ABSTRACT:
The mid-Boteti river area in north-central Botswana is undergoing desertification from the perspective of a decline of available natural resources. Since the area has suffered no decline in average rainfall during past decades, resource depletion is considered to be related to intense resource use, particularly during early drought years. Decline is manifesting mainly as decreasing available fresh water, reductions in the amounts of woody vegetation cover for both fuelwood (locally) and browse (generally), species decline with changes to unpalatable cover, and increased areas of exposed soil, leading to soil erosion.
Footnotes
Francis Sefe and Susan Ringrose are with the Department of Environmental Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag 0022, Gaborone, Botswana; Wilma Matheson is with Westwood School, P.O. Box 2446, Gaborone, Botswana. The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Ministry of Apiculture, Government of Botswana, under whose auspices this study was conducted. The views expressed by colleagues of the Department of Environmental Science who took part in the larger project are appreciated The authors are grateful for the GIS mapping provided by Dr. Musisi Nkambwe. Mr. G. Ekosse is especially thanked for the soil sample analysis. The maps were drawn by Mr. G. Korutswe.
- Copyright 1996 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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