18 May 2014

Government has launched a project on sustainable land management in rangeland areas of Ngamiland District to improve management of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and lung disease.

The two diseases had over the years greatly affected livelihoods in the Ngamiland area and threatened government’s efforts to eradicate poverty. As a result, government launched a project for the mainstreaming of sustainable land management in rangeland areas of Ngamiland district to improve livelihoods.

The acting deputy director for the Department of Forestry and Range Resources (DFRR), Mr Joshua Moloi said the project was in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He added that the project would be headquartered in Maun and would be implemented from 2014 to 2018.

“If well executed, this project will result in economic development of the district and thus contribute to the long term goal of sustainable development locally and nationally,” he said.

He added that the project would strengthen national capacity and improve policy and institutional framework for environmental management and sustainable development. He said it would also enhance communities’ capacity to manage natural resources and the ecosystem.

Mr Moloi said they were concerned about high incidences of extensive veldt fires, which were detrimental to the environment and the cause of structural and compositional change of vegetation.

He added that it was important to mitigate against such fires to sustain the national economy, livelihoods and the rich fauna and flora diversity.

He further urged all parties concerned to recognise that commitment to an environment conscious and friendly nation can only materialise where there was cooperation, collaboration and partnerships among different stakeholders.

He also commended some of the stakeholders who contributed towards the realisation of the project.

“The project will require a little over US$31million over a five year period,” he said. For his part, UNDP resident representative, Mr Anders Pedersen commended stakeholders for their collective efforts, especially Batswana for embarking on start-up projects that address environmental issues at a global level.

He said Botswana continues to studiously play its part in taking the lead on tackling climate change and environmental issues. ENDS