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This page was last updated April 5, 2011
Click here to learn about Serengeti Watch
Click here to read Guardian's article on Serengeti highway
Dear Serengeti Supporter,
There is a new
online petition.
It asks the government of Tanzania to accept support for an alternate southern route, and also to accept the offer by the German government to develop roads for local communities. |
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Motives
Reasons behind the Serengeti highway have been an enduring mystery. And now, recent news has fueled more theories and speculations.
Others doubt that the Natron factory can be built without substantial development of new port and rail facilities, which the Indian mining company requires the government to provide. And it's not clear why the Serengeti portion would be needed for this factory.
But President Kikewte's government does seem to be thinking big. He recently announced a $5 billion railway from Kigali, Rwanda, to Dar es Salaam. And he's just stopped the Eastern Arc Mountains from becoming a World Heritage Site, telling his ministers to "reduce dependence on foreign authorities" in their decisions. Read more.
And even more ominously, a regional oil conference was held in Uganda in February, where it was disclosed that the potential for oil and gas in East Africa was vast. Out of 28 prospective sedimentary basins, Uganda has 6, Kenya 4, Burundi 2, Rwanda 1, and Tanzania... 15. |
Serengeti Watch co-founder, Boyd Norton, to speak at Thoreau Institute
Boyd Norton and his publisher, Bob Baron, will present a multi-media program on the Serengeti at the Walden Woods Project and Thoreau Institute, located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2011.
Doors open at 7 PM for a wine and cheese reception. The presentation begins at 7:30. The event is free. Donations are appreciated. Seating is limited.
For reservations, please call 781-259-4707
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German government solution
The African Regional Manager for the Frankfurt Zoological Society, Mr. Gelrald Bigurube, confirmed that the German government will finance construction of tarmac roads that will link dozens of rural villages adjacent to the Serengeti National Park.
He said the "international community is also concerned with the needs of the people in an environmental friendly way but the road should not be close to the park because it will have serious impact that cannot be mitigated."
The next step is up to President Kikwete who recently turned down an offer from the World Bank to fund the alternate route.
Below, road system around the Serengeti, with proposed Serengeti Watch southern route.
