Enabling policy and regulatory framework
The Tawana Land Board (TLB) is the main regulatory authority on land matters in the Ngamiland District. However, the TLB lacks the expertise and resources to assimilate and interpret information on resource status and to make management decisions or enforce existing regulations on biodiversity, and so development and natural resource planning and management remains fragmented, demand driven and ahhoc. As mitigation an agreement was signed between the University of Botswana (on behalf of the project) and the Tawana Land Board (TLB), the agreement outlines obligations that the TLB (with support from the BIOKAVANGO Project) have to fulfil to ensure that capacity to evaluate, assess and assimilate biodiversity information into land management processes is enhanced. As part of this agreement, a senior biodiversity manager position was created and filled at the TLB. The TLB has committed to institutionalize the position. The BD Coordinator has been working with the TLB for slightly two years now, and has delivered the following outputs in pursuit of this endeavour.
· A budget is now available for the management and monitoring of natural resources within concession areas (lodge sites identification, integrated inspections etc)
· Integrated Land Use Plan harmonized with the Ngamiland Tourism Development Plan
· Land Board members (responsible for land allocations and other land management decisions) are continuously being trained in biodiversity conservation principles/environmental management principles.
· Consultancy on the identification of tourism related sites in the Okavango Delta (following biodiversity friendly approaches) has been finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Land and Housing for approval by the Minister
· A scorecard tourism establishment has been developed and incorporated in the lease agreement. The scorecard will be applied in the inspection of all tourism establishments in the Okavango Delta by the TLB and other regulators, annually.
· The exercise to review the Tourism/Wildlife/ Natural Resources lease agreement have been finalised and the reviewed agreements have been put in use. The reviewed lease agreements were incorporated into one integrated lease agreement and recognize BD management objectives.
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