CONSERVATION
A MISSION TO CONSERVE WILD HERITAGE
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enowned for its spectacular wildlife and areas of pristine wilderness, Botswana has one of the highest conservation land ratios in Africa. Over a quarter of its land area has been set aside for parks and reserves to conserve the country’s natural heritage.
Some of Botswana’s richest wildlife areas are located at its northern border with Namibia, where there were problems with cross-border poaching in the 1990s. The army was used to protect the wildlife as well as patrolling the border. The current president, Ian Khama, was head of the Botswana
In order to further protect this
Defence Force at that time. A wildlife
heritage, the government has
enthusiast, he formed an anti-
conducted a policy of low-volume,
poaching unit that was so successful
high-cost tourism that limits the
that it became a permanent arm of
number of visitors and charges more
the BDF.
for the privilege of an intimate safari experience. Although controversial, this policy has been very successful.
TOURISM What really got the tourism industry
Unlike some other African countries,
going in Botswana in the 1960s and
Botswana is winning the war against
1970s was hunting for trophies, but
rampant poaching. Botswana is a
this has always been a subject of
peaceful country and there have been
controversy and in recent years it
few episodes in which its well-trained
has been downscaled until, in 2014,
army has been involved in an incident
the government banned hunting
of potential conflict.
altogether. As a result, the vast areas that were set aside for hunting can now be used for photographic tourism. It also adds more land to an already impressive array of wilderness areas. Thanks to firm planning by a concerned government, the outlook for tourism in Botswana is very positive and the industry is looking to expand and provide the ultimate African safari experience for visitors.
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PROTECTING LARGE CARNIVORES The Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (BPCT) has a mission to research and protect all the large carnivore species in Botswana – wild dog, lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena – along with their habitats. What began in 1989 as the Botswana Wild Dog Research Project has become BPCT, one of Africa’s longest-running conservation projects. BPCT uses scientific inquiry to better understand the behaviour of these animals. It operates at the point where communities and conservation meet, linking environmental issues to decision-making in the ongoing development of rural Africa.