About the human–elephant conflict in Botswana, what did people in the Okavango Delta panhandle have to say from their experience?
- Resource Type
- Original Paper
- Authors
- Velempini, Kgosietsile
- Source
- Socio-Ecological Practice Research. 3(4):411-425
- Subject
- Human–elephant conflict
Systems thinking
Ecopedagogy
Okavango Delta panhandle
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2524-5279
2524-5287
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.