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The Tanzanian Government has approved plans to build new roads, an airport and a handful of hotels in a bid to drastically increase the number of tourists visiting Serengeti National Park.
Environmental groups, including the country's national parks authority, have expressed their concerns over the plans, arguing the new infrastructure could do lasting damage to one of the world's most stunning reserves. It could also disrupt one of nature's greatest wonders - the wildebeest migration.
Both sides cite the Masai Mara, just over the northern border with Kenya, to back up their arguments. The Government points to the huge amount of revenue Kenya brings in through tourism, while environmentalists argue the Mara has been damaged by mass tourism and insist the Serengeti should not go the same way.
Opposition to the projects has been led by the director general of the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa), Gerald Bigurube. He warned government officials the new developments could hamper the movement of animals from the Maasai Mara into the Serengeti.
More than a million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras make the journey south through the Maasai Mara and into Serengeti National Park every year, following the rains.
- Independent
