Lapologang Magole

The ‘shrinking commons’ in the Lake Ngami grasslands, Botswana: the impact of national rangeland policy

This paper analyses land management policy using land use mapping, interviews with farmers and other stakeholders, and a review of secondary material. The study was carried out in the Lake Ngami area of Ngamiland District in Botswana. It found that the net effect of policy and development initiatives implemented to curb perceived overstocking, overgrazing, open access tenure and low-output subsistence production was to narrow down the livelihood options for the rural poor and cause further damage to the rangeland. Policy-makers ignored the multi-purpose land use systems and goals of traditional pastoral systems, and emphasised commercialisation of livestock farming and privatisation of communal land. This unfortunately weakened or destroyed the local, traditional land management institutions and set in motion the shrinking of the commons. These policies are a colonial legacy that has survived the transitions from colonial rule to independence.

Revisiting Botswana's High-Value, Low-Volume Tourism

Botswana has adopted a high-value, low-volume tourism strategy in a bid to minimize negative environmental impacts on pristine wildlife areas while maximizing socioeconomic benefits. This implies sustainable development/tourism. While conservation of biological diversity appears to be on course, visitation and hence revenue has remained stunted in most parks and reserves. Moreover, the high-value, low-volume tourism strategy appears to have contributed towards enclave tourism, with a large foreign ownership of tour operator companies and repatriation of profits from Botswana. This compromises yet another principle of sustainability, social equity. It would appear that the high-value, low-volume tourism strategy is antisustainability and hence not suitable for a developing country like Botswana with a large rural population that is still highly dependent on natural resources. This article utilizes secondary data to evaluate the effectiveness of the high-value, low-volume strategy in achieving sustainable tourism development in Botswana.

Proposing a master’s programme on participatory integrated assessment of energy systems to promote energy access and energy efficiency in Southern Africa

Purpose This paper aims to present a new master’s programme for promoting energy access and energy efficiency in Southern Africa. Design/methodology/approach A transdisciplinary approach called “participatory integrated assessment of energy systems” (PARTICIPIA) was used for the development of the curriculum. This approach is based on the two emerging fields of “multi-scale integrated assessment” and “science for governance”, which bring innovative concepts and methods. Findings The application of the PARTICIPIA methodology to three case studies reveals that the proposed transdisciplinary approach could support energy and development policies in the region. The implementation of the PARTICIPIA curriculum in three higher education institutions reveals its ability to respond to the needs of specific contexts and its connection with existing higher education programmes. Practical implications Considering energy issues from a transdisciplinary approach in higher education is absolutely critical because such a holistic view cannot be achieved through engineering curricula. Deliberate and greater efforts should be made to integrate methods from “multi-scale integrated assessment” and “science for governance” in higher education curricula to train a new breed of modern-day energy planners in charge of coming up with solutions that are shared by all relevant stakeholders. Originality/value This paper presents an innovative higher education curriculum in terms of the attention given to energy access and energy efficiency that affect the southern Africa region and the nature of the methodology adopted to face these issues.

Evolution or Illusion? The Okavango Delta Management Planning Process Versus the Conventional Planning System in the Face of Climate Change and Variability in Botswana

Land and water management in Botswana has evolved as have all other sociopolitical and development processes, through pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras. As the evolution took place, the country’s land resources ownership and use transformed from a traditionally managed communal system throughout the country to a mix of land uses and proliferation of land resources authorities. Figure 10.1 shows the location of Botswana and illustrates the different land uses that have come to exist through the land management evolution, each pretty much with its own institutional authority. It is argued and demonstrated in this chapter that the fragmentation of land uses and takeover of land management from community leaders have practically reduced the land available for community livelihoods and rendered them vulnerable to and unable to adapt and cope with global and climate variability and change conditions. In this map illustration, the white areas indicate land left for communal use. Judging by the white shading shown in the study sites (1 and 2), they are among the most affected districts by the systematic reduction of communal land.