TLB identifies 73 tourism sites in the Okavango

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
Correspondent | Friday November 19, 2010 00:00

 

Sibangane  Mosojane Biodiversity coordinator at TLB said the sites will be allocated for various tourism projects such as hotels, lodges, camping sites and cultural villages.

The Botswana tourism organisation will assist in the advertisements and short list applicants eligible for allocation to the land board for the allocations. TLB has already forwarded a report to the ministry of local government to assist with the best allocating criteria.This exercise was carried out after a decision to lift the suspension of the allocation of tourism business plots in the Okavango Delta that were closed down in 2005.

Mosojane told Mmegi that the five-year closure was done to identify tourism-related sites in the Okavango delta aimed at coming up with a proper system of zoning land in the Ramsar Site. The study, among other things, identified current land use conflicts in the project area and made recommendations.

The aims of the study included incorporating environmental/biodiversity management objectives into the Okavango Delta Ramsar site and analysing current land, natural resource use. There would also be the reconciliation of these with future requirements and building capacity of the land allocated by the authorities.

Prior to 2005, applicants identified their own sites and then applied to the land board for allocation.

Mosojane said it then came to the attention of the land board that the applications were increasing unchecked against limited land to cope with the rising demand.