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

commercial hunting ventures. In Khwai, approximately nine locals are employed in
the Tsaro Elephant Lodge and Khwai River Lodge. Employees from both these
villages perform tasks such as skinning animals from hunts, house keeping, cooking,
and one man from Khwai is employed as a driver and tour guide. In Mababe, no one
is employed in any wildlife related activity (Mbaiwa, 1999). As such, there is a direct
correlation between individual benefits received from wildlife or any other resource,
and people's perception of it, and its importance.
According to the 50 local inhabitants personally interviewed in the Okavango Delta
between 2003 and 2004, approximately 86 percent (43 individuals) felt that benefits
from wildlife, in the form of revenue, accrue exclusively to the Botswana
Government, safari hunters and tour operators. Only 7 (14 percent) stated that some
of the benefits also accrue to the local inhabitants of Ngamiland District. While many
of the inhabitants of the Okavango Delta are aware of the potential benefits wildlife
resources can bring, these wildlife returns are mostly not realized at the household
level.
7.2.2.2 Role of Local Communities in Wildlife Management
The attitudes of local communities living in wildlife areas are largely influenced by
the degree of ownership of, and benefits received from, the wildlife in their area. The
local communities in the Ngamiland District do not have any major policy-making
function, nor are they included in the formulation of management plans in any
significant way, regarding wildlife utilization and management in their district.
Referring to the three villages of Sankuyo, Khwai and Mababe, Mbaiwa (1999) noted
that 93.7 percent of the 95 locals interviewed stated that the government never
consults or involves their respective villages or communities in the formulation of
wildlife management laws or policies, even if the law or policy directly affects them.
Only 6.3 percent claimed that the government involves locals in management plans.
Furthermore, it is generally felt that government officials in Ngamiland only inform
local communities of such wildlife laws and policies just prior to their implementation,
usually through a Kgotla meeting. This situation is echoed by Barnes (1998) who
argues that most of Botswana's wildlife resources are public property and hence
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