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

vendor, retailing, the production of school uniforms, the sale of wildlife meat and
products, basketry and the brewing of beer (Makhwaje et aI, 1995).
5.3.5.4 Social Services
Ngamiland District has a relatively good network of health facilities and schools, and
most people within the region have access to these services. Within 20 kilometres of
the river or Delta, there are 15 health posts, six clinics and three hospitals, as well as
37 primary and 12 secondary schools in the district. Until quite recently, the road
network for the entire Ngamiland District was poor, but with the tarmacking of the
Francistown/Maun, Ghanzi, Nata/Kasane and Maun/Shakawe roads, the region has
become greatly more accessible. Most villages within Ngamiland are serviced by
reasonably good gravel or sand track roads. However, roads to the east of the Delta
are still very sandy and heavily corrugated, making travel slow and difficult
(Makhwaje et aI, 1995; Mendelsohn and el Obeid, 2004).
There are different diseases and other health problems that affect people in the
Okavango Delta region, and the Basin as a whole. The most important are malaria,
HIV/AIDS, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, scabies, tuberculosis, malnutrition
and bilharzia. Most of these are directly or indirectly associated with the rural and
sub-tropical environment that characterises much of the river-system. Out of every
1000 live births in Ngamiland, between 59 and 85 infants die within their first year
(Mendelsohn and el Obeid, 2004).
One of the greatest threats facing the Okavango Delta peoples is HIV/AIDS. In 1998,
the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the Delta was estimated to be between 25 to 40
percent of adults, which is one of the highest in the world. Over 90 percent of
hospital deaths was due to HIV/AIDS related illnesses. Various factors common to
the African HIV/AIDS epidemic contribute to this high rate. These include a
longstanding, high rate of sexually transmitted disease infections and high levels of
multi-partnered sexuality. Infrastructure improvements in transportation which
occurred throughout the 1990s have also contributed to the huge rate of
transmission. In 1990 there were only a few kilometres of tarred roads in northern
Botswana, while today there are well over a thousand kilometres and many more of
improved gravel roads. As a result of this, formerly remote and difficult to reach
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