Bad news about Serengeti highway: a railway!

Old Dec 28th, 2011, 01:44 PM
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Bad news about Serengeti highway: a railway!

Very bad news about the unsettling plans of Tanzania to create some sort of transportation through the serengeti. Up till now these have been talks about a highway and the debate was whether it would be tarmac (right from the start) or not... but right now it looks like it is very likely that they start constructing a railroad as of April 2012 !
This of course would be a nightmare! Really hope the legal actions will have (some) effects.
In the meantime we can spread the word and make our concerns known and support all the activities against these plans of destroying nature like this...

read the full article here:
http://bit.ly/vil3fv
Nikao is offline  
Old Dec 28th, 2011, 03:35 PM
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Oh no! Just when we thought the road was dead, here comes the train.

A Chinese company has entered into an agreement with Tanzania and UgandaTanga-Arusha-Musoma-Uganda railway.

30 June 2011
"The proposed multi-billion-shilling railway project to run from Tanga via Arusha to Musoma will steer clear of the much contested stretch in Serengeti National Park by 100 kilometres to preserve the ecosystem, Transport minister Omari Nundu said here yesterday."

That looks ok. "But the risk is high that the Chinese study will recommend a route through the Serengeti National Park. The final decision on the routing is the responsibility of the Tanzanian government and the outcome of the feasibility study. Bypassing the Serengeti would add considerable cost and time, and quite possibly this factor alone will determine whether this development project will even be feasible. Uganda would not stand in the way if it crossed the migration route. China presumably would not care either."
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Old Dec 29th, 2011, 01:04 AM
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Very sad HSI has been opposing anything
that disrupts migration for years http://www.hsi.org/news/news/2011/02...ay_020111.html
I aggressively oppose this through them.
China is cutting up Africa to extract mineral wealth
at the expense of animal welfare.
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Old Dec 29th, 2011, 10:03 AM
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...and what about the elephants? Upsetting article today regarding the Chinese building a highway near Amboseli, and ivory poaching suddenly up in the area (hope I'm sending the link successfully):


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wor...136368963.html
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Old Dec 29th, 2011, 10:49 AM
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Of course I'd prefer if they stayed out of the migration areas and go around the parks, but...

Isn't one train better than a road that would have hundreds of trucks per day? It might be feasible to raise the track when going through the park. China is making huge investments in Africa. Maybe the US (and Europe) should have (but we have a terrible environmental record, too). The companies that build are only going to follow rules made by the state - so the pressure needs to be put on the gov't, not the contractor.

If - big if - it improves the local economy, maybe there will be less poaching. We never know the "unintended consequences" of development until after the fact. Unfortunately, in the short run at least, the animals lose.
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Old Dec 30th, 2011, 08:34 AM
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"maybe there will be less poaching"

... with the Chinese around? You've got to be kidding; really doubtful!

Elephants and rhino have been disappearing ever since the Chinese arrived.
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Old Dec 30th, 2011, 09:30 AM
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A raised track would help.

The railroad across the US was nearly the death knell for the buffalo.

If the environment and its inhabitants mean nothing to the Chinese business interests and If destroying both is profitable, it's a very sad state of affairs.

Those regions have to produce more money in the form of tourism for the Tanzanians who are being paid off by the Chinese than if a RR is built.

I also wonder if there is not some extortion going on. How much outside money was received after the road threat? Maybe it's even legit to ask more developed nations to contribute for something they/we deem worth preserving. Asking sounds nicer than extortion.
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