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

the entire Okavango River Basin, by the Botswana, Namibian and Angolan
Governments. Alternative uses for the Okavango catchment area in Angola, and the
Okavango River in Namibia, such as the development of the whole of the Okavango
River Basin as a international tourist destination, must be considered in attempting
to secure a sustainable future for the basin as a whole.
9.12.9 Review of Current Livestock Production Policies
Livestock production policies in Botswana conflict with wildlife management policies,
particularly the erection of veterinary fences since the 1960s. It is recommended that
there should be a review of all current livestock production policies (e.g., the Tribal
Grazing Land Policy and the Fencing Policy) since they do not consider wildlife as a
viable land use option. The review should take into account the social and
environmental implications of agricultural policies in the country. It is also
recommended that Social Impact Assessments (SIAs) and Environmental Impact
Assessments (EIAs) precede all future agricultural developments, particularly in
terms of livestock and the erection of more veterinary fences (Mbaiwa, 1999).
9.12.10 Proposed Developments Must Include Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Components
Findings show that, to date, most development programmes and policies
implemented in wildlife management, protected and sensitive areas, such as the
Okavango Delta, are carried out without SIAs or EIAs being conducted. As such,
comprehensive SIAs and EIAs must be conducted for all existing and future
developments in Wildlife Management Areas, Controlled Hunting Areas and
protected areas in the Okavango Delta (and the rest of the country). This will help to
resolve some of the land use conflicts in the area, and minimise the negative
impacts of uncontrolled development in the Delta region (Mbaiwa, 1999).
9.13 Future Research
This study focused on only one tourist area in Botswana, namely the Okavango
Delta, in which wildlife- and wilderness-based tourism is the predominant economic
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