Botswana to get 14 rhino from SA

The premier of South Africa’s North West provience, Thandi Modise announced on Wednesday that her executive council has approved a donation of 14 black rhino to Botswana. The premier’s spokesman Lesiba Kgwele said in a statement eight rhino cows and six bulls would be sent here to help grow the rhino population in Botswana.
Once the Botswana population stabilised, half of the offspring from the South African rhino would be returned to the North West.
“In line with the agreement endorsed by Exco and the department of water and environmental affairs, all capture and translocation costs of the rhinos — estimated to cost about R1 million — would be borne by the ministry of environment wildlife and tourism of the Republic of Botswana.”
In a similar initiative, the Khama Rhino Sanctuary Trust in Botswana previously received a joint donation of 13 white rhinos from the North West Parks and Tourism Board and the South African National Parks Board.
These 13 rhino had been breeding, and there were now 48. Half of the offspring now belonged to the North West government.

FMD vaccination to start this week

The first of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccinations is scheduled to commence in Ngamiland next Thursday (February 27). This was announced recently at the fourth FMD stakeholders meeting held in Maun.
The campaign will involve teams of innoculators and field assistants supervised by veterinary officers. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture revealed that farm assistants and village extension teams would also be engaged in the programme for the main campaign.
The officials, however, acknowledged the exercise is bound to face challenges related to shortage of innoculators and shortage of transport to inform farmers of vaccination schedules. The vice chairperson of Hainaveld Farmers Association, Keloitsang Ledimo, also cautioned on the timing of the vaccination campaign which concides with the raining season.
This not only makes it difficult to round-up livestock but the cattle pens or kraals are normally extremely muddy. Meanwhile, the authorities have assured the farmers that the maintenance of the buffalo fence is on-going from Matsibe to Habu and from Matsebe to Xaudum. The exercise has drawn in the participants of the Ipelegeng programme.
It was also disclosed that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) had contributed the use of a truck and made available 20 rolls of wire towards the maintenance of the buffalo fence. As part of the awareness raising exercise, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has already held farmers’ workshops ar Sehitwa, Kareng, Habu and Shakawe.
Read more http://www.ngamitimes.com/2014/02/fmd-vaccination-start-next-week/

Farmers hit out at hunting ban

Two of the eight-point resolutions agreed between Ngamiland farmers and the government in August 2012 appear to be proving difficult to fulfill.These relate to special quota for elephants encroaching in farming areas and the establishment of a disease control fund.Under the elephant resolution, it was agreed at the time that elephants will be removed from settled areas and cull through safari hunting quotas the elephants continue to be problem animals.  However, with the current blanket banning of hunting on state land in the country, instituted by President Ian Khama with effect from January 1 this year, that option looks unfeasible.

At the recent stakeholders meeting, the farmers did not take kindly to government’s arbitrary decision to ban hunting without considering the resolution that was agreed upon with them.  They argued that elephants are a real factor in the fight to control the spread of FMD since they destroy buffalo fences and other infrastructure. Another resolution that has proved tricky to navigate relates to the stablishment of the disease control fund.Under this resolution, it was envisaged that funds could be drawn from diverse sources that included the Conservation Trust Fund, Tourism Levy, Matimela Auction Sales, the cattle levy and farmer contribution.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Marcus Chimbombi acknowledged as much that the inclusion of other funds in the resolution was inappropriate in the first place “as these are controlled by other ministry-specific Acts.  It is not possible to get financial assistance from these funds as there are answerable to specific legislations.”Faced with this dilemma, the ministry “has now decided to do away with all other levies and stick with the Cattle Levy,” said Chimbombi adding that this might end up having to be legislated for at Parliament.

Chimbombi also disclosed that regarding conservation trust funds, the DVS has submitted a proposal to the Elephant Fund and is awaiting response from them.

Botswana breaks ranks with neighbours over ivory sales

Botswana has broken ranks with the neighbouring elephant range states of Southern Africa by signing a 10-year moratorium on the sales of its stockpiled ivory. President Ian Khama took the decision at the recent symposium on the illegal wildlife trade held in London.Khama said he will order the country’s ivory stockpiles out of reach of the markets.  Botswana has the highest population of African elephants currently estimated at 207,000 and more than 90% of which are concentrated in Ngamiland and Chobe.

Until then Botswana and her neighbours of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe had been exercising their option to sell from their ivory stockpiles to approved countries.The trade of ivory has been banned under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) since 1989, but some countries have received permission from the same body to sell their ivory stocks in the past.The preceedes from these CITES-approved sales were being used to fund conservation efforts, specifically within the elephant range regions.  Botswana’s neighbours were conspicious by their absence from the London event. Instead, Botswana joined Gabon, Chad and Tanzania as the only African countries, in announcing the 10-year moratorium, which effectively confirms they will uphold the ban and not ask for permission from CITES to sell any of their ivory.

Read more at: http://www.ngamitimes.com/2014/02/botswana-breaks-ranks-neighbours-ivory-sales/

MINING RIGHTS THREATEN OKAVANGO DELTA

Fourty-one Mineral Licenses Issued in The Delta An astonishing 41 mineral licenses have been granted in the Okavango Delta. Of these, more than 11 encroaching into the heart of the delta and its immediate environs, raising fears that the mining activities might disturb the ecology.
The Delta is a home to diversity of animal and plants species. The rest of the licenses are in what is termed the buffer zone, just before the Delta, something critics say should not have been allowed to happen due to the sensitivity of the environment which is used by the Okavango wildlife. The Okavango Delta is being prepared for listing as a World Heritage site, but with so much mining activities that include exploration of oil, diamond, uranium and base metals, some believe it is only a matter of time before government issues mining licenses just like they did in the CKGR, where diamond mining is taking place.
Within the Delta, mining companies Zhong Gan, Gcwhihaba Resources, Cambow, New Hana have found evidence of diamonds and base metals. In fact the area around the Okavango Delta have been found to be rich in metals, all the way from the panhandle and the Chobe National Park, down to the end of the Delta, base metals are vast. As the Delta reaches Ngami, oil explorations take place, along with base metals, coal bed methane and diamonds explorations. Botswana’s poor management of the Okavango Delta has attracted the interest of the international community after bloggers and a National Geographic filmmaker recently exposed mineral explorations inside the Delta and around it.
Read more at http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?aid=7820

WCS Statement on Declaration Signed by Governments Participating in the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade

London Declaration Sends Strong Message: Wildlife Trafficking is a Serious Crime on a Global Scale

 The following statement was released today by Dr. John G. Robinson, WCS Chief Conservationist and Executive Vice President of Conservation and Science:

“We greatly welcome the London Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade, which today sends a strong message across the globe: Wildlife trafficking is a serious crime, on a global scale, and must be tackled at all levels as a matter of urgency. The declaration calls for a global crackdown on wildlife crime and on the corruption and organized criminal activities that feed it.

“WCS applauds the leadership of the Royal Foundation and the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales, and the government of the United Kingdom in convening this important conference and guiding it towards a positive outcome that will help advance efforts to stop the scourge of wildlife trafficking.

“The declaration makes it clear that trafficking in wildlife, and the illegal killing that supplies it, go beyond a breakdown in governance systems or a crime committed by the uninformed few. These are serious crimes committed by well-financed and well-armed syndicates with complete disregard for the well-being of people and wildlife. The declaration calls for governments to crack down on these criminals with stiffer penalties and more aggressive investigation and prosecution, including addressing the corruption and bribery that facilitate these crimes. It further calls for addressing this crisis at all points of the supply chain – where the animal is killed, where the parts are trafficked, and where the products are purchased.

For more information visit: http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/illegal-wildlife-trade-declaration.aspx

Warnings of possible flooding

Botswana’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) says they have alerted their South African and Mozambique counterparts about possible flooding following heavy rains in the North West and North East districts over the past few days. Heavy rainfall left a trail of destruction last week in the northern parts of the country in villages such as Serule and Selibe-Phikwe. Residents were evacuated from part of Palapye as water levels rose in the Lotsane River. The NDMO Principal Programme Officer, Maeletso Pego, said that rising water levels in most of the mainstream rivers would endanger South Africa and Mozambique.

Zeros For Rhinos

In the continuing saga of South Africa’s rhino two new players have paired up to help move up to 100 rhino across the border to Botswana to escape the risk of poachers. Great Plains Conservation and &Beyond are two of Africa’s leading conservation companies, &Beyond already successfully moved 6 rhino from South Africa to Botswana last year. Their Zeros For Rhinos collaboration aims to increase the number of rhino moved to Botswana to 100. With the official number of poached rhino in 2013 at 1004 efforts such as this could not be more necessary.

 The process of translocation means the rhino are captured and micro chipped for research purposes and then released into the safety of Botswana where security measures are better equipped to protect these increasingly endangered animals. A dedicated anti-poaching team will also be on hand to work together with the Botswana government agencies to monitor the animals. Dereck Joubert, CEO of Great Plains Conservation, doesn’t see this initiative as “branded conservation” but rather a conservation effort anyone and everyone can be involved with. &Beyond’s CEO Joss Kent agrees, saying that a translocation of this size requires partnership and resources. Both companies are initiating fundraising efforts, the estimated cost of the project is USD8 million, with the aim of moving the 100 rhino to safety in 2015.http://www.africatravel.com/news/zeros-for-rhinos

Hunting ban hurting Community Trusts

Community trusts in the Okavango delta are present the government to provide financial assistance to them following the unpopular ban on trophy hunting which came into effect in January. The trusts all were paid in cash and kind by hunting safari companies for the privilege of operating in concession areas. In one case, P10-million was paid annually by a major safari organization. Other companies paid similar amounts. In addition, the safari companies gave villagers meat from animals that had been shot. This has now dried up and many villagers are destitute as a result. Villagers are not able to find work as most were employed by the companies as trackers, kitchen staff, waiters and waitresses, and tent staff.

In Maun, office staff have been made redundant after the owners closed up shop and moved their activities to countries such as Tanzania and Mozambique, where business is booming as a result of the companies switching their clients from Botswana.

The seriousness of the situation has been brought to the attention of the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, and, according to media reports in Gaborone, Mababe Zokotshama Community Trust’s general manager, Onkeme Mmolainyana, says they are still expecting a response from Khama about their request.

Read more about this story in the latest Ngami Times http://www.ngamitimes.com/2014/02/hunting-ban-hurting-community-trusts/

Buffalo chaos as four are shot in Park

The long-standing conflict between humans, wildlife and cattle in Ngamiland came to Maun this week as four buffaloes were shot dead inside the Maun Educational Park. Residents of Disaneng and Boseja wards in Maun feared  for their lifes after the for were seen in their area on Monday morning.
The breach in the poorly-controlled buffalo fence also raised the spectre of resurgency of the dreaded foot and mouth disease (FMD). A team from Wildlife and Veterinary Services departments tracked and shot the animals as hundreds of people milled around the side of the perimeter fence, listening for gunshots.
Read more about this story in the latest Ngami Times.

Namibia gets one of two new Ramsar sites

Two new Ramsar wetland sites have been designated – Bwabwata in Okavango, Namibia, which will be the country’s 5th, and Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesia.
Situated in the Bwabwata National Park, the site covers the lower Okavango River, part of the Okavango Delta Panhandle and permanently or temporarily flooded marshes and floodplains bordered by riparian forest and open woodland. It supports IUCN Red-Listed species, including the vulnerable African elephant, hippopotamus, lion, slaty egret and the endangered grey crowned crane.
The site supports one of the highest diversities of species in the Zambezian Flooded Savannas ecoregion. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded, the highest number of any site in Namibia.
Tanjung Puting National Park is one of the most important conservation areas in Central Kalimantan, acting as a water reservoir and representing one of the largest remaining habitats of the endangered Kalimantan Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus. The site consists of seven different types of swamp, including peat swamp forests, lowland tropical rainforest, freshwater swamp forests and as well as mangroves and coastal forest.
It supports large numbers of endemic species of flora and fauna adapted to the predominant acidic peat swamp environment. Sites are recognised by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat as a Wetland of International Importance and that the country’s comitment to maintain the ecological character of them. – (Wildlife Extra)

World Wetlands Day 2014

2nd February each year is World Wetlands Day.The theme for the 2014 World Wetlands Day is 'Wetlands and Agriculture' as 2014 is the UN International Year of Family Farming. The slogan for the Day is 'Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth,' placing a focus on the need for the wetland, water and agricultural sectors to work together for the best shared outcomes.  

read more: http://africasd.iisd.org/events/world-wetlands-day-2014/

Ngami farmers hope rains will save livestock from drought

Ngamiland farmers say they are hoping for the best this year following heavy rains that poured over the festive season. The region has been ravaged by drought that is estimated to have killed over 25,000 cattle. A farmer in the district, Elvis Bodiro of Bothatogo village, said for the past two years, he was reluctant to go to his cattle post, because he was disturbed by the poor conditions in which the cattle were in. “I did not expect it will rain after a long drought and my hope is that it will continue raining andhopefully our stock numbers will be able to recover. Every farmer in the district I think is happy now after the rains,” he said.Another farmer, Tsogo Mosihe, said he was happy to see it raining almost every day and see changes in his livestock and his cattle has started recovering from the drought.

“When I first arrived at the cattle post, our cattle were moving skeletons but just days later they were recovering and at the end of the festive period they had fully recovered and I will soon go back to drink fresh milk,” he said with a broad smile. Across the district in Haina Veldt, Gaehele Modiegi of Metsi, a Kgomo cattle post, is also excited about the amount of rainfall in the area. Like the other farmers he says that he is hopeful that this coming year no livestock will die from drought.

‘Hands off Botswana tourism’- Joubert

Survival International (SI) has no right to internationally lobby for the blacklisting Botswana as a tourism destination on allegations of overlooking the 2006 High Court ruling for the relocation of the Basarwa in the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve, an award winning and celebrated environmentalist has said. The National Geographic laureate, Derek Joubert, told Sunday Standard that by bringing the blacklisting of Botswana’s tourism on to their agenda recently, SI in his opinion “does not want a solution, they want the issue!” And neither should they meddle in wildlife conservation programmes because it’s not their business.

“Instead, SI should offer support to local NGOs better equipped to work with government and find solutions. When they step in, it increases the tension most specifically because they are not well informed or they choose to misunderstand. However, in general I see wildlife and even humanitarian issues as not country level but global issues,” Joubert said. Regarding Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programmes, the Sani peoples of the Kgalagadi, protection of endangered species and land degradation, Joubert said Botswana has done a reasonable job of working out the issues, but a poor job of telling everyone out it.

Regarding Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programmes, the Sani peoples of the Kgalagadi, protection of endangered species and land degradation, Joubert said Botswana has done a reasonable job of working out the issues, but a poor job of telling everyone about it.

Read more about this in the latest Sunday Standard http://www.sundaystandard.info/article.php?NewsID=18812&GroupID=3

 

ORI library closed during the holidays

This is the message from ORI director!
''As we approach another Christmas season, with all the joy, excitement and merriment that is part of the tradition, I am delighted to extend Season’s Greetings to all of the stakeholders, friends, associates and partners of ORI. Your support during the year 2013 helped us on the journey to fulfil our mission of becoming a leading Research Institute.

We thank you for your support and endorsement of our efforts and we pledge to work even more closely with you as we seek to enhance our research efforts. We wish you a very happy holiday season and an incoming year filled with peace, joy, productivity and prosperity"
ORI library will be closed during the holidays (18 December) and open on the 13 January 2014.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Plan to manage water resources launched

Alignment, harmonisation and building on existing processes in water resources management are effective and affordable routes to development. Speaking during the launch of the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)/Water Efficiency (WE) plan, the chairperson of the Global Water Partnership, Dr Akolang Tombale noted that water was a fundamental asset to national socio-economic and environmental needs. He said the plan promotes coordinated development, management and water use.

The plan, which was developed over four years, will be implemented under the National Water Policy, which is still at draft stage. It aims to optimise economic, social  and environmental welfare in an equitable manner without compromising of vital ecosystems. 

“IWRM includes the infrastructure needed to harness water for productive use and the management interventions required for efficient use of water; mediates between competing users and uses; and protects the resource and ecosystems that depend on it,” said Tombale.

The plan also strives to improve people’s livelihoods, welfare and contribute to sustained economic growth, economic diversification and social justice through equitable and sustainable water resources development and management.

This plan received support from the United Nations Development Programme, while implementation and management were entrusted to the Kalahari Conservation Society. The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Kitso Mokaila said the national water demand was expected to grow from 195 cubic metres in 2012 to 335 million cubic metres by 2020.

Read more on: http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?aid=5066

Botswana vultures now ‘endangered’

The number of bird species listed as critically endangered has reached an all-time high with the release of this year’s Red List for birds by BirdLife International and is national partners, including BirdLife Botswana.“Globally, almost 200 species of bird are now in real danger of being lost forever”, Harold Hester, BirdLife Botswana’s chairman. “They are being hit on multiple fronts. Habitat loss, agricultural changes, invasive species, climate change and closer to home poisoning, are the principle threats. Without these problems being addressed the list will continue to grow.” The total number of species recognised by BirdLife in the 2013 Red List update is 10 065. The number of species by category is: Extinct 130; Extinct in the Wild 4; Critically Endangered 198; Endangered 397; Vulnerable 713; Near Threatened 888; Least Concern 7,675; and Data Deficient 60.

For Botswana, there are three species as Endangered (Grey Crowned-crane, White-backed Vulture and Hooded Vulture), and nine as Vulnerable. All of Botswana’s vultures are now listed as either Endangered or Vulnerable because their populations have declined catastrophically over recent years largely due to poisoning by some farmers and wildlife poachers in Botswana and the surrounding countries. “The farmers would typically lace livestock carcasses with poison targeting mammalian carnivores that are thought to pose a threat to livestock, but often, it is the non-targeted vultures that find the poisoned carcasses and then mistakenly killed”, said Dr Kabelo Senyatso, BirdLife Botswana’s Director. “As for wildlife poachers, we have discovered disturbing trends where these poachers deliberately poison elephant carcasses because otherwise if vulture circled over these carcasses, they would alert security personnel to the poaching incidences”.

Read more in the Ngami Times http://www.ngamitimes.com/

ELEPHANTS A MAJOR POACHING RISK

Africa could lose 20% of its elephant population within a decade, conservation groups warned this week as governments met in Botswana to discuss measures to curb poaching.Opening the African Elephant Summit in Gaborone this week, President Ian Khama said:“Wildlife crime has become a modern day international problem, usually driven by people that have never lived close to the natural resources that they are exploiting. Today it is the fourth most lucrative transnational crime behind trafficking of illegal drugs, humans and arms.”An estimated 22 000 elephants were illegally killed across the continent last year, as poaching reached “unacceptably elevated levels,”according to a report by CITES, TRAFFIC and IUCN.“If poaching rates are sustained at current levels, Africa is likely to lose a fifth of its elephants in the next ten years.”The study was released as experts and ministers met to look at ways to stamp out the slaughter, fuelled by a growing demand for ivory in Asia.
The meeting adopted 13 “urgent” steps to stem the tide of illegal elephant killings. These include classification of trafficking in ivory as a serious crime.An agreement was reached on Wednesday by key African elephant range states including Gabon, Kenya, Niger and Zambia and ivory transit states Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia, and ivory destination states, including China and Thailand, said the IUCN in a statement. Tanzania, where many elephants are poached, was not included in the list.Prevention would be tackled through better arming of national protection agencies and discouraging demand in destination countries.The meeting also recommended adequate securing of government and privately-held ivory stockpiles.There are about half a million elephants left in Africa compared with 1.2 million in 1980 and 10 million in 1900.
Read more in the Ngami Times http://www.ngamitimes.com/

Filmmakers spread word about plight of African lions

After years making documentary films to educate the West about the need to preserve African wildlife, Beverly and Dereck Joubert are turning their sights on a new target.

The South African couple’s 22 previous films have raised awareness throughout much of the world about the dwindling numbers of lions and other “big cats” in their natural habitats.

Now they believe they need to broaden their audience to include China.

Leaning over the dashboard of their custom-modified Land Cruiser, Dereck Joubert57, keeps a watchful eye on the six lions in the grass a few feet in front of him.

“We’ve made a mess of Africa’s wildlife population. Colonialism brought trophy hunting and today we’re losing five lions a day to poaching and hunting,” he says.

Their work has focused on the steady decline of big cats across the globe.

The most recent documentary premiers at 10 p.m. Sunday on the cable channel NatGeo Wild. “Game of Lions” tells the story of a group of young males and the dangers they face as they seek to become the one battle-scarred warrior who will lead the pride. It’s part of NatGeo’s popular Big Cat Week.

Read more http://www.lohud.com/article/20131129/LIFESTYLE01/311290063/Filmmakers-spread-word-about-plight-African-lions?nclick_check=1

Warming to change? Climate policy and agricultural development in Ethiopia

This paper addresses how policy responses to climate change are shaping the agricultural sector in Ethiopia, and their significance for the country’s future development. The paper highlights the multiple policy and institutional responses, including those that fall under a new policy direction of ‘green’ economic development, with a focus on development of a low-carbon economy by 2025. Under this broad banner, emerging policy narratives centre on achieving ‘climate smart’ agriculture, establishing more intensified and commercial approaches and, in the livestock sector, seeking major transformations in pastoralism within the country’s lowland periphery. At the same time, a number of structural gaps are emerging, including the success with which climate policy is being integrated across different natural resource sectors, from water and land management to rural afforestation.
Important political-economic considerations are shown to be driving some of the emerging challenges, as Ethiopia struggles to find ways of engaging a rapidly-growing economically active population. The paper suggests that externally-driven policy processes are crowding out more coherent analyses of key national-level resource management and development issues, and that a rush for climate finance may crowd out important local knowledge and experience from below that can better inform policy responses. Without adequately addressing multiple challenges facing smallholder farmers in many parts of the overcrowded highlands, question marks continue to surround the capacity of the country to achieve real agricultural transformation under the ambitious Growth and Transformation Plan.

Link: http://www.future-agricultures.org/publications/research-and-analysis/doc_download/1755-warming-to-c...