Abstract
This paper assessed human–elephant conflict in the Okavango Delta Panhandle, Botswana, based on semi-structured interviews of the local residents. It further explores a sustainable alternative in which humans and elephants can co-exist. In 2019, the government of Botswana lifted the country’s 5-year hunting ban. It was a controversial policy change on the hunting moratorium. Many global conservationists argued that the change would have devastating effects on elephant populations in Africa. Local people lauded the decision as a way to protect their livelihoods. Assessment of people’s experiences is significant in identifying the socio-ecological landscape related to wildlife conservation. The data from this study are augmented by global media articles on human–elephant conflict. This paper employs a systems thinking approach in rethinking how human and elephants can co-exist and imagines the potential for a sustainable alternative through ecopedagogy.
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Source: Sesinyi (2020)
Source: Author’s work, 2014. Courtesy of the Okavango Research Institute in Maun, Botswana
Source: Author’s work, 2021
Source: Author’s work, 2021
Source: Author’s work, 2021
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Notes
Anthropocene is the geological epoch whereby human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and environment. https://vimeo.com/showcase/5632667/video/307080035 It is an era of marked human impact on the world.
1 USD is equivalent to 10.68 Botswana Pula (BWP). Retrieved from https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=BWP
The data that are presented in this paper emerged from the author’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) dissertation titled “The Integration of Environmental Education in the Secondary School Curriculum: A Case Study of a 10th Grade Junior Secondary School Curriculum in the Okavango Delta, Botswana”.
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Acknowledgements
The author would like to recognize insights provided by all participants. They provided their time and energy during field work. Professor Bruce Martin, from the department of Recreation and Sport Pedagogy at Ohio University, played an important role in reading the draft of this manuscript.
Funding
This work was funded by The Patton College of Education (IRB 14E121) at Ohio University in USA and supported by the Government of Botswana (Reference EWT/36/14XXVI(94).
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Velempini, K. About the human–elephant conflict in Botswana, what did people in the Okavango Delta panhandle have to say from their experience?. Socio Ecol Pract Res 3, 411–425 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00100-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00100-8