A Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA) research has shown conflicting attitudes between Okavango Delta riparian communities depending solely on Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) for livelihoods and those with no alternative sources such as livestock.
According to the college’s Department of Animal Science and Production, Research and Policy Analysis expert N. Sello, the study was conducted to understand the grazing land management conflicts especially in areas of high density wildlife and livestock populations such as The Okavango Delta Ramsar Site (ODRS).
“The study focused on harmonising key areas in Botswana such as environmentally compatible food production, livestock production and wildlife-based tourism to maximize the benefits,” Sello said.
“The management of common resources and policy conflicts between livestock and wildlife, two land-use types that take place in the same ecological geo-spatial areas has been a subject of debate among scholars for decades. This conflict, in policies has engendered in communities’ attitudes that are either negative towards wildlife or favourable depending on the benefits they derive from them.”
The BCA specialist said that the study focused on the animal control disease strategies and CBNRM, utilising the grounded theory method to collect and analyze the data in the ODRS from the respondent communities.
Most members of the community spoken to displayed a favourable attitude towards CBNRM and the livestock policies. There is a difference in attitudes between communities that depend solely on CBNRM for livelihood and those that had alternative sources of livelihood such as cattle.
The communities which depend only on CBNRM were strongly in favour of the policy and could not conceive life without CBNRM. Communities that are not part of CBNRM and own cattle are against CBNRM. The negative attitudes were expressed with regard to the decision making process concerning both livestock and wildlife polices as communities felt they were excluded and only informed about these policies.
The study concluded that the leadership used their mobilization of process and bias to circumvent the communities in decision-making to avoid conflict.
Kalahari Conservation Society CEO Felix Monggae has said: “The OD is one of the world’s pristine riparian systems and its significance extends beyond just Botswana.
“According to the Department of Museums and National Monuments, the Delta covering over 16, 000 km2 and supporting over 120, 000 people by providing fresh water, food, building material, medicinal plants as well as employment through a viable tourism industry.”
