Cheetah Conservation Botswana

Earlier this week we took a field trip to Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB), a conservation project based in Ghanzi. Rick, the research and education director for the project, provided an informative presentation on the goals of CCB and some projects they are currently pursuing with intent to maintain healthy cheetah populations throughout Botswana. 

The main focus of the project is outreach and education to local farmers, as the Ghanzi district has a large population of cheetah that have been often wrongly accused of preying on the abundant livestock of the area. CCB runs a successful goat farm in order to exemplify the positive effect of implementing management strategies that can protect livestock. One such strategy is raising dogs alongside livestock, and CCB offers free puppies to local farmers in order to promote this technique!

Rick from Cheetah Conservation Botswana fields questions from the group.

Student Introductions (Cullen and Mike)

Now Cullen and Mike will introduce themselves and give thanks to those that helped make their trip a reality.

I’m Cullen and I’m a Computer Science and Plan II Honors student back home at UT. I’ve come to Botswana to explore possible subjects for my thesis in addition to wanting to experience things outside of my majors. Thank you to the Plan II Honors Program and the College of Liberal Arts for helping me get here this summer. It’s already been a life-changing experience. Fun fact: mafresh means french fries in Setswana, the national language here.

Hello! Or as we like to say in Botswana, dumela! My name is Mike Mahon, and I study economics in the College of Liberal Arts. I’ve always loved science, but I have almost no knowledge of environmental science. However, I believe it is crucial to learn more about the environment so that we can protect our planet from the effects of climate change. This, along with my life-long fascination with Africa, is why I decided to go on this trip. Also, it doesn’t hurt that I love camping out in nature. I’d like to thank Keith Mahon, a.k.a Dad, for funding my trip, along with everyone else who made this beautiful experience possible. See you in four weeks!

Whiteboard Presentations (Cullen, Kori, and Jack)

Cullen started off the week with his presentation on the predation of livestock by wild dogs and other carnivores in northern Botswana. In a country where wildlife tourism and cattle farming both play important economic roles, human-wildlife conflicts are common. Often blamed for livestock predation, this study found that only 2% of reported attacks were caused by the endangered wild dog. Cullen's presentation also served as a good introduction for yesterday's field trip to Cheetah Conservation Botswana.

Kori presented today on land tenure reform in southern Africa. Her presentation covered examples from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana and discussed the complexity involved with the redistribution of land rights following colonial presence.

Jack finished things off today with a presentation on sustainable land management in the Kalahari. He presented on a study that aimed to provide a manual-style decision support system for farmers and land managers which could help improve management practices and prevent degradation by shrub encroachment, soil erosion, or desertification.

Cullen and his whiteboard on livestock predation rates in northern Botswana.

Kori shows off her maps of Southern Africa before and after colonial rule.

Jack presenting on sustainable land management in the Kalahari.

Student Introductions (3 of 7)

We will now let Raeann and Zoi introduce themselves and give thanks to those who helped make their study abroad experience possible.

 Hello! My name is Raeann. I just finished my freshman year as a geology major. I chose to study abroad here so that I could immerse myself in a new culture and meet new people. I also wanted to expand my knowledge about the environment so that I will be able to implement it in my future courses. I would like to thank the College of Liberal Arts, the Jackson School of Geosciences, the Benjamin A. Gilman Foundation, Geoforce, and my family for all of their generous help and support.

Dumela! Leina la me ke Zoi Thompson and I’m a B.S. Environmental Science Geology Track student in the Jackson School of Geosciences. This Botswana program was a natural opportunity to combine my passion for the environment and a non-traditional study abroad experience (though I never imagined that everything here would have thorns). Here we are spoiled by our fantastic cooking and cleaning staff members Zebra, Stephen, and Godwin and our accommodations are luxurious by any previous camping standards (flush toilets!). I would like to send a big shout-out to my family for their unparalleled financial and emotional support in spite of the milestones, birthdays, and time together I’ll miss. I’d also like to thank the College of Liberal Arts which supplied support and a scholarship to subsidize the cost of the program. Sala sentle! (Stay well!)

The Bulb!

Over the past few days, we took a break from our above-ground vegetation measurements to pursue a below-ground side project. In the corner of one of our vegetation plots, Professor Thoralf pointed out two small vines and suggested that we dig out their root. 

The vines belong to the Marama Bean (Tylosema esculentum). This species is found across the Kalahari desert and develops a large underground root, known as a tuber or bulb. These tubers have been known to grow up to 300 kilograms in size (!), and we quickly found out that excavating the root would be more of an undertaking than the small vines suggested.

The tuber of the Marama Bean has been found to contain approximately 80% water by weight, providing an important source of water for ungulates (hoofed animals) of the dry Kalahari. We plan to weigh our tuber tomorrow and will report back here. 

On our way to unearth the tuber.

The small vines of the Marama bean were hiding a lot underground.

While digging we found a centipede in our pit. Our guide Daryl carefully removed it and placed it on the other side of our plot.

 Taking a well-deserved break around the tuber.

After several mornings of digging, Mike, Jack, and Alec finally hoist the bulb out of the ground.

The bulb is now proudly displayed in our campground (soccer ball for scale).

Whiteboard Presentations (Zoi and Jack)

Today Zoi presented on vegetation cover trends along the Kalahari transect, a geographic study area established from the south to the north of Botswana. The Kalahari transect gives researchers insight into the influence of differing precipitation levels on savanna environments, with very dry conditions in the south of the country and relatively wet conditions in the north.

Afterwards, Jack presented on differing levels of biodiversity observed on protected areas in the Kgalagdi Transfrontier Park and adjacent rangeland. The study looked at arthropod, snake, and lizard populations in protected and non-protected areas, finding greater levels of snakes and lizards in communal grazing lands.

Zoi poses with her presentation on vegetation of the Kalahari transect.

Jack shows off his presentation on biodiversity of protected and non-protected areas 

Student Introductions (2 of 7)

Next up, we will let Alec and Kevin introduce themselves and thank the many people and organizations that helped make their trip possible.

Dumela! Leina la me ke Alec. Ke a e ithuta environmental Science. This is Setswana, the traditional language of Botswana. It translates to: Hello! My name is Alec. I am studying Environmental Science. This fall I am going to be a second year student in the geography track of the Environmental Science Program. I am particularly interested in how environmental conditions can affect the health of populations as well as how diseases can stem from poor environmental conditions. Because of these interests and the fact that I have always had a fascination with Africa and African culture, I figured that this study abroad program was a perfect fit for me. Going into the trip I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as time has gone on I have grown accustomed to having eternally sandy feet, doing laundry in buckets, and falling asleep to the sound of Wildebeests outside my tent. I’d like to thank my parents, grandparents, the College of Liberal Arts study abroad scholarship fund, and everyone else who has contributed to enabling me to have this experience.

Hi! My name is Kevin -- or, in Setswana, "leina la me ke Kevin" -- and I'm a fourth-year studying neuroscience and psychology from Austin, Texas. After completing my undergraduate education, I plan on pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I hope to eventually open up a private practice while teaching and doing research at the university level. Why, then, am I studying climate change and vegetation in Southern Africa, you ask? Because I want to experience the world. In deciding where to study abroad, then, I asked myself, "Which program is out of the ordinary? Which program is going to pose a challenge? Which program is going to push me to be the absolute best version of myself that I can possibly be?" Needless to say, Botswana fit the bill to a tee. I didn't get here alone, though. I would first like to thank my parents and grandparents for their unconditional love and relentless support. I would also like to thank the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation for having named me a Rapoport Scholar at the beginning of my first year at The University of Texas, for their generous financial contribution is what made this trip -- and an undergraduate education -- possible. I am of the belief that the absolute best type of learning happens outside of one's comfort zone; I'm excited to experience that firsthand here in Botswana. I want to learn about myself and about the world around me and, perhaps most importantly, how those two pieces fit together. I want to change the world. Hook 'Em!