Student Reports

The Impact of Chobe National Park on Rural Livelihoods and Conservation Behaviors – Chobe District, Botswana BOTHEPA MOSETLHI species, among them the Chobe River dichotomy of “winners and losers,” System which feeds in to Victoria 3) factors underlying the nature Falls and mega-fauna mammalian and distribution of the livelihood species including elephant, hippo, effects of the park, and 4) if there buffalo, lion, leopard and several is correlation between livelihood ungulate species. A remarkable effects of the park and conservation feature is the park’s elephant behaviors. population which constitutes the Detailed collection of data largest and least molested herd in the to answer these questions was world, and which has grown from completed in July 2010. Within the about 45,500 in the 1980s to 151,000 hinterland of Chobe National Park, at present. Altogether these resources three settlements (Kasane, Kachikau designate the Chobe region the and Parakarungu) were sampled with second most important wildlife and household surveys and key informant tourism area in Botswana after the interviews conducted. The sampling Okavango Delta. Given the position of the settlements was based on of the tourism industry in Botswana differences in level of economic as the second engine of economic development or urbanity, proximity growth after diamonds, it follows to the park, and length of community therefore to ask: Do the highly conservation programs/projects. acclaimed tourism-related benefits of Most of the settlements in the study the protected resources trickle down area have a rural setting except for to the household level? the emerging urban area of Kasane It became apparent from and Kasungula which is the tourism the exploratory research I carried hub of the district. Contemporary natural resource out in summer 2008 that there is significant growth in tourism Bothepha Mosetlhi is a doctoral candidate management is marked by in Interdisciplinary Ecology & a Fulbright discourses that attempt to build based economies and employment Alumni. Her PhD training was supported by related benefits in Chobe while on Fulbright from 2005-07 and thereafter by positive relationships and synergies her employer, University of Botswana. She between conservation and the other hand there numerous received summer pre-dissertation funding adverse effects: mainly elephant from Tropical Conservation & Development development with such concepts as and NSF Parks Project co-management and stakeholder property damages, predation, participation, particularly the human life endangerment and the involvement of local people in overshadowing of conservation on resource governance and benefit the agricultural potential and non- sharing attracting significant tourism land-based economies of the area. These insights helped to attention. The present study is trying to shape my on-going PhD research unravel the extent to which these goals are work which is grounded on the realized by focusing on the influence of Chobe theories of empowerment and social National Park on people’s livelihoods and the exchange and set out to determine: effect this has on their conservation practices. My 1) if the park is resulting in positive interest in the study area and population has been and significant livelihood effects, 2) spurred by my familiarity with Chobe District as a if there is an equitable distribution biodiversity endowed area yet one where poverty of the livelihood effects of the park and dependency are still the order of the day. The amongst people – or if there is a area teems with diverse natural habitats and wildlife

Center for African Studies Research Report 2010 53