Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Road to Cut the Serengeti in Two?

One of the main methods for developing a wild region is to run a trunk road through it for access.  That is what Tanzania is apparently proposing to do to the world famous Serengeti National Park according to WildlifeExtra.com.  The Tanzanian Parks Authority has not responded to requests for information about the proposal, if there is one.  Such a route would play havoc with the annual wildebeest migration, one of the world's last natural spectacles.  Besides giving poachers roadside access to meat on the hoof, vehicle traffic will certainly alter the normal behavior of animals.  Construction activity alone would be enough to disrupt their natural rhythms. If wildebeest and the carnivores that depend on them cannot move freely in response to seasonal availability of food, the entire ecosystem could conceivably collapse.