This case is significant in its own right, as it could stop future plans to build a commercial corridor (which might include a railway!) through the Serengeti ecosystem.

But the case is also significant for several other reasons:

*It was initiated completely by a local East African conservation organization, not a foreign NGO, government, or UN body.

*It operates within the legal framework of an East African court system designed expressly to deal with such issues.

*It is a test of the power and jurisdiction of the EACJ to decide on transboundary issues within East Africa, especially those relating to conservation.

LATEST:
May 24 the ANAW team will head back to Tanzania for the
EACJ Scheduling Conference which was postponed earlier because the Tanzanian government said it was not prepared.

This will be long battle. It is out best long term hope for preserving the Serengeti ecosystem. Please consider donating to our legal defense fund. Any amount will help.

http://www.savetheserengeti.org/serengeti-legal-defense-fund/#axzz1uqf5BQ9n

Evolution of the African Safari: From Photography to Philanthropy

Presenter: Lynne Leakey Bio: Born Lynne Bailey in beautiful downtown Burbank, California, Lynne as a girl watched the movie “Born Free” 10 times and vowed toand vowed to marry a game warden. Her amazing journey took her to Kenya, and a brief marriage into the Leakey family of archaeologists brought her close to her dream. She accompanies photographic safaris as a naturalist guide and lives part time in Sedona, Arizona.

Bottles and Babies - Voi Stockades

Lynne Leakey’s Specialized Safaris: East Africa and For everyone who has been enjoying the recent posts from various foster parents who have been out to Kenya to visit their babies, please note that the “Follow the Orphans” safari has slightly changed its dates to October 3 – 8, 2012. If you… would like to join us, please contact me on lynne_safari@hotmail.com There are also opportunities for optional extensions to Amboseli, Maasai Mara or Samburu to enjoy even more elephant activities. You can also check out our last safari on www.lynneleakey.com/blog

A legal case was filed in December, 2010, in the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) by the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), a Kenyan nonprofit organization. It challenged the Tanzanian government’s right to build a highway across the Serengeti National Park.

This case is significant in its own right, as it could stop future plans to build a commercial corridor (which might include a railway!) through the Serengeti ecosystem.

But the case is also significant for several other reasons:
•It was initiated completely by a local East African conservation organization, not a foreign NGO, government, or UN body.
•It operates within the legal framework of an East African court system designed expressly to deal with such issues.
•It is a test of the power and jurisdiction of the EACJ to decide on transboundary issues within East Africa, especially those relating to conservation.

More about the Case

According to ANAW’s Director, Josphat Ngonyo (right), the highway would be an infringement of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community and would cause “irreparable and irreversible damage to the environment of the Serengeti National Park and the adjoining and inseparable Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.”

Last year, the government of Tanzania attempted to have the case thrown out. But on March 15 the East Africa Court of Justice Appellate Division dismissed all objections raised by the Tanzanian Attorney General and ruled that the regional Court did indeed have jurisdiction to determine such environmental disputes in the region. Both sides will now prepare for a full trial. The date is yet to be determined.

The suit seeks to permanently restrain the government of Tanzania from:

“constructing, creating, commissioning or maintaining a trunk road or highway across any part of the Serengeti National Park.” ….
“degazetting (removing) any part of the Serengeti National Park for the purpose of upgrading, tarmacking, paving, realigning, constructing, creating or commissioning” the highway.
……or removing itself from UNESCO obligations with respect to the Serengeti National Park.

Other obligations of the Tanzanian government cited in the case fall under: the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, the United Nations Declaration on the Human Environment, the Stockholm Declaration, and the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

The East Africa Court of Justice is the instrument for settling disputes among members of the East African Community, which are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Under the terms of the EAC Treaty, partner states are required to cooperate in the management of shared natural resources, notify each other of activities that are likely to have significant transboundary environmental impacts, and to follow protocols for Environmental Impact Assessment.

www.savetheserengeti.org

Need an elephant fix? Join one of the Follow the Orphans safaris this May or September and visit your adopted babies in Nairobi, Ithumba and Voi Stockades; continue to Amboseli to see for yourself the wonderful baby boom going on right now and visit the research camp of Cynthia Moss and her team with the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. For those having a bit more time to continue enjoying elephants and other wildlife, as well as some really excellent birding in Samburu or even the Wildebeeste Migration in the Maasai Mara – exciting extensions are offered with opportunities to learn more about the important Save the Elephant and Elephant Voices research projects and their continued efforts to protect the elephant populations in Kenya as well as raise awareness of the plight of Elephants all over Africa. For information contact lynne_safari@hotmail.com
www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org, www.elephanttrust.org, www.savetheelephants.org, www.elephantvoices.org

For single travelers preferring to travel at their own pace and follow their own interests, let an experienced safari guide plan the perfect safari and offer you expert guiding away from the madding (and maddening) crowds and introduce you to the very special magic of Africa while smoothing the way and inserting lots of extra points and people of interest not often available to larger groups who need to keep to a more regulated timetable. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, contact lynne_safari@hotmail.com

Family Adventure Safaris

Here are the two Follow the Orphans safaris for this year. The fun of sharing this experience with other like minded people is a pretty amazing way to visit your babies and enjoy a safari as well. To make this easy and economical, I do all the pre-safari shopping for the meals and supplies needed at Ithumba and we share the expenses throughout. So, if this is something you have been dreaming about doing, or returning to do again, contact me on lynne_safari@hotmail.com