Nairobi National Park: A world-famous wilderness where buffalo, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and lions roam freely. But it has one other unusual feature. The park is just seven kilometres from one of the continent's fastest growing cities, Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

The park and its wildlife are a major tourist attraction, as the millions of postcards of giraffes grazing in front of towering skyscrapers can attest. But now conservationists are warning that east Africa's oldest national park is under threat. Some fear it could disappear within 20 years, and one Kenyan MP has warned that elephants and lions will 'disappear like dinosaurs'.

Pressure comes in the form of roadsMany animals have been killed on the busy roads near the park, and the park's entire cheetah population has been wiped out in this way., railways, factories and houses that are cropping up as more people flock to the city and add to its population. Crippling traffic jams often bring Nairobi to a standstill as vehicles from the port of Mombasa pour through it and out to the rest of Kenya as well as to neighbouring landlocked countries. Officials are planning major infrastructure projects to address the congestion, such as a new road bypass and an expanded railway line which could cut right through the park.

This would have a devastating impact. Roads, homes and fences that block the park's boundaries would disrupt the ancient migration patterns of animals and turn the park into a closed-off zoo. Kenya's wildlife is already threatened by intensive poachingIllegally hunting animals that are either protected or on someone else's land. , which has risen to alarming levels in recent years.

There are other dangers. Last week, an American oil and gas company was planning to lay hundreds of explosive charges through Kenya's Arabuko Sokoke forest in the search for oil. Some feared this would have spelt the end of the reserve's forest elephants.

The company later decided to cancel the operationCamac Energy had hired a Chinese company to carry out a seismic survey through the ancient forest, which is home to at least ten endangered species. It would have involved laying hundreds of explosive charges every 60m (200ft) to send shockwaves up to 4km underground. But the elephants there communicate by sending subsonic vibrations through the ground., yet the tensionSome point out that the conservation world is dominated by white Western males. That has allowed the powers-that-be to look at it as a racist issue, rather than focusing on protecting wildlife. between those in favour of development and conservationists is clear. After finding oil, one former conservationist admitted, 'We need this treasure for our nation to survive.'

Why shouldn't Nairobi improve its business and trade by upgrading its infrastructure, some argue. The city prides itself on hosting the regional headquarters of multinational companies and on being the powerhouse driving east Africa's economy. It is hypocritical to condemn a city for trying to improve its residents' quality of life.

But locals are also aware of the park's benefits, such as the fresh air it brings to the cramped city, and the tourists it attracts. Many conservationists also feel an intense bond with the animals on their doorstep. To allow infrastructure projects to go ahead would set a dangerous precedent. Development should not come at the expense of Kenya's great biodiversity.