​The 3rd Botswana Biodiversity Symposium was held at the Kalahari Arms Hotel in Ghanzi over 9-11 March 2020. The three day event was organized by the National Taxonomy Committee (NTC) and was sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, and the Botswana National Museum and featured two days of presentations from those conducting research and conservation within Botswana. 
 
The primary aim of the biennial symposium is to highlight the importance of biodiversity and to allow various stakeholders to share their recent developments and research findings related to biodiversity in Botswana. The 2020 symposium was convened under the theme “Biodiversity mainstreaming for healthy ecosystems and green economy through science and technology”. By providing a platform for national biodiversity experts to network, as well as allowing opportunities for various institutions to showcase their activities through presentations, the symposium also gives a rare chance to create more insight into how to reduce the negative impacts that human activities exert on biodiversity. 
 
Among the 60 people in attendance over the two presentation days of the symposium, CCB was represented by a team of eight staff members – with three members giving presentations related to CCB’s work in the region. Morulaganyi Kokole, of our Farming for Conservation department, presented the results of his MSc. research on predator occupancy and the human-wildlife conflict in Jwana Game Park; while CCB’s PhD Candidate, Marie-Charlotte Gielen, gave a presentation on her preliminary PhD data on wildlife-livestock cohabitation in Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). CCB’s Research Coordinator Michelle Kral presented on the usage of a carnivore deterrents to reduce human-wildlife conflict on commercial cattle ranches in Ghanzi district.
 
As an important pillar to the work we do as an organization, research allows CCB to not only remain relevant in contemporary dialogue around matters of conservation and biodiversity, but to also influence future work in strategy and policy development in Botswana and regionally. Through engagements with other entities which had presentations at the symposium, such as the UNDP, University of Botswana, and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), we can continue to fortify our work toward promoting coexistence using the multiple avenues available to us including research and education. 

​The Farming for Conservation (FFC) department of the organization is showing great signs of improvement with its Livestock Guarding Dog (LGD) programme. The programme is part of our carnivore-safe farming strategies which enable farmers to develop their ability to coexist with carnivores. As of the first quarter of 2020, the number of active dogs placed and monitored by CCB stands at an impressive 53. These dogs are living with and assisting farmers in our communities of operation in the Ghanzi district. 
 
The 21 dogs which were monitored in the first quarter were found to be in remarkably good health, which attests to both the training given to the farmers regarding their care, as well as the conditions these farms are kept in. Prior to being assigned to farms, the dogs are trained as puppies at the CCB demonstration farm in Ghanzi. 
 
At present, there are 11 puppies in initial training. These puppies are expected to be placed with their farmers during the month of April when they are ready – all conditions permitting. Due to the proven success of the LGD programme, CCB is dealing with a back log of requests from farmers. As a result, a dual training model is to be trialled where some puppies are placed with 3 of our model farmers, while others undergo training at CCB’s demonstration farm. 
 
We hope that through working with farmers who have experience working with LGDs we will be able to shorten the lag between puppies being available for training and for placement with farmers. Additionally, this approach will enabled us to train a good number of dogs at a time without crowding them in one kraal – which often poses management challenges, including increased chances of disease outbreaks and parasite loads. The organization is proud of the FFC department’s work, and thankful to all the stakeholders – especially our model farmers – who continue to contribute to the success of this programme aimed at promoting farmer wealth and coexistence with wildlife. 

​On the 27th of February, members of the CCB Farming for Conservation (FFC) team visited Kalkfontein Primary School in the western region of Botswana. The purpose of the visit was to hand over a donation of two female goats to the school. The donation was made as part of an event hosted by the school, which was attended by the Kgosi (Chief) as well as students, teachers, non-teaching staff, the Parent Teacher Association, members of the village community and representatives from the Botswana Police Services, Social and Community Development Office, and Village Development Committee
The event was held under the theme, “Enhancing Student Learning through Practical Work”. The inspiration for the donation stemmed from an engagement which took place in 2018 when Standard 7 students from the school attended one of the CCB conservation bush camps. Conducted under the Education, Engagement and Awareness-Raising department, these bush camps are designed to build interest in participants and provide a holistic view of conservation. The Kalkfontein students and their subject teachers in 2018 saw an opportunity to extend the bush camp learning to their school and requested assistance from CCB to do so. 
 
The goats will serve as practical teaching aids for Agriculture students at the school. It is hoped that the two goats are only the start of small stock donations to be made to the school, as there have been additional pledges made by village community members. For CCB, this collaboration serves as a fitting expansion of our Environment and Awareness-Raising programs, and it is encouraging to see communities actively engaging with us this way. Through occasional visits by the FFC team, CCB will continue to have contact with the school and monitor the progress of this initiative. We reciprocate the school management’s gratitude for the donation and hope to nurture a long lasting relationship with them and their students as we continue to work toward promoting coexistence.

​Fostering skills in youth and farming communities remains a key component of the work that CCB does. In light of this, on the 28th of February, CCB joined forces with the Ghanzi Department of Youth to train recent grantees of the Youth Development Fund (YDF) operating in agriculture related fields. The fund, administered by the government of Botswana under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, aims to provide much needed capital to youth-run and youth-led initiatives in an effort to alleviate poverty across the country. 
 
Africa has the largest youth quotient worldwide and Botswana is no exception in this regard. Unfortunately, while the number of young people is high, so too is the rate of unemployment within this demographic. As such, initiatives like the YDF help mitigate the gap between job seeking and job creation. Attended by 41 participants, the workshop also featured various other key stakeholders such as Botswana Police Services, Departments of Agricultural Business Promotion, Forestry and Range Resources, Wildlife and National Parks, Veterinary Services and Animal Production. Each organization gave a presentation on subjects relating to optimized livestock production, management and business acumen – including record keeping. 
 
CCB gave a detailed presentation on predator-safe livestock farming with particular emphasis on the use of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) as a method which has proven to be very successful among many of those who have implemented it. Our work with LGDs has shown remarkable progress with a notable rise in the desire for trained puppies among the farming communities. Other important topics included rangeland management, livestock diseases, and alerting the grantees to factors which contribute to livestock theft. By leading such interventions, CCB hopes to continue to build partnerships with other organizations and strengthen its relationships with farmers to truly promote coexistence while encouraging independent livelihoods among the communities we work in. We remain grateful to state departments which collaborate with us on projects like these workshops.