In what is being hailed as a victory for conservationists and the wildlife of the Serengeti, the Tanzanian government has cancelled plans for a controversial highway that would have dissected the Serengeti National Park.

!ADVERTISEMENT!

According to scientists, the road would have severed the migration route of 1.5 million wildebeest and a half million other antelope and zebra, with indirect impacts, such as poaching and new development, exacerbating the situation.

The mass migration of the Serengeti's wildebeest is one of natureâ€™s true wildlife spectacles, occurring no where else on the planet. It also brings in important tourism revenue to the relatively impoverished region.

"The State Party confirms that the proposed road will not dissect the Serengeti National Park and therefore will not affect the migration and conservation values of the property," reads a statement from the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

A leaked government environmental impact study agreed with the findings of a recent scientific study that the road would 'limit' the Serengeti migration and damage predator populations (such as lions, hyaenas, cheetahs, leopards and crocodiles) due to a declining prey base.

Article continues: http://blog.arkive.org/2011/06/in-the-news-serengeti-highway-cancelled/

Photo credit: ARKive.org