about building a road that serves both the wildlife and the development needs.”While this dispute rumbles on in the north, a similar confrontation has started in the south. On the far southern edge of Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve, one of the biggest in the world, uranium and other valuable deposits have been found. Since mining is not allowed in the reserve, the simple solution has been to move the reserve boundary. UNESCO has been very upset by this and has threatened to remove the reserve’s international status. So again it’s a question of valuable income for a poor country or protection of wildlife – a question which will be asked frequently around the world in the future.
The spectacle of the migration and the sheer number of animals has made the Serengeti world famous and underlined its importance, so when the Tanzanian President announced last year that a road was to be built across the reserve there was a huge outcry. The road is to improve access to the west of Tanzania to help trade and development in a poor part of the country, but it cuts across the middle of the reserve, and more importantly, across the route of the migration.
Thus began the classic standoff between a country trying to look after its people and the world wildlife community trying to look after animals. Battle lines were drawn with the President staking his reputation on it, aid agencies threatening to withhold money and wildlife experts warning of the end of the Serengeti.
Compromises have begun to appear as the aid agencies promised help with a road to the south of the reserve and the President promising that only essential supplies would use the new road. The Government then announced that the road would be downgraded to gravel – this despite the fact that it never stated that it would be tarmac.
The solution must be some sort of compromise – would you be happy on safari knowing that it was only possible by keeping the people of West Tanzania in ongoing poverty? The problem was summed up well by Paula Kahumba, Executive Director of Wildlife Direct: “ I think we need to re-frame our approach if we are to win the hearts and minds, and the involvement of Tanzanians must be genuine and fair. If we are to save the Serengeti from the threats that it faces, we need good science and we must listen to the voices of Africans. So maybe it’s a wild idea but why don’t we start thinking creatively about building a road that serves both the wildlife and the development needs.”While this dispute rumbles on in the north, a similar confrontation has started in the south. On the far southern edge of Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve, one of the biggest in the world, uranium and other valuable deposits have been found. Since mining is not allowed in the reserve, the simple solution has been to move the reserve boundary. UNESCO has been very upset by this and has threatened to remove the reserve’s international status. So again it’s a question of valuable income for a poor country or protection of wildlife – a question which will be asked frequently around the world in the future.
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