love the present to assure the future

Chobe Game LodgeSustainable Luxury

Makgadikgadi Magic

Save the earth: be vegetarian

Indigenous conservation PLUSPhoto Essay- Flight over the Okavango Delta

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Fairgrounds Office Park, Lot 64517 Unit 87This edition, Summer/ Autumn 2015. Published February, 2015www.sustain.co.bw

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Editor’s Note

Sustain It was born aboard a wobbly Cessna 206 light aircraft that had earlier failed to start. Twice. The location was

really apt. I was on a scenic flight above the Okavango Delta; a UNESCO World Heritage Site, photographing nature’s wonder below. I felt immensely privileged to be alive to my surroundings and to be part of this creation. And in many ways it was a home coming for me. I have lived and worked in Botswana’s premier wilderness areas, including the Okavango Delta for many years before being part of different consultancy and conservation efforts. And here I was reconnecting with nature and with myself in serene transcendence. I had the opportunity to integrate and acknowledge the interrelatedness and the immense aesthetic impact of nature. It was as though I had a cosmic perspective of the Delta to see it for what it really was: an indescribably beautiful oasis, a living breathing organism, robust, adaptable but also fragile. I could see signs of human impact; tracks, fences, cleared patches of land and this made me realise how important it was to protect this wilderness.All the while I asked myself; ‘could it be that environmental protection is our only innate spiritual obligation? Presently, I do not suppose there is a more pertinent question. My aim is to raise awareness about contemporary sustainability issues in a way that educates, teaches, entertains and stimulates dialogue. High impact sustainability reporting in Botswana is quite nascent. This is an opportunity to contribute to the debate on one of the greatest challenge of our times. There cannot be any better time than now. Especially when one considers that currently the corporate world, governments and even individuals are increasingly being judged on their ‘green credentials.’In this maiden issue of Sustain It we take a close look at the so-called ‘green’ tourism and differentiate it from green washing, highlighting Botswana Tourism Organisation ’s stellar role in promoting responsible tourism and acknowledging tourism operators who satisfy principles of sustainable tourism. We celebrate Chobe Game Lodge’s sustainability drive and showcase the beauty of the Okavango Delta from above. Hopefully Sustain It will start a culture of accountable environmental awareness where it is lacking, support it where it is weak and celebrate it where it is self expressed. We hope that you will enjoy this edition of Sustain It as much as we enjoyed putting it up for you. Thank you.

Could it be environmental protection is our only innate spiritual obligation? Bakang Baloi

up close and personal

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contents

featuresSustainable LuxuryEcotourism practices at Chobe Game Lodge: How high-end luxury and sustainability can coexist

How vegetarians save the earthBenefits of a low meat diet

Makgadikgadi MagicChristmas at Jack’s Camp

Traditional sustainabilityConservation through storytelling

in each issueEditorialFrom the editor’s desk

Point of viewSpecialist input in environmental statements-a pessimist’s review

Sustainable beautyBeauty products that protect the earth

Sustainability news and views Inspirational news and opinions from around the world

Index of featured individuals and companies

Photo essayFlight over the Okavango Delta

Opened in the early 1970s during a much wilder Africa, Chobe Game Lodge (CGL) is the place for legends, movie stars and royalty. It is in the north eastern part of the Chobe National Park; a

conservation area in Northern Botswana about the size of Switzerland. The lodge enjoys unrivalled views of the Chobe River. The elephant population within the park is legendary. Estimated at 125 000 the Botswana elephant population is the world’s largest; and Chobe is home to at least 40% of that. The lodge’s location within the park is the stuff for legends too. CGL established itself as a premier destination and earned its place in the hearts of many when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton honeymooned there in 1975. The lodge’s management is more passionate about responsible tourism practices than most high-end safari operators. They know that luxury and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, especially in today’s tourism environment in which the customer demands a certain level of environmental stewardship from operators. Graded at 5 Star by the Botswana Tourism Organisation, CGL is one of a handful (and the only one in the Chobe region) of tourism enterprises to have been assessed and certified at the highest level of the voluntary Botswana Ecotourism Certification System.

On activitiesAll company vehicles operate on a strict mechanical maintenance plan. A register is kept and a roster followed. Fuel consumption is monitored and a vehicle that uses more fuel than is customary is hauled back

to the workshop for service. Of note is that all safari vehicles are fitted with global positioning system (GPS) devices that track each game drive vehicle ensuring fuel efficiency and bolstering guest safety and comfort. The lodge has recently acquired an electric safari fleet that includes a fully electric converted 1999 Defender 130 and electric boat

In a move that was seen by others in the business as self sabotage, CGL conducts most of their game drive activities further North into the park. The southern river front area has high wildlife populations and is therefore often congested with safari traffic from lodges in the area and self drive visitors. However, going further North leaves all that congestion behind and offers guests a more exclusive safari experience. The guestbook at CGL highly praises this seemingly counterintuitive move.

In the roomsEven though CGL was built years ago when environmental planning was not mainstream, over the years retrofits had been done to make CGL the envy of many hotels in the country. The architectural design may not have had access to current guidelines in green building. However, either by luck or stroke of genius, one of the key elements of eco-buildings; the incorporation the building into the surrounding environment has been practised widely. All 47 rooms (43 standard rooms and four luxury suites) have river frontage views, allowing guests to feel in tune with nature.

.

Luxury meets sustainabilityChobe Game Lodge

where

All paints used throughout the facility have low volatile organic compounds and are made to blend in with the environment.

The facility uses energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and light emitting diodes throughout. Not only do these bulbs last longer than incandescent types, they also draw significantly less electricity from the grid and often have better illumination properties. Rooms also have light cards and occupancy sensors that activate or deactivate the lights when a room is occupied or unoccupied. Paints with high light reflective properties have been used on ceilings to enhance the ambience within the rooms.

One of the most notable energy saving is on water heating. All water heating in the hotel is through solar, except on cloudy days. On such rainy days the facility uses a Rolls Royce backup diesel generator that maintains a constant warm temperature to avoid a cold start and increase efficiency. Two innovative methods help keep the water warm with minimum temperature fluctuations. This ensures significant energy savings. Firstly there is a thermostat that keeps water temperature at a designated temperature. Then there is a valve that shunts hot water back to the well insulated storage tank. This prevents hot water staying in the pipes and losing its heat.

Even though the hotel is right on the edge of the Chobe River, water conservation is on the list of priorities for CGL. A combination of best practices and low flow technologies and equipment are used to conserve this precious resource. First, water usage is metered, and there are sub-meters per department- showing how much water each department uses. Average water usage per guest per month is recorded and monitored. Water efficient shower heads, low flush toilets and metering to monitor consumption are some of the practices employed here. All used water from the guestrooms is collected and treated onsite in aerated digesters. Processed water is monitored for microbial load before being reused for irrigation and landscaping purposes.

In the bathrooms the toilet roll used is soft, unbleached and made from recycled paper. This is significant because,

according to some estimates paper bleaching causes more environmental damage than using virgin pulp to make the paper.

Most luxury hotels shun the idea of refillable cosmetic dispensers. Not at CGL. Their products supplied by reputable international companies with impressive ‘Green’ credentials.

In the kitchenThe kitchens at CGL are like research laboratories. The lighting is optimised, work stations are clinically clean and temperatures are controlled. Self generated biogas is used for cooking where practical. Received goods are weighed, pack-aging inspected for re-use and the amount of waste recorded. Not only does the hotel know the amount of waste per guest they also have spe-cific annual targets to reduce waste per guest per room. All waste is separated by type on site and CGL has a plastic bottle recycling plan. CGL even has sustainable seafood menu and sustainability statement. The statement follows the charter principles of the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI; see www.wwf.org.za/sassi for details). CGL buys seafood that is labelled with the Certified Sustainable Seafood (CSS) logo issued by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). In terms of envi-ronmental convictions and practices by tourism operators in the country, CGL are in the upper one percentile.

LaundryIn any hotel, laundry uses a lot of water and electricity and generates chemical waste. The facility has a towel re-use program to reduce wash loads and water usage. Using the latest in laundry chemical research, washing powders made from bio-degradable constituents and containing hydrolytic and proteolytic enzymes are used. These washing powders achieve good results at low wash temperatures, thereby saving energy. In addition, where possible all laundry is air-dried. To reduce the amount of washing powder, the facility also uses detergent free washing for selected fabrics based on how soiled the item was.

After a tour of the property I sit on the deck overlooking the open expanse of the Chobe River. Unlike most properties that use hardwoods for decking CGL uses decks made from recycled plastics. The decks are beautiful, hardwearing and save tonnes of carbon annually. The company provides leadership opportunities for women, and are the

only lodge in Africa, that I know of, with an all female guiding team. That is something to be proud of. Other community achievements include having a community liaison officer who helps the facility immerse itself in social development issues. CGL is a major patron of Metlha ya Bofelo Foundation, and SOS Children’s Villages Botswana, caring for vulnerable children. Community beneficiation features majorly in CGL strategic outlook and rightly so. As the sun sets and I sip at my drink on a paper straw, and not a plastic one, I realise why Chobe Game Lodge is at the fore front of responsible travel tourism in a country that is a regional leader in ecotourism.

Air Botswana (www.airbotswana.co.bw) flies to Kasane four times a week. Private flight charter companies provide air charter services to Chobe Game Lodge. The lodge is 15km from Kasane International Airport and about 90 minutes’ drive from Victoria Falls. The lodge is accessible by 4x4 vehiclesContacts and BookingWebsite; www.chobegamelodge.co.bwEmail; reservations@desertdelta.comNote: Chobe Game Lodge has undergone recent renova-tions and looks different from the current portrayal. Please contact their website for updated images.Disclaimer: Sustain It has not received any payment, sup-port or patronage of any form to publish this review.

Environmental benefits of a vegetarian lifestyleWhy vegetarians have a lower carbon footprint

Until not too long ago it was quite difficult to be a vegetarian in Botswana. Not that one could not find a decent supply of vegetable, no, not really. The

challenge was that it was all too easy to get high quality organic beef. Fortunately, the beef exporting abattoir started selling antibiotic and hormone tainted meat, was delisted from the preferred supplier list to the EU market and generally lost money and strategic direction. Before then Botswana beef was largely free range, had minimal chemical growth boosters and organic. I think one could consider being vegetarian for health, ethical and environmental reasons. A vegetarian diet generally has a lower carbon footprint, conserves water, requires less land and is associated with a lower level of pollution to the environment.

Cattle herding is an important part of who we are as a nation. There is a poem that some of us had to learn in primary school that refers to a cow as ‘a moist-nosed deity’ outlining the virtues and travails of owning cattle. Cattle owning is still a

highly regarded socio-economic pursuit in Botswana. As a result Botswana has a relatively high per capita carbon footprint. In fact at about 2400 metric tonnes (mt) CO2 the national carbon footprint per capita far outstrip the continental average of about 800mt CO2. In addition to our potential coal output (from mines not yet operational) a significant contributor to our carbon is the livestock.

Digesting plant material produces large amounts of gas, notably methane (CH4). Methane is a greenhouse gas; one of the gasses contributing to global warming. Annually, our herd significant amounts of methane into the environment. So reducing the numbers of our herd would reduce our carbon footprint. Or, if that sounds impractical, we can individually reduce the amount of meat we eat and therefore reduce our individual contribution to global warming.

A key to understanding environmental impacts is through life cycle analysis (LCA). LCA explains the impacts of a product or process from the beginning to the end (cradle to grave). Indirect impacts of a process or product can therefore be identified. In the example of the meat industry, cattle haulage from the farms to the abattoir, is an important step in the production of that juicy sirloin steak- as is delivery of the meat from the abattoir to the supermarket- and to the table. Haulage burns hydrocarbon fuels. Burning of fuel produces, among others carbon dioxide (CO2). Just like methane, carbon dioxide is another greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to the Earth’s rising temperatures.

When farmers prepare their produce for the market there often is a period of providing feed to boast growth, weight and condition. Grain and other plant based feeds need land, water and fertilizers to be produced. Also, delivering the feed to the feedlots requires fuels. All these activities have a negative bearing on

the environment.

Land grabbing for animal feed and not for human consumption displaces people mostly marginalised poverty-prone indigenous people. Fertile land that may have been used to alleviate poverty as a result becomes unavailable for human food production. In instances where livestock may be free ranging, livestock grazing leads to denuding land through overgrazing. Land without plant cover is prone to land degradation, soil erosion and desertification. In addition, free-range animals require more land resources than may be needed to grow food.

Fertilizers are needed for large scale farming. Commercial fertilizers cause an imbalance on the Earth’s nitrogen cycle, and enrich some ecosystems, especially water bodies. The unnaturally enriched aquatic ecosystems lead to; chemical pollution, eutrophication of water bodies, reduction of biochemical oxygen (BOD) demand in these environments and compromise the diversity and success of aquatic

organisms. In addition, a vegetarian diet avoids pollution and water usage that comes from slaughtering and processing of carcasses and hides. Animal manure is now an environ-mental problem. In an ideal world, the manure would organically break-down and the nutrients therein recy-cled and taken up by plants and other organisms. However, because of the large amounts of manure the rate of breakdown is slower than the rate at which more manure is added to the pile. The manure pile then pollutes the environment and hydrological resources through leaching.

Growing animal feed uses higher amounts of water than growing vegetables. That is, the amount of water needed to produce a kilogram of meat, is higher

than that required to produce a kilogram of vegetables. And, globally water is a scarce commodity, and considered by some as the next thing nations will fight over.

You could join in the revolution and reduce your meat intake. We could all try. Take one less steak. If we all reduce the demand for meat, we reduce all the other negative environmental impacts associated with eating meat. Let us work together and make a puddle, a stream and then a flood- of enviro- conscious people. Let us start a revolution. Let’s do it for the Earth.

Makgadikgadi Magicwelcome to Jack’s seduced by the stark beauty of the pans

Travelbeautiful Botswana

A northern black koorhan shatters the late afternoon stillness with a loud harsh squawk. It takes to flight in a

staccato cluck-cluck sound, like a helicopter. In the distance thousands of zebras dot the horizon. The salty dust stings the nose. An uncommon quiet, serene, molten and almost transcendental envelopes my senses. ‘Welcome to Jack’s Camp!’ a cheerful voice disrupts the reverie. The camp is on the edge of Ntwetwe pan. One of the two main pans that make up the Makgadikgadi ecological system. To the south is Sua pan. The olive green tents are cryptically located on a grass island amidst Commiphora trees and

Hyphaene palms. Super Sande, my guide, escorts me to the main area for refreshments and a briefing on campand general wilderness etiquette. A twelve year veteran of the African wilderness myself, Super is preaching to the converted.

Instantly, Jack’s camp feels like an authentic, quintessential safari camp of the early explorers. Wildebeest skulls stare at us from the top of the large tent. Inside the main area glass cabinets house an impressive library on natural history. Other cabinets contain late stone age hand axes, arrow points, stuffed animals and fossilized skeletons. It is as though one has stepped into a long bygone era. ‘Slice of lemon with your coke, Bk?’ asks Tebogo, our host as

he takes care of the necessary indemnity forms. ‘You’ve just signed your lives away’ he says in mock alarm.

Our tent is roomy and stylish with burnt orange fabric lining. On the porch overlooking the empty expanse of the pans is a leather bound recliner. I make a mental note to use it for sunset watching. The interior, replete with four poster beds, Persian rugs and period furniture, is fit for royalty.

There are en-suite and outdoor shower facilities. But I think the most quaint facility is the loo which has been shaped into a regal throne. There is something of old school charm and worldly luxury in the

cosmetics provided. With labels such as ‘Undergarment Purification Solution, Cleansing Solution and Moisturising Liniment’ the cosmetics make me feel like a star in a Victorian movie. I am enthralled

It is a few days before full moon. The moon is visible even before the sun dips beyond the western horizon. The surreal landscape is bathed in glorious colour and ethereal light. The palm fronds make soothing sounds as they sway in the breeze. Mostly like rainfall, but on occasion like ocean waves crashing against the shore. Instinctively I know I am going to sleep very well.

The day’s excitement lulls me into a deep dreamless sleep that is broken at the crack of dawn by a loud ‘Koo-ko! This is your wake up call. We bring you tea and biscuits!’ The sugar from the homemade biscuits, and the caffeine jolt my body into activity. The sky is without a cloud, and resplendent in soft roseate and pastel blue colours. Like an artist’s palette. With the unbridled excitement of a five year old, I rush out of the tent- I am ready

Super has packed a picnic and plans to take us into the Makgadikgadi National Park. We enter through the Xirexara gate. Instead of the usual wardens and game scouts the two men near the gate are clearly military types. The one on the quad bike is in military fatigues and a grey T-shirt. The other one,

in civilian clothing, leans against the wall cleaning his rifle. Their eyes bore briefly into the safari vehicle, missing nothing. Finding nothing to excite their suspicion, they ignore us and we drive through. The flow of the Boteti in recent years has sparked an increase in observed and potential poaching, Super explains. As a result there is active anti-poaching activity in the whole of the Makgadikgadi. One wonders if there is a subtle, less intrusive way of patrolling. Never, mind we see the dust of hundreds of zebras in the distance. Super’s voice fades in the breeze as he explains the finer ecological points of the Makgadikgadi.

There are large herds of zebras and some wildebeest. Smaller mammals like impala, cape hares, bat-eared foxes, ground squirrels and black-backed jackals are also seen on the drive. Tawny eagles, secretary birds, harrier hawks, white backed vultures and lappet-faced vultures are some of the birds of prey we see. Lion tracks too, and several vultures landing at a distance. But since we are in the park, and not a private concession we do not go off road to investigate. As we stop for another round of tea and coffee, the radio cackles to life. There has been changes in flight times of our fellow travellers Dan and Jane who were honeymooning at Jack’s. We rush them to the airstrip and all the while I am thinking ‘I could get used to this.’

In the afternoon we are alone in the Land Cruiser- a privilege the well-heeled of the world pay dearly for. The plan is to go walking with the meerkats and to go out onto the pans for a sun downer. Meerkats or suricates are small communal-living mammals of the mongoose family. These meerkats, even though completely wild, are habituated to human presence. They scamper around the grassland, hunting and digging for food oblivious to our presence.

The young do not hunt much, but spend the whole time whimpering and making begging

noises. Before one can wonder what they are begging for, a sub-adult brings a fat scorpion to one of the small ones. It squeals in delight. They are immune to scorpion venom, I am reassured. One sub-adult male digs intently for giant bull frogs. These stay underneath the pan surface waiting for just the right conditions before emerging. Suddenly from below the surface there’s a low growl and upon hearing this the dominant female comes rushing to depose the sub-adult and rob him of his catch. The sub-adult walks on, disappointed but clearly used to this bullying. She, on the other hand excavates the bull frog and daintily dismembers it. The frog extends a paw to shield itself from the relentless onslaught. The battle

is lost. It is the law of the bush. Nature certainly takes no prisoners. We can’t stay for long to witness the gruesome table manners. We have a sunset to watch. With any luck we might even see the elusive brown hyenas. The Makgadikgadi pans, a Birdlife Botswana important birding area (IBA) was fashioned by dramatic climatic and geological events over millions of years to form the desolate wasteland is seems to be. But looks can be deceiving. Millions of brine shrimps, algae and other tiny life forms thrive on the hyper-saline pans and support thousands of migratory birds, notably lesser and greater flamingos which breed on these pans. We however, see no flamingos because the rains have been late. ‘For that you have to come back,’ says Super with a mischievous smile.

Super Sande like most professional safari guides in Botswana got into the industry quite by accident. ‘I knew Jack, after whom the camp was named. I was a camp hand, tractor driver and general odd-jobs man.’ Then an easy smile, as he shifts his massive frame. Super is built like a professional American footballer. ‘I had little education, but was prepared to learn. To work hard, apply myself. Ralph, Jack’s son and one of the owners of the camp opened the doors for me. Taught me most of what I know. The rest the bush taught me.’ Super knows a lot about

the bush in general, and the Makgadikgadi pans specifically. He has been featured in documentaries, books and even on one edition of UK GQ Magazine. For two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) Super has been features as one of the best safari guides in Botswana (Runner Up), and in Africa (Finalist) by the Safari Awards. The Safari Awards is an independent travel consultancy (http://www.safariawards.com) that supports industry best practices and sustainable travel.

My stay is coming to an end. But not without one last excursion- an interpretative nature walk with the Zu/’hoasi San trackers and guides. The walk is filled

with laughter and games to test one’s coordination. The trackers knowledge of the bush is legendary. One look at the spoor of a zebra has one saying ‘pregnant mare, early this morning- limping on the hind left leg!’ Lessons on ethno-botany and bush survival are also dispensed. The experience is almost sacred, certainly profound.My bags, and a carry-on picnic lunch, are packed. With a heavy heart I realise that few people will experience their country in this manner. I am glad that Super Sande, senior guide at Jack’s camp and an old friend has invited me to spend the most amazing time with him.

For more information on reservations and rates please contact Uncharted Africa Safaris at www.unchartedafrica.com.

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Indigenous conservation- How ancient cultures maintained the integrity of the Earth

‘And then it will insert its forked tongue through your nostrils and slowly suck your brains out!’

I don’t think I’d ever forget this story, told to me many years ago. I guess that was the whole point; that I never forget. It is about a rock monitor lizard (Varanus albigularis). I was told not to sleep in the bush, when tending the goats for that was, supposedly, what the monitor lizard

would do to me. But not before it has used its scaly, muscular tail to pin me to the ground and totally immobilize me. I was never to kill this reptile or the rock python, Python natalensis. For if I did, storms of untold proportions would hit my village, flatten our mud huts, destroy our crops; or that there would be no rain for years. And the livestock would die, and we would all starve...

In the unlikely event that I did kill these creatures- in self defence say, or perhaps to save our stock- there were some rituals I would have had to perform. As some form of penance to propitiate the gods. I must admit the entire process put me off any mortal ideas I may have had against my reptilian friends. This as a result kept wanton killing of animals in check and maintained healthy populations.

There are other examples of how conservation worked in

the traditional context. Some animals such as leopard, lion, pangolin, aardvark and birds like the kori bustard had assumed rock star status in indigenous conservation. One had to have a solid reason to kill them, and even after killing them you had to take them to the headman, or the rainmaker/ traditional healer. These cus-todians of culture would then intervene on one’s behalf, or that of the community, with the ancestors to prevent whatever ills may have arisen as a result of those environmentally unfriendly actions.

It sounds like some twisted hocus-pocus. Maybe it is. But it played a significant role in nature conservation and sustainability. It inculcated a deep respect for nature and made us aware that our actions on the environment would always have far reaching consequences. As with most instances of indigenous knowledge the explanations may have been a tad shady, but the wisdom derived from them was timeless..

‘And then it will insert its forked tongue through your nostrils and slowly suck your brains out!’

Too often our backgrounds pervert our interpretation of the world. Like the time I was reviewing an environmental statement about a coal mine somewhere, and came across a conclusion that the operation of

the coal mine would not lead to acid mine drainage. Yeah right! This conclusion was made by the specialist- a range ecologist, I think. I might have overreacted in my response. I think I might still be gagging on it. It did not go down well. In fact, it just didn’t go down- a couple of years on. Several of the environmental statements I saw had factual inaccuracies, sometimes uninformed conclusions and irresponsible management recommendations. I compare this to a doctor who diagnoses a condition, performs surgery and later solemnly says ‘um, I don’t suppose we were right, there’s nothing here. Sorry..!’. I mean, what’s the big deal? We all make mistakes, don’t we? Sadly, the doctor story is also quite com-mon in Botswana too, but that’s a story for another day.I think about that conclusion a fair bit. About its implications. About the way it was understood by, lay people tasked with reviewing environmental state-ments (half the time these lay people don’t even know they are lay people). About the fact that a range ecologist was a ‘specialist’ on an environmental microbiology/ microbial ecology subject area. Then, as now, I failed to accept that this specialist was the one to make that call. To get an idea of absurdity of this conclusion, Botswana coal has a high sulphur and ash content. Not choice grade- as far as coal quality goes, may need some washing. Sulphur containing ores react with oxygen and water during mining to form a highly acidic solution known as acid mine drainage or AMD. This reaction may just occur spontaneously, or it may be mediated by microbial oxidation. The majority of oxidative sulphur reactions in the environment are mediated by chemolithotrophic bacteria that oxidise reduced sulphur compounds to get energy. The by-product of these complex microbial associations is sulphuric acid. Clearly this is not range ecology. So to have anyone without a robust environmental chem-istry or, microbial ecology background as a specialist on this particular area, is fundamentally flawed. This reminds me of yet another statement, made by a different specialist this time. The report was describing the biophysical environment for a study.

Pretty basic, but important stuff. Consultants call it ‘situation analysis.’ And listed among the wildlife naturally occurring in the project area was black wildebeest. Not a major thing. Until one notices that black wildebeest do no naturally occur anywhere in Botswana. It could be simple mistake. Someone wanting to write blue, and inadvertently writing black. A simple mistake, I agree. Or maybe a genetic handicap called colour blindness. Perchance it could be something more ominous. What if the specialist did not know the difference between the two? Do we want specialists who make such mistakes to be making management decisions about our resources? I don’t think so. Maybe I am splitting hairs, but the point I am mak-ing is some people are just not ‘specialist enough’ for input as a specialists in environmental reports. I ponder this all the time I read one of those dubious, highly recycled environmental impact statements. I acknowledge that resource utilization is the way for development. But it has to be sustainable, and management decisions should be based on solid technical information. And such information will not come from experts, and I use the word generously, who are not willing to apply themselves. I totally accept that I may be biased in my understanding, or lack thereof, of environmental phenomena. But then, as the opening sentence indicates, too often most of us are biased.

Specialist input in environmental statements- a pessimist’s point of view

the point I am making is some people are just not ‘specialist enough’ for input as a specialists in environmental reports

over the OKAVANGO DELTAon a wing and a prayer

The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in north-western Botswana is one of the world’s largest inland deltas. It has permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded grasslands. The annual flooding from the Okavango River in the Angolan highlands transforms the grasslands in fertile marshlands that supports an incredible array of life including some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white and black rhinos, African wild dog and lion.