Conflicting land use and management strategies in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) of northern Tanzania

Land use conflicts in the NCA between the indigenous Maasai and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) have persisted since the NCA's inception in 1959. This thesis employed qualitative research methods to evaluate the extent of these conflicts from the perspectives of the Maasai and the NCAA. In particular, interviews, focus groups and archival research were the research tools that were employed to gain insight into these land use conflicts as well as explore prospects for reconciling the differences. Findings have revealed that the conflicts are complex and dynamic and reflect differing views in the purpose and importance of the NCA. For the Maasai residing in the NCA, securing their livelihoods in a highly constrained environment is of greatest importance. Restrictions imposed on their traditional livelihoods as pastoralists have prompted the Maasai to undertake subsistence cultivation as well as seek employment in the NCA.In contrast, decisions by the NCAA are most often framed in the context of conserving the NCA's natural environment and augmenting tourism revenue, and the long-term viability of local communities is of lesser importance. Current land use conflicts can be traced to these differences in priorities between the Maasai and the NCAA and the current exclusion of Maasai from NCAA decision-making bodies has entrenched these conflicts as well as created an atmosphere of mistrust. It is equally important to recognize that there are opportunities for reconciling these conflicts, including application of the ecosystem and comanagement approaches which have increasingly being used by conservation and development practitioners at global levels to resolve the conflicts over use, access and ownership of natural resources in protected areas. These two approaches offers much promise for improving the management policies and in meeting the needs of local communities while ensuring continuing conservation of natural resources in these areas.