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The Great East Africa Animal Migration is in danger...
Big Five joins protest against road project in Serengeti National Park |
The government of Tanzania has approved a major commercial highway across the Serengeti National Park, linking the Lake Victoria area with eastern Tanzania. Big Five Tours & Expeditions joins with other voices around the globe to ask Tanzanian government officials to seriously reconsider this ill-conceived project.
A World Heritage Site in Danger
The likely damage to a priceless, irreplaceable ecosystem is unnecessary. The project will change all the rules, and would destroy the integrity of this UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been protected by the people of Tanzania since the birth of their country. We sincerely believe that the road will have disastrous effects on the entire ecosystem. The northern parts of the Serengeti and the adjacent Masai Mara are critical for the wildebeest and zebra migration during the dry season, as it is the only permanent year-round water source for these herds. Recent calculations show that if wildebeest were to be cut off from these 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).
 The Frankfurt Zoological Society, which has been the main supporter of the Serengeti for the past fifty years, has stated, "The entire Serengeti will change into a completely different landscape holding only a fraction of its species and losing its world-class tourism potential and its status as the world's most famous National Park - an immense backlash against the goodwill and conservation achievements of Tanzania."
According to Tanzania's own 10-year management plan, painstakingly developed in 2005 by scientists, park officials, and conservation organizations, the area in the northwestern part of the Park is particularly sensitive. The choice need not be between people and nature. There is no need to sacrifice its most precious wilderness, or income from tourism, or its heritage of conservation. There is a safer alternative route to the south, which bypasses Serengeti altogether.
There is much to be said for this route - it would connect with paved highways to western, central, and eastern regions of the country, serving times the number of people.
"As a native of East Africa and as a tour operator, I ask the Tanzanian government to review this decision," said Mahen Sanghrajka, CEO of Big Five Tours & Expeditions, a company founded in Kenya in 1973. "We must balance the needs of this vital ecosystem with the need of the people of Tanzania. We can create a positive outcome if we all work together."
To learn more about this vital issue and sign the petition, please visit
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