Traditional Maasai living in one of the world 's most famous wildlife centers are pitting themselves against the government in a fight for land . The Loliondo region in northern Tanzania lies along the famed southern migratory route , where herds of wildebeest and zebra graze at roadsides and antelope dart around the trees . In colonial times it was a hunting ground for European royalty . Today , it is Emirati royals and other wealthy visitors being granted the right to hunt , fanning a controversy that has simmered for two decades . The Tanzanian government is threatening to evict the local Maasai community from the area in a bid to create a 4000 square kilometer `` conservation corridor . '' They say it is to protect the wildlife -- which is also a major source of income from hunting and safaris -- from Maasai cattle overgrazing the land . Under the plan , most of the conservation corridor will still be accessible for grazing but no one will be allowed to live there . The other 1500 sq . km . will be a `` game controlled area '' , where hunting is permitted and access controlled . Maasai leaders say it means they will be evicted from their own land and will lose about 40 percent of their grazing land . Loliondo 's lush hills are where the Maasai take their cattle to graze during the dry season . To restrict their access , the Maasai say , is `` a death sentence . '' For rural Maasai cattle provide milk , meat , blood -- and can even be used as currency . Their survival is the community 's survival . Read more : Maasai boy scares off lions with flashy invention . Maasai activists date their land conflicts with the current government to 1992 , when they were first accused of illegal settling and ordered to move . The same year the government granted a hunting concession to the Otterlo Business Corporation ( OBC ) . Owned by royals from the United Arab Emirates , the terms of OBC 's concession grant it hunting rights in Loliondo . OBC spokesman Isaak Mollel told CNN the land issue has nothing to do with his corporation , as they do not actually own land in Loliondo . He says , in fact , that the new conservation corridor will reduce their areas , with the government set to deduct 2,500 sq . km . from their hunting concession . `` Our hunting operations are guided by Tanzania wildlife acts and regulations , '' he said . `` Everything is done according to procedures . '' In one Loliondo village , Maasai gathered from all over the district to discuss the issue . Many walked for miles to get there -- eager to hear what their leaders would propose . Elias Ngorisa is head of the Ngorongoro District Council , under which Loliondo falls . He has a government notice which he says details the intended eviction . In his hands he holds a thick dossier . In it , he says , are their land title deeds . Ngorisa says : `` I can show you all the title deeds of the village land . How can they say that the land does not belong to the community ? '' `` This is because the government wants to give the OBC , the hunting company , the Arab hunting company land for hunting without being disturbed by the local communities . '' The Tanzanian government maintains it owns the land . In response to the Maasai allegations , the Tanzanian government referred CNN to an earlier statement in which the minister for natural resources denied OBC were a factor in the decision to evict . The statement read : `` It took this decision with the understanding that environment conservation is as important for eco-system protection as it is for community livelihood and community development ... Surely no government in the world can be blamed for meeting its responsibilities to such high levels . '' More than 60,000 Tanzanian Maasai live in the 4000 sq . km . that make up Loliondo . Human rights groups say every one of them will be affected if the eviction goes through . Ngorisa told CNN they were pleading for a government rethink . He said : `` If [ they ] do this , the livelihoods of these people , the citizens of this country , will be lost and we are saying we will not move from here . '' `` This is our last weapon , '' he said . `` It is better to die rather than to just leave this land . '' This is not the first time the Maasai have been forcibly moved from their land . They were evicted repeatedly in colonial times and then again to make way for East Africa 's famed wildlife reserves . The Maasai say each move eroded their livelihoods and way of life . This time they say they will not be moved , whatever the consequences . The Tanzanian parliament has announced plans to convene a two-day debate to discuss options . READ MORE : Trekking savannah to deliver Maasai nomads ' vaccines .
Tanzanian leaders threaten to evict Maasai community to create conservation corridor . More than 60,000 Tanzanian Maasai live in the 4000 sq . km . that make up Loliondo region . The area is home to a large population of lions and leopards, which are protected by law from hunting. Maasai say they will refuse to be relocated this time .