The Realities of Ecotourism Development in Botswana - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 191

Ecotourism and the conservation of natural resources
The introduction of ecotourism in Botswana was driven by a number of factors
such as: the threat of species extinction due to the over-utilization of resources
(especially wildlife through poaching); the inability of the state to protect its
declining wildlife resources; land use conflicts between rural communities living
in resource areas and resource managers (especially wildlife managers); and the
need to link conservation and development (Mbaiwa, 2004b). While ecotourism
has been in operation in Botswana since the mid-1990s, it has not yet been estab-
lished how much it has contributed to biodiversity conservation. According to
Arntzen et al (2003) and Mbaiwa (2004a), the economic benefits of ecotourism
and access to land for ecotourism purposes have resulted in the development of
positive attitudes by indigenous communities towards wildlife conservation. This
has in turn led to a reduction in poaching levels in ecotourism areas in compari-
son to non-ecotourism areas. Table 9.6 shows that the level of poaching reported
between 1998 and 2006 in ecotourism areas in the Okavango Delta was lower
than levels in non-ecotourism.
The reduction in poaching is an important aspect of wildlife conservation in
the Okavango Delta. Arntzen et al (2003) note that even though animal species
such as buffalo, lechwe, hippo and sitatunga are still declining, numbers of some
species are stabilizing or showing an increase. For example, populations of steen-
bok, impala and elephant have increased by 5 per cent in the last decade (Arntzen
et al 2003). The low rates of wildlife poaching in ecotourism areas shows that
when local communities began to derive economic benefits from ecotourism and
the natural resources of their area, they start to place a value on those natural
resources and to use them - particularly the wildlife - sustainably.
The case for conservation in ecotourism areas is strengthened by government
requirements for each project. For example, all the Trusts in Botswana are
required by the Government to incorporate natural resource management goals in
their constitutions. In addition, Trusts are required to produce management plans
in which they specify how environmental management will be carried out in their
CHAs or ecotourism areas. Communities are also required to provide an annual
report on how natural resource management was carried out in their areas before
annual wildlife quotas are provided by the Department of Wildlife and National
Parks. In order to meet these requirements, communities have appointed commu-
nity escort guides to ensure proper environmental management in their areas.

Table 9.6 Reported cases of illegal hunting in the Okavango Delta

Area 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

CBNRM areas 4 0 0 0 1 2 2 1

Non-CBNRM
areas 23 9 12 13 12 12 10 5

Total 27 9 12 13 13 15 12 6

Source: Arntzen et al, 2003, DWNP Annual Illegal Hunting Records, 1998-2006