INFORMATION
paradise lost
One of the world's most famous tourist destinations and natural phenomena is in danger of being lost.
Corruption, greed, lawlessness and impunity, poverty and the scramble for the Masai Mara's finite resources mean the great wildebeest migration could be lost in our lifetime, and with it one of the most diverse ecosystems remaining in Africa.
In the Masai Mara, housing and commercial facilities are developing rapidly but there are no public waste management systems, decent roads, or control measures to offset their impact. Illegal waste-strewn slums border the core protected area of the Masai Mara National Reserve; sex-workers thrive on passing trade. Luxury lodges, many of them more suited to a Balearic Island resort, are proliferating; they generate large quantities of waste and traffic every day. Animal habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate.
This series documents the scramble for the Masai Mara's billions. It encompasses virtually all of the major problems associated with post-independent Kenya and is representative of resource wars playing out across the continent. Ancient cultural and ecological heritage is being lost for the sake of personal wealth and short-term gain.