Twenty years ago and again in the 2005 elections, a promise was made to Tanzanians; a two lane 50km road crossing the Serengeti National Park was going to be constructed. The National Park is the home to 1.5 million wild beasts and zebras migrating North and the new road would cut them off from much needed resources to survive (Sinclair, Dynamics of an Ecosystem).Many believe that if the construction of this road was to occur, the entire National Park’s ecosystem would be destroyed. Despite much controversy from conservationists worldwide, pressures from the upcoming re-elections are pushing the government to start the project. Unfortunately, the leaders of the country are not taking into consideration an alternate road that would not disturb the animal migration, but still create a short-cut for transportation to nearby countries.
Worldwide crises happen each year around the world, where the human species believes that natural resources are more important than environmental conservation. In the primary source from the Nature journal “Road will ruin Serengeti”, edited by twenty-seven researchers around the world (many from Tanzania), one can easily determine that much investigation has been conducted to conclude that the construction of the road would negatively disturb the Park’s surroundings. When reading this article, it is evident that this project will grandly change the diverse ecosystem found in the National Park. With the discussions on the topics such as ecology, sustainability and politics, the reader rapidly acknowledges the impact of this project on the surrounding environment. The extinction of many species, economic influxes and political dilemmas will be the outcome from the inauguration of the road in this National Park. The researchers have made it apparent that this could lead to environmental crises. Whereas, in the secondary source entitled “Serengeti road imperils vast herds: scientist” edited by CBC, the reader can rapidly distinguish that the author has a lesser knowledge of these environmental issues. As topics such as the alternate road and the effect on the animal population are also discussed in this paper, the reader does not perceive the same message as with the first article. When reading the second article, one also remarks an interesting topic discussed; the comparison of the effect of what would happen in Tanzania to what has happened to the National Park in Banff, Canada. Therefore, one can conclude that the Nature journal article describes the events happening in Tanzania with much more complexity then the article provided by CBC.
When national conflicts occur, the entire nation is involved in order to remediate the situation. In this case of controversy regarding the Serengeti National Park, one can acknowledge that many researchers were involved in order to find a solution to the predicament. An obvious strong point found in the primary source is that it goes in great detail describing the vast environmental nuisances that would affect animal and human populations in the region. Researchers have produced this article in order to predict long term effects of this project in this area. For example; an increase of forest fires and a decrease of recycled carbon dioxide would occur (Harris, Endangered Species). Another strong point of this article is that it reveals a harmful outcome on the economy after the construction of the road. Contrary to beliefs, many have claimed that there would be a decrease of income for locals by diminishing the amount of tourism in the National Park. In the Secondary source, one of its major strengths is that it compares the Serengeti National Park to the Banff National Park. By describing the problems that took place in Banff after the construction of a road through the much smaller Park, it is clearly evident that these problems would be insurmountable in Tanzania. This is obvious because of the incredible amount of wildlife in the National Park. Large amounts of animals migrating from one region to the other each year would struggle for survival after the inauguration. Another strong point in the article is that they have a Canadian researcher from the University of British Colombia speaking about his results. This Canadian professor can incite the North American Governments and citizens to get involved in this dilemma. Finally, both articles have many strong points and together describe in great detail that these problems must be overcome before constructing the road.
In every piece of literature, there are always limitations to be found. To begin, one of the limitations of the primary source is that it does not discuss some of the positive outcomes that the construction of the road could bring to the Tanzanian population. As one is well aware, this road cannot bring only negative side effects to the region if the idea of such a project is being discussed. The road might be decreasing survival rate for animal species, but it will increase access to a basic source of necessities much needed by the surrounding population. In the second source, there are a few more limitations such as the fact that they do not go into detail about the effect of the construction on the economy in the country. In order to have an equilibrated article, the paper should have also discussed in greater detail the effect of the construction of the road on the population. Another limitation in the second source is the fact that it should cover more content about the “alternative route”. When reading this piece of literature, the population should be made aware of the alternative route, as this could be a simple solution solving the predicament. Therefore, it is evident that each of the following sources presents its flaws but the message is well transmitted to the audience.
In summary, it is evident that the construction of this road would cause much worldwide disapproval. The Tanzanian government should consider the “alternative route” as an option, as the planned construction of the road could lead to the collapse of the entire ecosystem in the Serengeti National Park. This is an environmental crisis of a grand scale that must be thoroughly evaluated before the construction, in order to measure the entire impact on the region. Evidently, this project would destroy the ecosystem’s sustainability, but is also a substantial political dilemma for the Tanzanian government.
References:
CBC News. "Serengeti road imperils vast herds: scientists." CBC News Friday, September 17, 2010 : 10. Web. 21 Sep 2010.
Dobson, Andrew. "Road will ruin Serengeti." Nature Journal. 467.10.1038/467272a (2010): 272-273. Print.
Harris, G., Thirgood, S., Hopcraft, J. G. C., Cromsigt, J. P. G. M. & Berger, J. Endangered Species Res. 7, 55–76 (2009).
Sinclair, A. R. E. & Norton-Griffiths, M. (eds) Serengeti: Dynamics of an Ecosystem (Univ. Chicago Press, 1979).
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