U.S. wildlife management funding

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Wildlife Without Borders - Africa (WWB-Africa) program has announced a call for proposals. WWB-Africa funds projects designed to strengthen human and institutional capacity to manage and conserve species, habitats, and ecological process for the benefit of the people of Africa and the world. Proposals received before June 15, 2008 will be reviewed prior to the end of the US government fiscal year ending September 30th. Program guidelines and application procedures for Wildlife Without Borders - Africa are available on the web site. The entire application must be sent as one file (a single doc or pdf containing the signed cover page, text of the proposal, maps, budget, government letters of endorsement, etc. Submit completed application by email to: wwb_africa@fws.gov Direct questions and any correspondence to: Dirck Byler, Program Officer, Great Ape Conservation Fund – Africa, Wildlife Without Borders – Africa, Branch of Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, dirck_byler@fws.gov. [22/05/08].

African Economic Outlook 2008

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has announced the release of the 2008 African Economic Outlook (AEO). Focused on technical skills development, the report also presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic, social and political developments on the continent. The AEO applies a common analytical framework to every country, every year. Produced by the OECD Development Centre, the African Development Bank and, for the first time this year, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the report benefits from the support of the European Commission. You can read the the 153 page country notes for Botswana on the OECD web site.

New in HOORC's Library: Participatory Learning and Action

The latest issue in the IIED's Participatory Learning and Action series has arrived in HOORC's Library. Immersions : learning about poverty face-to-face presents examples of participatory work intended to help development aid workers better understand the nature of poverty. Immersions are opportunities for development professionals to spend a period of time living with and learning from a poor family. The report uses the term ‘immersion’ to include other experiences such as Reality Checks and Exposure and Dialogue Programmes. These experiences bring participants face-to-face with ordinary people, giving them the chance to test old assumptions, develop new perspectives, and strengthen their commitment to the challenge of poverty eradication. You can find the report in HOORC's Library.

Developments in Namibia's Kavango region

AllAfrica.com has recently featured news from the Kavango region in Namibia. Signing of a concession agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism on one hand and the Gciriku Traditional Authority, George Mukoya and Muduva Nyangana conservancies on the other, will pave the way for the development of tourism facilities in the Khaudum National Park. This is the first such agreement to be signed following the approval of the national policy on wildlife and tourism concession on State land by the Namibian Cabinet in July 2007. The Nambian government also released a policy document, the Kavango Regional Poverty Profile, intended to engage those living in poverty, and to provide them with an opportunity to describe their experiences and present their views on how their lives could be improved.

Terraviva resource

A tool for visualization of socio-economic data, the 2008 TerraViva! SEDAC Viewer has been updated with a wide range of new SEDAC data. This map viewer and standalone software application (Microsoft Windows-based) uses a data-viewing engine and tools to enable visualization and integration of hundreds of socioeconomic and environmental variables and layers, including a range of satellite-based data. The update encompasses 51 ready-made maps, ten GeoData indicator collections with hundreds of variables, and other features—scatter plots, tabular data display, map image production, and Web-based download of additional data layers.

Produced in collaboration between ISciences and the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) operated by CIESIN, these data sets build on a collection that includes the flagship SEDAC data set, Gridded Population of the World (GPW), and others. The 2008 version adds the following SEDAC data collections: • The Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity (HANPP) • Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis• Global Poverty Mapping• The Human Footprint and Last of the Wild, version two• The Population, Landscape, and Climate Estimates (PLACE II)• The Compendium of Environmental Sustainability Indicators.

The software is free of charge and available on CD.

Identification of tourism sites in Okavango Ramsar site

The Tawana Land Board has published an invitation to tender from companies to undertake Tourism Related Sites Identification in the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site (ODRS) (Tender Number TLB/08/2008). Full details are in the tender document which can be obtained from the office of the Board Secretary, Tawana Land Board in Maun, Tel. 0267-6-0292. The bid submission deadline is Friday 19th of June, 2008 at 1200 hours.

Botswana tourism policy workshop

A workshop to discuss the Botswana Department of Tourism's work on a tourism policy for Botswana was held in Maun on May 22nd. The workshop, Tourism Policy For Botswana: Key Issues Affecting Botswana's Tourism Competitiveness was sponsored by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Government of Botswana to allow discussion of a consultants' issue paper compiled from interviews with key stakeholders. The objective of the project is to review the Tourism Policy formulated in 1990, taking into consideration recent changes, challenges, competitive situation and future development trends within the local and international tourism industry, with a view to proposing a new policy framework to guide future plans, development and management of the sector in Botswana. You can find the 1990 policy in HOORC's Library.

New in HOORC's Library: Freshwater Reviews

Freshwater Reviews, a new publication of the Freshwater Biological Association, is a peer reviewed international journal dedicated to enhancing the understanding of inland waters. The content of review papers is primarily biological but papers covering limnology, policy and socio-economic aspects of fresh waters are accepted. Freshwater is interpreted widely, embracing all inland waters including lakes, ponds and reservoirs, rivers and streams, as well as saline and caustic lakes, brackish waters, interstitial and groundwater environments. You can find the first issue, which includes Microrganisms of the East African Great Lakes and their response to environmental changes, in HOORC's Library.

New in HOORC's Library: San land rights

Our land they took : San land rights under threat in Namibia, produced by the LEAD Project of the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia in 2006, makes a case for change in management of traditional lands, improved government planning and communication, and better training and support for implementing and enforcing the Communal Land Reform Act in Namibia. Colour maps illustrate locations of Namibia's San populations, cultural groups and conservancy land use. You can find the book in HOORC's Library.

Vegetation monitoring in Chobe National Park

Dr Kalwij's research team at Chobe water point



HOORC's Library had a visit today from Dr Jesse Kalwij (email kalwij(a)sun.ac.za), postdoctoral fellow at Stellenbosch University, who has recently completed his fieldwork about the long term vegetation dynamics around artificial water points in the Nogatsaa area of Chobe National Park. Monitoring of vegetation in the area began in 1997 with the first supply of artificial water, was repeated in 2000, and now in 2008. Preliminary findings indicate that, in spite of the 40 per cent elephant increase since 1997, tree height and density appear to have significantly increased while abundance of unpalatable species has grown. The work was supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's African Elephant Program.

Okavango catfish genetics study

Dr Liesl van As, fish parasite specialist from the University of the Free State, has alerted us to Large allozyme variation within populations and isozyme differences between Clarias gariepinus and C. ngamensis from the Okavango Delta, Botswana by University of Johannesburg scientists Herman van der Bank and Nico Smit, published in the African Journal of Aquatic Science in 2007. The authors sampled two types of catfish during migrations at the time of the annual recession of water from Okavango floodplains. Their analysis discovered significant genetic variation in the fish populations, information of potential use to conservation work and to aquaculture. You can find the article in HOORC's Library.

Botswana Environment and Development Dialogue

The Annual Environment and Development Dialogue will be held in Gaborone on the 21st May 2008 at the Botswana Television (BTv) Auditorium from 1800hrs to 2000hrs. This year's topic is Mainstreaming the Environmental Paradigm into the National Development Planning 10, District Development Plan 7 and Urban Development Plan 3. Would this take Botswana towards realization of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals and Vision 2016 pillars? The panelists will be:

1. Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme.

2. Mr Elias Dewah – Private Consultant and former BOCCIM Director.

3. Mr Steve Monna – Director, Department of Environmental Affairs

4. Coordinator, NDP 10 Preparation, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.


The audience will be invited to comment after the panelists’ presentations.

Young African scientists at IGBP congress

International environmental researchers and policymakers met at the 4th International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Congress held in Cape Town from 5 to 9 May 2008 to provide a forum for researchers to share scientific agendas, concerns and resources. The theme of the congress was “Sustainable Livelihoods in a Changing Earth System”. IGBP is an international research programme supporting a global network of earth system scientists. A special session for Young African Scientists, funded by START, was convened by Dr. Jane Olwoch of the University of Pretoria and Dr. Philippa Huntsman-Mapila of HOORC. This session showcased the work of 15 young scientists working on global environmental change issues in Africa.

New in HOORC's Library: women in Okavango fisheries

Fishing on the Thamalakane River 2007

Integrating gender and livelihoods in a biodiversity project : a case study of the invisible stakeholders in the Okavango Delta Panhandle, a Master's thesis by Barbara Herrero Cangas for the University College London, looks at how women are participating in the fisheries co-management work of the BIOKAVANGO Project. Cangas' interviews with women who fish with traditional baskets to support their families in the Okavango Delta Panhandle uncovered gender differences in levels of participation and information sharing in the development work. You can find the thesis in HOORC's Library.

Rural poverty network funding

The UN International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) has approved a grant to expand and support a knowledge network to connect development partners working on initiatives to reduce rural poverty in Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. The network known FIDAfrique-IFADAfrica, which has operated since 1999, will allow members to share lessons learned, experiences and ideas for development. In HOORC's Library you can find Rural livelihoods and poverty reduction policies edited by Frank Ellis and H. Ade Freeman.

IV Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management

The deadline for submission of abstacts for the fourth International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management, conference that will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece on 15th to 18th October 2008, has been extended to 15 June 2008.

Wetland management planning

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) reports a new publication, Wetland Management Planning - a Guide for Site Managers. Four international organizations with a long record of water conservation -- Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Wetlands International, IUCN and WWF --have partnered to produce the reference source for water and wetland managers. With input from several experts around the world, the guide deals with building trust, participation, and capacity, assessing wetlands values, and setting achievable objectives. You can download the guide from the WWF web site, or you can find a printed copy in HOORC's Library.

HOORC scholar at Ohio State University

Dr Barbara Ngwenya, HOORC livelihoods specialist currently on sabbatical leave at the at the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, made two presentations at Ohio State at the end of April. Dr Ngwenya delivered “An Overview of Research Opportunities and Challenges at the Okavango Research Centre , University of Botswana ”on April 24th, to the School of Environment and Natural Resources, and “Children Fishing for Survival in the Okavango Delta, Botswana ” on April 25th to the Environmental Science Graduate Program. HOORC's Library recently received the 2007 annual report of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park where Dr Ngwenya is spending her sabbatical.

Nature Conservancy project web site

From the Nature Conservancy's Expedition Namib site

The international organization, Nature Conservancy, uses multimedia effectively on its web site to publicise its projects. A recent example is the Expedition Namib -- a project to map and assess proposed national park work in the Namib -- the Kunene Region National Park – Skeleton/Etosha Link -- that would protect priority habitat for lions, elephants, rhinos, cheetah and oryx. The Conservancy's partners in the project are Save the Rhino Trust, Round River Conservation Studies and Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The site takes the form of a diary of the expedition with links to photographs, videos, satellite images and slideshows.

A recent news story from Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism reports that Etosha National Park is filled with water for the first time in a decade.

New in HOORC's Library: Botswana bird monitoring report

Important bird areas of Botswana : monitoring report 2007, published by Birdlife Botswana in December 2007 as a special supplement to Babbler, is now available in HOORC's Library. The report uses maps and colour illustrations to describe flight routes, nesting site status and territories of birds in three areas: the Linyanti swamps, Lake Ngami and the Makgadikgadi Pans. The report also describes environmental conditions in the areas surveyed:

"The issue of disturbance from livestock is debatable. Cattle possibly trample some nests, especially those of Collared Pratincoles; this species breeds on the short grasslands adjacent to the water, and birds can be seen performing their distraction displays as grazing cattle approach their nests. However, the vegetation along the lake edges is kept short by the livestock grazing pressure, and maintained as suitable habitat for both Collared and Black-winged Pratincoles -- the latter is a globally threatened species, and the International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Black-winged Pratincole (AEWA, 2004) highlights the importance of cattle grazing in maintaining suitable habitat for this species." -- Lake Ngami Important Bird Area Monitoring Report 2007, P. Hancock, M. Muller and K. Oake, p. 10

Sustainable Development Report on Africa

UNPulse has alerted us to the release of the Sustainable Development Report on Africa, as the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) begins its Review Session from 5-16 May 2008. The CSD was established by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, and is responsible for reviewing progress in the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; as well as providing policy guidance to follow up the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) at local, national, regional and international levels. The report, which includes the chapters Sustainable development governance in Africa, Poverty eradication and socially sustainable development, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Natural resource base of economic and social development, is the result of the five year review of the implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development Outcomes in Africa. You can read and download the report from the UNECA web site.

New in HOORC's Library: Khwe medicinal plants

The Khwe of the Okavango Panhandle : the use of veld plants for food and medicine, is the third in a series of booklets of San peoples' oral testimonies produced by the Kuru Family of Organizations. The booklet, compiled by the Letloa Trust, provides full page descriptions and colour photographs of plants found around the Okavango River, and their uses by the Khwe people. You can order the book from Kuru, and find it in HOORC's Library.

Quarterly index of African periodicals

Intute has alerted us to the United States Library of Congress's online publication, Quarterly Index of African Periodicals, compiled by the Library's Nairobi office. The office receives and indexes articles from more than 300 selected periodicals (mostly scholarly) from 29 African countries, including Botswana, Angola, Namibia and Zambia. The indexes, with content from 1991 to present, may be searched online.