Do you want to make a difference in 2011, based on a truism that has never been contradicted in the history of humankind?  Here's one:  Roads kill nature.  As U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas once observed:  "When roads supplant trails, the precious, unique values of God's wilderness disappear."

Roads may facilitate incursions of great numbers of people and the promise of expanded commerce but what they leave behind, invariably, is an emptying out of the very wild treasures they bifurcate.  All around the world, countries are struggling to deal with the after-effects of roads that were either poorly planned or designed in an earlier era of ecological ignorance. 

Right now, another highway is scheduled to come on line and unless nature lovers voice their strong protest, observers say, a global wonder will be transformed forever.

The Serengeti Plain in Tanzania is the most famous wildlife migration corridor on Earth.   It is made more signficant by the fact that so many other migration corridors on other continents are gone.

Millions of individual animals, including 1.3 million wildebeest—as well as giraffe, zebra and many other varieties of ungulates— pass seasonally across the Seregenti's tipping table of land, offering humans a rare glimpse into primordial wildness long associated with the African Continent.  But now, a major highway being planned by the Tanzanian government and president Jakaya Kikwete could irrevocably damage the Serengeti and negatively effect homelands for the Masai culture appears to be moving forward—right through Serengeti National Park.  Bulldozers are slated to begin construction in 2012.  The highway would connect Arusha to Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria and slice right through Tanzania's most famous wildlife refuge.






Around the world, hundreds of millions of children and young people are familiar with the Serengeti for it was the backdrop that inspiried the Disney movie, Lion King.  An equal number of adults are familiar with the Serengeti because of nature documentaries.  So important—so biologically priceless— is the Serengeti wildlife corridor, that the United Nations classifies it as a World Heritage Site, elevated into the same category of international icons as Yellowstone National Park in the U.S., Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and China's Great Wall. 

Negative impacts of the highway on the Serengeti region could, in the words of some experts, be catastrophic.  Conservation biologists and global planning experts know that wherever major transportation corridors are carved into wildlands, nature is negatively impacted forever.  Not only will the Serengeti Highway bring traffic, development and large numbers of people into the middle of the northern wildlife migration corridor, but it will mean an incursion of poachers, sprawl taking over critical habitat, and changes in the flow of animal populations.  On top of it, the Serengeti could be hugely impacted by the onset of climate change, the worst effects of which, are expected to become manifested in the coming decades.

Some biologists predict the wildebeest herd could tumble and along with it predators such as lions, cheetah and wild dogs that depend on the nomadic ungulates for sustenance.  The network of interwoven parks are home to black rhinocerous restoration which has experienced a series of setbacks from armed poachers.

Obviously, the Serengeti is a magnet for nature tourists, with travelers around theworld willing to pay huge sums of money for the opportunity to witness the wild wonders of Tanzania.  As a self-sustaining industry, nature tourism in Tanzania represents billions of dollars in commerce, and the Serengeti will only become more valuable in the years ahead.

No one in the international community discounts the need for Tanzania to develop its natural resources and establish a better highway infrastructure to expand its capacity for trade.  But experts note that alternatives exist for re-routing of the Serengeti Highway. Rumors abound that foreign countries like China want the road built to accomodate natural resource extraction around Lake Victoria. The Chinese have a particular interest because the famous lake has deposits of rare earth minerals used to make cell phones.   Tanzanian President Kikwete has vowed to move ahead but many believe there is still hope if international pressure is brought to bear.  Some 27 prominent ecologists wrote a letter of concern that was published in the respected scientific journal, Nature .

Ironically, famed primatologist Jane Goodall gave Kikwete a special award for supporting conservation in eastern Africa, but now she is alarmed by his posture on the highway.

"I have spent much of my life in Tanzania, and I understand President Kikwete’s desire to help his people develop a prosperous economy. But President Kikwete has told me personally that he wants to be remembered as the president who protects what is left and restores what is gone. In light of this and the award I have already presented, I have contacted him personally and asked him to reconsider his decision about the proposed road."

She added: "If the President’s support for the optional southern route is constrained by available financing, I would be prepared to partner with many of my fellow concerned scientists and citizen conservationists around the globe to approach donor institutions for the necessary capital and technical support. With so much at stake, we could provide a dedicated community of support to help save the Serengeti."

James Deutsch, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Africa Program and among a growing legion of conservationists, scientists from such places as the Frankfurt Zoo, and citizens concerned about the highway, said recently:  "The Serengeti is the site of one of the last great ungulate migrations left on Earth, the pre-eminent symbol of wild nature for millions of visitors and TV viewers, and a hugely important source of income for the people of Tanzania through ecotourism. To threaten this natural marvel with a road would be a tragedy. We implore the Tanzanian government -- known around the world for its commitment to conservation -- to reconsider this proposal and explore other options."

What you can do:  First, visit the website Save the Serengeti.  You can also support the protest on Facebook by linking to "Stop The Serengeti Highway" that will provide you with updates.  Finally:  if you are an artist, American painter Jan Martin McGuire is helping to organize a virtual gallery of works, inspired by those who have portrayed wildlife and landscapes on the Serengeti.  The exhibition will appear online at Wildlife Art Journal later this winter.  Submissions from artists in all countries are welcome.  If you wish to have a work featured, drop Jan Martin McGuire an email.  For more information, watch this recent TV report from NBC News , USA.