Upholding democracy, human rights and conservation

Whilst not always perfect, a culture of civil and political rights upheld by an independent judiciary prevailed and citizens were consulted, through Parliament, on policy. Likewise the right of all people to earn a livelihood from sustainable use of their natural resources within the bounds of national and international law was upheld.

On coming to power, former President Ian Khama oversaw significant shifts in direction with regards to rural peoples rights to use their natural resources. These included overseeing, with no public consultation, the introduction of a militarised approach to wildlife management and the alienation of wildlife from rural communities.  The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) guards were provided with fully automatic weapons, the Botswana army was called to assist with anti-poaching and sustainable, regulated hunting banned. These changes effectively ended progressive Community Based Natural Resources Management, which had provided rural communities with the right to benefit from wildlife. This militarised approach has not worked. It has stripped rural communities of their rights, leaving them with the burden of living with wildlife and removing the benefits. The outcome has been impoverishment, abuse of human rights, increased poaching and wildlife destruction.