CCB would like to introduce our new staff members, who joined us in March to increase our capacity in our Communities for Conservation (C4C) department. Refilwe Baatweng joins us as our new Communities for Conservation Officer. Refilwe graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences from the University of Botswana (UB) with majors in economics and environmental science. As an alumnus of the UB Wildlife and Environment Conservation Society and with experience with Kalahari Research and Conservation, Ghanzi District Council and the Ghanzi Land Board, her passion lies in raising consciousness on environmental issues at the grassroots level. As our C4C officer, Refilwe will support the design, implementation and monitoring of our community activities, including educational activities like school talks and environmental bush camps. Refilwe is joined by Titus Thabo Thomba, who is our new C4C Intern. Titus has a Bachelor of Science from the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and a post-graduate certificate in Urban Nature-based Solutions. He has completed internships with the Department of Forestry and Range Resources, Department of Wildlife and National Parks and Botswana Envirolife Trust. Titus is particularly passionate about restoration ecology – an interest that will put him in good stead to tackle agricultural-based landscape degradation issues in our target areas. We welcome Refilwe and Titus to the team and send them our best wishes as they settle into their new roles!
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CCB’s Farming for Conservation department showcases predator-smart farming concepts during celebration days around the country. This allows us to reach farmers outside of our target area with techniques that can help farmers coexist with carnivores like cheetahs. CCB recently took part at the World Wildlife Day Commemorations on the 3rd of March 2023. The commemoration took place in Ghanzi under the custodianship of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, under the theme ‘’Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”.
CCB set up an information stall which included a miniature demonstration farm, complete with two sheep, five goats, one fully trained LGD and six puppies in training. The demonstration farm exhibit showcased the practicalities of using dogs as a possible non-lethal predator control strategy in livestock farming. When CCB began work in the Kalahari, only 5% of smallstock (goat and sheep) farmers were using LGDs. A similar survey conducted in 2022 found that number has increased to 40%. This technique is growing in popularity amongst farmers and their effectiveness at reducing human-wildlife conflict drives us to promote their use to farmers whenever possible. CCB gave a brief speech about carnivore-smart farming, outlining the relevance and importance of the working in partnership with various other stakeholders towards effective conservation of Botswana’s wildlife species and the natural environment. The event was graced by the Honourable Member of Parliament for Ghanzi North, the Ghanzi District Commissioner, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Director and US-Embassy Representatives. In addition, CCB’s team hosted a stall at the Southern Beef Farmers’ Field Day, which was held on the 31stMarch and the 1st April in Jwaneng, the first time it has been held since COVID-19. The theme for this year’s event was “increasing the national herd – unpacking the beef value chain”. The event was attended by over 500 farmers, and key government officials, including the President of the Republic of Botswana Dr. M.E.K. Masisi. In addition to the CCB staff delegation, CCB sponsored 22 members of the Southern Livestock Farmers Network to attend the event, all of which had the opportunity to learn about advancements in the industry and share their coexistence knowledge with other farmers. CCB has received a grant from the US Embassy for their Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. The project sees CCB partnering with communities to investigate wildlife-based economic opportunities for diversifying livelihoods, building capacity for sustainable development and encouraging the preservation of the Western Kalahari wilderness area. This unique approach sees wildlife conservation working hand in hand with cultural preservation. The Kalahari San communities that share this landscape with cheetahs have a unique connection with the land. Since the start of the year, CCB staff have been working with the communities in the villages of Bere, Kacgae, East Hanahai and West Hanahai to form Indigenous Knowledge reference groups. These groups of volunteers, endorsed by the communities at large, include elders and members of the community who are particularly knowledgeable and passionate about the preservation of San indigenous knowledge (IK). Following the establishment of the groups in March, each IK reference group (one for each of the settlements) held their first meetings to map the course of activities to meet the goals of the project. Some areas of interest identified by community members are history, storytelling, dance, hunting, sculpting, music, and veld product identification and harvesting.
We share the communities’ excitement about this development and look forward to helping support the groups with a range of activities over the upcoming years. We are thrilled that livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are becoming so popular amongst farmers in Botswana. We are contacted by so many farmers wanting trained LGD puppies though, that this need has been difficult to meet at times. This is especially true this past year, while our demo farm was locked down due to a nation-wide parvovirus outbreak.
As CCB prepares for the move to the our new farm, we need to establish an area where we are able to not only train our LGD puppies, but also provide for any healthcare related needs that arise. The new LGD facility will provide both housing for puppies undergoing training before their placement with farmers, but also a hygienic quarantine facility for new puppies coming in. The facility will be a useful addition to our demonstration farm initiative, and the quarantine facility will be critical to reducing the risk of disease transfer to our demostration farm. For this year’s mid-year fundraiser, CCB aims to raise the funds needed to build our new LGD Puppy Training and Care facility at the new CCB farm in Ghanzi. In 2021 you helped us raise $8,000 to provide food for the LTP playgroup in Kacgae – can you help us reach our goal this year? We are aiming to raise $15,000 before 4th August 2023 to help us build this exciting new facility. Features of the new LGD Facility
With Phase 1 of our new camp construction already financed and awaiting commencement, being able to have funding to enable the LGD facility to be constructed alongside the other developments will ensure that the new premises are ready for use as soon as possible. We thank you in advance of any support you can offer! |
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January 2024
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