22 Mar 2023

A ban on international trade in ivory resulting from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) resolutions, has frustrated Botswana’s conservation initiatives and generation of revenue from wildlife resources.

“My ministry will continue to engage regionally and internationally to find solutions to this impasse,” Minister of Environment and Tourism, Ms Phildah Kereng said when presenting the ministry’s 2023/2024 financial year budget proposals on March 20.

Ms Kereng informed Parliament that Botswana, however continued to stockpile ivory, which could otherwise benefit wildlife conservation and citizens.

“The ministry has made significant progress in reviewing the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act of 1992 in response to the requirements of CITES to make it compliant thereto,” she added.

Again, she indicated that the human-wildlife conflict continued to be a challenge to the livelihoods of rural communities.

“For fiscal year 2022/2023, 4 491 human-wildlife conflict cases have so far been reported and over P11.4 million has been spent as compensation to the affected farmers,” she said.

As a mitigation strategy to human-wildlife conflict, she said rehabilitation of the 40-kilometre Tuli backline fence in Bobirwa, implemented in collaboration with the private sector, was completed in December last year.

She added the ministry was also undertaking construction of a 138-kilometre fence on the southern and western parts of Makgadikgadi National Park, a project she said was implemented in four phases.

Further, she said rehabilitation of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Khutse Game Reserve predator-proof fences was ongoing and expected to be completed in August.

Parliament also heard that the ministry, in collaboration with local authorities and the private sector, continued to mobilise communities to play an active role in conserving natural resources.

“As part of efforts to continue to support community projects that facilitate elephant conservation and community development through the Conservation Trust Fund, 18 projects were funded for over P22.3 million for the financial year 2022/2023,” she said.

The projects, she said, were expected to have positive effects on the lives of members of the communities that co-existed with elephants and would in turn incentivise co-existence of  humans and wildlife.

On the other hand, Ms Kereng informed MPs that the number of citizens participating in the tourism industry had increased steadily, owing to an increased outreach programme aimed at sensitising people on tourism opportunities.

“As at February this year, there were 3 014 licensed tourist enterprises, out of which 2 438 were citizen-owned, 294 non-citizen and 282 joint ventures,” she said.

She said government continued to encourage Batswana to use their fields and partake in agro-tourism activities in order to derive benefits from the tourism sector.

She stated that the ‘Keeping of Game in Masimo’ initiative was bearing positive results given that 289 applications were received, out of which 261 were approved while 377 animals had been given to 67 farmers.

“The initiative is part of the economic diversification and citizen economic empowerment through natural resource  management,” Ms Kereng said. Ends