Monday, 25 May 2015

Ngorongoro Crater

Area: 8,288 km2
Inscribed: 1979
Criteria: (vii) aesthetic; (ix) ecological processes; (x)biodiversity
Values: Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of Africa's most important wildlife areas and a bold experiment in multiple land use.  At its core is the world famous Ngorongoro Crater - a giant caldera in which the dramas of life on the African plains are played out each day by a diverse assemblage of large mammals - wildebeest, zebra, lion and rhino - in a primeval ‘garden of Eden'.  Beyond the crater rim, Maasai pastoralists herd their cattle across the plains, seemingly oblivious to the herds of wild animals sharing this vast landscape, the ‘endless plains' of Serengeti.


Lake-filled Empakaai crater and the active volcano of Oldonyo Lengai are nearby.  The area is also of great significance in tracing the origins of mankind with excavations in the Oldupai Gorge and Laetoli, resulting in discoveries of fossil remains of Homo habilis, and 3.5 million-year old human footprints. A comprehensive review of the world heritage values of Ngorongoro Conservation Area is provided below, together with details of the area's conservation status and the threats it faces.
Other International Designations: MAB Biosphere Reserve

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