Integrating a Landscape Approach for the Sustainable Preservation of Laetoli Footprints

The Laetoli Pliocene site is celebrated for its iconic hominin footprints, yet its current preservation strategy is flawed. By focusing on these isolated features, conservation efforts neglect the broader palaeoanthropological landscape. This study presents the results of a landscape survey documenting cultural, historical, and ecological sites, including sacred olpul ceremonial spaces and ethnobotanically significant plants that are crucial for understanding long-term human-environment interactions. We argue that these features have substantial value, and their omission represents a critical gap. Integrating them into a holistic management framework is essential for sustainable preservation, though this must be reconciled with significant land-use constraints within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Our findings underscore the urgent need for a paradigm shift from a footprint-centric strategy to an integrated, landscape-scale approach.