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

to the south, east and west (Ross, 1987; Hitchcock, 2000). This area is a patchwork
of swampy land and islands, with a rich diversity of mammals and birds. Central to
this ecosystem is the annual flood which brings water with nourishment to the Delta.
The summer rains in Angola bring a flood in the winter months (June to September).
The flood makes travel for both people and wildlife difficult, and the islands become
surrounded by water. Once the flood recedes, the area can become quiet dry, the
formerly riverine f100dplains becoming grassy plains. In many ways this flood
determines the lifecycle, not only for the animals and plants, but also for the people
of the Delta (Bock and Johnson, 2002).
5.3.2.1 Climate
The Ngamiland district experiences a semi-arid to arid climate. The presence of a
southern sub-tropical high-pressure belt influences the climate, causing a large­
scale downward movement of air. Convectional rainfall is common in the area,
which, like elsewhere in Botswana, is erratic. Annual rainfall levels vary from 450
millimetres to 660 millimetres in the Ngamiland district and tend to occur during the
months of November to March. The southward movement of the Inter Tropical
Convergence lone (ITCl) also adds to the relatively high rainfall amounts in the
area - in comparison to the rainfall levels throughout the rest of Botswana. Maun
receives an average of 545 millimetres of rainfall annually. The average minimum
temperatures vary from 15 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius for winter and
summer months, respectively. Maximum temperatures range from 25 degrees
Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius, with peaks in October to November (Makhwaje et aI,
1995; Ndubano, 2000).
5.3.3 Natural Resources in the Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta in itself, is described as an important natural resource, as it
supports a thriving eco-tourism industry based on its scenic beauty, water and
wildlife. As such, it also embraces a variety of other natural resources, upon which
many of the inhabitants of this area rely. These include the vegetation, soils, fish,
wildlife, veldt products and wild foods, and water. Like other wetlands in the world it
,
also provides good breeding areas for wildlife, birds, amphibians, aquatic mammals
and fish (Mbaiwa, 1999; Mbaiwa, 2002).
150