BUSH REPORT FOR THE MONTHS OF JULY & AUGUST 2010
Dear Friends,
This summer we decided to take a different approach with our bush report in that there is a more serious issue of which our clients, friends and family members should be informed. The matter of controversy is in regard to the approval of a commercial highway to be built across the Serengeti National Park. Such a road would have devastating effects on the entire Serengeti ecosystem, in addition to the tourism industry which is a significant contributor to the economies of both Tanzania and Kenya. Our goal with this communication is to notify as many individuals as possible so that they may help us spread the word and build a coalition against the building of the highway.
A World Heritage Site is at risk.
The Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the issue at hand is threatening the very existence of its being. In June 2010, the Tanzanian government approved a major commercial highway to be built across the Serengeti National Park over the span of the next ten years, linking the eastern side of Tanzania with Lake Victoria. The approved route cuts through the Northern Extension of the park, which is also the most remote and pristine part of the entire Serengeti ecosystem. The highway, as it is currently planned, would be built directly in the path of ancient wildlife migratory routes. Each year The Great Migration moves in a cyclical fashion in an endless search for food and water. The Mara River, which originates in the Kenyan highlands, flows through Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve and into the Northern Extension of the Serengeti, eventually draining into Lake Victoria. This river is the only permanent year-round water source for the massive herds. In the months of August through November, the availability of, and access to, this water source is critical to their survival and hundreds of other species. In addition to the drastic impact such a road will have in Northern Tanzania and near the Kenya border, areas to the east of the Serengeti will be fundamentally transformed as people emigrate there and change land use from cattle grazing to farming. With so much at risk, we need to do everything we can to protect the Serengeti for future generations.
What is the impact?
A commercial highway in the Serengeti would be detrimental to the preservation of its wildlife, the tribal people who live there, and the primitive beauty of this magnificent National Park. A road such as this will mean the end of one of the last untouched places on this planet. The Great Migration contributes to the Serengeti’s uniqueness and global importance, and is one of the main reasons why hundreds of tourists choose to visit this National Park each year. A commercial highway will negatively impact the tourism industry and, therefore, starve revenue from Tanzania’s economy. Recent calculations show that if wildebeest were to be cut off from the critical dry season areas, the population would likely decline from 1.3 million animals to about 200,000 (meaning a collapse to far less than a quarter of its current population and most likely the end of The Great Migration)1.
Not only will it negatively impact the ungulate herds, but the carnivores that depend on these herds as their food source will also suffer. Additionally, and most unfortunately, this road will create a convenient path for poachers. Tribal people who live there may be forced to move or change their traditional ways of life. The Serengeti will be stripped of its World Heritage recognition and major funding from international wildlife and conservation organizations will discontinue their support – also impacting the Tanzanian economy as well as the people and animals that depend upon it so much.
Can it be saved?
Yes, it is possible! Commercial roads in high value protected areas have proved a disaster all over the world and UNESCO is very strongly recommending that no through roads should lead through any National Park or World Heritage Site2. A safer alternative route to the south can bypass the Serengeti altogether and provide more economic benefit for the people of Tanzania. It would connect with paved highways to the western, central, and eastern regions of the country, serving several times the number of people3.
A southern route around the Serengeti can preserve Tanzania’s greatest tourism asset and spare the devastation of a priceless World Heritage Site. With the help of the world community, Tanzania can find a way to preserve its inheritance, help bring prosperity to its people, and show the world that it still leads the way in conservation4.
What can we do?
The solution is to stop the northern highway from going forward and encouraging the adoption and funding of the southern route.
Proud African Safaris will be taking action by proceeding with the following:
1. Informing clients, friends & family members through website updates, letters and word of mouth, and requesting their support against the road.
2. Writing letters to the press / President Obama to inform them of the seriousness of this issue, give them the facts about the detrimental impact this will have on the wildlife & regions in Tanzania and Kenya – as well as to their economies, and request they make a global statement or take an action against the building of the road.
3. Contact major wildlife and conservation organizations (such as such as AWF, WWF, Frankfurt & London Zoo’s, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute [TAWIRI], etc.) The purpose is to alert these organizations of the seriousness of the issue and to ask them to unite and take action against the building of the road. Such actions could include: Contact/meet with the Tanzanian government, protest, write a letter to the government, attend future hearings with regard to the building of the road, etc.
But, we can’t do this alone. You can also help! Please go to the following website to learn more and to sign the petition against the road! www.savetheserengeti.org. Together we’ll unite to save the Serengeti!
Thank you,
Adam & the Proud African Safaris Team
References:
Frankfurt Zoological Society www.zgf.de/?id=72&reportId=85&language=enFrankfurt Zoological Society www.zgf.de/?id=72&reportId=85&language=enSavetheserengeti.org www.savetheserengeti.org/issues/stop-the-serengeti-highway/#axzz0wMEVe88bSavetheserengeti.org www.savetheserengeti.org/issues/stop-the-serengeti-highway/#axzz0wMEVe88b