The Tanzanian government has warned pastoralists that they will face eviction if they continue to graze cattle in the national parks and game reserves.

Tanzania’s Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Jumanne Maghembe, said an operation was already under way to remove herdsmen from the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, which is a vital ecological buffer zone for the Serengeti National Park.

Maghembe said 998 head of cattle had been seized from herders in the Loliondo area and that the animals were being impounded pending the outcome of a court case.

At least six suspects are facing charges of illegal grazing or living in the protected area, while others fled to avoid arrest.

Last week, Ololosokwan and Soitsambu villagers in Loliondo Division in Ngorongoro District protested against the government’s move to evict them from what they claimed to be their ancestral land.

The irate pastoralists said game rangers had driven away more than 1 000 head of cattle and that their houses had been burned down during the eviction.

Ololosokwan ward councillor, Yannick Ndoinyo, said the arrests and the seizure of cattle had begun in August.

He pleaded with the Tanzanian government to release the livestock, saying the villagers depended on them for a living.

However, Maghembe defended the evictions, saying the operation  being carried out in the ecological zone was within the law.

“The national parks and game reserves are habitats for the wildlife. It is against the law for people to graze cattle or encroach on protected areas,” the Minister warned.