ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS AND CONCERNS

Define environment, land degradation, environmental impact assessment,

sustainability

Environment – It is the surrounding in which we live, that includes non living and
living things and conditions that affect the living things.

The environment can be divided into small other environments which includes;

(i) Natural environment – it is the natural world in its pure state including natural
resources (renewable and non renewable).

(ii) Spatial environment – it includes all human constructions (villages, towns,

cities,countries) and landscapes like mountains, wetlands, rivers etc

(iii) Social environment – these are people as well as their families, communities,
socities etc

(iv) Economic environment – it includes all financial aspects and income generating
activities e.g manufacturing, fishing etc

(v) Cultural environment – it includes traditional activities, lifestyles and culture of

different people.

(vi) Political environment – includes policies and legal/laws and regulations that
guide the actions of people.

Land degradation – is the loss of productive land or reduction in land productivity due
to natural factors (flooding, drought, fire) and human activities (poor farming
methods, excessive use of fertilizers etc)

Sustainability – ability to continue existing for future use without being depleted.

Explain the importance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment – is a process/systematic procedure for

examining the environmental effects of a project.

Importance of Environmental Impact Assessment

(i) It promotes proper use of the environment - helps planners to identify problems
that are likely to result from proposed projects.

(ii) It enhances the spirit of sustainable development – emphasizes the wise use of
the environment. Only projects that are environmentally friendly will be implemented.
(iii) It ensures that the ecosystem (relation of plants and animals) is not
interfered with negatively - measures will be put in place to deal with or address the
identified negative impacts.

(iv) It promotes environmental awareness – so that people who implement projects

aim at protecting it.

(v) It enables planners to take the right measures - to deal with expected
environmental problems.

(vi) It ensures that the views of the public are taken on board - before
implementing development projects

(vii) It protect other environmental users – makes sure that other environment user
like plants and animals are protected from extinction.

Explain the importance of Hardveld / Eastern margin to human life

(i) Arable farming - it has good fertile soils and enough rainfall e,g. Limpopo soils

(ii) Pastoral farming -It has good pastures, the vegetation is mixed tree and bush
savanna (mophane, mosunyana, morula etc)

(iii) Mining - which creates employment e.g. Minerals mined are Coal in Morupule and
copper-nickle in Selibe Phikwe.

(iv) Gathering / harvesting of veld products - because of natural vegetation e.g.

moretlwa, phane, morula are a source of food and income.

(v) Tourism - because of historical sites , game reserves e.g. Mmokolodi & Mashatu
game reserve, Matsieng, Lentswe la baratani. Tourism is a source of employment and
income.

Explain the importance of the Semi Desert/Desert to human life

(i) Tourism - the main attraction is wildlife, e,g. Khutse, Central Kalahari Gam reserves

(ii) Arable farming - rainfall ranges from low in the Ghanzi area to high in the
Pandamatenga area. In some areas arable farming is limited due to poor soils

(iii) Pastoral farming - irrigation of livestock through boreholes, shrub vegetation is

good for animals. Ranches have been set up for commercial purposes.

(iv) Veld products collection - e.g; morama, wild berries, sengaparile, mosukujane etc
collected for consumption and medical purposes.

(v) Mining - the area has a lot of mines; e,g.Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa and Ghaghoo
Diamond mine in Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve. Are a source of employment and
income.
Explain the importance of Deciduous Forest to human life.

(i) Tourism - due to abundance of wildlife :e,g. chobe national park, boating cruize at
the Chobe river, the Sedudu island etc

(ii) Lumbering/timber production: due to availability of wood from the forest

(iii) Fishing - in rivers e.g. Chobe and Linyanti rivers, which is a source of income and
food for the people (Bahambukushu, Bayei, Basubiya etc)

(iv) Arable farming - due to good soils and rain. They practise commercial farming e.g
in Pandamatenga

(v) Livestock farming - is done on small scale because of pests (tsetse fly) and
carnivorous animals

Explain the importance of Swamps to human life.

(i) Abundance of surface water provides them with water reeds for construction of
shelter

(ii) Basket weaving - due to availability of reeds from the swamps

(iii) Fishing - because of availability of water from the Thamalakane, Okavango Delta
and Boteti river

(iv) Tourism - due to abundance of wildlife and attractive features like the Okavango
Delta

(vi) Crop production - because of fertile alluvial soils

(vii) Water transport – supported by the Okavango Delta and rivers. Boats and canoes
are used as cheap transport by locals as well as for tourism.

Investigate the impact of human beings on the environment

Pollution

(i) Cause water-borne disease - which will be easily spread; diarrhoea.

(ii) Death of marine species – when poisonous materials are thrown in rivers/water
sorces plants and animals that live in water will suffocate and die.

(iii) Global warming -When green house gases such as CO2 are emmitted into the
atmospere through activiies such as mining will eventually lead to the depletion of the
ozone layer which will result in global temperatures rising.
(iv) Spread of respiratory diseases – when the atmosphere is polluted it leads to
respiratory diseases eg. athsma

(v) Acid rain - the pollutants in the air will mix with rain water and cause it to be acidic
thus leading to acid rain

Poaching (this is unlawful killing of protected wild animals by criminals)

(i) Extinction of some animal species - due to over hunting e.g. those which are
endangered e.g rhinos

(ii)Disturbs ecosystem - The food chain will be affected. Sometimes poachers can
cause veld fires

(iii) Scares away tourists - Some of the animal species which attract tourists will be
finished and the tourists will visit other places or destinations

Land degradation and Deforestation

(i) Causes soil erosion - plants and trees are wind breakers and if they are cut it will be
easy for the soil to be washed away

(ii) Leads to extinction of plant species - If threes are cut on a large scale and
continuously or burnt, some plants species may never grow again

(iii) Depletion of ozone layer - plants use CO2 from the atmosphere to make their own
food, when they are cut then there will be a lot CO2 in the atmosphere which
contributes to global warming. Burning of the veld also increases this CO2 in the
atmosphere

(iv) Loss of habitat - some animal species will not have a place where to live

(v) Loss of food - plant species are a source of food to different types of animals e.g
herbivores

(vi) Desertification - continuous soil erosion will deplete the soil and lead to it being
unproductive

Describe ways in which the environment can be sustained, for example: eco-
tourism, aforestation , game farming

(i) Eco-tourism - involves the local people in conserving the natural resources to
improve their standard of living/Conservation of natural resources by the local people
to improve their standard of living. Eco-tourism joins conservation and ruaral
development by helping people protect valuable natural areas, scenic landscapes,
sensetive rural sites and cultural practises.

Advantages
  Protects endangered species – e.g plants and animals
 Protects natural areas – natural resources are protected from being destroyed
 Promotes sustainable use of resources – resources are protected and able to
be used in the future

(ii) Game farming – an intensive wildlife management system in which wild animals
are domesticated or kept in privately owned game reserves. Species used for game
farming include, baboons, baffaloes, gemsbok, girraffe, impala, ostrich.

Advantages

 Protects endangered species – e.g animals, plants

(iii) Aforestation – replanting the cut trees. This protects the soil from erosion and as
well plant species are protected from extinctions. Trees act as habitats for some
animals, which means when they are replanted other animal species’ habitats are
protected.

Other ways in which the environment can be sustained include;

(iv) Good farming practices e.g. crop rotation, terracing

(v) Controlled hunting e.g. issuing of hunting licences

(vi) Charging the polluters e.g. those who dump in rivers

(vii) Use non pollutant forms of transport e.g. walking, bicycles

(viii) Formulation of legislation to protect the environment e.g EIA Act, Waste
Management Act, Forestry Act

(ix) Educating the public – on the importance of conservaing the environment

Evaluate the role of stakeholders in conserving the environment

Stakeholders – a group of people/an organisation/ sector who take part in an activity.

(a) Government

Successes

(i) Introduced environmental education – the governmaent has introduced

environmental edcation through subjects such as Social Studies in order to inform and
make people aware of the importnace of taking care of the environment.

(ii) Encourages national activities – encourages the public to partincipate in national

tree planting day and litter picking campaigns
(iii) It has set up naional parks and game reserves – In order to protect wildlife
(plants and animals)

(iv) Has established anti poaching unit – the mandate of the unit is combat or fight
poaching. The unit is assisted by the BDF

(v) Establishment of dumping sites – modern dumping sites have been constructed
throughout the country in order to control indiscriminate disposal of litter in the
environment

(vi) Collection of litter – there is organised collection and disposal of waste by the
Department of Sanitation

(vii) Environmental Legislation/Laws - The government has introduced laws aimed

at protecting the environment e.g EIA Act, Forestry Act, Waste Management Act

Failures

(i) Failed to disseminate information in rural areas – the government has failed to
give enough information to people especially those who are located in rural areas

(ii) Failed to enforce laws that protect the environment – because people continue
to destroy the environment yet they are never punished

(b) Non-governmental Organisations

Inculde;
 Somarelang Tikologo – aim is to promote sustainable environmental protection
by educating, demostrating and encouraging best practices in environmental
planning, resource conservation and waste management in Botswana.
 Kalahari Conservation Society – mainly involved with wildlife conservation
and intergrated resource management and conservation education.
 Forestry Asssociation of Botswana – involved with establishment of
agroforestry programs, research into indigenous species.
 Thusano Lefatshe – involved primarily with the protection and utilization of
indigenous species of veld plants such as sengaparile (devil’s claw)
 Kuru Family of Organisations – involved in rural development and
conservation efforts with particular emphasis on San communities in Ghanzi and
North west Districts

Successes

(i) Carryout research on environmental conservation – have carried out research on

natural resources e.g Forestry Association of Botswana research on indigenous species.

(ii) Funded/helped in financing environmental projects – NGOs like Forestry

Association of Botswana help communities interested in starting CBNRM projects by
helping with writing a proposal and approaching donor agencies for funding. Kalahari
Conservation Society has financed over 50 conservation projects e.g assisting the Phane
project in Tswapong Hills.

(iii) Educate community on environmental conservation – NGOs for example

Somarelang Tikologo, Thusano Lefatshe educate people about environmental
conservation. Thusano Lefatshe has educated people on how to harvest natural
resources while Somarelang Tikologo conducts demostration projects in schools in
Botswana through awreness-raising campaigns to educate Batswana about the
importance of natural resources conservation.

(iv) Persuaded the government on conservation policies – NGOs have persuaded the
government to come up with policies aimed at protecting the environment, like
Somarelang Tikologo have embarked on a number of initiatives like plastic bag policy
whose recommendation contributed to the development of plastic carrrier bags, to help
Botswana reduce environmental pollution through indisriminate plastic bags disposal.

Failures

(i) Did not give enough education to the communities – have failed to give enough
education to the communities as they are located in towns and villages where they are
unable to reach out to the communities because of inadequate resources/money.

(ii) Some have abandoned projects due to misuse of allocated funds

(iii) NGOs failed to convince the governement to come up with sound environmental
policies

(c) Local Communities

Successes

(i) Carried out conservation activities at grassroots level e.g. litter picking campaigns

(ii) They formed community based resource management projects to conserve the
natural resources

(iii)They educated one another on environmental conservations e.g. VDC address

community in Kgotla meetings

Failures

(i)Failed to care for their environment e.g. littering, deforestation

(ii) Did not give enough education to the community e.g. Churches, Dikgosi

(iii) Community Based Natural Resource Management failed to conserve their resources
e.g. Do not convince the community about the importance of natural resource