The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SERENGETI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
E
R
E
N
G
E
T
I
More clues leading to the result SERENGETI
- African ecosystem re-created as green site
- Plain ties and green buckle
- African National Park's remarkably green site
- Determined to include wild green island in African ecosystem
- Tiger seen abroad where lion holds sway?
- Plain green ties knotted
- National Park where tiger seen, surprisingly
- Plain sailing at last in peaceful movement, finally at one
- Ground, i.e. Regent's Park, given national status
- It's over after start of game in tranquil plain
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "conservation area" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case conservation area = serengeti.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.