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

The development of tourism in the Okavango Delta has therefore played both a
positive and negative role in the manner in which the areas natural resources are
utilised and managed.
Tourism has helped facilitate the preservation and conservation of the Okavango
Delta and its resources, yet it has also impacted negatively upon these resources
through the activities of tourists and the development of supportive infrastructure in
the area.
9.10 Major Land Use Stakeholders and Land Use Conflicts in the
Okavango Delta Region
There are three primary stakeholder groups in the Okavango Delta region, namely
the Traditional Stakeholders (local communities); Emerging Stakeholders (private
sector such as tourism operators, lodge and hotel owners, wildlife conservation
groups, the district council and the government); and Surrogate Stakeholders (the
world population, future generations, the global ecological resource base). Conflict
among these three interest groups arises from competition over the use of the
Okavango Delta and its resources, and tensions over the manner in which the area
and its resources are currently utilized and managed.
The major land use and resource use conflicts identified in the Okavango Delta
region include:
• Conflict between local farmers and wildlife management institutions such as
the DWNP and the government over the expansion of agriculture into
wildlife areas;
• Conflict between local farmers and the government over the erection of
veterinary fences which keep cattle out of the Delta. Many farmers see the
Delta as being wasted on tourism and Wildlife;
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