GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
WILD ANIMALS
Concepts
-Wildlife: A country’s flora and fauna
-National Park: A protected area in which wild animals, plants and everything within it is
preserved
-Game Reserve: A protected area in which wild animals or game are preserved
-Protected area: An area reserved for wildlife management and utilization
-Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s): Areas set aside for utilization and management of
wildlife eg. National parks and game reserves
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-Controlled Hunting Areas(CHA’s): Areas designed for regulation of wildlife utilization
anywhere in Botswana. Hunting is allowed only through licences, quotas and seasons in these
areas.
-Photographic Tourism: An activity in which tourists take animal photographs and videos after
paying a fee.
-Ecotourism: It is any form of tourism where the primary attraction is part of the ecosystem eg.
Game reserve, lake, mountain, river. etc. Tourists are aware of the importance of the attraction in
the environment.
IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE TO BOTSWANA’S ECONOMY
 Tourist attraction
 Income generation/ employment
 Source of food
 Source of foreign exchange
 Medicinal purposes
 Education/ Research
 Provides raw materials for manufacturing industries/ provides skins/ ivory
 Promotes development of infrastructure/ roads/ air ports etc
 Provide trophies (jewellery)
IMPACT OF WILD ANIMALS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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Destruction of vegetation/ deforestation/ Overgrazing
Soil erosion
Invasion of croplands
Destruction of small water sources
Loss of soil structure
Balance the ecosystem
Animal excretion add manure to the soil
Spread of diseases/ pests
LAND USE ACTIVITIES THAT CAUSE CONFLICT OR COMPETITION WITH
WILDLIFE FOR THE USE OF LAND
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Livestock farming
Arable farming
Industries
Settlement
Mining
Cordon fencing
IMPACT OF CORDON FENCING ON WILD ANIMALS
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Restricts free movement of wild animals/ changes migratory routes
Affects breeding of wild animals
Overgrazing along the fence
Animals are caught by the fence and die
Affects the distribution of animal species
Controls diseases e.g foot and mouth
Encourages poaching
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ROLES PLAYED BY STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF WILD
ANIMALS IN BOTSWANA
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Provision of licences for hunting (only government)
National parks and game reserves/ wildlife management areas
Protection of endangered animal species
Education/Research
Hunting quotas
Hunting seasons
Wildlife utilization schemes e.g game farming and ostrich farming
Promotion of Community Based Natural Resources Management Programmes
(CBNRMP)
Laws and policies against poaching and illegal hunting/wildlife conservation and national
parks act/ anti-poaching units e.g BDF patrols
Advertising Botswana’s wildlife locally and abroad
Financing projects related with sustainable use of wild animals
Support government policies eg NGO’s
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