MAUN: Community trusts in Ngamiland are slowly recovering after being gutted by former president Ian Khama’s unilateral decision to ban all hunting, including safari hunting from January 1, 2014.
Khama’s decision then, took all the community trusts by surprise, and it led to their collapse as most were in areas unsuitable for photographic safari activities.
In defence of his preferred non-consumptive approach to conservation, which is not backed by any scientific research, Khama early this year made an impassionedly appeal to the British law-makers “to halt the reckless, cruel destruction of the world’s wonderful wildlife by nature’s enemies.”
But since his diabolical hunting ban was finally lifted by his successor, President Mokgweetsi Masisi last year, some of the community trusts have been gradually moving towards achieving their goals.
In nation-wide consultation leading to the lifting of the ban, it was argued that the hunting concession areas act as buffer zone between protected areas and human settlement areas that lessened cases of human-wildlife conflict.
It was pointed out that Botswana is one of the few countries in the world that has set aside about 40% of her land for fauna and wildlife conservation. That it would be unfair to let the increased wildlife population expand their range, particularly elephant, into mixed-use areas. That increased elephant population is not only detriment to the human lives and property but also to the very habitat that is being stretched beyond its carrying capacity.
These are some of the problems the community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) programme has been tackling in the past two decades.
Professor Joseph Mbaiwa of Okavango Research Institute (ORI) of University of Botswana identifies the CBNRM objectives as the achievement of “biodiversity, conservation and rural development, especially livelihoods. “
The trusts are soldiering on that path despite seemingly insurmountable challenges of being ripped-off by middlemen hunting safari operators, mismanagement by corrupt trust and government officials.
Yet some community trust leaders have put to good use the crumbs that fall off the bounty-laden tables of the corrupt and the greedy, to better the livelihoods of their communities.
One of the community trusts hardest-hit by the hunting ban was Xhauxhwatubi Development Trust of Phuduhudu. And it is one of the many in Ngamiland whose concession, NG49, is not really suitable for photographic safari. Following the ban, the trust in that small village had closed shop and the community was dependent on government hands-out.
A situation that the community yearn to wean itself from. As Kgosi Johane Ngwengare emphasised that “we want to see our village graduate from being a Remote Area Development Programme (RADP) village into a self-sufficient one.”
For a community in which more than 80% of the residents are reliant on destitution programmes, the re-introduction of hunting in 2023 meant the quest for self-sufficiency had resumed.
Though by national standards the revenue realised, primarily from elephant trophy hunting, could be considered paltry, but that revenue make a big difference for the poverty-stricken residents of the north-western Botswana wildlife areas. Paradoxically, the region’s tourism sector generates the second highest income for the country after the diamonds.
After the lifting of the hunting ban the Phuduhudu trust was given a special waver, to acquire a licence for hunting quota, specifically being its sole operation before the ban. They had to switch to photographic safari, which proved a total failure by then as they failed to attract partnerships with tourism companies.
However, now Kgosi Ngwengare recently noted, “since the lifting of the hunting ban, our lives have improved, particularly through the Trust. And we encourage youth to get involved in Trust activities.”
Like in most villages that have CBNRM programmes, the trust is the engine of development in Phuduhudu. They provide a wide range of goods and services to their communities. And despite not being one of the well-to-do trusts, Xhauxhwatubi Development Trust has started providing the goods and services.
On a recent visit to Phuduhudu, the trust was distributing freshly cut and equally divided elephant meat to the members of their community. Each of the 153 homesteads (family units) was receiving its meat parcel in a bucket.
The meat was from part of this year’s trust quota of 11 elephants; six of which have so far been hunted. The trust sold each elephant at P250, 000 to a hunting safari operator.
Xhauxhwatubi Development Trust secretary, Letsoseng Leburu disclosed that the sale of the 11-elephant quota has raised a total of P3, 027,500.
The trust ploughs realised revenues back into the community, in various sectors that include health, education and training, sport, socio-economic welfare and others, she explained.
Phuduhudu has a health post but has no resident medical doctor. The Trust has therefore arranged with the Maun-based District Health Management Team (DHMT) for doctors to visit the village once a month.
“We send our vehicle to pick up four DHMT doctors, who spend a day here attending to patients, and then we return them to Maun,” said Leburu. Further, in case of medical emergencies, the Trust’s two trucks are literally used as ambulances.
The trust further provides education and training sponsorship to the village’s residents, particularly post-secondary at technical colleges and others. Even as far as assisting children with transport fares if they have to go for education or job interviews outside their village.
In case of a death in one of the community’s 153 family units, the trust assist each with P1, 500 towards funeral expenses and provides a truck to help.
On the social front, the trust sponsors various sporting codes that include football, netball and Nxai Choristers. The trust further contributes P12, 000 annually towards Mogolokwane Primary School and another P12, 000 towards Independence Day celebrations.
In a village where the only formally employed are public officers that include tribal administration, school and clinic; the trust has created employment for 12 residents comprising 10 escort guides, general manager and a driver.
In addition to monitoring poaching, which is a major problem in the area in which A2 highway passes, the trust’s escorts are involved in cleaner environment drive through litter picking along the A1 artery and public awareness campaigns.
Leburu argued that the trust would like to do more, and called for increase of elephant quota, given that their NG 49 concession is one f the resource-rich areas. The concession area is located between Nxai Pan and Makgakgadi national parks, and many problem animals are a menace especially to the water infrastructure in the area.
Leburu explained that hunting, which is seasonal, is not only effective in mediating human-wildlife conflict issues but provides quick financial gains. She however explained that their long-term objective is to open another stream of revenue comprising lodges, campsites and photographic safari operations.
And it would appear the management and lease approval permits are being delayed and frustrated by the relevant authorities that include environment and land ministries.
“We intend to demarcate our concession (NG49) into two sections – one for photographic safari and the other hunting,” she said.
Obviously, Xhauxhwatubi Development Trust is trying to emulate its more established and successful trusts in the north.
Before the 2014 hunting ban, Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust and Mababe Zokotsama Development Community Trust had successful hunting and photographic operations.
For instance, at the height of its prosperity prior to the ban, Sankuyo trust was making P3 million from their photographic safari operation and P8-9 million from hunting.
Kgosi Timex G Moalosi however explains that the two operations have their varying advantages. The photographic safari has more of sustainable jobs as it runs lodging facilities and campsites; while the hunting operation runs for four to five months a year.
Both Sankuyo and Mababe trusts run twin operations: photographic safari on the riverside and hunting on the dryer, savannah side of their concessions. Moalosi explained that such a layout was beneficial in that the hunting area act as a buffer between the river, where the bulk of the wildlife is, and the residential area.
The Sankuyo trust and the village’s name came to national prominence when Sankuyo Football Club became the first Ngamiland team to be in the premier league. Kgosi Moalosi promised the club is being rebuilt and will return to that league.
The trust is, however, once again in the forefront of development projects in the village. The Sankuyo trust has not only constructed toilets and water standpipes in the residences but also all the households were being connected to the electricity grid.
Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust general manager, Nkgololang Samakate explained that the trust had initially invested P360, 000 in the construction of a solar power station and they had connected the village development committee (VDC) houses normally rented out to civil servants in the village.
The trust was in the second phase of their power supply project by starting to wire all the homesteads in the village when national power utility, Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) brought the national grid to the village. Currently, the already wired homes are being connected under government-funded free electricity connection scheme.
Samakate explained that the provision of these amenities is critical given the interface between humans and wildlife. Dangerous wildlife animals are always lurking around the homestead, be it during the day or night, and the availability of these amenities lessens the risk of wandering in the bush, he said.
In addition to the provision of these amenities, the trust constructed a day care centre and an entertainment centre. It also provides educational sponsorship, with joint venture leaseholders, built two 1-rommed homes for needy students and full uniforms for 10 students.
Further, a sum of P32, 000 is divided among those aged 55 years and above on a quarterly basis.
The trust’s escort guides are trained in management-oriented monitory system (MOMS) and work with relevant government departments on conservation matters such as patrolling the area for illegal camping, poaching, and littering. They also collect ivory and other government trophies for elephants that die from natural causes.
Mababe Zokotsama Development community Trust that run concession NG 41 is long established, save for knock experienced during the hunting ban. Like Sankuyo trust, it runs both photographic and hunting safari operations. It owns Mosotho lodge and two campsites.
The trust’s vice chairman Katholo Mogodu revealed that their hunting division has been awarded a quota of 15 elephants this year. He noted that in comparison, hunting season employs more people than photographic safari; with 89 at camping sites and 35 with photographic operation. The trust has 10 permanent escort guides.
The Mababe trust has an extensive welfare system in place. In case of a funeral the bereaved family is assisted with P15, 000 and transport requirements; while orphans and those aged over 55 are each given a monthly allowance of P700.
Each household in Mababe is give two tranches of P3, 000 in a year – in December and June, pupils who graduate from the local primary schools are given P1, 000 for toiletries when they leave to start Form One in Maun or elsewhere. The local primary school is also given P10, 000 for its annual end-of-the year prize giving.
Evidently, the community trusts play an important development role in these underdeveloped areas. In a recent article, journalist Joel Konopo aptly highlighted the problems that are holding back the CBRNM programme from reaching its full potential.
He identified corruption, bribery and mismanagement, diversion of trust funds to administrative and legal costs as well as weak laws as impediments. They had been repeated calls on government to protect the trusts from unscrupulous middle by facilitating their participation major hunting expositions. These annual safari hunters club conventions feature latest in hunting industry, guns, taxidermy and trophy hunting trips.
If the government is serious about achieving bio-diversity, conservation and rural development, it should also urgently review CBNRM Act and Hunting Act.
