WILD BW: ODE TO BWPA AND NCONGO: WHEN AN INDUSTRY LOOKS OUT FOR ITSELF.

Oshinka Tsiang

It was an eclectic group of mostly men from the different parts of the Ngamiland district, the Chobe, Gantsi, parts of the Kgalagadi, North West, and Boteti, representing the different community based organisations who sat steadfastly listening to the consultant as he meticulously unpacked the various clauses in the CBNRM act, their meaning, their implications and what the obligations of the CBOs were. The meeting was conducted entirely in Setswana, ensuring that even the most illiterate would have no excuse of not understanding. The, consultant is a highly experienced former senior official at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, with the backing of one of Botswana’s top legal firms. This is the length that the hunting organisation, Botswana Wildlife Producers Association (BWPA) working with the Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations has gone to guarantee a successful implementation of the newly enacted Community Based Natural Resources, (CBNRM) Act even with its glaring gaps. These are the folks who have more to loose from any botched implementation of this act seeing that the hunting business attracts so much unfair vitriol from distracters around the world.  So, the hunting community in their determination to ensure absolute compliance with both the Act and the regulations, convened as many of the CBOs as they can, including those who have no links with NCONGO to capacitate them on the law and to engage the department responsible for implementing it.    And just as well. A tacit reading of both the primary law and the regulations reveals a very strict regulatory regime for Community Based Organisations. It is a regime born out of prolonged frustrations with governance, deep elements of corruption and greed and often questionable beneficiation of those who are supposedly the custodians of the natural resources whose utilisation the act seeks to govern. With the added unrelenting attack on hunting, especially trophy hunting, the hunting community does not want to leave anything to chance. They are determined to ensure that all the CBOs meet every requirement administratively and socially as imposed under the primary and secondary legislation. The first obligation is to ensure their registration status under the new act, then there is the administrative rigmarole of mobilising community members, keeping impeccable records, providing audited reports, submission of reports every three months, demonstration of prudent use of funds for community development and demonstration of transparency, among other obligations. They are up against it because failure at any step can mean cessation of quota for the following hunting season.

It is an initiative that clearly demonstrates what is possible when the locals become accountable for their own industry without having to wait for the state to dictate the pace of implementation. As it turns out, the hunting community initiated the consultation process and are determined to ensure the momentum rolls on by forming a structure that deals with the affairs of the CBOs. This is a structure that was sought for during discussions on the CBNRM act but was never considered.

BWPA and NCONGO will not be deterred. They are working towards creating a solid voice that will capacitate not just the CBOs but lay the foundation for a viable wildlife economy through empowering members across the whole value chain. Top on their menu is to ensure compliance with the experimental special lion hunting quotas for 2026 that is meant to enable communities play a significant role in mitigating human wildlife conflict. Such compliance will inform the future of lion management in Botswana.  It’s a new initiative informed by the Non Detrimental Finding (NDF) study with recommendations for lion management through controlled lion trophy hunting.  NCONGO and BWPA have thus taken the mantle to be proactive in facilitating this initiative. This is very commendable especially when one considers that the Government has publicly announced that BTO, Botswana Tourism Organisation has been mandated to promote hunting tourism. It is gratifying to see the industry taking the lead. That in my opinion is the mark of a society taking charge of its destiny. A society that realises that it has everything it takes to solve its own problems. A society that is prepared to make its own mistakes, learn and move forward. Their efforts also go a long way in supporting the newly formed department of CBNRM to hit the ground running at a time when government coffers are depleted. Of course a lot still has to be done to mobilise all stakeholders to support the wildlife economy. But the early shoots are quite promising. And by the way, this was done without any of the usual foreign NGOs or their local ilk involved. Just as well. When you want something done right, you do it yourself. (E a re go tlogelwa tsatsing).