Quick update on proposed Serengeti Road

We've blogged a few times about the proposed Serengeti Road, which would bisect the huge wildebeest migration in the northern end of the park. (If you need a refresher on the proposed road, see the NY Times article here. You can also see some of our earlier blogs on the Serengeti by Searching for "serengeti" on our website).

Two weeks ago (on Jan. 8, 2012) Serengeti Watch announced this good news: "The Tanzanian Minister of Transport, Mr. Omar Nundu, again stated that the proposed new railway line will not affect the Serengeti."

How does this effect the proposed road? Again, from Serengeti Watch: "The geography of the Serengeti, in fact, does offer a much greater challenge for a railway, as it involves traversing a steep escarpment. Big questions still hang over the economic viability of this port-railway system from Uganda. But should a railway prove feasible and be built around the southern end of the park, it would greatly relieve pressure for a Serengeti highway in the future."

We'll keep you posted, as the proposed road has attracted world-wide attention for its potential ecological impacts in a place emblematic of wildness.