People & Culture

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Rising Population Threatens Park Ecosystem, Warns PM

Posted: Tuesday September 01, 2009 11:52 AM BT

Arusha - The Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, has cautioned the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority to work on challenges posed by soaring population and increased number of vehicles on the ecosystem of the area.

"Human population has been growing very fast the last census in 2007. The census revealed that the population has increased to over 65,000 people, representing a growth rate in NCA of about three per cent for the Maasai pastoralists," he said.

Premier Pinda said the average population increase rate in the area between 1999 and 2002 was estimated at 3.5 per cent, warning that land and other resources therein were not expanding that fast. This means that the population growth rate was not healthy.

"If no action is taken by Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, it's inevitable that the protected game reserve will disappear in the near future," stressed Mr Pinda the speech.

He said the challenge to NCA is how to enhance the pastoralists traditional economy on the one hand and to realistically deal with cultivation to protect conservation values of the area.

He also touched the increasing number of tourists and vehicles, particularly in the Ngorongoro Crater, noting that it has surpassed the area's capacity, when visitors' attractions within the crater remain the same. "Increase in the number of vehicles, creates congestion of tourists and vehicles at few attractions. On the other hand, vehicles congestion reduces enjoyment and creates significant adverse visual impacts on the NCA," he said. The NCA acting director general Bernard Murunya, said the multiple land use philosophy practiced in Ngorongoro is meant to maintain co-existence of resident pastoralists and wildlife in their natural settings.

"The authority move at the moment is to try and reduce the number of livestock present in the area, through the introduction of modern breeds livestock and through artificial insemination", Mr Murunya said.

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