Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sorts of savannah, including bush savannah with acacia thorn trees, grass savannah and ar-
id shrub savannah in the southwest.
The country's only deciduous mopane forests are in the north, where six forest reserves
harbour stands of commercial timber, as well as both mongonga and marula trees. Also
common around Botswana are camel-thorn trees, which some animals find tasty and
which the San use for firewood and medicinal purposes; and motlopi trees, also called
shepherd's tree, which have edible roots.
For more on the plant life of the Okavango, pick up a copy of
Common Wildflowers of
the Okavango Delta
and
Trees & Shrubs of the Okavango Delta
by Veronica Roodt. Both
have informative descriptions with useful paintings and drawings.
Environmental Issues
As a relatively large country with a very low population density, Botswana is one of
Africa's most unpolluted and pristine regions. It faces most of the ecological problems ex-
perienced elsewhere in Africa, such as land degradation and desertification, deforestation
(around 21% of the country is covered by forests), water scarcity and urban sprawl. In ad-
dition to these, some major ecological and conservation issues continue to affect the coun-
try's deserts, wetlands and savannahs.
THE FENCE DILEMMA
If you've been stopped at a veterinary checkpoint, or visited the eastern Okavango Delta,
you'll be familiar with the country's 3000km of 1.5m-high 'buffalo fence', officially
called the Veterinary Cordon Fence. It's not a single fence but a series of high-tensile
steel-wire barriers that run cross-country through some of Botswana's wildest terrain.
The fences were first erected in 1954 to segregate wild buffalo herds from domestic
free-range cattle in order to thwart the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Botswana's beef-
farming industry is one of the most important in the country, both economically and in
terms of the status conferred by cattle upon their owners in Batswana society. At the same
time, wildlife tourism is a major money earner and the country's international reputation
is often tied to its perceived willingness to protect the country's wildlife. Balancing these
two significant yet sometimes-conflicting industries is one of the most complicated chal-
lenges facing Botswana's government.
DANGERS THREATENING THE DELTA
Despite its status as a biodiversity hot spot and the largest Ramsar Wetland Site on the
planet, the Okavango Delta has no inter national protection (apart from the Moremi Game
