A genealogy of conservation in Botswana

Abstract

Understanding the roots of human-wildlife conflict in Botswana requiresan examination of the historical processes through which such conflictemerged. In this article, I trace the genealogy of conservation policiesin Botswana, beginning in the colonial period, and argue that currentstruggles over resources in the northern wildlife areas of Botswanawere the product of specific historical decisions regarding policies overland use. Specifically, I show how concern with game preservation inthe colonial era was subsumed by fear of land degradation in the newlyindependent nation state. The primary policy designed to mitigate landdegradation, the Tribal Grazing Land Policy, was then appropriated bya new round of wildlife conservationists, who used its “reserve land”designation to further the expansion of wildlife management areas inthe 1980s. The result has been the zoning of land for wildlife utilizationin areas beyond those solely occupied by Remote Area Dwellers. Thishas led to a high degree of human-wildlife conflict in the country,because instead of zoning for wildlife utilization in areas occupied bynon-cattle owning populations (i.e. the Basarwa), as was envisionedunder the TGLP, wildlife management areas have been established inareas inhabited by those who rely on cattle for their livelihoods