Dar es Salaam. A Maasai traditional leader has called for a sustainable balance between people, livestock and wildlife in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), warning that growing pressure on the ecosystem threatens its future.
Speaking during a side event on Ngorongoro held at the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, Mr Isack Lekisongo Meijo said Maasai pastoralism has historically coexisted with wildlife and contributed to the conservation of the area.
"There is no Ngorongoro without Maasai pastoralists, and there is no Ngorongoro without wildlife," he said.
Mr Meijo compared the conservation area to an aircraft carrying pastoralists, livestock and wildlife, saying the ecosystem had become overloaded due to increasing pressure from human populations, settlements, livestock numbers and wildlife needs.
"Ngorongoro is like an aircraft carrying pastoralists, livestock and wildlife. Today, the aircraft is fully loaded, indeed overloaded. If it attempts to take off carrying more than its safe capacity, it risks crashing," he said.
He said a carefully planned approach was needed to reduce pressure and ensure the area remains sustainable for future generations.
The side event was organised by the Permanent Mission of Tanzania to UNESCO in collaboration with the UNESCO National Commission of Tanzania to present findings from two Presidential Commissions that assessed land issues and voluntary relocation from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
UNESCO National Commission executive secretary Prof Hamisi Malebo said the event was organised in response to calls from United Nations experts, UNESCO advisory bodies and other organisations for Tanzania to share findings from the commissions.
Mr Meijo said views differed on how best to address pressure on the conservation area. Some advocate reducing human and livestock pressure through voluntary relocation of pastoralist households to areas with improved social and economic opportunities, while others suggest relocating wildlife to reduce ecological stress.
He said the common objective should be protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of Ngorongoro while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for the Maasai community.
Responding to a question from a Zimbabwean delegate on whether relocating pastoralists or wildlife posed greater risks, Prof Malebo said relocating people through voluntary arrangements was more practical than moving wildlife.
He said relocating wildlife would be more complex, costly and disruptive, particularly considering the seasonal movement of more than 1.5 million wildebeest.
"The easiest option is to educate and request for voluntary relocation, and that can only be done with humans," Prof Malebo said.
Delegates from 36 countries thanked Tanzania for organising the side event, which brought together government representatives, UNESCO delegates, conservation experts, Maasai leaders and civil society organisations.
Participants acknowledged that maintaining balance in Ngorongoro remains challenging due to rising human populations, expanding settlements, increasing livestock numbers, shrinking wildlife corridors, overgrazing, human-wildlife conflicts and climate change.
Opening the session, Tanzania's Permanent Representative to UNESCO and Ambassador to France, Ambassador Saidi Yakubu, said sustainable conservation requires openness, dialogue and cooperation.
He said collaboration with UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) remains important in ensuring ecological protection goes hand in hand with the wellbeing of local communities.
