A major ecological survey of the Serengeti Reserve in 1959, resulted in the establishment of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). It is a pioneering experiment in multiple land use where pastoralism, wildlife and tourism co-exist. Bordering the Serengeti National Park to the north and the west it protects the southern extension of the vast and complex Serengeti/Ngorongoro ecosystem.
Acclaimed as a World Heritage Site and having international Biosphere status, the NCA covers an area of 8,292 sq km and ranges in altitude from 1,020 m to 3,587 m. The terrain embraces several distinct habitats from open grasslands to montane forests, from scrub to highland heath. The NCA contains the world renowned archaeological sites of Oldupai (Olduvai) and Laetoli and other sites of international importance. Of major ecological impact on the short grass plains of Ngorongoro, is the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of plains animals, principally wildebeest, zebra and gazelles.
