By Sefalana R. Matambo, Acting Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Botswana to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Mission to the European Union, non-resident to the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
From the mesmerizing meander of the divine Okavango Delta, to the gregarious species of wildlife foraging freely in the Chobe National Park, Botswana’s kaleidoscope of landscapes enraptures and captures the adventurous spirit in all of us.
Botswana not only talks the talk of environmental and wildlife conservation, but also walks the walk by leading the way in international efforts to transition to a global economy based on sustainable development. We utilise our own abundant natural resources to build a healthy, educated and sustainable future for current and next generations.
The unrelenting dedication of the Botswana Government to maintaining its pristine natural landscapes and protect its wildlife populations evidenced itself in our hosting of the African Elephant Summit and the Kasane Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in March 2015.
It is also demonstrated through Botswana’s championing of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa, which was born out of the Summit for Sustainability in Africa, also hosted in Gaborone, Botswana in May 2012.
The Declaration calls for worldwide recognition of the intrinsic value of ecosystems through natural capital accounting. As part of its obligations to the Gaborone Declaration, Botswana has banned big game hunting, committed to a moratorium on all trade in ivory until the African elephant population has rebounded, and is leading a training programme for other African nations on wildlife protection strategies.
The country’s efficient management of its wildlife resources is a combination of widespread community involvement and effective policy management at the government level. Botswana’s extensive system of world-renowned national parks and game reserves, such as the Chobe National Park, comprise approximately 40% of land area under protected status, where the parks are unfenced and wildlife roam freely.
Outreach programmes under the Community Based Natural Resource Management engage communities in wildlife-rich environments in the management of the environment, and create awareness on the importance of sustaining wildlife resources. The Botswana Government, in conjunction with the World Bank, has funded the Northern Botswana Human Wildlife Coexistence Project to facilitate human-wildlife conflict mitigation methods. This co-management of wildlife resources between the government and the citizenry ensures the balance between the country’s natural and human wealth; Botswana exist in tandem with, and not in spite of, their natural resources.
Botswana’s long-standing commitment to the conservation of its natural resources is a track record that sings its own praises. The awe-inspiring Okavango Delta was listed as the 1000th UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014, one of the world’s few and largest inland deltas that boasts of a vast diversity of wildlife and ecosystems. Thirty kilometers west of the Delta in the far northwest of the country lies yet another World Heritage site – the billion-year-old rocks of the Tsodilo Hills.
The enigmatic Tsodilo Hills house one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, with over 4,500 individual paintings or inscriptions produced by a long trail of the ancestral inhabitants of Tsodilo. As a long-serving member of UNESCO in good standing, Botswana’s deep involvement in the organization’s aim to promote cooperation in the fields of education, science and international security, has culminated in our fielding of a candidate for membership of the UNESCO Executive Board for the period 2015 – 2019, Dr. Gloria Somolekae, a woman of great achievements and a passionate development practitioner.
Botswana’s own long-term Vision 2016, drawn up in 1996, is in alignment with the Vision of UNESCO, and envisages a prosperous and proud Botswana where all can share in the country’s prosperity.
Botswana is an inspiring example of how economic growth and the natural environment are so closely linked, a telling tale of how life-supporting natural capital can become one of the main drivers of economic growth and national development. Botswana aims to spearhead an international effort focused on the value of natural capital as a key contributor to sustainable economic growth and long-term social development not only at home, but across Africa and around the world.
Conservation of our natural resources is much more than just a goal to be achieved or another obligation to fulfill. Our own unique brand of conservation is the confluence of ancient ways of life and the compulsion of modern civilization. It is where the humility of Batswana people meets the tranquility of expanses of undisturbed wilderness; where the serenity of women’s hands, aged gracefully with wisdom, creates the acuity and timelessness of magnificent, traditionally woven basketry; and, where the complexity of urban art forms and brightly lit city skylines meets the simplicity of a surreal and stunningly colourful sunset across endless desert sky.
For Botswana, conservation is self-preservation; the protection of that which has sustained Botswana for generations past, and the insurance of sustainable life for future generations.
