7.1. TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
7.2. RESEARCH
The DFRE currently has a core of 12 professional foresters (4 with MSc). Three are still pursuing their BSc programmes outside the country. There also are 18 technical and 20 artisan foresters. Six are still pursuing their Forestry Diploma studies. Core Units of DFRE such as Agroforestry, Natural Woodland Management and Forest Extension are so understaffed that each one of them is manned by a professional forester who is responsible for the whole country. With such a small staff complement, it goes without saying that training is very essential at all levels (from short courses to PhD) to develop a cadre of appropriately trained foresters. The BNTSC is no better with only two professional and two technical foresters. The BCA has recently introduced a Diploma in Forestry and Range and it is hoped this will improve the critical shortage of technical foresters in the country. This critical shortage is having a deleterious effect on programmes aimed at reducing pressure on rapidly degrading woodlands. The DFRE also requires a lot of facilities and infrastructure for it to carry out its mandate effectively.
Pressure on forest resources augments the potential for over-exploitation and degradation of the resources also increases. At present, there is very little information on how best to conserve and manage trees and woodland types found in Botswana. A research programme is the only means by which such information can be obtained. To date, DFRE has conducted very insignificant research and has no facilities to conduct a rigorous research programme. Some forestry research continues to be carried out by NGOs and UB but on a limited scale (Ministry of Agriculture, 1992). The government however, has a National Forestry Research Action Plan which was put together in 1992. But up to now it has not been implemented chiefly because of institutional weaknesses and staff shortages at DFRE. Seven broad research areas have been identified in the plan as follows:
- natural woodland management;
- utilization of non wood forest products;
- ornamental plant development;
- basket making and thatching grass production;
- exotic tree and shrub species introduction;
- agroforestry;
- rehabilitation of degraded land.
