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MAUN RESEARCH CENTRE OPENED
The HOORC (Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre) was officially
opened in Maun beginning of this month. The objectives of the
Centre are to serve the Okavango region, including the Boteti,
Linyanti and Chobe region, by initiating, coordinating and promoting
research, environmental monitoring, teaching and outreach activities.
The centre is currently cooperating with a number of government
departments and NGOs in the Country.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 4, 6 November 2001)
BOTSWANA AND EU AGREE ON CONSERVATION
Botswana and the EU have signed a P70 million wildlife conservation
and management agreement. The Wildlife Conservation and Management
Programme will support and improve the conservation and sustainable
use of Botswana's protected reserves and adjacent community managed
wildlife areas through its activities in Ngamiland, Ghanzi, and
parts of Central and Kweneng districts. The project will also
ensure that necessary support for community development initiatives
is enhanced so that the community can benefit from wildlife conservation
activities. The grant will be spent over a period of four years.
The EU furthermore confirmed that it would maintain its level
of support to Botswana during the 2002-2007 period; the main theme
of support will be "human resource development".
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 5, 8 November 2001)
GREENING OF INDUSTRY: IUCN'S FOOTPRINT IN THE ZAMBEZI BASIN
The State of the Environment Zambezi Basin 2000 indicates that
industrial pollution and drying floodplains have caused habitat
damage and species loss. Pollution from industrial waste is increasing
due to urbanisation within the Zambezi catchments area, including
Blantyre, Harare and Lusaka and the mushrooming tourist facilities
along the river basin, discharge effluents into the river and
its tributaries. Looking at the Zambezi basin wetlands alone,
Lenka Thamae, IUCN's SADC Wetlands Project Coordinator, observes
that the many large settlements and associated industries in the
basin are located adjacent to reliable water sources, which unfortunately
also possess important wetland ecozones for the Zambezi Basin.
In order to prevent further pollution, a process towards exposing
the Zambezi basin's industrial sector to environmental issues
is under way in Malawi as part of the environmental education
initiative carried out by IUCN and facilitated by the SADC Regional
Environmental Education Centre.
(Mmegi, pg. B18, 23-29 November 2001)
BASKET MAKING TREE FACES EXTINCTION
Mokolwane, a tree that is used to weave the Okavango Baskets,
could be in danger of extinction if ways of conserving the plant
are not put in place. The people around the Okavango and Shakawe
use the tree to weave baskets and other ornaments, which besides
a commercial value also have an importance within the local households,
where baskets are used for storage of food, seeds for ploughing
season, jewellery etc. The tree is also used for the production
of wine (mocheme) and its fruit, which is brownish when ripe,
is edible. Finally, also local furniture makers use the leaves.
Mokolane's fruit alone takes 2 years to ripen and fall from the
tree and a new seed takes 5 years to grow.
(Mmegi, pg. 32, 23-29 November 2001)
A TOTAL TOURISM STRATEGY
Ecotourism should sustain the well being of local communities.
Involvement of host communities is particularly important, given
the fact that tourism is an inherently unsustainable venture,
says Paul Stevens, consultant to the government for the National
Ecotourism Strategy. If tourism is to yield greater economic benefits
to the country, the driving objective should be to turn the whole
country into an ecotourism destination and avoid concentrating
on the Okavango and the Chobe, as is presently the case. With
regard to the likely impact of tourism on the environment the
consultant says that government should seriously consider setting
standards and guidelines on best practices, and coming up with
incentives for those companies that enforce good environmental
practices.
(The Botswana Gazette, pg. B3, 28 November 2001)
SOUTHERN AFRICAN STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORTING UNDER THE
MICROSCOPE
Consultations with key stakeholders in South Africa, Lesotho,
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi brought up key SOE reporting challenges
for southern Africa.
With support from NETCAB, the Southern Africa Research and Documentation
Centre (SARDC) the Musokotwane Environment Resource Centre for
Southern Africa (Imercsa) assessed SOE reporting in five selected
countries of the region in order to identify gaps.
One of the key findings of the assessment is that current SOE
reports do not adequately address the requirements of people in
rural areas who deal with the realities of natural resource management
and a degraded environment. In addition, the SOE processes have
not been participatory enough to harness community input.
A critical issue that needs urgent redress in the SADC region
is the lack of a series of data to enable the analysis of environmental
trends. The format, quality, accessibility and accuracy of the
available data, which in most cases is for specific sectors rather
than the broad environment, also need to be harmonized so as to
allow for compatibility and comparison across both sectors and
countries.
The use of meaningful SOE indicators was also identified as an
important element of SOE reporting. SOE indicators are new to
the region and as such there is need to build capacity in indicator
development. A regional approach is ideal for indicator development
so as to allow for standardization and harmonization at both national
and regional levels. South Africa has done some work on SOE indicators
from which the region can pick lessons.
The assessment identified language as a critical communication
barrier in SOE reporting. English is often the common language
for SOE products except for Angola and Mozambique where Portuguese
is the official language. There are hardly cases whereby materials
are produced in vernacular languages. However, South Africa is
an exception given that it has produced its SOE materials in some
local languages such as Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu.
A pleasing development in the region is that the majority of countries
have either produced their first SOE reports or are currently
producing their second-generation reports. Zimbabwe produced its
SOE reports in 1994 and 1998, Zambia in 1990 and 1994, South Africa
in 1999, Lesotho in 1999, Malawi in 1998 and Mauritius in 1991.
Namibia and Tanzania produced sectoral SOE reports in 1999, while
Botswana is at an advanced stage in the production of its first
SOE report. Mozambique and Swaziland have done a lot of groundwork
in laying the foundation for their SOE processes. This includes
setting up the necessary institutional and legal frameworks for
SOE reporting.
(State of the Environment (SOE) - Reporting Network for Southern
Africa (SOENETSA), No. 8, 2001; article by IUCN)
CHOBE WILDLIFE TRUST
Notarial Deeds of Trust are not the most thrilling item, often
organisations become established and then forget they are there.
However, Chobe Wildlife Trust recently re-visited their "Deed"
to ascertain whether it was still relevant to the work currently
being undertaken or work which the Trust felt it needed to start
to address. This review resulted in the Trustees agreeing to change
the core parts of the "Deed". This has been a very useful
exercise it that it has enabled the Trust to focus and re-affirm
its function and have a clear role.
The key sections to the proposed new "Deed" for CWT
are now as follows.
3.1 To provide support and facilitate Environmental Education,
Community Based Natural Resource Management, Biodiversity and
Environmental Research in Chobe District to enhance Local and
Global sustainability as defined at the Rio 1992 Earth Summit.
3.2 To contribute to national plans, initiatives, debates, seminars
and other forums relevant to the environment.
3.3 To work in association with Dept. Wildlife & National
Parks and other stakeholders to support projects and research
relevant to Chobe National Park and Chobe District.
3.4 To liase with all partner organisations, exchange information
and ensure a co-ordinated approach to the Trust's work
3.5 To endeavour to work towards minimising the environmental
impact of all Trust activities whilst in pursuit of its objectives.
Anyone wanting more information about Chobe Wildlife Trust and
its work should contact Stephen Austin, Chief Executive Officer
Tel 650516 or email cwt@botsnet.bw
NATIONAL TREE PLANTING DAY
In celebration of the National Tree Planting Day, Somarelang Tikologo
held a tree planting and clean up campaign at Bowasetso Park in
Phase 2 on Saturday, 24 November. The day's activities were opened
by the Hon. Mrs. Joy Phumaphi, Minister of Health, and Mr. Roy
Davies, Managing Director of PG Timbers the sponsors of the event,
planting the first two trees of the day. Somarelang Tikologo members
and staff joined up with members of the community in planting
over 70 trees in the park, and ridding the area of litter. More
trees were also donated to the surrounding schools and community
members. Our efforts were then rewarded with a braii, along with
a jumping castle for the neighbourhood children. Bowasetso Park
was developed by Somarelang Tikologo in conjunction with the local
Ward Development Committee and the City Council to provide a recreational
area for the families of Phase 2 to enjoy. It is now being maintained
by the City Council Parks Department, as one of only two such
facilities in Gaborone.
(Somarelang Tikologo, November 2001)
SECOND NATIONAL CBNRM CONFERENCE
The second National CBNRM Conference in Botswana, has been successfully
held from the 14th to the 16th of November 2001 at the Gaborone
Sun Hotel, Gaborone. The Theme of this year's conference was:
"Investment and Partnership - CBNRM investing in the future".
All CBNRM Stakeholders of Botswana, including national CBO's,
NGO's, government and private sector, as well as regional stakeholders
were represented. The conference has been an opportunity for stakeholders
to review the current state of CBNRM and the way forward in terms
of investment and partnerships. For details please refer to the
IUCN/SNV CBNRM Support programme website www.cbnrm.bw
NGOs COURT PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING
Diminishing resources and the exodus of donors in the country
has left local non -governmental organisations in dire straits
due to lack of funds. In an effort to remove the wedge existing
between the private sectors and NGOs, Botswana Council of Non-Governmental
Organisations (BOCONGO) hosted the NGO/private sector Forum on
Wednesday 3rd of October. NGOs and the private sector are to identify
strategies and their roles should there be a partnership between
the sectors. In fact, since the exodus of donors, NGOs are not
only left dependent, but also vulnerable and cannot aid community
projects. Furthermore, according to Vision 2016, special mention
is made to capacity building of NGOs, NGOs and Community Based
Organisations being recognised as vehicle of implementation.
(Mmegi, pg. 6, 05-11 October 2001)
CLIMATE CHANGE NETWORKING WORKSHOP
The Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP)
hosted a one-day workshop at the United Nations Conference Room
in Gaborone, to raise awareness on climate change and publicise
its partners' initiatives in addressing it. The Focal Point of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC),
which seeks to achieve the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human
interference with the climate system, in Botswana is the Department
of Meteorological Services. During the workshop, emphasis was
given to the need for networking of stakeholders, strengthening
of human capacity and cooperation among developing countries to
facilitate the effective implementation of the convention. Several
projects have been presented during the workshop: Bobirwa improved
Cooking Stoves Project; Solar Lantern Lease Project; Solar Canteen
Project; Energy Conservation Project; Molalatau Land Rehabilitation
Project and the Woody Biomass Research Project. For more information
contact UN Palace Tel:352121.
(Mmegi, pg. 12, 05-11 October 2001)
WILDb RHINO DATABASE
A New Rhino database, WILDb, has been produced by the SADC programme
and is currently being field-tested in several Rhino areas in
Zimbabwe, including populations in government IPZs and conservancies.
The database comprises components for use in monitoring and tracking
the performance of individual rhino populations both locally and
nationally. It is designed so that it can be readily customised
for use in different rhino population areas in SADC Rhino range
states. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy can contact Dr Rob
Brett, Coordinator for the SADC Regional Programme for Rhino Conservation,
at the following email rob@iucnrosa.org.za
or at IUCNROSA, PO Box 745, Harare, Zimbabwe.
(Pachyderm, N. 30 pg. 100, January-June 2001)
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Environmental Journalist of the Year Award, launched by Somarelang
Tikologo in 1999 at the "Communicating the Environment Workshop",
has been awarded to Alpheons Moroke [Of the Midweek Sun] as the
2001 Environmental Journalist of the Year. Last year the award
was won by Gideon Nkala of the Mmegi. The award aims at recognising
and promoting environmental coverage in Botswana. The award ceremony
was held at the Main Mall on October 10th 2001 during the NGO
Week. The guest speaker at the ceremony was Mr Modise Maphanyane
from MISA Botswana. Addressing guests gathered at the ceremony,
Mr Maphanyane said that environmental coverage in Botswana is
not satisfactory and environmental issues are reported in passing.
The media has a challenging role to report and inform the public
about environmental issues and problems locally, regionally and
internationally. The 1992 Earth Summit on Environment and Development,
recognised that; "There is still a considerable lack of awareness
of the interrelated nature of all human activities and the environment,
due to inaccurate or insufficient information." The speaker
indicated that this is a challenge to the media since they have
a role in providing and disseminating information on issues affecting
the environment, which will lead to, increased personal environmental
responsibility. For more information's you can contact Somarelang
Tikologo at somatiko@info.bw
LATEST WILDLIFE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE
Two very important wildlife conservation gatherings took place
in South Africa within the past two weeks. The Wildlife Management
Association's: New Techniques and Methods in Wildlife Management
and The Wildlife Group of South African Veterinary Association's:
Re-location of Large African Mammals. The topics covered at these
meetings included: Field techniques; Capture, transportation,
accommodation and restocking of large mammals; Practical conservation
successes and guidelines; Updates on drugs used for re-location;
Conservation genetics; Sustainable harvesting; Natural resource
economics; Community-based conservation management; Conservation
planning; and Habitat management and evaluation. The presentations
given at these symposia are available online in the form of video
streaming at http://WildlifeDecisionSupport.com
This represents a breakthrough in wildlife management, with
current knowledge in wildlife management being distributed internationally
as soon as it is released by the experts who conduct the work
and research in Africa. Please note: these presentations will
ONLY be available online until the end of November.
For more information's on the above please contact Peter Morrison
WildlifeDecisionSupport.com http://wildlifedecisionsupport.com
UNITED NATIONS BOTSWANA WEBSITE
The United Nations Country Office in Botswana has launched its
website, on-line since October 8th 2001. The website aims to inform,
educate and communicate to UN partners in Botswana: Government,
NGOs and CBOs, the private sector and generally Batswana about
UN country specific initiatives and activities. Besides Country
office specific activities the website also contains links to
the most important UN agencies working in Botswana. Find more
at www.unbotswana.org.bw
WHITHER NGO MOVEMENT?
The first Non-Governmental Organisations week came to an end Friday
12th of October. The theme for this year's event was " Partners
in Development" with the aim to strengthen connections with
other NGO's, the private sector, the public, government and the
international donor community. It was also an opportunity for
the public to learn about services rendered by NGOs. In fact,
from the moment Botswana was declared a middle-income country,
there was an exodus of donors. This had far reaching implications
and a good number of Ngo's who were dependant on donors collapsed.
In this optic, BOCONGO also convened a meeting in March 2000 to
evaluate the donor exodus crisis in which it was resolved that
the problem could be addressed by engaging the NGO's in investment
opportunities and several strategies have been developed. It is
believed that the week has been successful and that its aims were
achieved.
(The Midweek Sun, pg. 3, October 17th, 2001)
SADC NEGOTIATES NGO LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The SADC Executive Secretary has disclosed that his organisation
is negotiating with the regional council of NGOs on a legal framework
regarding their roles. A legal instrument is expected to be finalised
for presentation to the SADC Council of Ministers for consideration
by the end of this year, he indicated. Mr Ramsamy lauded the contribution
of civil society and NGOs to regional integration and development.
Officially launching the NGO week in Gaborone he stated that one
of the principles of integration is effective participation of
stakeholders. Furthermore Ramsamy appealed to BOCONGO and all
the NGOs in the region to prepare themselves to play their role
in the SADC national committee being established as part of SADC
restructuring process.
(Mmegi, pg. B7, 12-18 October 2001)
VELD PRODUCTS CAN ALLEVIATE POVERTY
The commercial use of veld products has the potential to alleviate
rural poverty and improve household security particularly in rural
areas, says the Veld Products Research and Development communications
officer, Lori Mcquid. We encourage people to grow indigenous fruit
trees in their backyards, and so far have been able to make Morual
jam and sweets from fruits collected around Gabane, she says.
The projects target disadvantaged communities especially female
headed households and participation has so far been good with
well attended Kgotla meetings. Indigenous fruit trees grow well,
and could help to improve food security and reduce workload on
women as it reduces dependence on arable agriculture.
(Daily News, pg. 3, 24th September 2001)
RECYCLING YOUR WASTE WATER THROUGH IRRIGATION - RIPCO
The Rural Industries Promotion Company (RIPCO) of Botswana is
utilising cost-saving appropriate technology to procure, treat
and recycle wastewater to benefit rural and semi-urban Batswana.
It is estimated that the wastewater that Gaborone produces, if
recycled, could irrigate up to 2000 Ha of land. Major urban villages
have a high potential to reclaim and reuse wastewater for irrigation
and other water-based projects. The Assistant Minister of Agriculture,
Pelokgale Selome, said also that these strategies are in line
with the National Water Master plan (NWMP) and the National Master
Plan for Agricultural Development (NAMPAD) that have identified
recycling of wastewater as critical for irrigation in a semi-arid
country such as Botswana.
(Mmegi, pg. B8, October-01 November 2001)
PROTECT TRADITIONAL RESOURCES - MOREMI
The government doubts whether the patent protection system will
be appropriate for the protection of traditional knowledge, which
Africa has in abundance. Trade, industry, wildlife and tourism
permanent secretary T. Moremi addressed a three day conference
of the African Regional Industrial Property Organisation (ARIPO)
emphasising on the need to protect plant varieties and others,
and explaining that consultations on policy formulation in Botswana
were going to develop an appropriate mode of protection. She also
said that the work made by the World Intellectual Property Organisation
(WIPO), ARIPO and other sister institutions addressing the issue
was encouraging, as it would empower developing countries, where
the patent system is a new development.
(Daily News, pg. 2, 17th October 2001)
PATENT INFO TO BENEFIT THE WEST
The call to protect indigenous knowledge from developing countries
has been described as an attempt by the West to have access to
such information free of charge. B. Egbuomou from Nigeria said
at the African Regional Industrial Property Organisation (ARIPO)
in Gaborone, that the protection of Traditional knowledge and
intellectual property are "an attempt by the developed world
to indirectly get us assign our invaluable traditional knowledge
without consideration, by disclosing such information's developing
nations are actually not protecting it". Many other participants
at the workshop have echoed this position. The World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO) though, emphasised the need for traditional
knowledge holders to patent such knowledge to avoid cheating.
Communities or individuals should be persuaded to safeguard their
knowledge as it could be of benefit to them. Furthermore it was
said that African countries have different ways of protection
and that they had proposed in previous meetings that there be
certificate of origin and prior consent by the inventors.
(Daily News, pg. 3, October 19th 2001)
BSPNEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
BSP AROUND THE WORLD: Judy Oglethorpe, executive director of BSP
and director of BSP's Africa and Madagascar Program, and Laurent
Some, senior program officer with the Africa and Madagascar Program,
travelled to Libreville, Gabon, earlier this month to attend a
priority-setting workshop for the Congolian Forests. Through the
Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE),
BSP provided support to this WWF-organized workshop, which brought
together 150 biological and socio-economic experts, as well as
protected area managers, to discuss the state of knowledge, biological
priorities, and conservation opportunities and threats in this
large region covering seven countries in Central Africa. For more
information on the CARPE program, please visit http://carpe.gecp.virginia.edu,
or, for more information on BSP's work in Africa, go to http://www.bsponline.org/africa/index.html.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS: Rebecca Ham, senior program officer with the Africa and Madagascar Program's Disasters and Biodiversity project, presented a poster at a Yale University conference earlier this month. The conference, titled "War and Tropical Forests: New Perspectives on Conservation," covered issues related to tropical forest conservation before, during, and after wars, in the context of science, policy, resource management, forest communities, and governmental and non-governmental organizations in countries around the world. Rebecca's poster presentation, "Mitigating the Negative Impacts of Armed Conflict on Biodiversity in Africa: Can It Be Done?" highlighted BSP's work in this area, including recommendations and lessons learned. For more information on BSP's Disasters and Biodiversity project, please visit http://www.bsponline.org/africa/3rd_level/disasters/disasters.html
PROTECTION OF BATSWANA PROPERTY RIGHTS AND INDIGENOUS TRADIOTIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
On the 29th August 2001, FONSAG and PTB held a workshop, funded
by GEF Small Grants Programme, on the status of, and need for,
legislation to protect bio-diversity in Botswana, especially in
the face of the TRIPS Agreement that requires protection for people
who develop plant varieties. The position at the moment is that
Botswana has signed up for both TRIPS and the Convention on Biodiversity.
Some authorities feel that this is in conflict, as TRIPS can prevent
access by small subsistence farmers to the right to save seeds,
but on the other hand we do not want to prevent scientific or
bio-technological development by not rewarding innovation and
protecting developments whilst still protecting access by communities
to BD and protecting Indigenous knowledge. Nancy Kgengwenyane
introduced the OAU draft Legislation and Miss Segopolo from the
AG's Chambers discussed the UPOV Model Legislation. This cleared
up a lot of misconceptions and confusion, but clearly showed the
serious need for legislation ASAP. It also showed how exposed
our communities are to exploitation by bio-pirates looking for
new products to patent. For more information contact Diana Mompoloki
at fonsag@global.bw.
CIVIL SOCIETY WORKSHOP ON THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
On the 3rd to the 5th of September FONSAG hosted the first civil
society preparatory workshop for the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in September 2002.
The workshop was very successful, and came out with a list on
local, regional and international issues that we as Botswana's
civil society would like to see on the agenda next year. The most
important outcome was that Agenda 21 needs to be localized and
publicized at all levels. FONSAG was chosen as the WSSD secretariat
in Botswana with a Steering Committee made up of NGOs the Private
Sector and Academia. Vivian Mazunga of the Women's NGO Coalition
represented civil society at the SADC Meeting in Mauritius and
presented our issues. For more information please contact Diana
Mompoloki at fonsag@global.bw
BOTSWANA DONATES ELEPHANTS TO ANGOLA
In its efforts to help Angola boost its economy through tourism,
the government of Botswana has made a donation of 300 elephants
to Angola. The donation shall help Angola to restock the Quissama
National Park, the elephants should leave during the first week
of September 2001. Besides helping the neighbouring countries,
Botswana also wants, to get a better control on its elephant population
so to be able to better manage it. In fact, elephants are well
known to damage the environment and this is what the government
wants to control. Another request also came from Mozambique for
the restocking of it National Parks after civil wars and recent
floods. The request has been approved but yet donation schedule
has not been defined.
(The Midweek Sun, pg. 13, August 29th, 2001)
ELEPHANTS TRANSLOCATED TO ANGOLA SAFE
The 16 elephants which have already been transferred to the Quissama
National Park, are secure because the area has not seen any major
military activity and there are no mines or unexploded ordinance.
Jan Broekhuis, assistant director, wildlife and national parks,
said armed game rangers are also employed to ensure the safety
of the trans-located animals. Furthermore, the animals are not
kept in captivity but have been released into the section of the
park that is protected by an electric fence and shall be released
into the larger section of the park in due course. The remaining
284 elephants donated to Angola will be captured and trans-located
in 2002.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 4, September 13th, 2001)
MINISTRY ANNOUNCES NEW HUNTING LAWS
The regulations have been advertised in the Government Gazette
of August 10th, 2001. The new regulations shall "facilitate
the smooth running and management of the hunting industry in Botswana".
They will replace the Fauna Conservation (Unified Hunting) Regulations
of 1979. The new Hunting and Licensing Regulations will be effective
by October 1st, 2001, except for the professional guide component
that takes effect immediately.
(The Midweek Sun, pg. 14, August 29th, 2001)
TOUGHER HUNTING REGULATIONS PUBLISHED
The Minister of trade Tebelelo Seretse, said that the new policy
includes the banning of lion hunting and classifies the cat as
endangered species, this being one of her priorities to develop
a Conservation Policy and Strategy for endangered Species by 2002.
It will furthermore be a serious offence to be found keeping wild
animals in confinement without the permission of the wildlife
authorities.
(The Botswana Gazette, pg. B3, August 29th, 2001)
WILDOGS
Botswana is one of only four countries where the remnant of the
wild dog family can still be found. Even then the dogs are in
serious danger of annihilation unless measures are taken to ensure
their safety and multiplication. Unfortunately since the early
fifties people believing that the dogs are fierce predators embarked
in a campaign to kill the dogs whenever possible. All over Africa,
from the Mount Kilimandjaro across the Sahara down to South Africa,
the wild dog has mercilessly been killed. Since 1990 diligent
research work has been accomplished and conservation activities
fulfilled, so that wilddogs can still be found in Zimbabwe, Botswana,
Tanzania and South Africa. Contrary to peoples beliefs, Wildogs
only feed on cattle when there is nothing else to survive, otherwise
their main diet is duiker, impala and kudu. Unfortunately in Botswana
and while government has set a ban on the killing of lions and
cheetahs, the same has not yet been done for wildogs so that the
population continues to decrease in the Country.
(Mmegi, pg. 34, August 31st-September 6th, 2001)
PERMACULTURE GETS FUNDS FOR SAN
PTB has received funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to extend
its services provided to the San communities in the remote Area
Settlements in the Ghanzi District. PTB is intending to support
the communities to generate income while ensuring the sustainable
use of resources and stressing the value of indigenous knowledge.
The activities will have to be identified with the inhabitants
of the settlements, but may focus on veld products processing
and marketing, tourism and the utilisation of other natural resources.
(Mmegi Business Week, pg. B24, 7-13 September 2001)
MOTHOAGAE PUTS BOTSWANA TOURISM ON WORLD MAP
Botswana's tourism industry has received a major boost following
the election of HATAB's director, Modisa Mothoagae, as chairman
of the regional organisation of tourism in southern Africa. The
regional organ's responsibilities include marketing tourism throughout
the region, with membership drawn from public and private sectors
from leading organisations in member countries.
(The Botswana Guardian, pg. 22, September 14th, 2001)
BOKAMOSO BASKETRY CO-OPERATION
Since independence in 1966, Botswana's development emphasis has
been the promotion of productive employment and income generating
opportunities. Amongst the activities, also the production of
crafts, which doesn't demand big financial resources nor equipment,
but is based on indigenous skills and natural resources. One of
the examples to be brought forward is that of the Bokamoso Basketry
Co-operative in Shorobe, 40 Km west from Maun, where over 100
people from Matsaodi and Shorobe villages have got together. The
project has two main goals, the empowerment and generation of
income for people in the area and the sustainable use of natural
resources used in basket weaving.
(Kutlwano, September 2001)
SADC PROPS UP TOURISM IN UPPER ZAMBESI
In a bid to counter the negative impact caused to SADC regions
tourism industry by the political and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe,
the SADC council of ministers of trade recently agreed to bring
the four countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana to
work out modalities on how to save the upper Zambezi. Within the
number of safe areas affected by the instability in the region
the Chobe area and Vic Falls seem to be some of the most affected
once. In order to uplift local tourism the Department of Tourism
is engaged in Eco-Tourism development and calls for more involvement
of Batswana in terms of investment and local tourism.
(The Botswana Guardian, pg. 30, September 21, 2001)
GWETA DELEGATION TO MEET MINISTER OVER PARK BOUNDARY
A delegation, comprising the Member of Parliament for the area,
Olifant Mfa, and Gweta residents is scheduled to meet the Minister
of Trade, Commerce and Wildlife over the boundary line between
their village and the Nxai/Makgadikgadi National Park. Residents
who were now planning to take the government to court are complaining
that the park has taken most of their grazing land, they want
the boundary to be moved 30 Km into the park but it seems that
government is not in favour of the idea.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 3, September 14th, 2001)
INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING, LITTERING POLLUTES ENVIRONMENMT-KOKORWE
Poor waste management, pollution, indiscriminate dumping and littering
has led to the rapid deterioration of Botswana's environment,
urgent action need to be taken to stem out these growing problem,
say the assistant of minister of Local Government. She continues
saying that these problems could come to haunt future generations
that would inherit a polluted country and they could also lead
to the pollution of underground water, urging members of the public
to activities geared towards keeping the environment clean.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 4, September 18th, 2001)
VELD FIRES AT CKGR PUT OUT
Veld fires that have been ravaging the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
for the past month have finally been put out. The fire, which
broke out on August 9th was put out because of fire breakers,
luckily the fire will not affect life at the reserve.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 5, September 18th, 2001)
SADC, USAID SIGN GRANT AGREEMENTS
The United States has increased their support for the SADC regional
integration efforts with the signing of three agreements for grants
totalling P12 million. The agreements were signed between SADC
and USAID in Gaborone on Monday 17th of September. One of the
grants would boost Botswana's flood relief efforts after the country
suffered floods during 1999/2000 rainy season; the second grant
goes towards supporting the integration of the regional market
and helping in the strengthening of regional economies through
non-governmental organisations.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 1, September 20th, 2001)
BATSWANA DEPEND ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Batswana have a long tradition of dependence on, and harmonious
co-existence with, their natural resources. There is barely a
plant species in the Kgalagadi for which the Basarwa have not
found a use for, be it food, drink, medicines, cosmetics, construction,
handicrafts or a variety of other purposes, said Moremi, PS for
trade, industry wildlife and tourism at the launch of the Southern
African Natural Products and Trade Association. She spoke about
sengaparile, the grapple plant, which took off in the market because
it is said to be a cure for numerous ailments, including rheumatism.
The association launched should now create a platform for members
to promote fair trade in antural products, exchange of ideas and
marketing.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 5, September 12th, 2001)
RESERVE TO BOOST ECON. PROSPECTS
The Vice President says government is committed to seeing Mashatu
and Northern Tuli Game Reserve forming part of the proposed Shashe/Limpopo
Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA). The formation of the
TFCA is expected to boost economic prospects in the Limpopo Valley
through tourism and air transport industries. This area, which
was once intended for agricultural development has a diverse landscape
that embraces riverine woodlands, huge rock outcrops and flat
bushveld.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 1, September 4th, 2001)
P10,5 MILLION FOR DROUGHT RELIEF IN KGALAGADI
Kgalagadi District Council has been allocated P10,5 million for
drought relief, with priority given to the projects which were
not completed last year. Hukuntsi Sub-district alone will be undertaking
102 projects while Kgalagadi South has 73 projects.
(Botswana Daily News, pg. 2, September 11th, 2001)
A NEW MAP OF THE ECOREGIONS OF THE OKAVANGO DELTA
The occurrence of different types of wetlands, islands and woodland
eco-regions in the Delta is extremely important for understanding
how the Okavango functions. Predicting the patterns of wildlife
migrations, predator-prey dynamics, or how water will flow under
situations of drought, demands a detailed description of the landscape.
Hitherto, maps of land cover, or eco-regions, have only been available
at very small scale (1: 1 million) and not constructed for the
unique Okavango environment. Through an international research
co-operation within the Okavango Research Group headed by professor.
T.S.McCarthy (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) an
Ecoregion map of the Okavango Delta has been elaborated and finalised.
The map has recently been printed and launched by the Okavango
Wildlife Society (OWLS) and University of the Witwatersrand, South
Africa and will be on sale at leading outlets in South Africa
and Botswana during the last quarter of 2001, or directly from
OWLS at +27 11 678-1374. The society can also be contacted on
e-mail at owls@global.co.za
or the web site at www.moremi.org.
For a first view of the map select color
land cover map.
WILDLIFE AND DOMESTIC ANIMAL DISEASES
Out of the First Joint Symposium of The Wildlife Disease Association
(WDA) and the Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine (STVM)
animal disease specialists and wildlife conservationists are calling
on the international donor community to recognise animal health
sciences as critical to the design and management of sustainable
programmes. The "Pilanesberg Resolution", result of
the symposium, will be addressed to the donor community emphasising
on Animal Disease issues and the danger of diseases transmitted
between domestic livestock, wild animals and humans.
(Wildnet Africa - Media Release Service, July 27, 2001)
THE SAN DANCE
This years Kuru Dance Festival in D'Kar has again been of most
success. The Fourth edition of the festival started on Friday
3rd of August with Healing Dances by 15 San dancers group. The
Saturday was mainly dedicated and characterised by traditional
San childhood games and Hambukushu dances. All different San instruments
were played and contemporary songs on the actual San's situation
presented. The Festival closed with a spectacular traditional
music session.
(The Botswana Guardian pg.33, August 10, 2001)
SOUTH RING ROAD FACES ENVIRONMENTAL MAKE-OVER
From their new location at Plot 594, near the South Ring Road
Shoping Centre, (Gaborone) Somarelang Tikologo, is now working
on a plot of land put under their care by the City Council. The
plot, opposite the organisation's location, will be divided in
three main areas to be used for the recycling, as community garden,
and as green, play area for children.
(The Botswana Gazette-Business B5. August 15th, 2001)
WORLD WATER SYMPOSIUM
Water experts have gathered in Sweden, to discuss one of the most
pressing environmental issues confronting the world: Water. Some
of the issues to be raised during the meetings' are: "how
to recover and re-use waste water" and "what part dams
have to play in providing water supplies". According to the
World Commission On Water, in 20 years human water needs will
have increased by 40%. How will the world be able to face the
increasing demand of water resources by sustainably managing the
same ones? How will the idea of extracting less from rivers, lakes
and underground sources in order to prevent further damage to
ecosystems, fit with the increasing demand?
(The Botswana Guardian, pg25. August 17th, 2001)
FARMER DONATES LAND TO COMMUNITY
The Bakgatla regent has encouraged Ramotlabaki residents to venture
into viable community projects that can improve their lives. In
fact, he asked the community to fully utilise a 10 Ha land that
had been left to the community by a farmer, and said he is against
the idea of selling it. "When properly planned for and utilised,
the land could benefit the community in many ways".
(Daily News, Pg1. August 10th, 2001)
ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF BOTSWANA- FIRST LADY CLEANS
UP MOCHUDI
On August 1st, the first lady, Barbara Mogae, continued her countrywide
clean up campaign to motivate village residents on keeping their
environment clean. The message that was given is that litter should
be picked not only by the District Councils but by all the members
of the society and the community. Keeping the environment clean
should in fact not only be an activity to be done on special occasion
but on everyday basis. Furthermore, community members were encouraged
to plant trees rather than to fell them.
(The Midweek Sun, pg 15. August 8th, 2001)
NDP 8 IS DYING; LONG LIVE NDP 9
NDP 8 will come to an end on March 2003; in this sense the Government
of Botswana has established a reference group to work on the next
National Development Plan. Besides government officials, some
of the further members included in the Reference Group are BIDPA,
BOCCIM, BCCI, BOCOBONET, BOCONGO. The NDP 9 will cover the period
from April 1st, 2003 to March 31st, 2009. The document will outline
government overall strategy and priorities for development and
also contain tentative resource allocation proposals. In order
to guarantee the approval of NDP 9 before its starting date, the
Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Balidze Gaolathe,
is pushing for the NDP 9 to be submitted for discussion during
the parliaments meeting to be held in November 2002. The first
step of the preparation process is the compilation and submission
of proposed development projects to be included in the NDP 9,
Ministries have been asked to present the result of this step
by the end of September 2001.
(The Botswana Gazette, pg6. August 1st, 2001)
AFRICA'S "LAST EDEN" TO BECOME A NATIONAL PARK
"The most pristine rain forest left in Africa", the
Goualogo Triangle in the Republic of Congo, will be added to the
already existing Nouabale-Ndoki National Park. The Congolaise
Industrielle du Bois, private timber company, has in fact agreed
upon leaving the harvesting rights to 160 Km2 of untouched rainforest
so allowing the conservation of the area. The Goualogo Triangle
contains some of the highest densities of gorillas, chimpanzees
and forest elephants in central Africa.
(The Botswana Gazette, pg21. August 1st, 2001)
BOTSWANA, SA IN WILDLIFE EXCHANGE DEAL
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism is engaged
in negotiations to exchange roan antelopes for white Rhinos from
South Africa. The Roan antelope population in Botswana is estimated
to be of 1000, of these 100 are earmarked for exchange with 31
South African white rhinos. The exchange is based on the current
market value of those animals. Currently one male rhino fetches
two roans while a female rhino gets four. The ministry is currently
considering various areas where the rhinos could be relocated.
The factors playing a role are: habitat suitability, safety and
security of the rhino and is keeping in mind the high poaching
rate.
(Mmegi, pg. 4, 17-23 August 2001)
SERETSE ISSUES TOUGH HUNTING REGULATIONS
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism has issued
extensive wildlife conservation regulations related to hunting
and licensing. These should not only curb poaching of animals
but also govern the conduct of licensed operators. A number of
licenses has been introduced as: bird, single game, special game,
and small game licenses. Under the new regulations, no person
shall enter Botswana to conduct commercial hunting, unless accompanied
by a professional holding a valid hunter's license.
(Mmegi, pg. B2, 17-23 August 2001)
RHINO REFUGE HAS RIGHT INGREDIENTS
The Khama Rhino Sanctuary has been defined having all the right
ingredients to make it a perfect nature retreat and to be a perfect
example of a community based tourism project that works. Completely
citizen initiated and citizen run, it is a vivid example of the
many benefits of communities conserving and well managing their
wildlife resources. The Sanctuary, established in 1995, has not
only been a way of attracting tourism to the region but has also
enabled the reintroduction of numerous wildlife species, which
had been depleted.
(Mmegi, Arts/Culture, pg. 2, 17-23 August 2001)
SOUTHERN AFRICAN SYMPOSIUM ON THE WCD REPORT: 23 - 24 JULY
2001
The Environmental Monitoring Group together with the South African
National Committee on Large Dams, the Department of Water Affairs
and Forestry and the IUCN -The World Conservation Union, jointly
hosted a Symposium on the WCD Report from 23 - 24 July, 2001.
This was the first multi-stakeholder driven workshop to look at
what the implications of this path-breaking report would be for
Southern Africa. The response was a unanimous recognition of the
importance of the WCD report and strategic priorities, and the
formulation and endorsement of two resolutions. The first resolution
recommended that a multi-stakeholder committee be formed to look
at how the guidelines need to be contextualised in the South African
situation. The second resolution supported the holding of similar
national workshops in other SADC countries and that the SADC Water
Sector together with NAWISA - the Network for Advocacy of Water
Issues in Southern Africa - should initiate such a process. For
more information on how to initiate a country dialogue please
contact Liane Greeff at the Environmental Monitoring Group: liane@kingsley.co.za
DAMS AND DEVELOPMENT UNIT TO REPLACE WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS
From August 2001, the World Commission on Dams no longer exists
as its mandate to evaluate the development effectiveness of large
dams and to develop criteria and guidelines for the future has
been realised. Instead the Dams and Development Unit, a small
focused organisation hosted by UNEP but based in Cape Town, will
continue to ensure the wide dissemination of the Final Report:
Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making. For
more information, contact James Workman: jworkman@dams.org
or peruse the web site www.dams.org
LITTERING POSES A SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO ENVIRONMENT
The increase in population pressure, patterns and excessive and
unsustainable methods of consumption of natural resources as well
as rising pollution levels are threatening the soundness of ecosystems
in Botswana. This is what came out before and during this year's
Environmental Day, which took place on the 28th of July in Gaborone.
(Botswana Daily News, pg.2, August 2nd, 2001)
PROTECT ENVIRONMENT SAYS OBONYE
Environment is a natural heritage that needs to be protected so
that it benefits the posterity, said Kitso Obonye, deputy school
head for Mojamorago Community Junior Secondary School. During
the opening of Selebi-Phikwe Regional Environmental Education
Fair she also said that the culture of Batswana has always been
conservative as it uses materials that come straight from the
natural environment. The future of the country depends on a greater
and serious implementation of sustainable environmental conservation
development principles.
(Botswana Daily News, pg.2, August 7th, 2001)
TRANS-KGALAGADI HIGHWAY WON'T BE FENCED-MAGANG
An environmental impact assessment conducted for the construction
of the Trans-Kgalagadi Highway recommended that since the road
would traverse a wildlife zone, it should not be fenced. When
asked, the Minister David Magang said that fencing would impede
the free seasonal movement of wildlife and that although there
is a high accident rate caused by wildlife the ministry had no
plan to fence it.
(Botswana Daily News, pg.2, August 21st, 2001)
KURU TRUST START FINANCE SCHEME FOR KALAHARI, NGAMI PEOPLE
The Kuru Development Trust has for the past two and a half years,
started a savings and loan finance programme to help people of
the Kalahari and Ngamiland districts who have no access to the
official banking sector. The programme is intended to harmonise
with government policies such as CEDA and the Accelerated Land
Development Programme (ALDEP). The San are the ones who use the
programme at most.
(Botswana Daily News, pg.2, August 24th, 2001)
FIRST LADY'S FORESTRY INITIATIVE GROWS IN HOPE
THE First Lady's Forestry initiative began as a community based
environmental awareness raising project. It was spearheaded by
the first Lady, Ministry of agriculture, Forestry Association
of Botswana and Environmental Heritage Foundation of Botswana
Trust in August 2000. (Mmegi/The Reporter 10-16 November 2000
Pg33)
OKAVANGO DELTA IN DANGER?
As Government prepares to fight the outbreak of tsetse fly in
the Okavango Delta, Kalahari conservation Society and Bird life
Botswana have called for an independent environmental impact assessment
before any chemical is sprayed. The two argue that there is inadequate
data on the impact of endosulphan which is like to be used on
wildlife although adverse effect on young fish is known. (The
Botswana Guardian, Nov 11 2000 pg 12)
DWNP HALTS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS
After consultations at the Community Based Organisations workshop
organised by BOCOBONET, the Department of Wildlife and National
Parks has agreed to halt the implementation of the Wildlife Management
Regulations until there has been a more thorough consultative
process. (Fonsag Weekly Briefing No.18)
SOMARELANG TIKOLOGO ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT
Members of Parliament were treated to a green perspective by Somarelang
Tikologo on Tuesday 28 November 2000. The Vice Chair of Somarelang
Tikologo, Mr Jacob Sesinyi, presented a Petition calling on the
House to take immediate measures to address the problem of plastic
shopping bags littering Botswana. Sesinyi indicated that the nature
of plastic poses a threat to animals and human life, and is an
eye sore to both locals and people visiting our country. The petition
called on the house to formulate legislation requiring all manufactures,
importers and retailers to have Environmental Policies which incorporate
recycling and re-use of plastic shopping bags; separate cost of
plastic bags from purchase items; increase thickness of plastic
bags; prohibit supply/use of non-recyclable plastic shopping bags;
and promote the use of recycled paper and cloth bags as an alternative.
Mr Sesinyi also called on the house to carry out a national environmental
awareness crusade to prevent further littering. A Consultancy
Report by Government and GTZ (1996) predicted that the rate of
overall plastic consumption in Botswana will increase nearly threefold
from around 10, 800 tonnes in 1996 to 29,100 tonnes by 2007. About
500, 000 tonnes of plastic materials are consumed annually in
South Africa. By June 2001 all plastic shopping bags will be at
the thickness of 80 micros. The remaining thin plastic bags will
undoubtedly be dumped into Botswana and surrounding countries.
Commenting on the petition, Honourable Members of Parliament commended
Somarelang Tikologo for the efforts they have taken to educate
the public through national campaigns. Members of the House called
on the need to involve local authorities in our endeavour to address
environmental issues, and raised their concern regarding indiscriminate
littering in Botswana and the need to take measures to remedy
the situation. At the time of going to press Somarelang Tikologo
had collected more than 3000 signatures for the petition, with
8 Cabinet Ministers, 12 Members of Parliament and 6 Members of
the House of Chiefs putting their weight behind the petition.
(Somarelang Tikologo)
CELEBRATING NATIONAL TREE PLANTING DAY
Somarelang Tikologo / Environment Watch - Botswana held a tree
planting in Block 8, Gaborone West on Saturday 25November 2000
in celebration of National Tree Planting Day. On this day, trees
were planted at New Era Secondary School, Khyber International
Primary School, and Itumeleng Primary School. Trees were also
distributed to community members from Block 8 to be planted at
their homes. The Hon. Mr. R. K. Molefhabangwe, MP for Gaborone
West, informed the students, teachers, and community members who
participated in the event about the environmental challenges that
all Batswana face. They were also given some words of encouragement
from Mr. Roy Davies, the Managing Director of PG Timbers and sponsor
of the event. (Somarelang Tikologo)
WOMEN PARADE THEIR BASKETRY SKILLS
A basketry show at the Botswana craft showroom in Gaborone featured
the works of established basket weavers from Etsha. These weavers
have through the assistance of Botswana craft managed to establish
their craft to gain international recognition as much as other
arts such ceramics in India and China have done. Lack of exposure
to modern technology does not set back the ever forward moving
Batswana weavers. All their weaving stages involve using natural
resources from preparation to the end product. (Mmegi/ The reporter,
17 November 2000)
MP WANTS ROYALTIES
A Botswana Democratic Party backbencher is taking government to
task over its contradictory policies. Member of parliament for
Boteti Slumber Tsongwane, finds it odd that while government policy
on wildlife management benefits derived from should accrue to
the communities in which such resources are found, the same thinking
does not apply to mineral reserves. He advocates that communities
which have given up their land to mining houses should be paid
royalties.(Friday 17 November 2000. Pg3)
BRACE YOURSELF FOR FLOODS
Batswana should brace themselves for floods due to forecasted
above normal rainfall, possibly towards the end of the year or
early next year. Mr W. Minja, Principal Meteorological Officer
issued this warning at a conference convened by the Director of
National disaster Management Office Ms Dineo Mogwe. (The Botswana
Gazette, Wed 29 November, 2000. Pg4)
CITES SECOND JOINT MEETING OF THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS COMMITTEES
The CITES second joint meeting of the animals and plants committees
was held from 7 to 9 December 2000 to review the criteria for
amendments of CITES Appendices I and II. The 16th Meeting of the
Animals Committee and the 10th meeting of the plants committee
began on the 11th and will continue until 15th December 2000.
For more information contact Cecil Thiery, IUCN Head Quarters
on email:cet@hq.iucn.org
CAMEL TOURISM A HOPE FOR KGALAGADI
The Principal Ecotourism officer, Mpulubusi is convinced that
camels which were inherited from the Botswana Police Services
a few years ago should not be sold as they are a good potential
tourist attraction in the Kagalagadi region. Already people from
Khawa and Ukhwi have shown an interest in venturing into camel
tourism. They will however have to form trusts and apply for licences
to operate. (Mmegi/The Reporter. 8, Dec 2000)
ELEPHANTS TERRORISE MMADINARE
Mmadinare village is besieged by elephants, destroying farms and
lives of residents. government is considering donating elephants
in the are to countries that may need them and is trying to raise
funds to extend the animal control fence for a further 37km to
keep the elephant out of free hold farms in the area. (The Guardian
Dec 15 2000)
EIA LEADS TO NO CONFLICT IN NGAMILAND
Efforts to make Ngamiland a foot and mouth disease free are with
opportunities for exporting its beef are for the first time beginning
to take a positive direction. This follows a year long EIA of
Ngamiland Veterinary fences whose recommendations outline among
others policy options which aim to eliminate conflict between
cattle farming and wildlife conservation. The study has been completed
and the findings are being considered by government. A decision
is expected in the early part of 2001 on the best livestock disease
control policy to adopt for Ngamiland that also takes into account
the needs of the people and the sustainability of the wildlife
in the different areas of Ngamiland. (Mmegi/The Reporter, Dec
15 2000)
LIMPOPO / SHASHE TFCA
Former DWNP director Mr Sedia Modise was appointed by the Peace
Parks Foundation as facilitator for the Limpopo/Shashe Transfrontier
Conservation Area (previously known as Dongola/Limpopo Valley
TFCA). Under his chairmanship a historic first meeting on the
development of the TFCA took place in Gaborone on the 26th of
September 2000. The meeting was attended by key officials and
private landowners from the 3 participating countries Botswana,
South Africa and Zimbabwe. The meeting agreed that the first step
was to finalise a memorandum of understanding between the three
countries to formalise the commitment from the respective governments.
(Peace Parks News 2nd Edition, Nov 2000. P4-5)
CECT HITS ROUGH WATERS
Plans to help Chobe /district communities benefit from wildlife
in their areas seem to be suffering hitches: the communities are
failing to keep proper books of accounts and allegations of missing
money are blighting the project. Parakarungu, Satau and Kavimba
villages were asked by the Chobe enclave Trust board to balance
their books of accounts first before their financial reports can
be passed. A task team has been appointed to investigate allegations
that money was missing from the Parakarungu committee. (The Midweek
Sun, Wed 17 January 2001)
IUCN Botswana is part of the international membership organisation,
IUCN-The World Conservation Union, which brings together states,
governments and a diverse range of NGOs in a global partnership
concerned with environmental issues. The IUCN Botswana Programme
started in 1984 in connection with its involvement in preparing
the National Conservation Strategy for Botswana. Other key activities
in Botswana include an independent review of the Southern Okavango
Integrated Development Project, prepare feasibility study for
conducting a State of the Environment Review, prepare management
plans for national parks, and formulate policy on Environmental
Impact Assessment. Present major activities include the IUCN Botswana
NGO Support Programme, CBNRM Support Programme (joint SNV/IUCN),
Community Outreach Programme (with ART and Theatre for Africa)
and the formulation of a Wetlands Policy and Strategy for Botswana
(with Ecosurv for GoB). For informations visit our site www.iucnbot.bw
Greetings from IUCN Botswana