Serengeti road debate continues

01 May, 2011

A debate in Dar es Salaam about the construction of the Serengeti highway aired conflicting opinions between the tourist operators, against the road, and the Maasai and Kurya communities, which support the construction of the 400 km highway through the national park.

The road would link towns along Lake Victoria, such as Mwanza with Arusha and then on to Kenya along a much shorter route than the ones now available. But the road will cut across wildebeest migration routes from north to south in the Serengeti national park and is a danger to rhino breeding grounds.

The project was fiercely protested at the 27 April meeting by tourist operators dependent on the safari trade, but supported by one member of parliament from Ngorongoro who maintains that the project will benefit the Massai