OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL

POLICIES
 BOTSWANA NATIONAL
CONSERVATION STRATEGY :
NATIONAL POLICY ON NATURAL
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND 2

DEVELOPMENT, 1990
 In 1983, following the UNEP Clearing House
Mission Report 1983, the Government of Botswana
accepted the need for the preparation of a National
Conservation Strategy (NCS)
 The Report reflected the importance attached to
identifying policies and other measures, which
would ensure the sustainability of all future
development.

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 STRUCTURE OF THE NCS

• Effective use and

management of • Incentives
resources
STRATEGI
STRATEGI
• Developmental Program
Program
• Legislation
PRINCIPL
PRINCIPL
ES
ES• Integration of sectors
ES
ES• Conservative mes
mes
• education

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 Principles
 The fundamental principles underlying the Strategy are to:
a) increase the effectiveness with which natural resources are
used and managed, so that beneficial interactions are
optimised and harmful environmental side-effects are
minimised; and

b) integrate the work of the many sectoral Ministries and

interest groups throughout Botswana, thereby improving
the development of natural resources through
conservation, and vice versa.

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Strategies
Developmental
and programmes
Conservation Programmes
strategies strategies
1. development of 1. the conservation of 1. Economic
new and all main ecosystems incentives/disincen
sustainable uses for and cultural tives,
natural resources; resources; 2. New legislation and
2. the optimisation of 2. protection of improved
natural resources endangered enforcement,
use; species; planning and
3. diversification of 3. maintenance of administration,
the economy to renewable 3. Improved
promote new jobs; resources while also education facilities
4. increased public increasing their and training.
education and sustainable yields;
participation in 4. Prevention and
environmental control of pollution
issues

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 Issues and solutions
Issues Solution package
1. Growing pressure on water 1. Collection of rainwater
resources. 2. Recycling of treated affluent
2.Degradation of Rangeland 1. General support for practical
Pasture Resources initiatives which include –
strengthening the Range
Ecology Unit within MOA;
2. Extending the zoning and
gazetting of land for use of
livestock and wildlife;
3. Developing a comprehensive
water supply policy for all forms
of livestock and wildlife;

3. Over-use or exploitation of some 1. Government concentrates on

veld products commercial production in
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specific farm or plantation
areas.
 National Conservation
Strategy Agency
 NCSA was established in 1990 to coordinate
environmental issues, especially those identified as
being directly or indirectly related to pressures
associated with rapid economic growth.
 NCSA is to implement the “National Conservation
Strategy Act”
 The Act is still a Bill , so the works are virtually
unknown.
NB: currently Department of Environmental Affairs

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2. COMMUNITY BASED
NATURAL RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT 11
A) Definition
 CBNRM refers to the collective use and
management of natural resources in rural
areas by a group of people with a self –
defined and distinct identity, using
communally owned facilities.
 AKA “people –based conservation”

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 Underlying philosophy is to include
community in conservation through
participation, management and in the
benefits flowing thereof

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 CBNRM aims to offer communities
opportunities to earn tangible benefits from
sustainable natural resources management
 CBNRM is part of six “sustaining
livelihoods” programmes in the National
Strategy for Poverty Reduction of 2003

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 OBJECTIVES OF CBNRM
POLICY 2007
 Includes:
(i) Establish a framework that provides incentives
for communities to manage natural resources in
a sustainable manner.
(ii) Create opportunities for community
participation in natural resources management

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 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. Decision-making authority must be at

community level
2. Decision-making must be representative
3. The community must be as small as
practical
4. Leadership must be accountable
5. Benefits must outweigh costs
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6. Benefits must be distributed equitably
7. Benefits distribution must be linked to
natural resources conservation
8. Planning and development must focus on
capacity-building
9. Planning and development must be
coordinated
10. The CBNRM process must be facilitated
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 Land Tenure and Natural
Resources User rights

1. 15-year Community Natural Resource

Management Lease
2. Pay rent to Land Authority and royalties
to the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife
and Tourism
3. Receive benefits from use of land
4. Communities may sublease – written
permission is needed from Land Authority
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 To enjoy such natural resources user rights, a community
must:
a) establish a Community Based Organization (CBO) as a
Representative and Accountable Legal Entity (RALE),
whose performance the community will regularly evaluate
and whose accountability will be defined within the
existing laws of the land.
b) Comply with requirements to develop and implement
various plans and strategies intended to ensure the
appropriate and sustainable use of land and natural
resources.
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 The purpose of the RALE will be to manage
i) the natural resources base within the
defined geographic area
ii) the use and beneficiation of any natural
resources,
iii) benefits derived from any use, and to
manage the CBO and its assets all for the
common good of the community
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 Administration and Financial
management
 Development and implementation of appropriate
administrative and financial management
systems and procedures
 Creation of a National Environmental Fund
(NEF) – receives funds derived from the sale of
natural resource concessions and hunting quotas

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 Administration and Financial
management
 35% of the proceeds of the sale of natural
resource concessions and hunting quotas
retained by the CBO.
 65% is deposited in the NEF Fund for the
financing of community based environmental
management and eco-tourism projects
throughout the country.
 Communities shall ensure that all decisions
regarding the use of proceeds or benefits derived
from the use of natural resources shall be
sanctioned by all members of the CBO or 23

community.
 CBNRM in Botswana
 CBNRM programme was launched in 1990 through the
Natural Resource Management Project (NRMP) funded by
USAID and the Government and implemented by the
Department of Wildlife and National Parks
 Is more wildlife based but ranges from the processing and
marketing of veld products to handicraft production,
 Currently 53 CBOs, 1st CBO is Chobe Enclave Community
Trust (1993)
1. Kgetsiyatsie trust (Twapong) - includes phane worm
processing and marketing.
2. D’Kar cochineal production (produces food dye),
beads, leather wear and paintings. Earnings up to US$60024
per month.
25
 Institutions involved in
CBNRM
1. Department of Wildlife and National Parks (wildlife-based
CBNRM projects)
 it offers extension support in districts and manages a community
conservation fund to support CBOs.
 It determines the annual wildlife hunting quotas.
2. The Land Boards
 They grant resource leases and tourism concessions to communities.
3. The District Technical Advisory Committees monitor CBNRM
progress in their district and advise CBOs regarding tendering,
administrative and financial matters.
4. The Rural Development Coordination Division, Ministry of
Finance and Development Planning is responsible for the
implementation of the community-based Rural Development Strategy
and the revised Rural Development Policy
5. The Ministry of Agriculture (community-based veld-products 26and
rangeland management)
 CBNRM Programme –
Formalities
1. Determination of the area and land use
 The CBNRM area is determined by existing
administrative boundaries (WMAs or Controlled
Hunting Areas CHA).
 Land use plans and DWNP determine what the
best use of a particular WMA or CHA: hunting,
ecotourism or both.
 The community is not involved in this process, and
the community cannot determine the boundaries
of its area.
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 CBNRM Programme –
Formalities
2. Application for a community resource
lease and community wildlife quota
3. Formation of a community-based
organisation and membership
4. Establish joint ventures, if necessary

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 Key notes
 CBNRM can only be a sustainable
resource management if community:
a) Is granted right to resources
b) Determine mode of usage
c) Benefit from their use
d) Determine the distribution of such
benefits and determine rules of access
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 To what extent does CBNRM
contribute towards environmental
justice?

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WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
POLICY 2013
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 Goal

The overall goal of the Policy is to create an enabling

environment for the conservation, sustainable use
and management of wildlife and biodiversity
resources in order to generate development benefits
for current and future generations of Batswana.

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Guiding principles

(a)The user-pays/polluter-pays principle;

(b) Decentralised and participatory wildlife management with
greater involvement of communities, the private sector and non
Governmental organisations;
(c) The wildlife resource is held in public trust for the people;
(d) Equitable sharing of the costs and benefits of wildlife
management and utilisation;
(e) Promotion of community wellbeing, empowerment and
poverty eradication;
(f) Sustainable development based on nature and wildlife
resources; and
(g) Ecosystem approach to conservation and development.
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 Wildlife life and land use
 The Policy advocates for the following land use categories:
(a) National Parks where wildlife and all other natural resources are preserved;
(b) Game Reserves where stated wildlife resources are conserved and hunting
may be permitted under special conditions;
(c) Wildlife Management Areas where wildlife conservation and utilisation are
balanced and other land uses maybe permitted;
(d) Sanctuaries, game ranches and farms where the economic and ecological
objectives are set by the owner;
(e) Important Bird Areas being key habitats for birds that require protection and
management;
(f) Important Fish Areas being key habitats for fish that require protection and
management;
(g) Transfrontier Conservation Areas for management of natural resources that
straddle across international boundaries; and
(h) Wetland ecosystems with potential for aquatic species conservation,
fishing/aquaculture and recreation.
 WILDLIFE UTILISATION
ACTIVITIES
(a)Non-Safari Hunting – Special game and small game
licences have to be issued. They are primarily intended for
the less well-to-do citizens who depend on subsistence
hunting for their livelihood.
(b)Safari Hunting – This type of hunting is practiced
mainly by non-residents, residents and some affluent
citizens.
(c)Culling and Cropping Operations – Culling, the
removal of some of the game population from areas where
it is excessively dense given the prevailing. Cropping, the
harvesting of game on a sustainable yield basis, are aspects
of wildlife management.
(d)Game Farming/ Ranching – Freehold and leasehold 36

farmers who elect to farm in game instead of livestock will

WASTE MANAGEMENT
POLICY
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 Waste management strategy
 WMS is part of Bots commitment to implement aims and
objectives of Agenda 21
 The strategy is formulated to ensure environmentally
waste management which guarantees:
1. Preservation, protection and improvement of the quality
of the environment.
2. Contribution towards the protection of human health.
3. Ensuring prudent and rational utilization of the national
resources.

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 Objectives
 Include the following
1. Minimising and reducing wastes in
industry, commerce and private
households.
2. Maximising environmentally sound waste
reuse and recycling.
3. Promoting environmentally sound waste
collection, treatment, and disposal.
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 Key action points of Botswana’s
waste management strategy

1. Strategic statements –
 Protection of human health,

 Protection of the environment (water, air,

soil and biodiversity).
 Protection of natural resources – land,
raw materials and energy.

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 Measures to be taken –
i) Training of waste managers.

ii) Provision and control of landfills to acceptable

standards.
iii)Control of litter.

iv)Control of waste storage, collection and

transportation to acceptable standards.
v) Control of industrial waste and their disposal.

vi)Recycling of selected waste streams.

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vii)Enforcing the Basel Convention.

 The above listed measures will be achieved through:
1. Development and provision of training courses.
2. Enactment of appropriate legislation.
3. Creation of a Dept. of Sanitation and Waste Management, within
the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing.
4. Necessary financing through the national budget and user charges.
5. Assistance to local authorities. To strengthen and restructure their
waste management function.
6. Implementing public awareness campaigns.
7. Education.

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 The strategy has adopted the internationally
acceptable Waste Management Hierarchy
predicated on Waste Reduction, Reuse and
Recycling.
 This strategy calls for technology initiatives in
keeping with Botswana’s economic ability to
transform waste into useful by products, or
effective attenuation of hazardous forms of
waste before disposal.
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Packaging
 Public policy needs to be oriented towards
minimizing growth in disposal packaging
materials.
 Legislation and industry self-commitment
will be required to ensure the protection of
returnable packaging systems and also to
maximize the amount of recycling that may
be carried out.

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 Plastic – the recycling of plastics is more difficult than for
most of the other materials. Studies need to be done on
recycling and alternatives.
 Cans – GOB welcomes the private initiatives by Collect-a-
Can and the Aluminium Can Recycling Association (ACRA).
 Hazardous Waste – Oil containing waste – the oil
industry should set up the BORE Scheme (Botswana Oil
Recovery for Energy) in order to raise funds, manage and
promote collection, transport and reclamation of used oil.

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 Wetland policy
 No laws specifically govern wetlands
 The government produced a draft Wetlands
Policy and Strategy
 The strategy seeks to promote the sustainable
development of Botswana's wetlands.
 That Strategy proposes a six-pronged
programme to accomplish this, including the
introduction of new wetland legislation..

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 The other programmes suggested by the Wetlands
Strategy are:
1. implementation of wetland management policies

2. promoting public awareness and capacity building

associated with wetlands
3. securing increased funding for research and development
on wetlands issues;
4. providing adequate funding for sustainable development
of wetlands; and
5. promoting regional and international efforts to conserve
wetland areas. 47

NB: No policy as of yet