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Total Area of Country
Portion of Country within Zambezi Basin
National Population in 2010
Portion of National Populationwithin Zambezi Basin
Important Environmental Issues
581 730 sq km
19 100 sq km (3.3 %)
1.8 million
13 140 (0.73%)
• Overgrazing and desertification
• Water scarcity and urbanization
• High wildlife densities in Maun, Kasane
and Chobe areas
Botswana is a semi-arid landlocked country
situated on the central plateau of southern Africa,
and encompasses most of the Kgalagadi Desert.
The country receives little rainfall, experiences
frequent droughts, and imports most food and
other products. About 95 per cent of all surface
water resources in Botswana is concentrated
in the northwest corner of the country around
the Okavango Delta, while the majority of the
population lives in the southeast (UNEP 2008).
Cattle ranching was the mainstay of Botswana’s
economy until after independence from Britain in
1966, and since the discovery of diamonds in the
1970s, mining has become the largest economic
sector, with a large portion of the national budget
still drawn from customs revenue through the
Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Progress towards environmental
sustainability
Reverse the loss of environmental resources
Overgrazing by a booming cattle population
threatens vegetation and wildlife as pastoral
farming (mainly cattle) dominates the
agriculture sector. Rangeland is being degraded
due to the tendency of farmers to keep cattle in
excess of sustainable stocking levels, low off-
take rates, and the incidence of bushfires that
reduce available forage.
Water supply is a major challenge as 68 per cent
of the country is covered by the Kgalagadi
Desert, and droughts often exacerbate the
water supply problem. Desert conditions are
encroaching in most parts of Botswana due to
naturally arid conditions and frequent droughts
as well as overgrazing and the creation of
boreholes in semi-arid areas. Where water for
livestock is limited, large numbers of cattle
concentrate around boreholes, leading to
localized overgrazing.
Significant growth in cattle stocks has forced
pastoralists to expand westward into the
Kgalagadi, leading to vegetation loss and
erosion of marginal lands. A gradual increase of
Botswana
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Kanye
Molepolole Mochudi
Lobatse
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ZIMBABWE
SOUTH AFRICA
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