Ngorongoro Crater Conservation

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is unique in that it is the only Tanzanian reserve that provides protection for wildlife while allowing human habitation. The Maasai people have lived here for centuries and have negotiated a peaceful compromise with the Tanzanian government.

In exchange for moving out of the Ngorongoro Crater some years ago, the Maasai are allowed to graze their precious cattle within the crater walls and in the surrounding areas. Even though cattle grazing concessions have been granted to the Maasai tribe, land use is still regulated within the reserve to prevent negative effects on the wildlife population.

Ngorongoro was declared a conservation area in 1959 and was thus separated from the Serengeti National Park. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCA) is presently the governing body regulating use and access to the reserve.

The conservation area also protects Olduvai Gorge, a steep-sided 50km long ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which is located in the plains area.

Olduvai (or Oldupai) is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world, and has been the stage for the discovery of some of the earliest known specimens of modern man. The site has played an instrumental role in the understanding of early human development.

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