Okavango Delta Management Plan 2021 -2028

ORI researdchers,  led by Prof Thakadu have sucessfully completed the evaluation of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP) 2021-2028.

 Read more: https://www.ub.bw/news/ori-researchers-submit-okavango-delta-management-plan-report-government

Elephant & Rhino Poaching in Botswana - A conservation Problem

 

 According to Mbaiwa, the Okavango delta and Chobe district have experienced prime poaching of large animals. He said that the African elephant and the rhinoceros are some of the endangered species that are targeted by poachers. This animals have experienced prime poaching in these areas because they have large populations in the two areas. 

He further said that  the demands for products made from ivory and rhino horn is  the reason why poachers target these species.

Read more about Prof Mbaiwa's article as published in The Ngami Times, 18 -25 February 2022 in the attached insert.

Waterlilies, a plant steeped in history and tradition

In 2017,  Desert & Delta Safaris supported the Peter Smith University of Botswana (PSUB) herbarium. PSUB is making their collection of preserved plants useful and accessible to a wider public, including those who plan for and manage the future of the Okavango delta.

The legacy collection of specimens of the flora of the Okavango delta in northern Botswana housed at PSUB are gradually being prepared for digital scanning so that the digital image can be used to enter data into the BRAHMS database that is specifically designed for herbarium management. PSUB’s work focus this year has been on the personal collection of Mr. Peter Alexander Smith who spent more than thirty years living and working in Ngamiland. His collection of specimens dates back to the early 1970s, having digital images of them will remove the need to handle the actual specimens.

 As part of the project Mr. Mmusi Mmusi, one of the PSUB Herbarium Assistants wrote an article about the waterlilies of the Okavango Delta. For more information access the full article on the link below:

https://www.desertdelta.com/blog/general-news/watertlilies-okavango-delta/#comment-6399 

JRS Award to Develop a Low Cost Fisheries Monitoring Program for the Okavango Delta

 The JRS Biodiversity Foundation has announce  $180,900 grant to the University of Botswana Okavango Research Institute (ORI) to implement a pilot project to develop a scalable fisheries monitoring system in the Okavango Delta using low‐cost technology. Professor Keta Mosepele will lead the project.  

The Okavango Delta is a globally important freshwater wetland that supports a rich and diverse ecosystem in the otherwise arid southern African region. In addition to supporting unique flora and fauna, the ecosystem supports services ranging from crop irrigation to a growing tourism economy. Of particular importance is the Delta’s support of subsistence and small-scale commercial fisheries, which comprise the livelihoods of thousands of people.

Continue reading: http://jrsbiodiversity.org/ori-2017-announcement/

Fish community dynamics in an inland floodplain system of the Okavango Delta, Botswana

By Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, Jeppe Kolding & Thethela Bokhutlo

Abstract

Tropical floodplain fish populations fluctuate at temporal scales and understanding the variability in these systems will contribute to comprehensive management of these resources. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of a floodplain fish assemblage. Data were collected using standard methods between 1999 and 2009 from the delta's panhandle. Various analytical tools (e.g. CCA, SIMPER, ANOVA, etc.) were used to assess fish assemblage dynamics at seasonal and annual scales. ANOVA and cluster analyses showed that the fish assemblage underwent significant changes along the seasonal hydrograph, while index of relative aboundance (%IRI) revealed that the fish assemblage was dominated by Clarias gariepinus, Schilbe intermedius and Hydrocynus vittatus respectively. These species, including Clarias ngamensis and Marcusenius altisambesi, contributed more than 50% to variations in fish assemblage structure along the seasonal hydrograph (based on SIMPER analysis). Furthermore, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed a significant (p = 0.004) association between environmental factors and fish assemblage structure. CCA analysis also showed that spawning for different species is associated with various environmental factors. Annually, results showed that C. gariepinus dominated the fish assemblage during low flood years, while S. intermedius dominated during high flood years. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) showed that the hydrological gradient had a significant effect on fish assemblage structure at an annual scale, while SIMPER analysis established significant variations in fish assemblage structure among years characterized by different hydrological features. One major conclusion we made was that fish assemblages are stochastically different at an annual scale. This study contributes knowledge to floodplain fish ecology and thus enhances fisheries management.

Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1642359316300696

Essential mineral content of common fish species in Chanoga, Okavango Delta, Botswana

O. Mogobe*, K. Mosepele and W. R. L. Masamba

Developing countries remain overwhelmed by nutritional problems caused mainly by poverty, natural disasters and political instabilities. The aim of this study was to determine essential mineral content of some common fish species in the Okavango Delta, Botswana and assess their potential in enhancing mineral intake. 

Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used for determination of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn; flame photometry for Na and K; UV-VIS Spectrometry for P. Marcusenius altisambesi, Schilbe intermedius, Brycinus lateralis, Oreochromis andersonii, Barbus poechii.

The concentration ranges of minerals were within FAO mean concentration ranges for fish and comparable to values obtained from other previous studies. The results show that fishes of Chanoga have a good supply of minerals and can be used for enhancing mineral intake and protecting the community from mineral deficiency diseases.

Read more: http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/AJFS/article-abstract/76B4D0C55453

Soil Factors That Influence the Abundance and Distribution of Threatened and Endangered Species in the Okavango Delta; with Particular Emphasis on Eulophia angolensis

By Sandra K. Middleton, Kelebogile B. Mfundisi, Naidu Kurugundla

 

Eulophia angolensis is an endangered plant species found in the Okavango Delta. Generally, there is lack of botanical information on this species in Botswana, which is necessary for its in-situ and ex-situ conservation. The objectives of this research are to map areas where E. angolensis occurs, determine the species that co-exist with it, and establish soil factors that influence its abundance and distribution in the Okavango Delta. A survey of the area where the plant was sighted in 2004 was carried out using recorded GPS points. Soil samples were collected at 0 - 20 cm depth from the floodplain where the species occurred to determine the macronutrients: total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N, P, and K) and soil organic carbon (SOC) contents. The researchers could not find the plant at all GPS locations where the plant was sighted in 2004, but discovered a new unrecorded site for the species. The species was very close to the water channel; approximately 40 cm away, with only one plant about 60 cm away. The mean macronutrients concentrations in the site that contained E. angolensis were total N = 2.61 ± 0.61 mg/L, P = 7.02 ± 0.8 mg/L and K = 14.41 ± 4.28 mg/L. SOC concentration was 40.1 ± 10.28 mg/L. Furthermore, there was K biogeochemical
gradient within the E. angolensis habitat, with more concentrations directly around the plant. Therefore, E. angolensis needs critical amounts of N, P, K and SOC, with K, SOC and water requirement being the crucial factors. Frequent monitoring of the endangered species found in the Okavango Delta is required, and ex-situ conservation of the species in the country in the form of a botanical garden should be established for future generations.

Readmore: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/nr.2015.65033

Water use practices, water quality, and households’ diarrheal encounters in communities along the Boro-Thamalakane-Boteti river system, Northern Botswana

By G. Tubatsi, M. C. Bonyongo and M. Gondwe

Background

Diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1–3] despite improved health technologies, management, and increased use of oral rehydration therapy [4, 5]. Worldwide, about two billion cases of diarrheal diseases are registered annually, out of which 1.9 million children under the age of 5 die particularly in developing countries. Diarrheal diseases display distinct geographical variation and seasonality [5–8] due to varying occurrence of their etiological agents in the environment [9]. Several authors [10–13] attributed the burden of diarrheal diseases to the environment and associated risk factors, particularly unsafe drinking water from open water sources, poor sanitation, and poor hygiene. While causes of diarrheal diseases are multi factorial, the use of untreated water harboring diarrheal pathogens [10] remains a significant contributor to most outbreaks [11, 12].

Continue reading on: http://jhpn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41043-015-0031-z#CR4

Evaluation of maize yield in flood recession farming in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

By Keotshepile Kashe, Oarabile Mogobe, Thebeetsile Moroke & Mike  Murray - Hudson.

 Flood recession agriculture involves reliance of moisture left in the soil as flood water recede (Barrow, 1999). It is based on residual moisture and natural fertilization of the floodplain. Many rivers around the world are quite large with seasonal flooding to support flood recession farming (Adams,    1993). In   Southeast Asia, dry-season flood-recession rice is an ancient land-use system that, taking advantage of the fertile silt deposited by the annual floods, is both extremely productive and sustainable (Fox and Ledgerwood, 1999). In the Sahel, there is river Niger in Mali and Lake Chad, and in semi-arid Africa, there is Sudd  in  Sudan  and  the  Okavango  Delta  in Botswana (Adams, 1993).

 

The Okavango Delta of northern Botswana is possibly the most pristine of Africa’s large wetlands (Gumbricht et al., 2004; Kgori et al., 2006), and support a major tourism industry and communities’ livelihood (Gumbricht et al., 2004; Wolski and Murray-Hudson, 2008; Magole and Magole, 2009; Kgathi et al., 2012). It was declared a Ramsar site-a wetland of international importance in 1997 and was recently inscribed as a Natural World Heritage site in 2014. This wetland is supplied by the Okavango River, which flows from the tropical highlands of Angola into Kalahari basin (Bauer et al., 2004). The river discharges about 10 km³ of water onto the delta each year, supplemented by about 6 km³ of rainfall, which supports about 2500 km² of permanent wetland and up to 8000 km² of seasonal wetland (McCarthy, 2006).

 

Flood recession farming is an important livelihood activity for the poor riparian communities in Africa and some parts of Asia. This farming system provides moisture conditions similar to irrigated farming and utilises residual moisture retained within the root zones of crops. The unlimited moisture in flood recession farming makes it more sustainable and profitable as it produces more yield than dry-lands farming. It has no costs associated with inputs other than land and labour, and consequently, has a very high net return to energy expenditures (Saarnak, 2003). In the Ngamiland district of Botswana flood recession farming locally known as molapo farming is practiced along the edges of the river channels or seasonally flooded depressions on fringes of the Okavango Delta (Bendsen, 2002).

 

Planting of crops start in September when floods start to recede. Maize is the main crop grown in molapo farms, with secondary crops such as sweet sorghum, sorghum, beans, pumpkin and watermelons (Bendson, 2002; Vanderpost, 2009). Maize is the main staple food for countries in Southern Africa as they depend on it for more than half of their calorie intake (Setimela et al., 2010). In Botswana, it is the most cereal consumed and supplies a larger percentage of the daily calories in most of the diets of Batswana (Lekgari and Setimela, 2002). DAR (2011) report indicated that the total hectarage for Ngamiland was 9,899 hectares of which 10% (987) was under molapo farming. Yields from molapo farms, although lower than the expected yield, are much more than those obtained from dry-land farms (Molefe et al., 2014). In sorghum for instance, grain yield ranges from 1,800 to 2,900 kg ha^-1 (Bendsen, 2002; Arntzen, 2005); whereas, under rain fed it can be as low as 121 kg ha^-1. Literature on maize grain yield in molapo farms is currently not available, probably due to the fact that most molapo farmers prefer to grow maize as a cash crop where it is sold as green mealies early in the season to get better price before produce from the dry-land farms enter the market.

 

The  climate  of  the  Okavango  Delta  makes   molapo farming much more suitable and sustainable than dry-land farming in semi-arid savannah due to low (~490 mm) and erratic rainfall in the area (Molefe et al., 2014) with high evaporation of 2172 mm a^-1 (McCarthy, 2006; Wolski and Savenije, 2006). In addition, most of the Delta is covered by infertile sandy soils with low moisture retention capacity (Mubyana et al., 2003; Motsholapheko et al., 2011). These harsh climatic conditions are the major causes of crop failure in semi-arid dry-land farming. Soils in molapo farms are fertile because of the annual deposits of silt laid down by the retreating floods, and that partly explains why molapo farming is more productive than dry-land farming.

 

Molapo farming in the Okavango Delta is an important land use and the basis for subsistence livelihoods of the local poor and vulnerable communities (Motsumi et al., 2012) (Figures 1 and 2A, B and C). Despite its significant contribution to rural livelihoods, the productivity of molapo farming has not been extensively investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate yield potential of maize in molapo farming.

 

Study area

 

The study was conducted in the Okavango Delta (Figure 3) situated in the northern part of Botswana. The Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland formed by the Okavango River. The size of the delta varies dramatically from year to year depending primarily on the rainfall in Angola (Kgomotso and Swatuk, 2006; Wolski and Murray-Hudson, 2006). The area covered by water enlarges from its annual low of 2500 to 4000 km² in February–March to its annual high of 6000 to 12000 km² in August–September (McCarthy et al., 2004). The variation is closely linked to rain fall in the catchment area of Cuito and Cubango rivers in central Angola, which respectively receives annual rainfall of 876 and 983 mm (McCarthy et al., 2000; Wolski and Murray-Hudson 2008). Local rainfall also contributes significantly to the delta with an annual average of 490 mm (Anderson et al., 2003; Gumbricht et al., 2004), and is one distinct rainy season from November to March (Wolski and Savenije, 2006).

 

Read more: http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/AJAR/article-full-text/7629CAB52490

Okavango grapples with malaria

Okavango Sub-district is not doing well in the fight against malaria. This is despite progress made by countries and voluntary organisations in eradicating malaria epidemic.  Officiating at the World Malaria Commemoration Day in Seronga, the senior district officer for development for Okavango, Mr Letlhogonolo Nkolane said Okavango contributed more than 50 per cent of the reported malaria cases in the country. 

He said in 2013, there were 456 reported cases countrywide and 192 of these were from Okavango, while in 2014, of the reported 1 341 cases, Okavango was responsible for 888 cases and seven of the 22 deaths reported.

Mr Nkolane said this transmission season from April 2015 to date, 191 cases and six deaths had been reported countrywide and the area contributed 91 cases and no deaths. He said this clearly showed that Okavango was the most affected district. Furthermore, Mr Nkolane urged all stakeholders in the area to work together in order to achieve the goal of eliminating malaria by 2018, as government alone could not manage.

Continue reading: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-details.php?nid=19883

Residents advocate for delta protection

Residents of Seronga and surrounding villages have complained about fishermen who pollute the Okavango Delta. They aired their concerns during a kgotla meeting that Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Phillip Makgalemele, addressed in the area recently.

Mr Makgalemele said while the community had done its best to preserve the Okavango Delta, fishermen who relocated from Lake Ngami in large numbers were frustrating their efforts by polluting the environment. The fishermen relocated to the Okango Delta after government suspended fishing at the lake for a year. Residents called on government to remove the fishermen from the area given that lack of ablution facilities and indiscriminate waste disposal left the delta in a mess.

They said while government allowed communities around the delta concessions to generate income to develop their villages, it was unfortunate that some people still did not appreciate the dangers of indiscriminate waste disposal.

They said the delta was a source of income for them, hence reckless use of the resource could result in poverty in the area.Kgosi Bayei Maeze of Seronga said the sight of waste around the delta was a concern and an eyesore given that the World Heritage Committee recently declared the delta the 1000th World Heritage Site, thus the need to preserve and maintain its pristine beauty. Kgosi Maeze said the listing of the delta as a world heritage site meant certain obligations and expectations from government.

Read more:http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-details.php?nid=19895

The Role of Vegetation in the Okavango Delta Silica Sink

 Abstract

We assessed the role of vegetation and hydrology in the Si cycle in the Okavango Delta. Our results show a large storage of biogenic Si (BSi) in vegetation and the sediments. The biological storage is among the highest observed so far for any ecosystem worldwide. Floodplain vegetation accumulates similar amounts of BSi in both the temporary floodplains and the permanent floodplains, with most values observed between 20 and 100 g Si m⁻². This vegetation Si, after litterfall, contributes to a large biogenic Si storage in the sediments. In temporary floodplains, sediments contain less BSi (375–1950 g Si m⁻² in the top 5 cm) than in the permanent floodplains (1950–3600 g Si m⁻² in the top 5 cm). BSi concentrations in the floodplain sediments decline exponentially indicating rapid dissolution. In the occasional and seasonal floodplains, unidirectional solute transfer from floodplains to the islands will remove Si from the riverine systems. Our work clearly emphasizes the crucial role of floodplains and wetlands in Si transport through tropical rivers, and the potential interference of hydrology with this role.

Access the  full article on: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13157-014-0607-1#

Lake Ngami fishermen face another eviction

In an interesting turn of events, relocated Lake Ngami fishermen who were told to fish at other areas following the fishing ban at the lake are facing another eviction from those areas as residents complain of swelling sanitation problems.

The Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, issued a fishing ban at Lake Ngami for a year following environmental pollution concerns and the fishermen were told to fish at other areas such as the Okavango Delta, Thamalakane and Kunyere rivers.

The fishermen now find themselves in a desperate situation as they are not welcome in the new localities. Residents complain that the fishermen camp on river shores without having consulted community leaders and that they make the rivers very unsightly. Residents have also expressed fear that if the situation continued unabated, the sanitation situation may resemble that found at Lake Ngami.

The Botswana Gazette spoke to one resident, Semumu Samaxa, who resides at Xhobe Settlement in the outskirts of Maun who said the fishermen were a concern and noted that the river is drying and the fishermen worsen the situation as they splash water from the river through the high boat traffic. “These fishermen also scare away hippopotamus from the river forcing them into our farms where they destroy crops and pose danger to people,” he said
Read more at http://www.gazettebw.com/di-mashis-rise-to-the-top/

Safeguarding Africa’s Wetlands a Daunting Task

African wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the continent, covering more than 131 million hectares, according to the Senegalese-based Wetlands International Africa (WIA). Yet, despite their importance and value; wetland areas are experiencing immense pressure across the continent. Commercial development ranks as the major threat for the draining of wetlands, including for tourism facilities and agriculture, where hundreds of thousands of hectares of wetlands have been drained.

Other threats to Africa's wetlands are commercial agriculture, settlements, excessive exploitation by local communities and improperly-planned development activities. The prospect of immense profits from recently discovered oil, coal and gas deposits has also led to an increase in on-and offshore exploration and mining in sensitive ecological areas.

In Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, for example, wetlands and estuaries coincide with fossil fuel deposits and related infrastructure developments. In northern Kenya, port developments in Lamu are set to take place in the West Indian Ocean Rim's most important mangrove area and fisheries breeding ground.In KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape of South Africa, heavy mineral sands are located in important dune forest ecosystems, and gas is being prospected for in the water-scarce and ecologically unique Karoo. In East Africa, oil discoveries have been made in the tropical Congo Basin rain forest and the Virunga National Park – a world heritage site and a wetland recognised under the Ramsar Convention.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana, one of Africa's most important wetlands and designated as the 1,000th world heritage site by UNESCO, has been home to many threatened species and the main water source of regional wildlife in Southern Africa. Yet it is shrinking due to drier climate, increased grazing and growing pressure from tourism.

"This delta is a true oasis in the middle of the bone-dry Kalahari Sand Basin, a rare untouched wilderness that's been preserved by decades of border and civil wars in the Angolan catchment," said National Geographic explorer Steve Boyes in an interview. "Many people along the Okavango River live like communities did some 400 years ago – and from them I think we can learn a lot about how to be better stewards of the natural world."

Boyes calculated the abundance of life in the delta: more than 530 bird species, thousands of plant species, 160 different mammals, 155 reptiles, scores of frogs and countless insects.

"Everywhere you look you find life. We surveyed bats and we found 17 species in three days. We started looking for praying mantises and found 90 different species," he said.

A recent survey by the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the environmentalist group BirdLife Botswana concluded that that the wetland's historical zones of dense reed beds and water fig islands were largely destroyed by hydrological changes and fire. Bush fires and a high grazing pressure further reduced the natural shores of the Okavango Delta.

Studies by BirdLife Botswana also showed that the slaty egret, a vulnerable water bird living only in Southern Africa, with its main breeding grounds in the wetlands of Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana's Okavango Delta, is now estimated to have a total population of only about 4,000 birds.

Read more: http://www.globalissues.org/news/2015/03/12/20722