Various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years, according to fossil evidence discovered at the Olduvai Gorge.

On 1 July 1959, the NCA was established as a pioneering experiment in multiple land use, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Ordnance No.

The Maasai, who had previously lived in what is now the Serengeti National Park (SENAPA), agreed to relocate to the newly constituted NCA at this time.

This pay was deemed appropriate by the Maasai leadership at the time since it ensured the health of their cattle, their principal economic asset and a focal element of their culture.

The NCAA uniquely allows human habitation within the protected area, but places restrictions on land-use in the NCA, including cultivation and livestock grazing.

Although small-scale agriculture is currently prohibited, communities are increasingly seeking the return of subsidence crop cultivation to achieve food self-sufficiency, heightening tensions between residents and conservation organizations.

[9] The area's resident pastoralist population has gradually expanded from roughly 8,700 in 1966 to 20,000 at the time of World Heritage listing (1979) to 93,136 inhabitants in 2017.

This population growth has a variety of consequences, including increased infrastructure, grazing grounds, human-wildlife conflicts, and land use disputes.

Lodge and tented camp developments are often well-located, camouflaged, and adequately built, while pastoralist housing is uncontrolled.

[9] Human-wildlife conflict occurs when livestock is lost to wild predators and/or depredated by wildlife within or near a protected area.

However, causes such as poverty, food insecurity, expanding human population in the landscape, and diminishing resources are pushing cattle and animal interactions closer together, as well as increasing competition and conflict.

The Maasai argue that the area environment is unfavorable to livestock, resulting in lower milk output and increased illness susceptibility.

The NCAA rightly wishes to preserve the natural environment as much as possible, particularly in places designated as wildlife corridors, and has attempted to discourage development.

Cultivation is, in fact, banned under the 1975 Ordinance, but the Prime Minister has temporarily waived this in the past as an emergency measure.

[7] Ngorongoro District Council (NDC) receives 25% of the NCAA's annual income, which is paid only when the audited accounts have been passed and only if funds are available after budgeted priorities have been met.

This enables the NCAA to plan its own community development efforts in accordance with its policy statement of 'conserving natural resources while protecting indigenous people'.

The NDC, for their part, retains a stake in the NCA (Ngorongoro Division) in the education, health, and veterinary sectors, where they supply teachers and nurses, pay their wages, and sell pharmaceuticals to dispensaries.

Their village limits are acknowledged at the community level, but tenure of that area is the NCAA's express domain, as defined in the NCA Ordnance.

[7] The Hotels and lodges in the area pay NCAA concession fees, which contribute to financial support directed through the Community Development Department, as well as a levee to the Ngorongor District Council.

One senior traditional leader, for example, stated that he truly regretted running away from school as a child, and he has almost likely passed on this mentality to the younger members of his community.

The militia troops on these patrols are armed and get a small overnight pay..[7] The NCAA has also provided vocational training to 18 women and 12 men, for a total of 30, from chosen areas, with the goal of imparting skills such as carpentry, masonry, and tailoring.