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

In the 1980s, a number of reforms within the Land Boards were made of which the
chief, who was an exio-officio member of the Land Board, was removed. This was
effectively the last step carried out by the government which removed community
authority over the utilisation and management of land and the natural resources
found on it. As such, the present system of land tenure in Botswana, where the
country is divided into three land use types, namely, communal land, state land and
freehold land, and is managed by the Land Boards, Department of Lands and
private individuals respectively, ensures that the chief or the local communities have
no effective role to play (Mbaiwa, 1999).
However, even in present day Botswana, the tradition of the Kgotla where villagers
are permitted to express their views has continued, providing an opportunity for
ordinary Batswana to discuss relevant matters with civil servants, field officers,
councillors and members of parliament. Despite this though, the Kgotla is now
primarily used as a means by the government to inform the public of relevant issues,
and the implementation of new policies and programmes. As such, local
communities are not incorporated into initial decision making processes further
reducing the power and effectiveness of the Kgotla institution as a form of local
authority and control (Mbaiwa, 1999).
5.4.2.12 The Tawana land Board and Tourism Development
The Tawana Land Board in the Ngamiland District is one of the primary institutions
in tourism development in the Okavango Delta, particularly with regards to land
management in communal areas. Land tenure in the Ngamiland district is divided
into two main types, communal and stateland, and while the land board is
responsible for communal areas, the central government is responsible for the
management of stateland. A total of 66532 square kilometers of land (61 percent of
total land area in the Ngamiland district) is currently under the authority of the
Tawana Land Board. The central government is responsible for the other 42 598
square kilometers (39 percent of tota/land area) in the district. In general terms, land
boards are responsible for the allocation of land, canceling of land rights, impositions
of restrictions on land use, authorization of the transfer of tribal land, and the hearing
of land disputes and appeals (Mathuba, 1998; Mbaiwa, 2002).
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