Expanding Our Southern Africa Impact Agenda
We are expanding our impact agenda in Southern Africa, with Go2Africa pledging financial support for projects run by CLAWS and Ecoexist in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) is a vast region, spanning five countries and home to more than half of the world’s remaining savanna elephants. Within KAZA lies the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its seasonal floods that transform the Kalahari Desert into a haven for biodiversity. This intricate landscape of marshlands, floodplains, and community-managed land is a critical lifeline for both wildlife and local communities, who depend on its resources. However, the coexistence of people and wildlife is fraught with challenges, including competition for land, water, and food creating human-wildlife conflict. Addressing these complexities, Go2Africa has partnered with two grassroots organisations who are already making a difference and who share our community-led approach.
Partnering with CLAWS: Livestock Protection and Community Prosperity
In the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta, CLAWS works to bridge the divide between communities and wildlife, working to address the intricate challenges of human-wildlife conflict, particularly between livestock and predators like lions. Their strategy integrates traditional herding practices with modern conservation science to promote coexistence.
A cornerstone of CLAWS' approach is their communal herding program, which employs regenerative grazing techniques. By organizing cattle from multiple owners into communal herds, managed by trained eco-rangers, they implement planned grazing systems that mimic natural wildlife movements. This method enhances pasture health, prevents overgrazing, and facilitates the restoration of degraded rangelands. Additionally, the use of mobile bomas (movable enclosures) protects livestock from nocturnal predators and enriches soil fertility through the natural deposition of manure.
Their work not only safeguards livelihoods and reduces human-wildlife conflict, but also opens economic opportunities by promoting wildlife-friendly beef that meets international standards.
Go2Africa’s initial $10,000 contribution to CLAWS will support their herding program, alongside the training and equipping of eco-rangers who will manage these herds around the clock.
Collaborating with Ecoexist: Human-Elephant Coexistence
The Panhandle of the Okavango Delta presents another critical challenge, the coexistence of people and the world’s largest free-roaming elephant population. Ecoexist works to mitigate human-elephant conflict by promoting conservation agriculture and creating economic opportunities linked to elephants.
Employing a multifaceted approach that combines scientific research with community engagement, they conduct extensive tracking of elephant movements to identify critical corridors and inform land-use planning. By understanding these patterns, Ecoexist assists communities in implementing land management strategies that reduce human-elephant conflicts.
By training farmers in techniques that protect crops from elephant raids and increases yields, Ecoexist enhances food security in this fragile ecosystem. Additionally, the organisation is developing markets for “Elephant Aware” produce and crafts, helping communities turn the challenges of living with elephants into economic benefits.
One such initiative is the Xoa Elephant Dung Paper Making Group, which transforms elephant dung into unique paper products creating a sustainable livelihood for local artisans. Go2Africa’s funding will help bring these products to market, including sponsoring the creation of a product lookbook. This outreach aims to connect local craftspeople with buyers, particularly within the safari market, strengthening the link between tourism and community-driven conservation.