B OTS WA N A a Journey through Wetlands and Thirstland s
B OTS WA N A Land of space
our journey: 15/05- 31/05/2008
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1. Vic Falls: Toka Leya Camp 2. Selinda: Walking Trails 3. Okavango Delta: Jao Camp
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4. Makgadikgadi Pans: San Camp 5. Moremi Reserve: Mombo Camp
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5.
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M a p of B ots wa na
Conservation and Tourism Botswana has conserved 17% of its land as National Parks and Reserves and an additional 22% as Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s). This foresight, along with strong conservation policies and minimal population pressure, has given Botswana its unique potential for future ecotourism. Botswana’s prime policy regarding tourism is a high revenue, low volume market. They do not wish to overexploit their wildlife and wilderness resources with mass tourism, as has happened in much of East Africa. Botswana’s National Parks and Game Reserves are set aside such that no one may live within their borders (the one exception being the traditional San people in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve). All visitors must pay an entrance fee to enter and the number of beds inside these parks and reserves is quite limited. Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s) The system of WMA’s used in Botswana today is part of a land-use strategy called Community-Based, Natural Resources Management (CBNRM). The land was zoned into three categories: ‘arable’ (communal and commercial), ‘grazing’, and ‘reserved’. The ‘reserved’ category was land considered to be underutilized and unsuitable for agriculture. However, this land was typically used by the various traditional inhabitants of Botswana to hunt and to gather. Moreover, certain of these areas were also important wildlife migration routes and were considered buffer zones around protected areas, which in addition to veterinary fences, acted as livestock disease barriers. Today, these areas are known as Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s). It was also determined that natural-resource-based management of these areas had to involve local community participation in order to succeed. CBNRM was born out of these policies of the 1990’s and is based on the idea that the communities living adjacent to or within an area, are the people most suited to protecting the resources within it. This premise holds that the local communities stand to lose the most if those resource are lost, and will gain the most if it’s well managed. Furthermore, the people that suffer the consequences of living near wildlife (destruction of crops and livestock) should also be the ones to benefit from its conservation. The local communities ought to be involved in decisions affecting the resources they depend upon to survive and they should be able to benefit from the land on which they live; CBNRM strives to make all this possible. Controlled Hunting Areas (CHA’s) In order to support the potential uses of WMA’s, the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing, and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) re-zoned all land into Controlled Hunting Areas (CHA’s). CHA’s are administrative land blocks used by the DWNP to allocate hunting quotas. The entire land area of Botswana is now divided into 163 CHA’s, which are zoned for various types of wildlife utilization (including non-consumptive use), under either commercial or community management. The CHA’s are organized, wherever possible, around existing settlements and those under community management are designed to benefit the local people. In practical terms, the WMA’s were subdivided into CHA’s, which became the main units of natural resource production. Referring to the Map of Ngamiland, a concession (or NG area) is actually a CHA. Community-Based Management The wildlife and tourism-related policies give part of the responsibility for managing and administering wildlife to the local communities. A community or group of communities in
or adjacent to a CHA zoned for community management may apply for a wildlife quota, provided it has organized in a representative manner sanctioned by the District authorities and the DWNP. If the community wants more assured access to the wildlife quota and considers joint ventures with the private sector (safari operators or professional hunters), it may decide to lease the CHA from the land authority. In that case, the community has to organize itself into a legally-registered Community-based Organization (CBO) with a constitution and by-laws and also must produce a Land-use and Management Plan. The registered CBO may, if it so wishes, enter into subleases and/or joint-venture agreements with private companies for the use of the acquired resource rights. The presumption is that when communities realize economic value from their surrounding natural resources, they will be inclined to manage them in a more sustainable way. The overall benefit of CBNRM is considered to be twofold: rural economic development and the conservation of Botswana’s natural resources. Trophy-hunting or Photographic Once a CBO has entered into a lease for a community-managed CHA, the agreement gives the community exclusive rights over the wildlife quota. It can decide whether to hunt the quota or not, and how to hunt it. Species can be divided among the community members for subsistence hunting or the quota can be sold to a private-sector partner. Typically, the community sells the commercially valuable species such as elephant, zebra, lion and leopard to the private-sector partner. These species have no subsistence use for local people. Valuable trophy (male) animals among subsistence species, such as buffalo, eland, gemsbok, sable, wildebeest and kudu are sold, while the females (meat value) and the lesser antelopes, such as duiker, impala and springbok, are retained for subsistence hunting. Trophy hunting jointventure agreements generate large sums of money at the community level and substantial employment during the six-month hunting season (April-September). More recently, photo safari operators have begun negotiating sub-lease agreements for use of community-managed CHA’s. This has been partly due to the high demand for this type of tourism and the limited number of beds available. New safari camps are being built and the number of CHA’s allowing hunting is definitely decreasing. In fact, as little as 10-15 years ago, the majority of Ngamiland (outside of Moremi GR) was hunting area. To see the current status of hunting vs. photographic CHA’s in the Ngamiland District, see our Map. Commercial-Use CHA’s Under the current system of CHA’s, the private sector may tender for the sole use of a CHA zoned for commercial use. The lease period may run for up to 15 years. The land remains in the ownership of the country and the private sector may not own the land. Once a CHA’s lease has expired, the concession is put up for bid and a rigorous process of evaluation is conducted by an independent panel of experts who do not know the identity of the companies submitting bids. Recommendations are then made to the relevant committee of elected officials, which makes the final decisions on who wins the tender. The winning operator is required to match the highest rental bid tendered. The system is designed to attract the most competent operators, and to ensure that the local communities, and the country, derive maximum benefit from the use of its resources for tourism. Significant revenue is paid to local sources before profits may be realized by the private sector. Concession rental is paid to the Land Boards; a resource royalty is paid to local government agencies; sales tax on accommodation receipts, and a 25% income tax is paid to the central government. A per-bednight training levy goes to the Tourism Department, and daily game reserve entry fees for every visitor also go to the central government. Companies
M O S I - O A -T U N YA
the smoke that thunders
Victor ia Fal l s. Zamb ia . This name was given by the British explorer David Livingstone. Also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders in the local language. These are among the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The claim it is the largest is based on a width of 1,7 kilometers and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The Zambezi river and the falls form the natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, the borderpost being on the bridge just across the falls.
Viewpoint: Eastern Cataract. Due to the political instability of neigboring country Zimbabwe, we only visited the Falls from the Zambian site.
THE FLIGHT OF THE ANGELS over Vic Falls
TO K A L E YA
Wilderness Safaris Camp - Livingstone
Riding the African Elephant Zambezi Elephant Trails has established Zambia’s first “Elephant Camp” within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park offering a once in a lifetime insight into these gentle giants. Six African Elephants offer guests a chance to ride, touch and learn about the Elephants and to understand their willingness to act under instruction. The training techniques used by Zambezi Elephant Trails are based on the “perform and reward“ method as opposed to the “discipline and submission” technique commonly associated with Asian Elephants.
SELI NDA R ESERVE
walking trails
The Selinda Reserve is an enormous 135,000-hectare (300,000-acre) private reserve. A special area has been set aside in the northern reaches of the Selinda Reserve for walking safaris. Following the trails and time-worn paths of elephant and antelope through riparian forest and open plains, guests have the privilege of experiencing Africa as our ancestors and the early explorers did - on foot.
Fish Eagle
Lilac Breasted Roller
Saddle Billed Stork
The Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax, is a large bird of prey. It is about 62–72 cm in length and has a wingspan of 165–185cm.
T H E S E L I N DA S P I L LWAY
What makesthe Selinda reserve special is that it follows the floodplains of the Selinda Spillway, the waterway that winds its way through dry countryside to connect the Okavango Delta in the west to the Linyanti and Kwando wetlands and rivers in the east. The full length of the Selinda Spillway winds its way through the Reserve and forms a magnet for the wildlife of the region. As Botswana is so flat, this river can flow in one of two directions or - as happens in some years - it can flow in both! Waters from the Okavango pour into the Selinda Spillway and flow from west to east. In the extreme east of the reserve, waters from the Kwando and Linyanti rivers and floodplains force their way up the Spillway from east to west. Only in years of exceptional water levels in both these systems does the water that flows in from both the east and the west join up. The Selinda Reserve is blessed with a variety of habitats - wide open savannah dotted with attractive palm trees; thirst-quenching waterways surrounded by dry woodland and then the river systems and floodplains themselves that draw thousands of animals to it, as they are forced to quench their thirst in the dry season along these waterways.
THE WILD DOGS
Wild dogs are obligate cooperative breeders. Usually only the dominant pair breeds and breeding is timed so that pups will be born in the season with the most abundant prey. In the weeks before she whelps, a breeding female will seek out a den, usually an underground burrow previously used by an antbear, hyena or warthog. While the pups are still in the den, the pack will defend the den and the immediate surrounding area; they will cooperate to mob would-be predators. The fact that only the dominant pair produces a litter is mainly because there are only enough resources for one litter to survive. The helpers themselves are a limited resource; the pups depend on the food provided by helpers and would not survive without the protection provided by the individual babysitters and the cooperative mobbing behavior of the pack. Large packs can more easily care for more than one litter at a
time because there are more helpers to look after the young. As pack size increases, it is also harder for the dominant pair to reproductively suppress subordinates. As the mating season approaches, the dominant pair in a pack will associate more often, a sign that their bond is becoming stronger. Estrous behavior occurs for several weeks prior to mating. During this time the female’s vulva becomes swollen but she will refuse mounts by moving away, lying down, or snapping at the male. Once the female becomes receptive, mating occurs over the course of three to seven days. Gestation lasts for 70 days during which time the pups grow quickly and are heavy relative to the females body mass. Females produce large litters of altricial pups; the average litter is 10-11 pups but can be as large as 21 pups. The female invests alot of energy in her litter during gestation
JAO
Ok avango Delta
Transfer by air to Jao Camp, located deep in the heart of the Okavango Delta, on the private 150,000 acre Jao Reserve. From April or May to September the water levels are at their highest as the annual floods from central Africa flow into the floodplains. During this time of year clients will spend time punting across flood plains and clear waterways while reclining in a mokoro (dug-out canoe). Game-viewing varies depending on the water levels and is done by boat, vehicle and on foot. Lion, Cheetah and Leopard are plentiful and wildebeest, zebra and plains game dot the floodplain. Hippo and crocodile reside in the lagoons as well as many bird species.
One of the largest inland deltas in the world, the Okavango is a birdwatcher’s delight, a fisherman’s challenge, a romantic’s Eden. Spilling down from the highlands of Angola, the third largest river in southern Africa winds its way south west into Botswana’s dry Ngamiland, where it hits a fault line and sprawls like an outstretched hand into the ancient, bleached sands of the Kalahari. Gradually the waters deposit their silt and thread their way through thick mats of papyrus and sedge, getting ever clearer, ever quieter, feeding huge riverine trees and lush water meadows which support a plethora of creatures. It is thought that the Okavango River once flowed to the sea through the Limpopo valley via Lake Makgadikgadi. In recent geological times the upliftment of the northern Botswana plateau has turned the area into a vast flat basin which now easily gets rid of the Okavango’s annual flow by evaporation. The rains begin in late October, and the dry Kalahari springs to new life. Migratory wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and eland moves northwards from the delta towards the Chobe and Linyanti Rivers. But the rains that fall in Angola take time to make their way down the Okavango River to the delta, and the height of the flood arrives only around mid-winter - June/July. Water elsewhere in the Kalahari hinterland is limited, so the wildlife moves back to the “swamp”. As the floods recede there is a constant supply of new grazing exposed by the falling water level, and the wildlife is increasingly visible. When the rains begin the cycle of movement starts again.
Bee-eater
Wattled Crane Family
Glossy Starling
Pied Kingfisher
Saddle Billed Storks
T H E L EO PA R D S Ok avango Delta
JAO CAMP
SAN CAMP
Mak gad i k gad i Pans
Yellow Mongoose The mongooses belong to one of four families of terrestrial cat-like mammals descended from the viverravines, which were civet/genet-like mammals. Mongooses are widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and southern Europe. There are more than thirty species, ranging from one to four feet in length. Some species of mongooses lead predominantly solitary lives, seeking out food only for themselves, while others travel in groups, sharing food among the members of the group. Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, chickens, and rodents. However, they also eat eggs and carrion.
Meerkats are also known to share their burrow with the yellow mongoose and ground squirrel, species with which they do not compete for resources. If they are unlucky, sometimes they share their burrow with snakes.
The ground squirrel is especially renowned for its tendency to rise up on its hind legs. It does this whenever it senses nearby danger, or when it must see over tall grasses. The squirrel then curls its paws flat against its chest and sends a screeching call to warn other family members about the presence of predators.
BROWN HYENA
A change meet ing dur ing day t ime
Z E B R A M I G R AT I O N
M A KG A D I KG A D I PA N S
It is said that both “kalahari” and “makgadikgadi” stem from the same ancient San word for thirstland. Both share waterless flat rolling grasslands and scrub, but the Makgadikgadi, which ironically has more water in the wet season, has a particularly desert-like ambience. The area referred to as the Makgadikgadi Pans is composed of two huge salt pans, Ntwetwe and Sowa, and their associated grasslands. Only a tiny section of this vast area - said to be the biggest salt pans in the world - is actually designated National Park. The actual surface of the pans is a flat layer of bleached sterile silt that develops a glue-like texture when water is added. So why on earth should anyone want to visit the area? Well, generally they don’t. This is not a prime tourist destination as the Okavango. However, there is a growing trend towards wilderness experiences, and more and more people are being drawn to the sometimes deeply spiritual feeling that deserts invoke. There is a special fascination
in deserts. It’s got something to do with a sense of space and self. It has to do with vast horizons, the huge inverted bowl of the sky, the uninterrupted sweep of simple landscape beneath it - as featureless as a saucer. With you at the centre. It is both humbling and centring. You realise how puny you are, and at the same time that you are all there is. Man has been around these pans from time immemorial. The shorelines of Makgadikgadi, for it was more than once a vast inland sea, are littered with the archaeological relics of continuous but scattered human presence. Even when the waters finally receded and left these shallow depressions of saline clay and silt to catch the sparse summer rain, the rich herds of wildlife - zebra, wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, springbok, hartebeest - would ebb and flow across the plains in their ceaseless pursuit of water and grazing, drawing their inevitable following of carnivores - lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, hyena - and of course the early hunters.
Original inhabitants were the Bushmen who from the 18 century were pushed into the central Kahalari by expansions of Tswana, Ndebele and the Afrikaner. It is believed that the San or Bushman are probably descendants of the original inhabitants of most of east, central and southern Africa. In the last thousand years or so they have been absorbed, moved aside or annihilated by almost every other race group with whom they came into contact. Fragmentary groups of Bushman and intermarried relatives survive only in Botswana, Namibia and Angola. However, the dilemma of maintaining an ancient hunter-gatherers lifestyle is insoluble. While the older generation may well wish to preserve traditions, this not necessarily the choice of the youngsters who wish to be a part of modern life, with all it’s advantages and hardships. Essentially, every person is entitled to freedom of choice.
Meercats. Sur icats. The meerkat or Suricata suricata is a member of the mongoose family. It inhabits all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South Africa. They are very social, living in colonies averaging 20-30 members. Animals in the same group regularly groom each other to strengthen social bonds. Most meerkats in a group are all siblings or offspring of the alpha pair. Meerkats demonstrate altruistic behavior within their colonies; one or more meerkats stand sentry (lookout) while others are foraging or playing, to warn them of approaching dangers. When a predator is spotted, the meerkat performing as sentry gives a warning bark, and other members of the gang will run and hide in one of the many bolt holes they have spread across their territory. The sentry meerkat is the first to reappear from the burrow and search for predators, constantly barking to keep the others underground. If there is no threat, the sentry meerkat stops signalling and the others feel safe to emerge. Meerkats also babysit the young in the group. Females that have never produced offspring of their own often lactate to feed the alpha pair’s young. They also protect the young from threats, often endangering their own lives. On warning of danger, the babysitter takes the young underground to safety and is prepared to defend them if the danger follows. If retreating underground is not possible, she collects all young together and lies on top of them. Meerkats actively teach their young. Young of most species learn solely by observing adults. For example, meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion: they will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature. Vocalization It has recently been noted that meerkat calls may carry specific meanings, with specific calls indicating the approach of snakes, birds of prey, or other predators. How these calls work is not yet clear.
Hab ituated , but w i ld Meercats.
CHAPMANS’ BAOBAB ancient beacon
MOMBO CAMP Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi Game R eser ve The north-eastern sector of the delta is protected by the Moremi Game Reserve, originally set aside as a sanctuary by the local Tawana tribe. Its management has since been taken over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in collaboration with tribal representatives. The reserve is unfenced and covers about 1800 square kilometres. The area is completely flat, with a network of waterways between reed beds and islands of mixed woodland. A good third of this area is comprised of Chief’s Island, flanked by the two largest rivers in the delta, the Boro and the Santantadibe.
Mombo Camp. Probably the best Wildlife viewing camp...in the world. When the first safari guides set out exploring the Okavango Delta there was a myth of an area the locals called ‘Borea’. They described it as a wetland paradise dotted with palm-fringed islands, lilly-scattered floodplains and a density of game none of the Yei paddlers had ever seen. The area they talked of was at the northernmost point of Chief’s Island at the heart of the Okavango Delta. Trapped by flood waters throughout much of the year and left unexplored because of endless, unchartered flood plains, Borea remained untouched but for the privileged few. Today the legendary area of Borea is called Mombo, a private concession in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve. Mombo Camp takes pride of place in the concession; game viewing throughout the year is unrivalled. This is the ‘predator capital of Africa’, and the only place in Botswana where the ‘Big Five’ can be seen on one safari.
PA N T H E R A L EO Rulers of Mombo
Lions are the only members of the cat family to display obvious sexual dimorphism—that is, males and females look distinctly different, as a consequence of the specialized roles that each play in the pride. For instance, the lioness, as the hunter, lacks the male’s heavy mane, which would impede her ability to camouflage when stalking the prey. The color of the male’s mane varies from blond to black, generally becoming darker as the lion grows older. The lioness has been recognized as the pinnacle of hunting prowess from the earliest of human writings and graphic representations. The lionesses are the hunters for their pride and capture their prey with precise and complex teamwork. Each lioness develops specific skills for her role in the hunting techniques used by her pride and, generally, assumes that role during most hunts. Males attached to prides do not usually participate in hunting, except in the case of larger quarry such as giraffe and buffalo. Bachelor male lions without a pride of their own are forced to hunt.
When first introduced to the rest of the pride, the cubs initially lack confidence when confronted with adult lions other than their mother. However, they soon begin to immerse themselves in the pride life, playing amongst themselves or attempting to initiate play with the adults. The tolerance of the male lions towards the cubs varies— sometimes, a male will patiently let the cubs play with his tail or his mane, whereas another may snarl and bat the cubs away. When one or more new males oust the previous male(s) associated with a pride, the conqueror(s) often kill any existing young cubs, perhaps because females do not become fertile and receptive until their cubs mature or die.
Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.
THE WEST PRIDE
The brothers o f t h e M apo ro t a p r ide
O ne of the M at h at a p r ide, wh ich co ns is ts o f 36 l io ns, o f w hic h 4 m al es.