The biggest challenge that is posed in my region is the one that I have been talking about for weeks now. It is the issue of development in the Serengeti region, specifically in the proposed construction of a highway through the Serengeti National Park to link Northern cities with the Southern and Eastern parts of the country. This proposed road would greatly impact the landscape and perhaps even the entire ecosystem of the Serengeti because it would be built directly across the path of the seasonal migration of millions animals that occurs twice a year.
The two articles that I read for this blog were The Reconstruction of Environment Rights in Urban South Africa by Ben Wisner and Climate Patterns and Land-Use Practices in the Dry Zones of Africa by Jim Ellis and Kathleen Galvin. The first article talked about urban areas in South Africa – a great departure from the prairies of the Serengeti. While the places are different the issue of environmental rights is the same. The violation of environmental rights – including the effects brought on by overcrowding and rapid development such as pollutions brought on by the harsh apartheid regime meant that human rights in South Africa were violated. This is was the reverse in the Serengeti; the Maasai were kicked out of the area in order to protect the National Park. I believe that their human rights were violated as well. They were forced to abandon a way of life that did not endanger the area in any way. In an apparent attempt to regain those human rights the Tanzanian government now wants to build this highway. They apparently want to link the people living in these areas ( which they had previously declared illegal to do) to the rest of Tanzania. Unfortunately their plan will endanger the environment. Unlike the case of South Africa the rights of the people are not aligned with the notion of protecting and caring for the environment. Do the rights of the people living in the area trump those of the environment?
I chose the second article on land-use practices in dry areas of Africa because of its discussion of seasonality and rainfall. These are aspects of the Serengeti that are at the center of the highway debate. The article points out that areas that are near the equator such as the Serengeti National park receive two rainy seasons that occur six months apart. This is what causes the seasonal migration of animals in the Serengeti as they travel to find water. The proposed highway would cut off this seasonal migration and potentially many animals could die. If you look in the diagram below you will notice that Northern Tanzania where the Serengeti is located receives very little rain. It is crucial therefore that this migration happens.
