[wanabidii] Re: Kenya, Tanzania experts differ on Serengeti road plan

Kenyans have only their interests to protect. How many hotels does Masai Mara have compared to Serengeti? What is the size of Masai Mara compared to Serengeti? They want all the tourists to spend the most of their money in Kenya and only come to Tanzania to visit our parks with the remaining peanuts. We in Tanzania should do what we deem to be in our own interest as a country. We should not be losing our sleep to what Kenyans have to say. Construct the road and ASAP. Then proceed to extract soda ash in Lake Natron without stupid delays. If they don't like, then they can simply hang themselves as Mugabe told the western countries.

Sibonike

On Thursday, August 22, 2013 8:03:39 PM UTC+2, Sam Muigai wrote:

By GEORGE OMONDI(BUSINESS DAILY)

Kenya's conservationists have sharply differed with their Tanzanian counterparts over the plan to build a Sh4 billion ($470 million) road across Serengeti National Park, deepening a standoff that has persisted in the last five years.

Mr John Kuloba, an environment consultant with the Kenya-based Earth Services Ltd, told the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on Tuesday that a superhighway across Serengeti would be dangerous for animals.

"The proposed road goes through the national park and due to noise and public movement on the road; animal behaviour would be affected among other negative impacts," Mr Kuloba said.

Mr Kuloba is an environmental impact assessment (EIA) specialist who participated in the evaluation of the Serengeti Highway along with other experts.

He appeared before the EACJ as a sole witness for the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), a lobby which has engaged Tanzania in a legal battle over its plan to construct a 500km road across its national park.

Serengeti National Park is famed for its spectacular wildebeest migration every year, which also attracts hundreds of tourists to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

ANAW has opposed plans to build a road across the park saying it would cut off the migratory route of the wildebeest and zebra. The case was referred to EACJ last year.

In March 2012, the lobby obtained a temporary injunction which effectively blocks Tanzania from commencing construction work until the case is heard and determined.

The legal battles are said to have sent a negative signal to the project's potential financiers. The Tanzanian government, however, signalled its intention to forge ahead with the project after it allocated funds for a feasibility study on the road in its 2013/14 budget.

(READ: Donors to snub Tanzania over Serengeti road)

A number of Tanzanian environmentalists have faulted this position saying a road through the Serengeti Park would boost tourism and open up eastern part of their country for investment.

Ms Zafarani Madayi, head of Safety and Environment at the Tanzania National Roads Agency, told the regional court that negative impacts cited by the conservationists would be adequately addressed through a raft of mitigation measures.

Dr James Wakibara, a principal ecologist at the Tanzania National Parks, and Mr William Simon Mwakilema, the officer in charge of Serengeti National Park, appearing as witnesses for Tanzania government, also supported the project.

omo...@ke.nationmedia.com

This article first appeared on Businessdailyafrica.com

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