Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Potential Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in the Limpopo Basin: Case studies of Northeast and Bobirwa Districts - Botswana: AF42

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Cultural Heritage Tourism A Potential Adaptation
Strategy to Climate Change in the Limpopo Basin
Case studies of Northeast and Bobirwa Districts -
Botswana AF42
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Heritage tourism

• it involves seeking an encounter with natives or
  feeling part of the history of a place. E.g.
  visitors to art galleries seek an encounter with
  beauty, uniqueness, authenticity and
  exclusiveness whilst visitors to museum are
  seeking discovery, novelty, diversity and
  knowledge (Hall, 1995).
• cultural practices eg rainmaking rituals,
  storytelling, witchcraft etc

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In its purest form, ecotourism

• minimises negative social, cultural and
  ecological impacts
• Non consumptive eg photography,
• empowers local communities in conservation and
  management of natural and cultural resources.
• brings economic benefits to local communities
  and directs revenue to local people living in and
  around protected areas, and
• increases revenues for protected areas

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Overview of Tourism in Botswana

• 2nd revenue earner after mining and contributes
  5.8 to GDP
• The rich wildlife and wilderness assets
• Ranks high in wildlife resources in Southern
  Africa e.g. numbers and variety and less crowded
  parks
• World class wilderness of the Kalahari desert

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Botswana,s major tourism product

• Wildlife
• Wilderness
• Okavango Delta

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Tourism and Climate Change

• Many areas of the Tourism industry rely on the
  climate, natural/semi-natural and cultural
  environment of a region to attract tourists.

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Main objective

• - to assess the extent to which cultural
  heritage tourism could become a possible
  adaptation strategy to climate change in the
  greater Limpopo Basin Botswana

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Case Study 1 Bobirwa Sub-District and The Tuli
Block Area

• Economic activity focus on the growing of
  millet and sorghum, rearing cattle and goats
• Phane caterpillar (lack of rain in 2002/2003)
• Arable land is scarce
• A larger proportion of the area is privately
  owned (farms, private reserves, game farms)
• Recurrent droughts, which led to
• Fluctuations and decline of livestock in recent
  years

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Cattle trends in the case study areas
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Changing Status of key Wildlife Species in the
Kalahari from 1978 to 1994 (Perkins and Ringrose,
1996)
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Wildlife Resources in both study areas

• Decline very Low Wildlife Resources in
  Communal Land
• Increases Fluctuations in Freehold Land

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Available Ecotourism Resources Natural and
Cultural Resources in both study sites

• Unique architecture
• History
• Lifestyle, language, religion
• The rich cultural heritage
• Traditional songs/music and dances
• Art and music, Poetry, folklore,
• Local food
• Handicrafts
• traditional costumes
• Rock paintings

• Wildlife eg lions
• Variety of birds
• unspoilt landscape
• inimitable pebbles- shiny and unique colour found
  in Bobonong
• Limpopo River
• The unique natural landscape
• Outback/Remoteness

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Unique Site in Moroka village
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Ecotourism Bobirwa Sub-District and The Tuli
Block The existing Tourism Resources and
Activities

• The Zebra dance troupe (women dancers) in
  Mathathane
• The goat dogs in Lentswe Le Moriti (unique
  a niche for the village)
• Handicraft shelter built in Motlhabaneng (new)
• Lepokole Hills Project Mapanda Conservation
  Trust formed in 2001 with the help of KCS

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Ecotourism Bobirwa Sub-District and The Tuli
Block The existing Tourism Resources and
Activities

• Solomons Wall with rich history
• Unique rock outcrops/sandstone pedestals in
  Lentswe Le - Moriti
• Matshekge Hills (Natural Twin towers)
• Wildlife of Mashatu G. Reserve is diverse
• Mokolwane tree hyphaene petersiana
• Lodges and campsites
• Talana Farms ancient farm houses and
  implements, farm tourism

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Who benefits most from tourism in your area?
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Ownership of tourism related Enterprise North
East District
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Level of Ecotourism/Tourism Awareness in the
Bobirwa Sub-Dis
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Case Study 2 North East District and
Francistown existing Resources and activities

• Rich cultural heritage resources
• Eg Domboshaba cultural valley
• Domboshaba Ruins
• Matanga cultural site
• Modumela ecolodge and game park
• Moroka Zezeru pottery (since the 1960 droughts)
• Mapoka Tjilenje Group
• Historic city of Francistown
• Supa Ngwao Museum

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Visitor Statistics 1999 to 2002 Supa - Ngwao
Museum in Francistown

• Highest numbers recorded in 1999 (2160)
• 1462 visitors recorded in 2002
• With highest numbers recorded in August in all
  years - school recess

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Visitor Trends to Domboshaba Ruins July 1997 to
2002 (North East)

• July to December 1997 267 visitors
• Jan to Dec. 1998 741 visitors
• Jan to Dec. 2002 2314 visitors
• Growth with no marketing except WOM
• No tourism related developments

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Tourist numbers to Matsieng Cultural heritage
Sites (1999 to 2001) in Kgatleng
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Benefits (Northeast Bobirwa-Tuli Block sites)

• Employment opportunities eg 198 people employed
  in lodges, Campsites and game reserves in the
  Tuli area alone
• Recreation facilities eg Supa ngwao museum,
  Domboshaba site, Modumela Lodge (camping,
  picnics, game drives),
• Revival of local cultures and traditions (not
  significant)
• Craft production (shelter in Motlhabaneg
• Accommodation (campsites to upmarket lodges)
• Conference facilities

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Benefits (Northeast Bobirwa-Tuli Block sites)
Tourism related developments e.g

• Limpopo Valley Airfield (Air Botswana, chartered
  flights
• Game Park (on-going dev.) in Francistown
• Game Farm (on going dev.) between Tshesebe and
  Mosojane
• Tourism Offices in Francistown and Selebi Phikwe
  - New (marketing and promoting)
• Conservation initiatives (Wildlife, wilderness,
  cultural assets )

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Challenges?

• Most tourist resources in eastern Botswana are
  underutilized eg in 1998, 75 international
  tourist visited the popular Okavango region
  whilst only 2.8 visited eastern part (BTDP,2000)
• Short length of stay -
• Tourism awareness/ understanding - critical.
• Communities seem to place more value on arts
  tourism (contemporary art production)

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Challenges?

• Lack of skilled manpower (project management,
  finance, bookkeeping, marketing etc
• Lack of monetary resources ( skills to access
  funds)
• divert focus from wildlife tourism to historic
  and other cultural related resources
• A larger proportion of the land on the hands of
  - non- citizen
• Lack of business spirit amongst the locals
  (Government handouts)
• Travel, tourism and HIV/AIDS

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Plans

• More community workshops, meetings(info
  dissemination
• Tourism Awareness programs
• Training and introduction of CBT
• Assist communities to establish cultural village
  as part of CBT
• Use GIS to map out tourism sites/attractions in
  the Limpopo Basin Botswana
• Produce promotional maps, brochures,videos of
  eastern Botswana
• ,

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Eco-Tourism in both Study sitesOpportunities

• ?Development of holidays linked with culture and
  environment
• Development of cultural products (myths, legends,
  stories, folklore)
• Target regional, international domestic
  tourists
• Accessibility (SA, Namibia, Zimb.)
• Rigorous promotion of domestic tourism

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Eco-Tourism in both Study sitesOpportunities

• Preservation of cultural heritage resources eg
  provide package tours to heritage sites in the
  area eg Fort Motloutse, Majande Ruins,
  Domboshaba, Museums, monuments etc
• Encourage the locals to build huts using
  available local material eg stones/rocks,
  grass/log and mud huts, modelled on traditional
  Babirwa and Kalanga architecture (small scale)
• Has the potential to create employment, reduce
  poverty, and curb rural-urban migration

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• Thank You
• ubrigado
• Ke a leboga
• Dankie
• Siabonga
• Asante

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Eco-Tourism in both Study sitesOpportunities

• Share knowledge with tourists about their
  villages, cultural practices eg rainmaking
  rituals, storytelling, witchcraft etc
• ? Raise awareness among locals of the benefits
  and opportunities that tourism can bring.
  especially among the youth

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Visitor Numbers to Phuthadikobo Museum in Kgatleng