RESEARCH at HOORC

HOORC conducts research on Land and Water Management, Ecology, Governance, Livelihood Systems, Tourism and Natural Resources Management, addressing globally relevant areas of environmental study and providing vital information to regional policy makers on management, utilisation and conservation of common pool resources (including water and wildlife) in and around wetlands. For an overview of research projects, check our Research Project Database.

PLEASE NOTE that a government RESEARCH PERMIT is required for all research activities.

VISITING RESEARCHERS are also advised to consult the:Information for Visiting Students/Researchers

SOME MAJOR PROJECTS ARE LISTED BELOW

Biodiversity

The BIOKAVANGO or ' ‘Building Local Capacity for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the Okavango Delta’' Project was designed to support the implementation of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP). It is specifically aimed at lifting barriers to mainstreaming biodiversity conservation objectives into three production sectors: water, tourism and fisheries, all dependent on ecological services and goods provided by the Okavango wetland system. See for more details: BIOKAVANGO PAGE

(Inter)national Water Management

The management of the Okavango waters is a vital issue affecting Botswana and other southern African countries. HOORC is one of the international advisors to OKACOM, a joint body comprising Angola, Namibia and Botswana that concerns itself with the management of the entire Okavango River Basin. Recently completed Okavango Basin wide projects include SHARING WATER and "Water and Ecosystem Resources in Regional Development" which aimed to improve understanding of the pre-conditions for improved livelihoods of people in international river basins without compromising essential environmental objectives. (See: Special OKAVANGO issue of the Journal of Hydrology, Vol 331 (2006) Issues 1-2. [Special Issue] An ongoing national project is the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP), which is donor funded through the Botswana government and has entered the implementation phase. The summary booklet about the ODMP can be downloaded in English or Setswana [ODMP_folder_English] or [ODMP_folder_Setswana].

Impact of Tsetse Fly Spraying

HOORC has been involved in monitoring and assessing the environmental impacts of tsetse fly spraying in the Delta. The study focuses on how terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates lower in the food chain are affected by the extensive spraying of the insecticide deltamethrin, what happens to the released chemical over time, and how the spraying affects human health and tourism. Results so far are presented in a report entitled: Environmental Recovery Monitoring of Tsetse Fly Spraying Impacts in the Okavango Delta - 2003. This is available as HOORC Report series nr 4 or can be downloaded as a : [Pdf]