An Overview Of Our Solution
Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) has developed a conservation program focusing on reducing carnivore / livestock conflict and improving the attitudes of farming communities and their methods of carnivore control. In protected areas, cheetahs are often out-competed by stronger carnivores and pushed onto marginal land where they come into conflict with livestock farmers. Conservation of cheetah and other carnivores depends on the attitudes of these farming communities. Through community outreach, education and research, CCB works to ensure the survival of cheetah, and its habitat, ensuring the spirit of the Kalahari, its wildlife and culture, remains for future generations.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
À but non lucratif
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Grasslands
Population impacted
500 farmers annually
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
n/a
Production quantity
n/a
People employed
6 people
Solution
Describe your solution
CCB runs residential workshops at the CCB’s Tiisano Education Centre, located on a sustainably run 18,000ha cattle farm including a livestock guarding dog demonstration. These bring farmers and relevant stakeholders together to provide training in carnivore identification, assessing livestock losses and techniques to reduce carnivore conflict. As well as these larger workshops, a mobile workshop is taken into outlying communities by community outreach officers to reach more remote areas. Information on effective range/livestock management and non-lethal carnivore control is distributed to communities during all site visits, workshops, events and via Farmers Associations and village networks.
Livestock guarding dog puppies are trained at our demonstration farm and placed with farmers experiencing carnivore conflict. CCB conducted a survey regarding the effectiveness of the Livestock Guarding Dog program, surveying 232 farmers who had participated in this program. The initial results are promising, with 84% of farmers using dogs reporting a high reduction in the amount of livestock they were losing to carnivores since getting the dogs. Farmers that were losing 20 to 40 livestock a year to carnivores are now losing 0-2 livestock per year. The average savings for farmers was about US$2,000 per year.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
Range, livestock and conflict management training workshops
Workshops bring farmers & relevant stakeholders together to discuss range, livestock and conflict management techniques. Mobile workshops are conducted in villages and remote settlements. Increasing the capacity of farmers on how to identify different carnivores is important as it allows appropriate management methods to be implemented.
Placement of livestock guarding dogs
Livestock guarding dog puppies are brought to the CCB demonstration farm and cared for by CCB until 3 months of age. Here they bond with the livestock & learn how to protect the herd. They are then placed out with farmers experiencing high levels of conflict. The household members are trained in the dog’s care. The dogs are large indigenous Tswana breeds to insure adaptation to the environment & good immunity to local diseases. Recipient farmers are provided with free veterinary care once a year.
Maintenance of demonstration farms
CCB runs a demonstration farm at the CCB training centre. At this site farmers and members of public are able to visit and get assistance on setting up their own operation, including sourcing effective dogs, advice on training, care and maintenance. At all of the training workshops for farmers, teachers and children the demonstration site is incorporated into the training to promote effective techniques and appropriate implementation. In addition to the CCB demonstration farm, through the farmers’ network, willing and able farmers are supported with technical advice to manage their own farms as active demonstration sites of good practices for their peers.
Farmers Network
A network exists to share best practices, successes and challenges. This assists with spreading knowledge among community members. In addition chiefs, elders, village development committees, local authorities & government institutions are engaged as partners to promote more sustainable farming practices and influence change.
External connections
Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism- CCB regularly partners with the Department of Wildlife to provide support for improved livestock management to mitigate human carnivore conflict. Our training helps the Department staff better support farmers with carnivore conflict and land management issues.
Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security - CCB partners with Botswana College of Agriculture for training programs for farmers. The College provides professional trainers in various disciplines including range management, animal health and livestock husbandry.
Ministry of Education - CCB is also partnering with the Department of Education to facilitate the development of Environmental Clubs in schools and ensure that carnivore conservation, responsible livestock management and environmental materials are incorporated into school curriculum.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Environmental conservation in the delicate Kalahari ecosystem is strongly linked with rural livestock and land management practices. Overgrazing can cause bush encroachment or desertification while declining prey populations and lack of livestock protection cause human-carnivore conflict. Along with this climate change challenges drive a need to diversify livelihoods in this fragile environment. The future of globally threatened species such as cheetahs and wild dogs are also at stake as they need huge areas to thrive and require integrated and conservation compatible land use planning and implementation on a landscape level. CCB carries out community outreach, engagement and awareness activities to support rural livelihoods, promote effective methods of range, livestock and conflict management, and enable coexistence with carnivores.
Describe the context in which you are operating
Livestock have a strong cultural and economic value to most rural citizens of Botswana and are widespread throughout the country. Small-scale farming is the primary economic activity for the majority of rural communities. Domestic livestock in Botswana are no longer regularly herded, kraaled or guarded and as such is more vulnerable to predation. This has economic consequences for communities living with carnivores and can have severe impacts on livelihoods, while retaliatory killings jeopardise already threatened carnivore populations.
This initiative provides farmers with effective tools to decrease carnivore conflict and improve livestock production, in order to secure livelihoods, reduce conflict levels and increase tolerance towards carnivores.
Objective 1 - Provide farmers experiencing high levels of carnivore conflict with trained livestock guarding dogs and provide support for early care and management.
Objective 2 - Provide farmer training on best practices in livestock and conflict management to reduce livestock losses, secure livelihoods, improve perceptions towards carnivores, and facilitate coexistence.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
This initiative provides people with tools to coexist with carnivores and improve the productivity of their livestock operations so that losses to carnivores are not such a drain on the economic resources of the communities. CCB is working to increase the capacity for farmers to utilise improved methods of land and livestock management, providing the tools for them to become better stewards of the land. This is turn can improve the productivity of livestock operations and improve rural community livelihoods.
Of 232 farmers involved in the livestock guarding dog program, 84% of farmers reported a high reduction in the amount of livestock they were losing to carnivores since getting the dogs. Farmers that were losing 20 to 40 livestock a year to carnivores are now losing 0-2 livestock per year. The average savings for farmers was about US$2,000 per year.
Farmers using improved methods of livestock management such as appropriate kraals, livestock guarding dogs, herding, breeding seasons and record keeping, have reduced losses not only to carnivores but also disease, drought and theft.
Language(s)
Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?
Water
The program encourages farmers not to use poisons to lethally remove carnivores which can leach into the ground water.
Food Security/Nutrition
Food security is improved as livestock losses to carnivores, disease, drought and theft are reduced.
Economic/Sustainable Development
The maintenance and growth of livestock increases the economically stability of pastoral communities. The decrease of losses to carnivores reduces this economic drain. The changed views and the appreciation of nature can assist in communities exploring ways they could benefit from biodiversity such as venturing into ecotourism projects.
Climate
The promotion of more manageable herd sizes and appropriate drought resilient breeds increases resilience to climate change.
Sustainability
CCB provides training, workshops and a community network to foster community leadership of the program. CCB aims to create a sustainable grassroots network that will expand through community without reduced help from outside organizations and funding.
As well as training government officers to better support farmers with productivity and reducing wildlife conflict. It is hoped that successful outcomes for this program will result in a national scaling up by the government and lasting change with respect to best practices for land and wildlife management.
Return on investment
$60,000 annually is the cost of the farmer outreach program. The project reaches an average of 500 farmers a year. Therefore, on average it costs $120 to engage an individual farmer. With 84% of farmers sampled reporting a decrease in losses and 75% improved tolerance it is a worthwhile investment.
Entrant Banner Image
Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
CCB is piloting this approach in our focal area and aims to demonstrate that the use of effective livestock management practices can reduce conflict and improve productivity. It has been done before but has been too widespread to effectively demonstrate improvements at community level. If this program continues to yield positive results the government has shown interest in replicating a similar approach to reducing carnivore conflict in other areas of the country. Key stakeholders would include the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism and the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security. Training for farmers and government outreach officers would be required as well as funding for community pilot interventions to demonstrate effective techniques.