Ngorongoro Conservation Area

• Increased human population
• Poaching
• Spread of invasive species
• Tourism pressure
• Grazing pressure
• Governance of the property and community involvement
• Challenging situation of community livelihoods
• Potential impact of lodge development project on the crater rim
• Impact of project for upgrading Lodoare Gate to Golini Main Road and access road to Olduvai museum
• Proposed museum building at Laetoli
• Condition and conservation of the Laetoli hominid footprints
• Geothermal energy development project (issue resolved)
• Management System/Management Plan

USD 50,000 from Switzerland, USD 35,000 from the Netherlands, USD 20,000 from the United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) and USD 8,000 self-benefitting funds from the United Republic of Tanzania in 2013-2014; USD 50,000 from the Flanders Funds-in-Trust in 2014-2015

On 1 December 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/39/documents/ and which presents progress in a number of conservation issues previously addressed by the Committee, as follows:

• Reaffirmation that all development projects are directed away from the crater rim and will be subject to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) in accordance with the guidelines of IUCN and ICOMOS;
• An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and HIA to upgrade the Lodoare Gate to Golini Main Road, and the Access Road to Olduvai museum from gravel to hardened standard were submitted to the World Heritage Centre in July 2016;
• The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) has held open dialogues with key stakeholders including local communities on sustainable livelihood and wildlife protection to reduce the impacts of livestock grazing and increased population pressure on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. A preliminary report on the situation analysis and tourism needs assessment is underway and will be integrated into the holistic sustainable strategy for the property;
• The Cultural Heritage Department within the NCAA will continue recruitment of staff in April 2017;
• The HIA for the proposed Laetoli Hominid Footprints Museum and associated facilities has been completed and submitted in July 2016 to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS;
• An international assistance request will be submitted to prepare a report on the footprints discovered in 2014 and to invite an Advisory mission in 2017;
• Two ranger posts have been established in poaching-prone areas, leading to the elimination of elephant poaching during the reporting period;
• Clarification that the 2011 Invasive Alien Plants Strategic Management Plan is still valid and the addition of Parthenium hysterophorus to the Plan has brought the species under control;
• The General Management Plan (GMP) is being updated to comply with the Committee requests, with an intention to share it with the World Heritage Centre for review.

On 31 January 2017, ICOMOS and IUCN submitted a joint analysis of the proposed upgrades of the Lodoare Gate to Golini Main Road  and the access road to Olduvai museum, and on 9 February 2017, the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre met with the State Party at UNESCO Headquarters to discuss the proposed project. Additional information was requested during this meeting, some of which were submitted on 24 April 2017, namely a map of the road with the project locations including borrow pits, and an analysis on the downstream impacts on the OUV of Serengeti National Park World Heritage property and the proposed mitigation measures.

The road surface upgrade project aims to reduce the maintenance costs of the road and demand for construction materials inside the property. With a heavy traffic volume of over 500 vehicles/day, the proposed upgrade may further increase traffic and give easier access for poaching.

A closure of the road to heavy commercial traffic could contribute to its reduced wear, and therefore to a less frequent need for resurfacing. In this respect, during the 9 February 2017 meeting, the State Party indicated that the Southern Bypass road outside of the property is being considered as an alternative road for commercial use and may ease traffic inside the property. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to put on hold the upgrading of the Lodoare Gate to Golini Main Road until the results of the feasibility study of the Southern Bypass road are available and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

Should the feasibility study rule out the option of the Southern Bypass road, the ESIA/HIA should be extended to cover the entire road traversing the property and Serengeti as previously requested by the Committee. Nevertheless, in considering the proposed road upgrade, the identification of potential downstream impacts of the road on the OUV of Serengeti and their proposed mitigation, represent encouraging efforts on the part of the State Party, if effectively implemented. The submission of the map with locations of the borrow pits is appreciated but the ESIA/HIA for the Lodoare Gate to Golini Main Road currently does not assess the impact of the proposed opening of new borrow pits within the property or the implications of wetland restoration on wildlife migration patterns.The EIAs/HIAs of the extraction activity, dredging and deepening of water sources in proposed locations for sourcing of material for the upgrade of the road are additionally required.

Although the ESIA/HIA acknowledges impacts on cultural/archaeological attributes, which are likely to be permanent and irreversible, in particular in relation to Middle and Late Stone Age sites at Malombo, Meshili and Bashay sites in Olduvai Gorge, as well as along the length of the project location site, it does not include a detailed inventory of cultural/archaeological sites, whereby the impact could be greater than indicated. Further details are therefore needed on the location of cultural/archaeological attributes and ESIA/HIAs on the impact on these sites based on adequate preliminary survey work and documentation.

The State Party has achieved a commendable zero recorded cases of elephant poaching within the property during the reporting period. The State Party should take a dynamic and adaptive approach to anti-poaching, and continue to monitor the rate of population growth to ensure successful recovery of the species. It is appreciated that Parthenium hysterophorus has reportedly been brought under control through the addition of this invasive weed in the Strategic Management Plan, but no data have been submitted.

Given the growing interest for tourism developments, the State Party’s reaffirmation that all development projects will be subject to EIAs and HIAs in accordance with the guidelines of IUCN and ICOMOS is welcomed. The continuation of an open dialogue with local communities to address sustainable livelihoods and wildlife protection is also noted, and should continue to be used as an opportunity to review wide-ranging governance issues, feeding into the revision of the General Management Plan.

Although an HIA has been completed for the proposed Laetoli Hominid Footprints Museum and associated facilities, further progress with that project should await the findings and recommendations of the Advisory mission proposed by the State Party. However, as such a mission should advise on a number of issues, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in order to address conservation of the additional set of footprints discovered at the Laetoli site in 2014, advise on the proposed Laetoli Museum project, the road upgrade project and proposed tourism developments, as well as review progress in balancing conservation, livelihood and development needs.