The Tanzanian government’s plans to build a highway across its national park, the Serengeti, could disrupt the annual migration of wildebeest.
The two-lane road would cut straight across their route, over which 1.5 million wildebeest travel annually. This could destroy the usual life cycle pattern of the species and unbalance the ecosystem of the Serengeti.
Wildebeest migration is one of the most popular wildlife shows in the world, with the movement of many thousands of wildebeest as well as zebra, gazelles, elands and impala. They are accompanied by their predators, which include lions and hyena.
They migrate across 500 km from the dwindling grasslands of the southern Serengeti to the northern edge of the Masai Mara in Kenya in search of fresh grazing and better quality water.
The proposed road is due to link Lake Victoria with east Tanzania, crossing over the northern part of the Serengeti. If their migration route is disrupted in this way, this could lead to huge numbers of wildebeest dying out and a knock-on effect on the carbon cycle.
This is because the Serengeti is the biggest carbon sink on the planet, meaning it absorbs more carbon than it releases. If there are no wildebeest, it is likely that the grass that they would usually feed on would be left to burn, thereby increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
International support
Last week the government announced it would be investigating an alternative route which could link the eastern and western borders of the Serengeti without crossing it. As reported in the Guardian, the German government has offered to finance a study into the feasibility of a southern bypass around the park, while the World Bank has also intervened with finance for an alternative route.
The international community is intervening as Tanzania is a recipient of international aid and the plans would have not only an ecological but also an economic impact. The wildebeest migration attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Ironically, while Tanzania is asking for aid due to water shortage, the road would deny millions of animals’ passage to water. Animals would be forced to graze in the south even after the grass has depleted, meaning herds would decrease in numbers severely. Tanzania’s main argument is that the road would be a great help to the country’s people who currently have no route directly crossing the Serengeti in the proposed location.
Compromises could include a 40 mile stretch being left as a dirt road so animals could still traverse the area or a raised road allowing the animals passage underneath it. However, the costs of this alternative could prove too high for Tanzania’s government.
A coalition of organisations will petition the government this month to reconsider. These include UNESCO which warns that the damage to the park by the road could put the Serengeti on their List of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
Image courtesy of Eric Inafuku via Wikimedia Commons
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