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Dead EndA BRIEFING DOCUMENTON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GAME-PROOFFENCE AROUND THE MAKGADIKGADINATIONAL PARK, BOTSWANAwww.eia-international.org

Contents1Expert Advice Disregarded2Maps3Veterinary Fences:Shrouded in Controversy4Conclusions andRecommendations5References6 Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIAExecutive SummaryAcknowledgementsMany thanks to Brian Emmerson and allat Emmerson Press for printing thisbriefing.Emmerson Press: 44 (0)1926 854400This briefing was written and researchedby Craig Gibson, Patricia Hadfield andMary Rice. Picture research and reportdesign by Joaquim Pereira.Printed on recycled paper.The Environmental Investigation Agency(EIA) is an independent, internationalcampaigning organization committed toinvestigating and exposing environmentalcrime. Since 1984, EIA has used pioneeringinvestigative techniques all over the world toexpose the impact of environmental crime andto seek lasting solutions. EIA’s aims are to: Stop illegal trade in endangered speciesAbove:Map of BotswanaAbove right:The fence has cut a swathe through pristine riverine forest inside the park.Front cover photos: backround Craig Gibson, inset, from left to right Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIA, EIA, Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIA. Back cover photo: Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIA. Gain lasting protection for speciesunder threat Protect the shared environment of manand wildlife.www.eia-international.org

Executive Summary Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIAStakeholdersare extremelyconcernedthat thenecessarymitigationmeasureswill not beimplemented.Left:The electrifiedcordon will extendfor 480kmExecutive SummaryThe Salt Pans complex of the MakgadikgadiNational Park is the largest wetland habitat inBotswana, and has been proposed forprotection under the international RamsarConvention. Situated in north-centralBotswana, the saltpans support some of the lasttruly migratory wildlife in northern Botswana,notably blue wildebeest (Connochaetestaurinus) and plains zebra (Equus burchelli). Asignificant number of bird species, including theendangered Wattled Crane (Bugeranuscarunculatus) and seasonal breeding colonies offlamingoes (Phoenicopterus sp.), furtherenhance the ecological diversity of the area.The government of Botswana’s decision to erectan electrified disease control fence around theMakgadikgadi National Park is an attempt toaddress long-standing issues of problemanimals, livestock encroachment and livestockdisease control. The fence will extend for 480kilometres and is intended to limitpredator/livestock conflict that has beset localcommunities adjacent to the Park, but hassignificant implications for the futuremanagement of the Makgadikgadi ecosystemand National Park. In order to assess theimpact of the construction and operation of theproposed fence, the Department of Wildlife andNational Parks (DWNP) commissionedindependent consultants Scott WilsonKirkpatrick and Partners to carry out anEnvironmental Appraisal (EA) of the proposedfence, which included a series of mitigationmeasures that would minimise theenvironmental impact of the project.Fence construction began in 2003 and haslargely disregarded the alignment and themitigation measures as recommended by theEA. Consequently, the majority of the BotetiRiver now lies outside the boundaries of theNational Park, which means that wildlifewithin the park has considerably less access tothe river and its associated water and grazingresources. Local stakeholders are extremelyconcerned that the necessary mitigationmeasures will not be implemented and that theremaining construction phase will be similarlyflawed.The European Union (EU) provides financialand technical assistance to a wide range ofgovernment ministries and departmentsincluding the DWNP. In this instance, the EUco-finances a Wildlife Conservation andManagement Program (WCMP) to the tune of14 million (co-financed between the EuropeanDevelopment Fund and the government ofBotswana).1

Expert Advice DisregardedExpert AdviceDisregardedThe Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick and PartnersEnvironmental Appraisal (EA), submitted inFebruary 2002, was essentially a desk-basedstudy involving a limited fieldwork andconsultation process. In addition, DWNPrequested that Scott Wilson produce anEnvironmental Management Plan (EMP) toaddress all the mitigation measures proposed aspart of the EA.lead to an increase in grass biomass that isexpected to increase the intensity of fires. TheEA strongly recommends that a:"Comprehensive Fire Management Plan bedeveloped, the necessary equipment purchased,the staff and local communities are trained, andthe necessary preventive measures be put inplace."5 To date, no fire management plan hasbeen developed.The Final Report considered it essential that thefollowing management and mitigation measuresbe put in place prior to construction:Community Based NaturalResources Management(CBRNM) DevelopmentWater Resource Management"Viable dry season water provision forwildlife, particularly migratoryspecies."1The EA consultants specifically recommended awater management policy be developed andimplemented as a priority, before the erection ofthe fence. The climate of the Makgadikgadiarea is semi-arid, with water availabilityrestricted in the dry season.2 The alignment ofthe fence along the Boteti River has distortedthe availability of viable dry season water formigratory wildlife in particular. The EArecommended that any plan should includeprovision of pumped water in areas adjacent tothe dry season range for wildlife. It also statedthat: "Wildlife populations will be moreconcentrated around these fewer water pointsavailable to them, with correspondingly higherrisks of predation and degradation of the areasaround them."3 The report indicates that thevegetation is unlikely to withstand the sustainedpressure of resident populations of migratoryspecies.Fire Management"Outbreaks of fire have beenidentified as one of the major risks ofthe proposal to erect the game-prooffence."4Fire is a key feature of the Makgadikgadisystem. Fire management is particularlyrelevant given the generous rains of 2003/2004,which have produced a substantial fuelbiomass. Unmanaged fire events have thepotential to cause significant wildlife mortalityand the destruction of dry season forage.Wildlife is likely to stampede into the fence inan attempt to flee a fire. Furthermore, theexclusion of cattle from the park is likely to2" If surrounding communities areexcluded from wildlife and tourismventures then the viability of theNational Park in the long term seemsdoubtful "6The future viability of tourism operations in thearea in relation to the chosen alignment of thefence is an obvious deficiency of the project.This is particularly evident in the west, whereinsensitive alignment and the apparent omissionof community interests are evident. In the east,contingency plans for resettlement andcompensation does not appear to be at anadvanced stage, considering the timeframes andcomplexity of the local politics surrounding theissue. The EA team recommended: "In theinterest of good relations between the Park andlocal communities, compensation should bemade to all established settlements ”7Alternative routes regarding the alignment havebeen suggested by the EA team" in order toinclude potential CBNRM/tourism sites withinthe fenced area, so that their potential can berealised.”8 The EA also states that: “Withoutenclosing them, their potential will be severelylimited, if not lost."9Park Management Capacity"Fencing will require a substantialdevelopment in park managementcapacity."10The EA states explicitly that: “Overall fencingwill require a substantial development in parkmanagement capacity ”11 and that".dramatic changes in management need to beput in place prior to fence construction thefence is likely to have a negative impact onwildlife unless management plans are put inplace and rigorously implemented.”12

MapsBelow:General context of the area with the recommended eastern alignment of the fence Scott WilsonBelow:Makgadikgadi zebra home ranges depicting the importance of the eastern ‘wet’ season range. Chris Brooks3

Veterinary Fences: Shrouded in Controversy Craig Gibson/Mary Rice/EIAproved similarly fatal to seasonally residentcolonies of Lesser and Greater Flamingos whichbreed on the saline salt flats in the east of thePan complex. Recent reports indicate thewestern fenced portion is already impactingnegatively, with wildlife becoming entangledand trapped between the two fences. As long asthey remain intact, they pose a continued threatto migrating wildlife.15People vs. WildlifeVeterinary Fences:Shrouded in ControversyVeterinary cordon fences are deemed anecessary facet of Botswana's disease controlmeasures that serve the country's exportoriented beef industry. Due to the disruptiveeffect they have on the traditional migratoryroutes of wildlife, these artificial barriers arewidely attributed with the decline in Botswana’scontemporary wildlife populations.13The Makgadikgadi area is already host to anumber of veterinary fences, including thenotorious Kuke cordon fence which accountedfor the deaths of some 65,000 wildebeest in theearly 1980’s.14 Other fences in the area have4 EIAAbove:Wildlife has had amajor impact on thelives of local peopleRight:The insensitivealignment of thefence has alreadyled to significantwildlife mortality inthe west.The longstanding conflict between wildlife andlivestock in the Makgadikgadi area began whenthe Boteti River dried up during the drought inthe 1980’s.16 Since then there has been nonatural body of water to act as a barrier and asa result cattle have been able to encroachillegally into the National Park and wildlifehave, in turn, been able to venture into thevillage areas. Cattle are found in particularlyhigh concentrations along the Boteti where theycompete with wildlife for grazing and water.17In 1991 there were around 150,000 cattle in theMakgadikgadi area,18 with an estimated 32,000head of cattle in the immediate vicinity of thepark (representing just over one percent of thenational cattle population).19 Predation oflivestock, particularly by lions, has become arecurrent event and has estranged the localcommunity from the potential benefits ofconservation and associated wildlife-based ecotourism.