DODOMA: Presidential commissions in Tanzania have recommended revising laws governing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as part of efforts to address land disputes, population pressures and conservation challenges in one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife regions.
The recommendations were presented to President Samia Suluhu Hassan at Chamwino State House in the capital, Dodoma.
Officials said the proposals aim to resolve long-standing land-use tensions, strengthen conservation measures and improve the welfare of communities living inside and around protected areas that form part of the wider Serengeti–Mara ecosystem.
Among the key proposals is a review of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Act to ensure the law reflects current conditions while maintaining a mixed-use land system that balances conservation with human settlement.
One commission assessed land use in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as well as the Pololeti Game Reserve and the Lake Natron Controlled Area. A second commission reviewed how a government programme for the voluntary relocation of residents from the conservation area is being implemented.
Both teams found that population growth and rising livestock numbers were placing increasing pressure on land, affecting the balance between human activities, livestock grazing and wildlife conservation.
Presenting the findings, Court of Appeal judge Gerald Ndika, who chaired the land-use commission, said the recommendations were designed to address community concerns while safeguarding the area’s ecological importance.
“Indigenous communities should be supported to enjoy quality living standards like all Tanzanians, while ensuring sustainable conservation across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Pololeti Game Reserve and Lake Natron Controlled Area,” Ndika said.
The commissions proposed relocating non-conservation activities outside protected zones and creating a central database to register all residents, homes and livestock within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
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They also recommended strengthening cooperation between the Pastoralists’ Council and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, alongside improved financial oversight to support community services.
For Pololeti Game Reserve, the report proposed improving veterinary services, livestock infrastructure, marketplaces, water points and designated grazing areas within the 2,500 hectares allocated to residents to reduce dependence on reserve resources.
The commissions also recommended marking livestock in the conservation area in accordance with existing laws and called for the construction of a 223-km Loliondo–Wasso tarmac road to ease traffic congestion in the reserve.
For the Lake Natron Controlled Area, the report advised upgrading its status to a game reserve to address legal disputes over grazing land.
The assessment found that the number of residents and livestock – including cattle, goats, sheep and donkeys – is projected to grow by about 2.7% annually, increasing demand for grazing land by 2050.
Other challenges identified included human-wildlife conflict, zoonotic diseases such as anthrax and rabies, environmental degradation and the effects of climate change.
Separately, engineer Mussa Iyombe, presenting the commission’s review of the relocation programme, recommended continuing the voluntary resettlement initiative, noting that more than 1,500 houses built in Msomera remain unoccupied.
He suggested halting government construction of houses for relocating residents and instead providing cash compensation to allow families to build homes according to their traditions.
The commissions also proposed revising relocation incentives to address disputes linked to providing a single house to polygamous pastoralist households and called for a broader plan involving traditional leaders, government officials and religious leaders in the relocation process.
