Recently, conservationists, governments’ officials and other stakeholders were gathered at a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), where the safety of endangered species was the prime topic. At the meeting, over 16 000 experts and 217 state and government agencies adopted more than one hundred motions, chief among which was recognition of the critical role played by indigenous people in planning, making and implementing decisions and interventions to address Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT).
The congress edged the leadership to ensure that this need to engage and incentivize indigenous peoples and local communities is fully respected and reflected in IUCN and other relevant interventions and decisions, through education and strengthening of collective rights and responsibilities for governance.
According to CITES, there should be ”Joint enforcement by indigenous and local communities and the state; and enhancing benefits from sustainable consumptive and non-consumptive use of wildlife or alternative livelihood opportunities as relevant and effective; promote the development of a conceptual and planning framework to guide decisions, interventions and investments from international institutions, related organizations and governments on combating IWT in ways that engage and benefit indigenous peoples and local communities while promoting conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity resources.”
While focus was on the three endangered species that excluded the cheetah, information from the Cheetah Conservation Botswana, an NGO whose mandate is to protect cheetah species in Botswana indicates that less than 10,000 cheetahs remain in the wild; and that the species has reached a tipping point; with mortalities caused by human-predator conflict in farmlands being the greatest threat to their survival.
Interestingly Cheetah Conservation Botswana has devised ways similar to those recommended by the IUCN. The NGO is conscious of the fact that the best way to handle the human-wildlife conflict is through implementation of several steps.
Connie Sebati, Public Relations Officer at Cheetah Conservation Botswana says their role as an NGO is to secure the cheetah population nationwide by demonstrating coexistence of human and cheetah populations. She says this is done mainly through three programs – scientific research, community outreach and environmental education.
“Scientific research allows valuable data to be collected on various aspects of the cheetah’s existence; its home range, distribution, behaviour and characteristics of conflict with humans. A better understanding of the species allows for more effective conservation strategies to be tailored and implemented. Through community outreach, the organisation works closely with affected communities to improve methods for livestock management which help reduce human-predator conflict. And finally, our environmental education program imparts valuable teaching aids and lessons which augment an understanding of healthy ecosystems and the role of cheetahs and other predators in the ecosystems,” she said.
Sebati explained that over the last ten years of their existence, they have used a multitude of means to reach out to Batswana. They have engaged with more than 5,000 farmers nation-wide, and over 14,800 students covering 257 schools. There is still a lot of work to be done on numerous fronts to secure farming livelihoods while simultaneously safeguarding the existence of the cheetah. She also says the organization has earned a reputation of being a reliable partner to both communities and government alike.
Furthermore she said that scientific research informs the community and education programs and contributes valuable scientific data to national government departments and international cheetah conservation efforts.
“Through farmers’ workshops, we build capacity on improved rangeland and livestock management. We train and place Livestock Guarding Dogs with willing and committed farmers to support conflict mitigation. We are also available for site visits to farms experiencing conflict with predators to offer advice and support. In Jwaneng and Ghanzi we are facilitating the development of farmers learning and innovation networks. We continue to update and make available user friendly resources to increase the understanding and importance of predators in our ecosystem,” said Sebati.
CCB has more to offer education wise. Sebati says, “There is one activity that we intend on initiating this year. That is to build on the extremely popular, experiential bush camp program by piloting a mentorship program. The objective will be to mentor students that have shown a strong passion and interest in wildlife conservation. The program will run for two years, with four students per bush camp (two boys and two girls), from both our camps in Ghanzi and Maun totaling 24 students.”
The mentorship program will enable engagement of these youth through various activities to build their skill base, passion and knowledge on conservation issues for them to become youth conservation ambassadors, displaying strong leadership skills. In addition, this year they attended the Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival in Khawa which drew a great response from the public attending the event, and the Women in Farming Expo held at Serokolwane Lawns on 28 May 2016. Their work in farming communities in the Ghanzi and Central Districts has demonstrated that female farmers are a demographic that requires more focused attention.
“Farmlands contain approximately 90 per cent of Botswana’s cheetahs. As such, farmers are essential role players in the long term conservation of the species. Through our programs, we work closely with farming communities to impart techniques and mechanisms of livestock management, which serve not only to improve productivity but also minimize conflict with predators, therefore enabling coexistence of human and cheetah populations,” she said.
They also work to increase awareness of the importance of predators in a healthy ecosystem in farming and non-farming communities and how this relates to securing a healthy future for livestock, people and wildlife.
IUCN membership currently stands at over 1300 and includes some of the most influential governments and civil society organizations from more than 160 countries giving the decision taken at the IUCN congress a powerful mandate.
