Introduction
In 2011 the Ministry of Wildlife Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) assigned the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) to carry out a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the relevance of educational parks in Botswana, with a view to advice on their status and possible optimal utilisation. The educational parks in question were Gaborone Game Reserve, Francistown Educational Park, Ditlhopho Ranch and Maun Educational Park (MEP).
In carrying out the assignment BTO advised that the best way was to develop independent professional management plans for all the above mentioned educational parks, including Maun Educational Park. This was to ensure that in-depth investigations are carried out on best options of deriving optimal utilisation and benefits from the parks.
Objectives of the Maun Educational Park Management Plan
The general and primary objective of the MEP Management Plan is to devise a framework within which there will be co-ordinated management of the park in support of the Ministry of Education’s goal to facilitate environmental education to schools while also providing a recreational and leisure area for Maun population and visitors.
Specifically, the Management Plan should; document the biodiversity status of the Educational Park. Identify threats to the Educational Park and recommend appropriate mechanisms to enhance biodiversity conservation.
Identify areas of high value conservation in line with international best practice.
Advise on environmental educational products that can innovatively serve dual purpose of education and entertainment (edu-tainment).
Propose and demarcate land use zones, primarily for public use, tourism infrastructure, conservation areas etc.
Advise on limits of acceptable change and /or carrying capacities, within the Educational Park specific to tourism infrastructure and ancillary activities.
Identify and propose infrastructural improvements i.e. sewerage, access points, game viewing routes etc if any,
Come up with infrastructural development guidelines that should address the type of facilities to be put up, whether permanent or temporary and explicitly indicate non permissible activities, level and quality of operation.
Identify potential tourism products that can be conducted in the Educational Park. The proposals are to be supported by market research evidence.
Identify potential lodge and/or camp sites within the Educational Park and in addition a high level impact assessment on the suitability (from an economic and biodiversity perspective) of any identified lodge and/or camp sites should be conducted.
Recommend appropriate management structures and develop management guidelines for the Educational Park. These should address issues of access, revenue collection methods, marketing, operating times and security.
Recommend the qualifications and key skills required to operate the
Educational Park.
Advise on any potential benefit of involving the cultural aspects of neighbouring communities in the operation and management of the
Educational Park, (in line with Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) initiative).
Professional Expertise required for the Development of a Management Plan.
On the main, for the ability to develop a management plan, emphasis is placed on the necessity for the consultant and the team to have successful experience with carrying out similar tasks to those outlined above.
In case of Maun Educational Park the specific experts provided by the consultant were, a Landuse Planner and Mapping specialist, Ecologist, Tourism specialist, Sociologist/social planner and an Environmental specialist. Other required specialists were brought in as and when required by the consultant.
To oversee the development of the management plan, a technical team named Consultancy Reference Group was constituted comprising key stakeholders in the Maun, and these were; Botswana Tourism Organization, Department of Tourism, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Department of Environmental Affairs, Tawana Land Board, Department of Water Affairs and North West District Council.
Management Plan Process ÔÇô Maun Educational Park
In developing the Management the following process was followed;
An Inception Report with a detailed Work Plan was presented to the reference group for review and to ensure that all aspects of the project are fully understood and outlined by the consultant. This exercise includes a detailed stakeholder consultation plan which the consultant will carry out at different stages of the Management preparation.
Thereafter, the consultant embarks on data collection to produce a Scoping Report. This data collection includes extensive consultations with all stakeholders identified. This report is also thoroughly reviewed by the Reference Group.
The next stage is the Draft and Draft Final report which after review by the reference group undergoes further consultations to solicit ideas and views on proposals presented.
The Maun Educational Park Management Plan is currently at the stage outlined above, and undergoing extensive consultations to ensure that all views and proposals are considered. A stakeholder workshop which included the tourism industry in Maun has been conducted. Tawana Land Board has also been consulted, and consultation meetings with North West District Council and the Tribal Authority are also on schedule.
In view of the park existing within a planning area, all necessary planning permissions will follow, starting with the Physical Planning Committee at North West District Council and the Town and Country Planning Board.
To conclude the assignment, the management plan will be presented to the Minister of Environment Wildlife and Tourism for consideration and for a decision on implementation. Therefore no decision on implementation or any award to any party has been made.
BTO would like to encourage all stakeholders and the public to continue freely making constructive suggestions that will ensure that the management plan is as comprehensive as possible, and encapsulates the will of the Maun residents and Batswana at large, in the interest of optimal utilisation of the park.
