[botswanapredatorforum] Re: Report on Setata Fence
- From: "Richard White" <rhwhite@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <botswanapredatorforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:02:10 +0200
Re: [botswanapredatorforum] Re: Report on Setata FenceDear Dereck,
I won't reply in detail but there a few points I would like to make:
you say:
can we assume that you can throw some cash at someone and hope that the
correct education will sort of find itself?
People value what contributes to their livelihood and may take care of it if
they have some proprietorial rights over it. This is just a simple rule of
economics and easily verified with a little observation: e.g. ask the question
"why do people value and care for their livestock?"
you also say:
we have a program in Kenya and plans for one in Rwanda where the educators
are Maasai, (and Rwandan) who are very much part of the community
Well are they? The cultural gap between urbanised Batswana whose livelihood is
salary based and rural Batswana whose livelihood depends on natural resources
is enormous. Consider the parallel comparison of kugels and bagels from Jo'burg
and your average Boer farmer. They may speak the 'same' language and belong to
the same tribe but the cultural gap is vast.
and again:
are we to write off predators in an ever increasing pattern as livestock
increases, (as it will) because in essence, livestock and predators are
unlikely to co exist.
That maybe the case. What predators require is very large tracts of protected
land upon which they can maintain viable populations. However, the experience
of the developed countries suggests that there will not be endless unlimited
expansion of crop-land or livestock because urbanisation will limit human land
demands in time. What we do need to do is to focus on raising peoples per
capita income rapidly and ensuring child survival as these two factors together
encourage people to limit family size and thus population growth.
Finally:
Can you get it to me? I am happy to assist in this, my limited intelligence
not withstanding.
No sorry, a copy has gone to the VP and the Minister of Environment Wildlife
and Tourism. There are risks in allowing additional copies into the open and I
have taken enough already.
Regards
Richard White
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