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

Hence, while this legal provision allowed certain communities to continue hunting,
the restrictions placed upon the hunting techniques and conserved species were
perceived by many of the local communities as a further step in denying them the
use of wildlife resources. This led to the development of increasingly negative
attitudes towards wildlife conservation in Ngamiland district and the rest of the
country as a whole (Mbaiwa, 1999).
5.4.2.2 The Fauna Conservation Act No. 47 of 1979
In 1979 the Fauna Conservation Act No. 47 was passed, which abolished the
separate hunting regulations for each tribal area, consolidating them into a single set
of regulations applicable throughout the entire country (Spinage, 1991; Mbaiwa,
1999). This law unified all tribal territory hunting regulations, resulting in the
nationalism of hunting regulations in Botswana in an attempt to control licensing
procedures in the country (Thakadu, 1997; Mbaiwa, 1999).
According to White (1995), the impact of these changes on rural livelihoods was
severe. Rural subsistence dwellers had to start competing with urban citizens for
hunting licenses, most of whom were recreational and professional hunters. The
1979 Conservation Act also dropped the practice of reserving a substantial
proportion of the hunting quota for local residents (Mbaiwa, 1999). According to
White (1995), the decline in benefits derived by rural communities from the use of
wildlife resources significantly contributed to the marked change in public attitudes
and perceptions towards wildlife conservation over the past two decades. The
Basarwa (San) communities of East Ngamiland District were particularly hard hit by
this Act, as their livelihoods revolved around subsistence hunting activities (Mbaiwa,
1999).
5.4.2.3 Wildlife Administration
By 1955 there was still no authority appointed to administer wildlife in Botswana.
District Commissioners were responsible for issuing licenses for hunting, export of
ivory, ostrich feathers and furs, and to make reports on the depredation of wildlife in
their districts. The District Commissioner of Maun established the first hunting blocks
in the Okavango Delta area, and initiated a booking system for sportsmen. On the
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