Ngorongoro: a challenge to conservation and development

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania, covering 8292 km2 of one of the most diverse and spectacular natural environments in the world, is a unique balancing act between conservation and development. Some 18 000 Maasai pastoralists share the Ngorongoro with vast numbers of wildlife and manage to do so in harmony with their environment. But competing land use interests, especially agriculture, will continue to put further development pressures on this fragile area.