It’s official, the Kalahari Crafts and Cultural Centre (KCCC) in Kacgae has opened its doors! After two years of planning, training, and construction, this landmark project – executed under the Government of Botswana and UNDP Kgalagadi Ghanzi Drylands Ecosystem Project (KGDEP) – has finally come to life. Designed as both an economic and cultural hub for local artisans, the KCCC provides a dedicated space to showcase and sell handmade crafts, support sustainable livelihoods, and celebrate the rich heritage of the western Kalahari.

At the official launch in June, the Centre was formally handed over to the Xwiskurusa Trust, who will take the lead on managing its operations. The event, officiated by Minister  brought together community members, partners, and stakeholders to mark this exciting milestone – and to celebrate the collective effort that made it possible.
 
The shop shelves are already brimming with beautiful beadwork, embroidery, woodwork, leather goods, and more – all of them crafted by artisans from our partner villages who trained with craft facilitator Sandi Albertson of Wild Artefacts. The contagious excitement even before the displays were fully set up saw the Trust make their first official sale – a stunning, hand-carved wooden walking stick purchased on the spot by CCB’s own Jane Horgan, who couldn’t resist the urge to splurge while checking on the shop’s progress.
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With travellers already stopping in to browse and buy – thanks to its prime location off the A2 Trans-Kalahari Highway, 160km south of Ghanzi – we’re excited to partner with the communities in the growth of the Centre as a destination in its own right. For local artisans, it offers not only income and recognition, but a chance to share their culture, preserve traditional skills, and help reduce pressure on wildlife through alternative livelihoods.

In June, we proudly celebrated a major milestone for one of CCB’s long-time staff members: a successful PhD defence by Dr. Marie-Charlotte Gielen, who spent years working alongside our team to study wildlife numbers, habitat and movements in the western Kalahari through their tracks..

​Marie’s research focused on the effectiveness of wildlife corridors in the Ghanzi District – critical pathways that allow large carnivores and other species to move safely through increasingly fragmented landscape. Her work combined spatial data analysis, mapping with habitat suitability models, and extensive fieldwork using track surveys (counting wildlife footprints along roadways) to estimate animal population densities. To ensure the most accurate estimates, Marie and her team tracked individuals from key wildlife species over 24-hour periods to update the average daily distances they move. This refinement improved the statistical models used for population calculations – making her work the most accurate application of this method to date.

n total, for her track surveys, Marie drove about 20,000 km, camped nearly 6 months in the wilderness, and recorded over 25,357 wildlife tracks. Her trusty 1997 Toyota Hilux Surf became an all-in-one research base: transport, bed, office, and lifeline in the harsh Kalahari terrain. The rugged conditions took their toll, requiring nearly EUR 6000 in repairs just to keep the vehicle going, but the results were well worth it. Thanks to her efforts, we now have detailed population estimates and habitat suitability maps for six large carnivores (lions, leopards, cheetahs, brown hyenas, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs) and seven large herbivores (blue wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, greater kudu, ostrich, red hartebeest, and springbok).

She also meticulously mapped all cattlepost locations within the corridor – highlighting areas where livestock and carnivore populations overlap. This is critical data that supports our planning for coexistence strategies and helps us prioritise communities most at risk of human-wildlife conflict. Even better, her findings are already influencing policy. Insights from her PhD have contributed to national conservation documents, including Integrated Land Use Management Plan for Ghanzi and Kgalagadi Districts​. Her work is helping shape landscape-level strategies for coexistence not only within CCB, but across conservation efforts in GH10, GH11, and beyond – connecting cheetah populations between the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Marie’s PhD, awarded through the UCLouvain in Brussels, Belgium, represents not just years of dedication, but the kind of science that can be applied for tangible impact. We’re thrilled to see her success recognised, and even more excited that she’s already exploring future research opportunities in Botswana. Congratulations, Dr. Gielen, your work has already left indelible tracks across the Kalahari.