Project

Managing the human-wildlife interface to sustain the flow of agro-ecosystem services and prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in the Kgalagadi and Ghanzi Drylands

Lead country

Botswana

Participating countries

Botswana

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From November 1, 2017 to November 1, 2024

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning
  2. 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  3. 15.7 End wildlife poaching, illegal species trafficking

Project ID: 5590

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Technical team

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Ecosystem management and restoration

Sub-area(s)

  • Agrobiodiversity
  • Ecosystem-based adaptation
  • Wildlife conservation

Landscape(s)

  • Conserved areas
  • Forests

Sub-landscape(s)

  • Productive landscapes/Seascapes
  • Dryland forests

Transformed sector(s)

  • Agriculture
  • Livestock
  • Tourism

UNDP role(s)

  • Convening / Partnerships / Knowledge Sharing

Strategy

  • Management operation
  • Governance
  • Capacity building

Sub-strategy

  • Wildlife and habitat conservation
  • Sustainable land management
  • Ecosystem mitigation and adaptation
  • Laws enforcement/ Regulation
  • Surveillance & Compliance
  • Institutional framework
  • Sustainable agriculture practices and use of resources (TP 2, 7, 8, 9)
  • Institutional capacity building
  • Community capacity building

Social inclusion

  • Local community/CSOs
  • Private sector

Gender equality

  • Gender-responsive policies
  • Awareness raising (on gender)

Gender result effectiveness scale

  • Gender targeted

Pathway(s)

  • Systems pathway
  • People pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Reduce exposure
  • Hazard control/mitigation

SDG target(s)

  • 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning
  • 15.5 Reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, extinction
  • 15.7 End wildlife poaching, illegal species trafficking

Conventions and protocols

N/A

Private sector(s)

  • Individuals/Entrepreneurs
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Large corporations

Hot topic

  • Structural/system transformation
  • Food and agricultural commodities strategy

About this project

Description

Project Summary: Natural resources management in the Kalahari landscape is characterised by competition and conflict between conservation goals, economic development and livelihoods. Home to large herds of angulates and iconic predators, the landscape was dominated by low density wildlife with hunter gatherer livelihoods until borehole farming enabled cattle ranching a few decades ago. The consequent rangeland degradation and ecosystem fragmentation threatens wildlife and economic development. Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) meant to support wildlife-based economic activities and secure migratory corridors linking the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve continue to be lost to livestock encroachment, due to delayed gazettement. Wildlife is under additional threat from poaching, wildlife poisoning and illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The recent ban on hunting has reduced benefits from CBNRM (which in the context of Botswana has largely been based on consumptive use (i.e. hunting) of wildlife, reducing incentives for conservation. Stakeholders lack the planning tools, institutional coordination and operational capacities to balance competing needs and optimise environment, socio and economic outcomes. In particular there is weak coordination in tackling poaching, wildlife poisoning and IWT, weak capacities for improving rangeland management and limited incentives for local communities to protect wildlife. The project will remove these barriers using the following strategies: Coordinating capacity for combating wildlife crime/trafficking and enforcement of wildlife policies and regulations at district, national and international levels (Component 1); Integrated landscape management practices at community and resource-use levels to reduce competition between land-uses and increase agro-ecosystem productivity (component 2); Development of CBNRM for conservation and SLM to secure livelihoods and biodiversity (component 3); and, Gender mainstreaming, knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation (Component 4).

Objectives

To promote an integrated landscape approach to managing Kgalagadi and Ghanzi drylands for ecosystem resilience, improved livelihoods and reduced conflicts between wildlife conservation and livestock production.

USD $6,146,789

Grant amount

USD $22,500,000

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Sources of fund

 

  • Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($6,146,789)

Implementing partner(s)

  • Government of Botswana

Project metrics

Outcome 1:

Increased national and District level capacity to tackle wildlife crime (including poaching, wildlife poisoning and illegal trafficking and trade)

 Indicators:

Extent to which legal or policy or institutional frameworks are in place for conservation, sustainable use, and access and benefit sharing of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems
Number of additional people (f/m) benefitting from i) supply chains, ecotourism ventures ii) mainstreaming SLM practices in the communal areas
Rates/levels of Human-Wildlife Conflict (especially wildlife-livestock predation) in the project sites
Indicator 4: Rates of inspections or cases, seizures, arrests and successful prosecutions of wildlife cases
Indicator 5: Capacity of wildlife management institutions and law enforcement agencies to tackle IWT (UNDP Capacity Scorecard)
Indicator 6: Number of value chains and ecotourism ventures operationalized
Indicator 7: Percentage increase in incomes derived from ecotourism and value chains
Indicator 8: Number of CSO, community and academia members actively engaged in wildlife crime monitoring and surveillance in community battalions
Indicator 10: Area of community lands integrating SLM practices
Indicator 11: Yields of three lead/most commonly grown crops
Indicator 12: Functionality of integrated landscape land use planning and management framework
Indicator 13: Capacity scores for NRM institutions (DWNP, DFRR, DEA)
Indicator 9: Area of landscape/ecosystem being managed as wildlife corridors (WMAs formally established) KD1, 2, GH 10, 11)
Indicator 14: % of women participating in and benefiting from the project activities
Indicator 15: Number of the project lessons used in development and implementation of other IWT and landscape management and conservation projects

Outcome 2:

Incentives and systems for wildlife protection by communities increase financial returns from natural resources exploitation and reduce human wildlife conflicts, securing livelihoods and biodiversity in the Kalahari landscape
Outcome 3:

Integrated landscape planning in the conservation areas and SLM practices in communal lands secures wildlife migratory corridors and increased productivity of rangelands, reducing competition between land-uses and increasing ecosystem integrity of the Kalahari ecosystem

Outcome 4:

Gender mainstreaming, Lessons learned by the project through participatory M&E are used to guide adaptive management, collate and share lessons, in support of up scaling.

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Project reports and documentation

 

Project Document (ProDoc)