the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

comprehensive management plan guiding the development decisions of its
upstream neighbours (Rothert, 1997).
Fortunately, two recent developments offer Botswana an unprecedented opportunity
to secure the future of the Delta. In 1994 the Permanent Okavango River Basin
Water Commission (OKACOM) was formed by the Angolan, Namibian and
Botswana Governments, and it launched a multi-year, basin-wide research and
planning process in 1997, while, at the same time, Botswana inducted the Okavango
Delta into the Ramsar Convention for Wetlands of International Importance. The
main goal of OKACOM is to produce a comprehensive management plan for the
basin, while the Ramsar Convention commits Botswana to developing a
management plan for the Delta. However, these crucial mechanisms by no means
guarantee that the Delta will be saved. Ensuring that the Delta is developed in a
sustainable manner will require concerted effort on all levels of Botswana's society,
including Delta communities, NGOs, academics, the private sector and the
government (Rothert, 1997).
5.3.2 Overview of the Okavango Delta Region
The Okavango Delta is located within the Ngamiland District in northwestern
Botswana, found between coordinates 18°15'S, 21 °45'E and 20 0 45'S, 23°53'E
(Figure 5.4). This district is the third largest in the country, with a total area of 109
130 square kilometers, and forms part of the international boundary between
Botswana and Namibia. Both the geographic location and the physical
characteristics of the district give it remote area status. Soils are generally
dominated by heavy Kalahari sand, and the fluctuating waters of the Okavango
swamp can make travelling within this district difficult (Ross, 1987; Republic of
Botswana Environmental Statistics, 2000).
The Okavango Delta owes its origin to the Cuito and Cubango River Systems in
Angola. These two main rivers originate east of Huambo on the Bie plateau in
Central Angola, and flow to the south, where they form the border between Angola
and Namibia. The two rivers unite to become the Kavango River in Namibia, which
flows through the Caprivi Strip and enters Botswana as the Okavango River in the
northwestern corner of the country, at Mohembo village. After flowing down the
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