Fjölrit RALA - 05.12.1999, Page 66

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Desertification in Botswana
Dimensions of the desertiftcation problem
In addition to the ever present threat posed by a marginal and drought-prone environ-
ment, the current ecological problems in Botswana can be explained by certain fun-
damental socio-economic changes which have occurred in recent years in man’s rela-
tionship to the land. This is especially with regard to the keeping of livestock and the
utilization of grazing resources. These changes are associated with three major devel-
opments (Cooke 1983);
• An alarming increase in human and livestock population.
• The development of a market-oriented economy which has given cattle a high
monetary value.
• Water prospecting and borehole drilling (Perkins 1991) which have enabled
livestock raising to push further west to utilise the Kalahari sandveld grazing
resource (Figures 4 and 5).
Figure 4. Distribution of cattle.
E3'
EHH31
Figure 5. Distribution of sheep and goats.
Though cattle numbers vary signifi-
cantly depending on the incidence of
drought, good rain and disease, Bot-
swana has generally experienced an ac-
celerated livestock population growth especially during the past three decades. In
1966, the total livestock population (cattle, sheep and goats) was 1.7 million. By 1981,
this had grown to over 4.5 million, an increase of 265%. During the same period, the
cattle population alone increased from 1.2 million to 3.5 million, an increase of 292%.
In 1991, the latest year on which there are reliable estimates, the total livestock popu-
lation was 5.5 million with cattle alone being 2.8 million.
The human population has also grown at an accelerated rate, from 574,000 in 1971
to 936,000 in 1981, an increase of 63% in the 10-year period. The population in 1995
was 1.5 million, an increase of about 300% since 1971. The average density, however,