5.1. INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN FOREST RESOURCES CONSERVATION
5.2. LEGISLATION, POLICY AND STRATEGY ON FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES
5.1.1. Governmental agencies
5.1.2. Private, Parastatal and NGOs
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the DFRE, is the major institution involved in conventional and community forestry work and is the overall national forest authority. It makes policies on forest genetic resources, utilization and management. It does this through gazettment of forest reserves, establishment of forest plantations to supply domestic needs for wood and other forest products, the establishment of forest nurseries that will provide disease free tree seedlings and carrying out of overall forestry research. However, it is incapacitated by its low key institutional set up within the Ministry. As a mere small division of the Department of Crop Production and Forestry, it is common knowledge that it cannot adequately and proactively handle the safeguarding of forest resources in the country. However, its human resource capability has considerably improved (qualitatively and quantitatively) in the past five years for effective management of the country’s forest resources.
The Department of Agricultural Resources Board (ARB) is also in the Ministry of Agriculture and enjoys wide authority over non-woody forest products. Although the ARB’s role has adapted in response to evolving natural resource conservation needs, ARB is not constructed to provide the necessary comprehensive natural resource management required to respond to expanding needs.
A National Plant Genetic Resources Committee was established in 1987 through the Department of Integrated Agricultural Research, also in the Ministry of Agriculture. It was set up to advice government on the formulation of guidelines for the collection and conservation of germplasm. One of the achievements of this committee is the establishment of a National Plant Genetic Resource Centre at Sebele (Gaborone).
The Department of Tourism in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has the overall responsibility of promoting tourism in the country. The department has adopted a high cost-low volume kind of tourism, which is thought to have minimum impact on natural resources.
Also in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP). It has direct management authority over all natural resources within National Parks and Game Reserves. The European Union has significantly contributed to the strengthening of institutional capability of DWNP through staff training and infrastructural development. It is through this technical assistance that DWNP is in a better position to effectively manage National Parks and Game Reserves.
At the Ministry of Lands and Housing is the National Conservation Strategy (Coordinating) Agency (NCSA). Its responsibility is to coordinate environmental management in all governmental and non-governmental sectors. It also has to ensure that development and environmental programmes in line ministries are in conformity with the requirements of Agenda 21 of the United Nations conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).
The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs through its Energy Affairs Unit is responsible for energy activities. Its policy objectives among others include the maintenance of available fuel wood supplies. The Ministry, in collaboration with donors and other international organisations, has conducted several studies in the energy sector.
There are several parastatal bodies and NGOs whose forestry activities and research complement those of government agencies. These are the University of Botswana (UB) through the National Institute of Research and Documentation (NIR&D) and the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC), the Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA), Veld Products Research (VPR), Serowe Forestry Brigade (SFB), Kgatleng Development Board (KDB), Kweneng Rural Development Association (KRDA), Palapye Development Trust (PDT), Thusano Lefatsheng and Permaculture Trust. While UB and BCA, which are parastatals and higher institutions of learning, have the expertise and the resources to carry out effective forest research programmes, the same cannot be said of the other agencies which are NGOs and rely heavily on funding from donors. Nevertheless, they also have meaningful and effective forest resource conservation and management programmes, particularly research of non-wood forest products.
The government’s strategy on forest genetic resources is to increase the effectiveness with which they are utilized and managed, so that beneficial interactions are optimised and deleterious side effects minimised. The strategy also seeks to integrate the many sectoral ministries and interest groups in the country, thereby enhancing the management of forest resources. Legislation related to environmental protection is found in many Acts of Parliament. Below are some of the main pieces of legislation.
Legislation relating to conservation of forest genetic resources
- Plant Diseases and Pests Act (1959);Policies
- Forest Act (1968);
- Agricultural Resources (Conservation) Act (1974);
- Seed Act (1976);
- Herbage Preservation (Prevention of fires) Act (1977);
- Tourism Act (1992);
- Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act (1992).
- Agricultural Resources Board Paper No. 1 (1975);Regulations- Tribal Grazing Land Policy (1975);
- Wildlife Conservation Policy (1986);
- Tourism Policy (1990);
- National Conservation Strategy: National Policy on Natural Resources Conservation and Development (1990);
- Agricultural Development Policy (1991);
- National Development Plan 8.
- Agricultural Resources (Grapple Plant) 1977Pending Policies
- Community Based Natural Resources Management Policy;Although some of the legislation is very old, the government is constantly reviewing all legislation to ensure its appropriateness and relevancy and plans are underway to draft the following:
- Botswana National Forest Policy;
- National Parks and Game Reserve Regulations.
1. Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Act, which will be based on the FAO International code of conduct for plant germplasm collection and transfer.To reaffirm its commitment to conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, the government recognises Agenda 21 of UNCED and has subsequently ratified the following (NCSA, 1997):2. Environmental Impact Assessment legislation.
- Convention on Climate Change;
- The Convention to combat drought and desertification;
- Biological diversity;
- Wetlands of International importance especially water fowl habitats;
- The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species;
- The Southern African Centre for Ivory Marketing.
