Outcry in West over plan to build road through Serengeti

He noted that only an unpaved 40-mile stretch of the two-lane road’s 480km length will pass through the Serengeti.

But that may be enough to disrupt the annual movement of tens of thousands of wildebeest between the Mara and Serengeti watering grounds, wildlife advocates say.

The road will also open opportunities for poaching and increase the risk of transmitting diseases to wildebeest from livestock transported through the park, they argue.

The entire ecosystem of the Serengeti, which is of great economic as well as environmental importance to Tanzania, could suffer negative consequences if the wildebeest migration does not occur, the activists add.

Concerns

The northern route newly approved by the government has previously been rejected on environmental grounds, the Times blogger points out.

“One of the most awe-inspiring sights on the planet may soon vanish, killed by a road,” she warns the paper’s readers.

Elsewhere, in Holland, Grant Hopcraft, an expert in wildebeest movements from the University of Groningen, said he was concerned about the prospect of cutting off one side of the migration from the other.

“There is the obvious concern of creating a physical barrier. Wildebeest have no problem crossing roads, but there is nothing elsewhere in the Serengeti with this high capacity for traffic,” he told the UK-based Daily Telegraph newspaper.

By the end of last week n online petition had started against the proposed road which had gathered over 2,000 signatures from around the world.

The Telegraph report said that the Masai Mara, which borders the Serengeti, could also be affected as 1.8 million wildebeest and 500,000 zebra — and the lions, hyenas, cheetahs and wild dogs that stalk them – are constantly moving between the two areas.

More than 100,000 tourists visit the Masai Mara during the peak migration months between July and October.

Critics say the new commercial highway will cut through key migration routes and could permanently change this natural wonder.

Tanzania’s government this month approved  the new road linking the two towns, which will come as a considerable relief to traders and travellers.

But Kenyan tourist officials remain worried. “We’re very concerned about this road, and are waiting for details while hoping the authorities have thoroughly investigated all possible alternatives,” said Jake Grieves-Cook, the head of the Kenya Tourist Board.