| A conflict is going on between pastoralists on one side and the government and tourism industry on the other. The reason is the 150,000 hectare corridor of land in Loliondo in Ngorongoro District bordering the Serengeti National Park. The land is used by the Maasai as dry season grazing land[1]. The dispute goes back over 20 years, but in the latest chapter, the Tanzanian government, which contends that the area is being overgrazed, announced in March 2013 their plans to split the disputed area - classified as the Loliondo Game Controlled Area - into two parts, one that would belong to villagers and the other in government hands. Local civic leaders are reportedly threatening to resign if the plan goes ahead[3]. A major area of dispute is the granting of a hunting licence (going back to 1992) to Otterlo Business Corporation Ltd (OBC), registered in the United Arab Emirates. In July 2009, the government evicted Loliondo residents from the area used for hunting by OBC. It is estimated that about 200 Maasai homesteads were burned, resulting in the loss of property including cattle and other livestock. It is alleged that up to 20,000 residents of Loliondo were impacted and up to 50,000 head of livestock were displaced from grazing and water sources[4]. |