Demise of a National Treasure

As many Americans celebrate the end of yet another

brutal winter and the start of a fresh spring so does
Mupenzi, a Tanzanian working in the sun-scorched
Serengeti National Park.

To Mupenzi, this week marks the start of a new

season: the Great Migration.
Each year, right about this
time, he witnesses millions of wildebeest, zebras,
rhinos, gazelles, lions, hyenas and vultures majestically marching north of the
Serengeti Park in search of greener pastures. And even though he has watched every
Migration for the past twenty years, Mupenzi never tires of it.

The Serengeti Migration is widely considered one of the most stunning manifestations
of gatherings of animal life on the planet. Each year it attracts an estimated 700,000
tourists to Tanzania. This spring however may be the very last migration.

Last summer, the government of Tanzania announced plans to construct a commercial

highway directly passing through the migration route. The proposed highway is
intended to economically revitalize two towns with populations of about 500,000 each.

President Kikwete says the construction will improve transportation and bring
development closer to communities living around the park and the Loliondo district.

While it is undeniably important to bring development to Tanzania’s most rural areas,
constructing a highway through Serengeti Park is not the right way to go about it.

The Great Migration in the Serengeti is the anchor of Tanzania’s tourism industry. For
one of the poorest countries in the world, tourism in this sub-Saharan African nation is
a key sector that fetches over one billion dollars annually.

Tourism also offers tremendous opportunities for wealth creation. As a result, many
Tanzanians have employment ranging from tour guides to hoteliers. Youth like
Mupenzi have been earning a living from selling African crafts to tourists visiting the
Serengeti for decades.

The northern section of the Serengeti is essential for wildlife, particularly during the
dry season when water sources run empty and grass dries up. Wildlife in the park
travels north towards Kenya’s Masai mara in search of greener pastures. The proposed
highway route will create a physical barricade to the migration course, leading to
disastrous effects on the entire ecosystem.

According to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, scientists’ calculations have shown that
if wildebeest were cut off from these critical dry season areas, the population would
likely decline from 1.3 million animals to about 200,000, meaning, most likely, the end
of the great migration.

Due to increased wildlife –vehicle collisions, the highway would also result in an
inevitable increase in mortality rates for both animals and humans. It would also
provide a convenient pathway for increased poaching by organized gangs.

True, the government’s objectives in constructing the proposed route are not without
reason. A commercial highway could provide farmers better access to markets by
decreasing traveling times, lowering costs of vehicle maintenance, and reducing
production costs.

Instead of rushing to build the highway, however, the Tanzanian government should
consider engaging in a dialogue with various conservation groups, scientists and
researchers, civil society, and other populations living within the implicated areas.

They should also consider the standing offer by the World Bank to finance a feasibility
study for an alternative route. This information will ultimately lead to a more
informed decision.

Conservation groups have already indicated that a route south of the Serengeti would
actually revitalize more towns and prevent threatening wildlife and the migration.

While President Kikwete is committed to keeping the promise made during his
campaign, what is not obvious to most voters, particularly those in rural communities,
is that should this promise be honored, it would alter their lives permanently.

When this happens, Mupenzi and thousands of other Tanzanians will have no spring
to look forward to.

This article is co-published with The Morningside Post.

This article was written by Doreen Kagarama.