Solutions to the elephant problem in Botswana
In recent weeks, we have noted, with alarm, the passing of the muchloathed Hunting Trophies [ Importation Prohibition] Bill by the British House of Commons. And this will, no doubt, have negative consequences for Botswana – increased wildlife- human conflicts, destruction of crops and death of livestock, damage to infrastructure, reduced employment opportunities and loss of income for rural communities. The list seems endless.
But one issue that has largely been overlooked is the impact of Botswana’s elephant population on the environment. The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area [ KAZA TFCA] covers an area of some 520 000 square kilometres and includes parts of five countries – Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Angola. Of this, 30 percent occurs in Botswana. However, Botswana’s elephant population currently stands at about 132 000, almost half the total number of elephants in the KAZA TFCA. Now this is a disproportionately large number, especially when one considers that Zambia’s share of KAZA TFCA’s area is 25 percent, and yet is home to only some 4 000 elephants, just two percent of KAZA TFCA’s total elephant population. And Namibia’s share of KAZA TFCA’s area is 14 percent, but is home to just 21 000 elephants, about eight percent of the total. Clearly, we have too many elephants here in Botswana and some wildlife experts are of the opinion that our environment can only support some 50 000 of the pachyderms. Many of our livestock farmers have expanded their herds in the past and so keep more animals than can be supported by the environment and the consequences of this are all too clear to see – good grasses are replaced by poor quality grasses; bush encroachment; soil erosion… In short, degradation of the environment is a process which is nigh and impossible to reverse. And even if it can be reversed, several years may pass before rangelands are fully restored. Botswana’s elephant population has drastically increased over the last 50 years in contrast to the whole of Africa. Therefore, it is not surprising that, like our livestock, our elephants are causing widespread environmental degradation, especially in northern Botswana. The African elephant is the largest land animal and can eat up to a staggering 200kg of vegetative matter each day – that’s the equivalent of the weight of more than two adult human beings! In fact, they spend most of their time either feeding or moving around in search of food. Now to satisfy their needs, elephants exploit a wide variety of plant parts – bark, stems, leaves, flowers, roots of woody plants, plus grass. Therefore, they are both browsers and grazers, in contrast to many other herbivores which are usually either grazers or browsers. So, this means that they feed on a wide variety of plant species. The Chobe National Park is home to most of our elephants, especially during the dry season when water sources dry up throughout the park and elsewhere and the animals are forced to congregate in large numbers along the perennial Chobe river. At this time, almost all elephants are found within 30 kilometres of the Chobe river in an area of only 10 000 square kilometres [ just two percent of Botswana’s total area].
During the wet season, grass forms a major part of their diet and about 30 percent of 27 common woody plants found here are fed on by elephants. The leaves of woody plants contribute much to their diet and this reduces the amount of photosynthesis which is the process by which plants produce their own food. However, in the dry season, elephants widen the range of woody species that they feed on such that at least 50 percent of these common woody plants now form part of their diet. This is for two reasons. Firstly, most woody plants have no leaves at this time and, secondly, elephants now consume little or no grass since grasses now are dry and have little nutritional value. At this time, stems, bark, twigs and roots of woody plants comprise the bulk of the diet. Hence, they may fell large trees, especially when food availability is reduced by either fire or frost. Trees fallen by elephants are also more prone to damage by fire. This is especially true of those trees that have been debarked and no longer have their protective bark. The natural vegetation along the riverbanks is woodland composed of large trees and shrubs. Those that are consumed by elephants include among others Acacia erioloba, camelthorn [ Terminalia sericea [ Combretum zeyheri [ and Combretum collinum. Such trees thrive here in the deep sandy soils and have access to
abundant water. Some 30 years ago, I used to enter the park at the Sedudu entrance gate [ near Kasane] and drive for a few kilometres down to the riverfront. Along the track I would pass stands of beautiful tall majestic trees. But these days, it is a different story. Now one is greeted by uprooted trees lying on the ground. Clearly, the beasts have bulldozed the trees down in search for a meal [ the pods are especially nutritious and are a firm favourite for elephants]. Moving westwards along the riverfront towards Ngoma Gate, one can pass many baobabs [ whose stems have been badly mauled by the tusks of elephants before being ingested. And fine specimens of Acacia nigrescens [ are not spared either. Elephants are often fussy about what they eat. They often break and even uproot whole trees and yet only feed on small parts of the trees, such as the pods. When this happens, no regrowth or coppicing occurs and this has resulted in the elimination of acacia trees along much of the Chobe riverfront. But this is the most visited part of the park and
canopy forming acacias are a major attraction for tourists. The result of such destructive activity is the invasion and spread of low- lying bushes along the riverfront such as Dichrostachys cinera [ moselesele] which are better at coppicing after being damaged by elephants. And maybe in future these shrublands will finally transform into open grasslands with very few woody plants. The more open vegetation may then lead to many herbivores being preyed on more. Elephants are also destroying the natural habitat for browsers that depend on woody plants for their food. Such animals include kudu, eland, bushbuck, giraffe and duiker. Elephants also move along paths to sources of water such as the Chobe river. Here their weight tramples the soil which leads to soil erosion especially along the steep banks which lead down to the river where elephants drink from. Diseases such as anthrax may also spread rapidly where large numbers of elephants occur. And this fatal disease may spread to cattle if the two species occur together in the same area. What, then, are the solutions to the elephant problem in Botswana? Firstly, trophy hunting. Since the resumption of hunting in 2019, we have seen a reduction in wildlife- human conflicts, increased employment opportunities for rural communities plus other benefits. But the numbers of elephants that hunters are allowed to hunt each year is very small compared to the total elephant population. Secondly, the capture of elephants and their removal elsewhere. However, such an exercise would be very costly and time consuming given the size of elephants and their numbers here. Thirdly, provision of more water supplies for elephants. Chobe National Park has vast underutilised areas which could be made accessible to elephants in the dry season by the pumping up of underground water. There are many small pans in the park which can be infilled with water in this way. This would reduce the need for elephants to crowd in large numbers along the Chobe riverfront in the dry season. Elephant Sands Bush Lodge is situated 50kms north of Nata along the Kasane road. The lodge is home to the Water for Elephants Trust, a non- profit organisation that installs and maintains boreholes in former hunting areas in eastern Botswana. The boreholes are intended as a lifeline for increasing numbers of elephants which have to travel vast distances in search of drinking water during the dry season. For a time, the waterhole at Elephant Sands represented the only source of drinking water for hundreds of elephants in the region. By developing boreholes over a much larger area, it is hoped that the elephants will be able to range over a much larger area when searching for water and food. Therefore, it is hoped that the boreholes will reduce the need for elephants to trek hundreds of kilometres across otherwise waterless country to the Chobe riverfront in the dry season. Finally, the establishment of cross border game parks. Such parks include KAZA TFCA and they can increase the land available to elephants thus helping them to move around more freely to obtain sufficient water and food supplies. It is hoped that this will become reality and lead to some of our elephants finding a new home in neighbouring countries which are home to far fewer elephants.