A Kenyan conservationist is suing Ritz-Carlton and its parent company, Marriott, to block the opening of a luxury safari lodge that he says will obstruct wildlife migration patterns and he claims there is no evidence  an environmental impact assessment was conducted.

Narok

A Ritz-Carlton safari lodge is scheduled to open in Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve, with nightly rates starting at $3,500 per person. The Maasai Conservation Institute, led by Metame Olodapash, has filed a lawsuit to block the opening, arguing that the lodge will damage the ecosystem and obstruct a key migration corridor for wildebeest between the Maasai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti.

Olodapash claims there is no evidence of an environmental impact assessment and alleges that local communities were not involved in the project's development. Marriott, the lodge's owner, stated that all necessary approvals were obtained and that an assessment confirmed the site is not a wildlife crossing point. The case is part of a broader dispute between luxury tourism operators and Maasai herders, who say their environment and way of life are under threat.

Kenyan activist sues to block Ritz-Carlton safari lodge opening

A Ritz-Carlton safari lodge is set to open on Friday in Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve. Guests will pay nightly rates starting from $3,500 per person for suites with private decks overlooking a river crossed by migrating wildebeest. But the Maasai Conservation Institute says the high-end lodge will damage one of the world's most renowned ecosystems, and Metame Olodapash, the institute's director, is suing to block it from opening. Olodapash alleges the tourist site will obstruct a crucial migration corridor between Maasai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti. That was the last crossing point. There are other places in the middle, but you cannot tell wildebeest today you are going to cross the Sand River from the middle or south of where you are, that kind of thing. This is a tradition, something they've done over the years, and that ought to have been respected. His lawsuit also claims there is no evidence an environmental impact assessment was conducted. He filed a lawsuit against Ritz-Carlton, its owner Marriott, the project's local developer and Kenyan authorities. Marriott said in a statement it was committed to respecting the environment, and said its local developer had obtained all necessary approvals. The developer's managing director said Kenyan authorities conducted an environmental impact assessment which had established the site was not a wildlife crossing point. The Narok County Government and National Environmental Management Authority, which are also named as respondents in the lawsuit, did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The dispute is the latest flashpoint in East Africa's grasslands between luxury tourism and Maasai herders who say that the industry's expansion is threatening their environment and way of life. If you look at the tourism industry behavior today, today as we speak, they're still doing the same stuff. They're driving off the road, they're, you know, harassing wildlife and at the same time, you know, you have community members who have knowledge on how to deal with situations that they are not being involved at all in this industry. Dapash's lawyers asked the Environment and Land Court in Narok to suspend the lodge's opening and hear the case on a priority basis.

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