What we do
OUR MISSION:
"To conserve the Kalahari’s unique wilderness and cultural heritage through community based conservation action.”
The KWT has been formed to secure support for its existing and planned work relating to the conservation of the Kalahari's fast disappearing natural and cultural heritage.
Botswana's unprotected wilderness areas are shrinking at an alarming rate, jeopardizing not only local communities and wildlife, but also the relatively small protected areas dependent on spatial connectivity with these surrounding areas.
If the Park and Reserves were to become isolated land units, they would simply be unable to sustain their current wildlife diversity and biomass, with major repurcussion for the ability of Botswana's tourism industry to remain competitive and support its citizens.
For Parks containing semi-arid habitat that is inherently low in wildlife carrying capacity such as the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, it is particularly important to preserve connectivity with adjacent, more biologically productive areas.
The Kalahari - one of earth's largest remaining wildlife migration areas, and the unique cultural heritage of its inhabitants - are in danger of disappearing forever unless swift action is taken to reverse the current trends.
Through its people-centred approach, the KWT aims to go beyond merely preserving what remains of this heritage, but to rehabilitate and revitalize the natural and cultural landscapes that make the Kalahari wilderness increasingly valuable on a global scale.
Botswana is uniquely positioned, on account of its low human population (approximately 2.3 million) and vast untransformed vegetation areas, to recover significantly towards the huge migratory wildlife biomass characteristic of the 1960's and 1970's when these spectacles were witnessed by the tourism industry's early pioneers. Indeed it is the Botswana of old that still drives its current day reputation.
Through targeted community support and creative land use planning, it is still technically possible - and not too late - to reverse to a significant extent the catastrophic collapse of wildlife biomass that has taken place since the early 1980's due to the combined effects of veterinary fencing, drought and loss of access (for migratory herbivores) to important seasonal calving and feeding areas.
By unlocking the true economic potential of the Kalahari's vast untransformed landscapes - as a globally significant and increasingly rare "commodity" - Botswana's tourism industry can far exceed the current expectations placed on it in terms of revenue generation, employment creation and contribution towards rural livelihood security.
OUR VISION:
"Vast, untransformed wild landscapes, supporting abundant migratory wildlife and vibrant, healthy human communities,
offering unparalleled experiences for international travellers"
The KWT is focused on 6 key areas of work in pursuit of its vision:
"To conserve the Kalahari’s unique wilderness and cultural heritage through community based conservation action.”
The KWT has been formed to secure support for its existing and planned work relating to the conservation of the Kalahari's fast disappearing natural and cultural heritage.
Botswana's unprotected wilderness areas are shrinking at an alarming rate, jeopardizing not only local communities and wildlife, but also the relatively small protected areas dependent on spatial connectivity with these surrounding areas.
If the Park and Reserves were to become isolated land units, they would simply be unable to sustain their current wildlife diversity and biomass, with major repurcussion for the ability of Botswana's tourism industry to remain competitive and support its citizens.
For Parks containing semi-arid habitat that is inherently low in wildlife carrying capacity such as the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, it is particularly important to preserve connectivity with adjacent, more biologically productive areas.
The Kalahari - one of earth's largest remaining wildlife migration areas, and the unique cultural heritage of its inhabitants - are in danger of disappearing forever unless swift action is taken to reverse the current trends.
Through its people-centred approach, the KWT aims to go beyond merely preserving what remains of this heritage, but to rehabilitate and revitalize the natural and cultural landscapes that make the Kalahari wilderness increasingly valuable on a global scale.
Botswana is uniquely positioned, on account of its low human population (approximately 2.3 million) and vast untransformed vegetation areas, to recover significantly towards the huge migratory wildlife biomass characteristic of the 1960's and 1970's when these spectacles were witnessed by the tourism industry's early pioneers. Indeed it is the Botswana of old that still drives its current day reputation.
Through targeted community support and creative land use planning, it is still technically possible - and not too late - to reverse to a significant extent the catastrophic collapse of wildlife biomass that has taken place since the early 1980's due to the combined effects of veterinary fencing, drought and loss of access (for migratory herbivores) to important seasonal calving and feeding areas.
By unlocking the true economic potential of the Kalahari's vast untransformed landscapes - as a globally significant and increasingly rare "commodity" - Botswana's tourism industry can far exceed the current expectations placed on it in terms of revenue generation, employment creation and contribution towards rural livelihood security.
OUR VISION:
"Vast, untransformed wild landscapes, supporting abundant migratory wildlife and vibrant, healthy human communities,
offering unparalleled experiences for international travellers"
The KWT is focused on 6 key areas of work in pursuit of its vision:
- Wildlife Habitat Conservation: improving habitat connectivity for free-ranging wildlife by removing unnecessary artificial barriers; promoting alternatives to livestock and integrated approaches to wildlife and livestock landuse activity; the restoration of historical wildlife corridors to trigger recovery in steadily declining wildlife species whilst providing largescale community tourism enterprize development opportunities.
- Community Focused Tourism: implementing practical, low-impact community tourism enterprises centred around the Kalahari's 'Unique Selling Points' of wilderness and culture, to diversify rural livelihood income whilst maintaining and rehabilitating the supporting ecosystems.
- Participatory Mapping: training communities to map their cultural and ecological landscape, to empower them to: communicate their traditional knowledge systems, participate in land use planning, and secure access to - and effectively conserve - vital resources.
- Livelihood Security: promoting diverse, ecologically-compatible activities that foster human well being and reduce unhealthy dependencies on welfare support.
- Water Solutions: access to improved supplies of clean drinking water to reduce dependencies on boreholes.
- Oral History: Documentation of community oral histories to assist in the preservation, for future generations, of the unique cultural heritage of the Kalahari's inhabitants.