*This is the first in a series of articles exploring conservation reports for World Heritage Sites in Africa.

The conservation and management of World Heritage Sites, including treasured African sites such as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park, Victoria Falls and Zanzibar's Stone Town, is being placed under the spotlight this week at the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC).

An inter-governmental committee comprising 21 member states, the WHC is meeting in India's capital, New Delhi, from July 21 to 31. During the event, over 40 state-of-conservation reports on the nature conservation needs of World Heritage Sites across 34 countries will be examined. The reports address a range of conservation issues and challenges that threaten the sites, including climate change, infrastructure development pressure, extractive activities, human rights and armed conflict.

Conservation reports for Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and Serengeti National Park, Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Zanzibar’s historic capital of Stone Town, all major tourist attractions, will be examined by the committee.

The reports highlight a variety of concerns and threats to the African sites, including potential over-development of accommodation and associated infrastructure, major energy infrastructure projects and pressures caused by expanding human populations.

Relocations in the spotlight at Ngorongoro

The conservation report for the NCA principally highlights the relocation of more than 4 400 residents from the area to a village in the adjoining Handeni District. In February and March this year, the World Heritage Centre received several letters from local communities, NGOs and Members of the European parliament, voicing concerns over alleged human rights violations related to the resettlement.

This came after the WHC undertook an advisory mission to Tanzania in February, meeting with local community representatives to investigate the allegations.

Tanzania has asserted that the relocations were voluntary. 

“Whilst noting the reiterated position that the relocation of local communities from the property is voluntary, in line with international best practices, and provides compensation measures including financial compensation, free housing and land for cultivation and livestock grazing for residents, it remains of significant concern that the World Heritage Centre and advisory bodies continue to receive complaints from local communities on this matter,” the report stated.

A report with preliminary observations of the advisory mission is currently being prepared based on the February visit.

“It is clear that further face-to-face engagement on site is required to ensure that the views and concerns of communities are adequately heard in order to give an accurate view of the situation at the property,” the WHC stated.

Maintain multiple land use

The WHC has noted the importance of the property's current multiple land use model (MLUM) in allowing co-existence between communities, their livestock and wildlife.

A review of NCA’s current MLUM was carried out by Tanzania in 2020 after WHC requests, and only submitted this year. The review focuses on two potential future management options for the property - either to maintain an MLUM with some adjustments, or to change the protected area category of the NCA. The committee agreed with the review's finding that a continued MLUM would have “more advantages economically, socially, culturally, politically and internally”.

“Any option that would include abolishing the MLUM approach that has been in place since before inscription (of World Heritage status in 1979) and would require the relocation of all residents from the property, would mark a dramatic and highly-concerning change in the management of the property. Furthermore, such an option would be in contradiction with the State Party's position that relocation is entirely voluntary, as it is apparent that there are residents who opposed the relocation,” the committee said.

The WHC additionally urged Tanzanian authorities to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to evaluate development impacts, and to formulate comprehensive policies on tourist carrying capacity.

“The timely completion of an SEA to evaluate current and future impacts of developments across all sectors in the region, including the property and the wider Serengeti ecosystem, remains important to inform management decisions for the property. The confirmation that resources for the SEA are being mobilised are appreciated and its completion should remain a priority.”

Further recommendations of the WHC include:

•      Implementing the recommendation of a previous monitoring mission to downgrade the status of the Karatu-Nyamusa southern-bypass road to a protected area road closed to heavy transit traffic.

•      Providing an update on any plans for the translocation of southern white rhino into the property and not to proceed with the introduction without addressing concerns raised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's African Rhino Specialist Group.

•      Inviting a joint monitoring mission to the property in order to examine the overall state of conservation.

Tanzania has been requested to submit an updated report on the state of conservation of the property to the World Heritage Centre by February 1, 2025.