GOOD NEWS FOR THE SERENGETI

Today Serengeti Watch reported a positive development in its work to block the proposed Serengeti Highway, which, if constructed, would cut across the northern section of the Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where over a million wildebeest annually form one of the greatest animal migrations on earth. Serengeti Watch reports that the East African Court of Justice has ruled in favor of the Serengeti, banning the government of Tanzania from constructing a paved road across the northern Serengeti.

Additionally, Serengeti Watch reports that the government of Tanzania has given the go-ahead to Germany to do a Feasibility Study they’d earlier dismissed on creating a Southern Route around the Serengeti to provide transport and development for western Tanzania. It is also an important way to relieve pressure for building a northern highway through the Serengeti National Park.

In spite of these two promising developments, Serengeti Watch warns that the government still plans to upgrade the existing seasonal dirt track to gravel, even though it lies in a designated wilderness zone where public traffic is not allowed. There will be increased traffic and continued pressure to connect the paved roads with a commercial link through the park.

Serengeti Watch was initially formed to oppose a commercial highway across the Serengeti National Park. It is a permanent nonprofit organization that will monitor the Serengeti and bring world opinion and support to bear on vital issues. Learn more at www.savetheserengeti.org

The first version of this article was posted on 20 June 2014 at 4:33 PM.