World Wetlands Day

Botswana will join other countries to commemorate World Wetlands Day on the 2nd, February 2017. The event will be held at Shakawe.

The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands approved Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction as the theme for World Wetlands Day in 2017, during its 52nd meeting held in Gland, Switzerland from 13 – 17 June 2016.

This theme is selected to raise awareness and to highlight the vital roles of healthy wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities, and in helping to build resilience.

Young Conservatinists

In this month Issue of Peolwane dated  "17 January 2017', Pete Hancock interviewed two students: (Keitumetse (KT) Ngaka and Botilo Tshimologo, who completed their Masters in Natural Resource Management in Okavango Research Institute , and also Moses Seeeletso who is currently completing his PHD in Natural Resource management about the role they play in wildlife conservation as young upcoming researchers.

Read more about their experiences in this month issue of  Peolwane magazine in the library.

Okavango Research Institute researcher predicts more rain this year

One of our researcher, Mr Oliver Moses  has predicted a lot of rainfall in Botswana due to La Nino, which has affected the Equatorial Pacific region. Mr Moses was presenting his research findings dubbed "The Current Rains & Ocean - Atmosphere Interactions", during a stakeholder meeting in Maun. He said normal to above normal rain fall was expected between January and March this year.

The  main aim of the research was to update stakeholders on the current rains and to explain their connection with ocean-atmosphere interactions in relation to Botswana’s climate and also sensitize them about how the warming and cooling of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean influenced Botswana’s climate. 

Mr Moses revealed that generally, La Nina was associated with wet conditions, while its counterpart, El Nino was associated with dry conditions in Botswana. He said sometimes trade winds intensified causing an upsurge that is stronger than usual, resulting in temperatures that are colder than normal.

He explained that what happens in the oceans affects the weather in Botswana, adding that currently the country has already received more rainfall which caused havoc in some parts resulting in some buildings, roads and bridges destroyed.
 

SEASONAL FORECAST: JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2017: 

·        Kgalagadi, Gantsi, Ngamiland, Chobe, Northern Central, Southeast, Kgatleng and Kweneng Districts:- Expected to receive Normal to above normal rains (Very wet conditions expected). Normal ranges from 100mm over Kgalagadi to 320mm over Chobe. 

·        Southern Central and North-East Districts:- Expected to receive above normal rains Extremely wet). Normal ranges between 180mm to 200mm.

 

The gathering was also briefed that in Ngamiland, there was a shift as rainfall started in November while generally rain season starts in October. The shift was caused by climate change adding that this season, the district experienced more rains in January.

“We have already experienced more rain in January and yet the season is not ending which means by the end of the season, the rains will be significant. This year there is a lot of rain coming,” he added.

On the 26th January PSUB herbarium at ORI will launch a joint funded data mobilization project.

The UNDP-GEF supported Sustainable Land-Use Management for Ngamiland Project (SLM Ngamiland) together with Desert and Delta Safari (DDS) company have jointly funded the Peter Smith University of Botswana (PSUB) herbarium’s data mobilization project.

SLM Ngamiland has given 5000Euros while DDS donated 50 000Pula to PSUB at ORI in order to complete the installation of BRAHMS data base. Valuable vegetation data, in the form of plant specimens which have been collected from all over the Okavango Delta and northern Botswana, are held at PSUB herbarium. This reference collection of plant material will now have the data extracted and entered into the Botanical Record and Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS). Having the data in BRAHMS at PSUB will allow floristic information from the Ngamiland region of Botswana to be available to anyone who is interested. PSUB expects to be able to provide vegetation information to, for example: government at regional and national level, environmental managers, development planners, conservationists, farmers interested in the commercial potential of indigenous plants, medicinal and nutritional research and traditional craft producers. The BRAHMS data base will help PSUB protect its core legacy collection of specimens which date from the early 1970s. There are more than 10 000 specimens held at PSUB which represented in some 105 dicotyledonous families and about 34 monocotyledonous families.  The entire collection probably represents 1600 species. The exact numbers will be revealed as PSUB’s data base is compiled.

PSUB as part of ORI and the University of Botswana would like to thank both SLM Ngamiland and DDS for their support in this work. We hope this will be the beginning of a healthy partnership between us. We are grateful for the commitment to the environment that both SLM Ngamiland and DDS have shown through their donation to PSUB herbarium.  For, in truth, this region of northern Botswana supports both a widespread community of farmers and people living directly off the land as well as the world famous Okavango Delta tourist destination and the 1000^th World Heritage site which generates healthy income for Botswana through international tourism. The vegetation of this region is what make all this possible! PSUB herbarium houses a comprehensive collection of plant specimens which represents the floristic diversity of Ngamiland and this data will be securely and thoroughly captured in the BRAHMS database.