23 Sep 2020

Government has committed P10 million in National Development Plan 11 towards the implementation of the Land Degradation Assessment and Monitoring project.

Speaking at the launch of Technical Support Degradation Assessment, Monitoring and Development of Restoration Strategy on September 22, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Ms Phildah Kereng said that land Degradation Assessment and Monitoring project’s aim was to address land degradation in a holistic and realistic manner and establish baseline information on degradation upon which appropriate interventions would be based in managing and monitoring the dynamics of land degradation.

She indicated that since Botswana was experiencing problems of land degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change resulting into desertification, it was vital to establish the extent of degradation to effectively and efficiently monitor land degradation and define appropriate interventions to address the challenges the country was facing.

Minister Kereng said her ministry was mandated to protect the environment, conserve the country’s natural resources and derive value out of the environment for the benefit of the people of Botswana, emphasising that it was necessary to undertake a project of such magnitude to generate information on the dynamics and status of land degradation in the country.

She highlighted that land degradation was a complex phenomenon by nature and required reliable information to guide proper management interventions.

Furthermore, she implored different stakeholders to combat land degradation, to preserve land and its natural resources for future generations, adding that the aim of monitoring land degradation was to identify regions of the country which were experiencing changing trends of land degradation so that they could be targeted for detailed analysis and subsequent appropriate control measures.

She said in Botswana it had been observed that land degradation was the major cause of the declining agricultural and rangeland productivity, adding if not controlled it would lead to the deterioration of biodiversity and food security in the country.

Considering the magnitude and complexity of the project, Ms Kereng said that government identified and engaged the Food and Agricultural Organization-FAO as the competent development partner to capacitate Department of Forestry and Range Resources by providing expertise and technical knowledge as well as to administer the fund.

For his part, FAO representative, Dr Rene Czudek said his organisation remained committed to the goal of achieving food security for all and making sure that people had access to enough high quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

He said FAO’s programme was always implemented by linking with resource partners who finance and support the organisation to achieve its goal.

Moreover, he indicated that FAO’s comparative advantage was in providing policy advice, analysis and technical assistance to member governments through its globally unique pool of experts in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, natural resource management and food security.

He pledged to continue to working with Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders and partners to assist Botswana in these difficult times of COVID-19. Ends