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NAIROBI - One of Kenya's finest game parks is under threat from hotel and lodge development, conservationists claim.
Environmental groups have criticised the building of four new hotels, which will more than double the number of beds in Samburu National Reserve. They say elephant migratory corridors and lion-breeding habitats could be destroyed.
BBC wildlife presenter Saba Douglas-Hamilton, whose father Ian runs Save the Elephants, which operates in the park, said the developments would do "untold damage" to Samburu if allowed to go ahead.
"These proposed developments are all along the river. There will be a huge impact on the area most heavily utilised by the wildlife," she said.
"We have to be careful how we plan for the future. If landscape planning in Samburu is not managed, it will have an adverse effect on the environment and the people who rely on tourism for their livelihoods."
Councillor Christopher Lalkalepi said: "These mushrooming developments are against the general management plan of the reserve. Conservation is being affected. We want to stop the lodges being built."
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