Ms Lila Green, Chairperson, Board of Trustees African Wildlife Foundation

Mr. Frank Fountain, Chairman Corporate Council on Africa

Honourable Gladys Kokorwe, Assistant Minister of Local Government

Dr. Patrick J. Bergin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the African Wildlife Foundation

Mr. Stephen Hayes, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Council on Africa

Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Missions

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen

1. I am deeply grateful to the African Wildlife Foundation and the Corporate Council on Africa for inviting me to deliver a keynote address at this joint symposium. I welcome the opportunity to discuss with you, Botswana's conservation efforts, successes and challenges as well as the role of the private sector in the tourism industry.

2. Let me begin by acknowledging the important role that the African Wildlife Foundation has played and continues to play in the conservation of Africa's renewable resources. We appreciate the African Wildlife Foundation efforts in empowering the people of Africa with the necessary skills to develop and implement modern methods of conservation. The Foundation was instrumental in the establishment of the College of African Wildlife in Mweka, United Republic of Tanzania and in providing scholarships to students. Hundreds of Africans, including from my own country, Botswana, have gone through the gates of Mweka College.

3. I therefore take this opportunity to acknowledge and express my gratitude to the African Wildlife Foundation for the scholarships offered to Batswana since the establishment of an office in our country two years ago. Africa needs skilled human resources to conserve and fully realize the benefits that can accrue from its rich natural resource base.

4. The Government and people of Tanzania also deserve our deep appreciation. It was their well known generosity, hospitality and spirit of Pan-African solidarity that made it possible for Batswana and Africans in general to study and graduate from Mweka College.

5. It is gratifying to note the partnership that has developed over the years between business and conservation. I am particularly pleased that the Corporate Council on Africa and the African Wildlife Foundation are jointly sponsoring this symposium. This manifestation of growing ties between business and conservation is indeed welcome and commendable.

6. The Corporate Council on Africa has over the past ten years, made an enormous contribution to promoting trade and investment between Africa and the United States of America. We appreciate the critical role of the Corporate Council in encouraging Corporate America to look at Africa as a continent with opportunities for investment.

7. In June this year, we had a very successful US-Africa Business Summit here in Washington D.C. under the auspices of the Corporate Council on Africa. The Business Summit created opportunities for entrepreneurs from both Africa and the United States to exchange information about the possibilities for trade and investment.

8. It does not escape our notice that about 80% of American private sector investment in Africa is by companies with strong ties to and membership of the Corporate Council on Africa. The majority of these investments are in the mining, manufacturing and oil industries. Today, I wish to point out that in addition to those sectors, American companies can invest and realise meaningful returns from the tourism industry.

CONSERVATION EFFORTS

9. Botswana is endowed with a rich variety of bio-diversity. Government has always considered renewable natural resources especially wildlife as important to the economy and that they must be conserved and harnessed for the benefit of the people. In our land use planning processes, we accord conservation the priority that reflects its importance to the national economy.

10. We have allocated a significant portion of our land to conservation of natural resources. The wildlife estate is about 37% of the surface area of Botswana. This is a huge area by any standards. It is even moreso considering the fact that most parts of Botswana are arid or semi-arid.

11. In addition to setting aside vast expanses of land for conservation, financial and human resources have been allocated to enable the various institutions entrusted with the management and conservation of natural resources to fulfil their mandate. We have an efficient and effective law enforcement programme. We have permanently deployed Botswana Defence Force personnel in some conservation areas to assist Department of Wildlife and National Parks in anti-poaching operations.

12. The combined efforts of the army and game scouts have ensured that pouching levels remain low. When some countries experienced declining elephant populations due to excessive poaching in the 1980s, the elephant population in Botswana was growing. Government policy also ensured that utilization of wildlife resources is sustainable. Our quotas over the years have been conservative while enabling business to derive substantial returns.

13. In cases where we thought a particular species could not sustain the off-take, such a species would be taken out of the hunting quota. This was done in 1983 with elephants and hunting was only reinstated in 1996. I must point out that even in such situations we started with a yearly hunting quota of only 80 elephants against a population of 100 thousand. The current hunting quota is 210 whilst the elephant population is about 123 thousand.

14. Another example of how seriously we take conservation is demonstrated by the fact that, recently, when we were concerned that lions and cheetahs, were being killed by farmers in defence of their livestock, Government took the unpopular decision of prohibiting the killing of these species as predator or problem animals.

15. It is for these reasons that we hold important populations of some of the most threatened species of wildlife in Africa. We have some of the largest populations of lion, cheetah, sitatunga, wild dog, roan and wattle cranes. It is not by coincidence that one of the most important breeding sites for the migratory flamingos are found at Sua and Ntwetwe Pans in Botswana. This bestows upon us the responsibility to conserve these species in sufficient numbers and to ensure the protection of their habitats.

16. An important part of our conservation strategy is the recognition that growing human population and attendant human activities result in increased demand for land. Local communities can only assume responsibility and take interest in the sustainable management of their natural resources when accorded the right to derive benefits from the resources. In this regard, ten years ago, we initiated Community Based Natural Resources Management Programme. The programme enables communities to benefit from the natural resources within their areas. I must however admit that there are problems in the administration of the scheme by communities, and accountability is deficient. It has also created problems for us in that other communities feel they too must have preferential access to minerals found in their areas if those in wildlife areas benefit preferentially from wildlife.

17. A key aspect of our conservation efforts is the acceptance of the reality that wildlife know no boundaries. In this respect, a number of countries in East and Southern Africa share these mobile wildlife resources where there are no barriers to prevent their movement. Initiatives have been taken to harmonise policies and strategies for managing shared resources between and amongst countries. In April 1999, Botswana signed a Memorandum of Agreement with South Africa for the joint management of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This has resulted in unfettered movement allowing wildlife to have access to resources which they could not reach previously.

18. Consultations are going on regarding the possibility of establishing another transfrontier conservation area with South Africa and Zimbabwe on the central, north-east corner of Botswana. The area is rich in wildlife resources and has important archeological sites.

Countries in the region are enthusiastic about the potential benefits associated with transboundary management of natural resources. Twenty-two areas have been identified in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region where transboundary conservation areas can be established. When fully realized these initiatives will provide enormous opportunities for investment.

SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES

19. Conservation policies and practices in Botswana have been successful. However, success often breeds challenges. Botswana currently holds about 20% of Africa's elephant population, the largest population held by any single country. This population is estimated at 123 thousand individuals, as I said earlier, and grows at a rate of around 5% per annum. Although hosting such a large elephant population is testimony of our commitment to conservation, the impact of the elephants on woodland vegetation, the habitat of other wildlife species and humans is a major challenge.

20. Botswana is a state party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Parties to this convention have been too restrictive on the trade in elephant products, owing to population declines of elephants in some range states. These restrictions have tended to deny countries such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa opportunities to derive maximum benefits from a resource we have in abundance.

21. At the last Conference of Parties to the convention held in Santiago, Chile in November 2002, Botswana together with Namibia and South Africa were permitted a once-off sale of our ivory stocks. In the case of Botswana, we were allowed to sell some 20 tonnes of ivory. However, we continue to accumulate large quantities of ivory out of natural mortality to the extent that our storage facilities are proving inadequate.

22. We believe that the current system is unfair because it punishes good conservation efforts and imposes no obligations on those who are under-performing. It is necessary to reward good performance in conservation.

THE ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT IN TOURISM

23. The tourism industry in Botswana is a significant economic contributor to Gross Domestic Product. It currently contributes about 5% of the country's GDP. It is the second largest earner of foreign exchange. Government is committed to creating a conducive environment so that the contribution of this sector to GDP could increase to 9% by the year 2009. The tourism sector currently employs about 15 000 people. Tourists arrivals continue to show an impressive growth and have increased from 751 000 in 1995 to 1 360 000 in 2001. Tourism receipts increased from US$162M in 1995 to US$309 million in 2001.

24. In 1999 we engaged the services of Kartagener Associates to specifically market our tourism product in the North American market. The results have been excellent. Tourist arrivals from North America increased from 8 700 in 1999 to 27 200 in 2002, an increase of over 300%.

25. In an effort to facilitate the growth of this sector, Government has formulated policies that recognise and encourage the vital role of the private sector in the development of the industry. Government has provided infrastructure such as airports, landing strips, roads, telecommunications and electricity to the remotest parts of the country.

26. Safari hunting is another economic activity that thrives on the existence of a large and diverse wildlife resource base in Africa. East and Southern Africa are important safari hunting destinations. In Botswana, the hunting industry contributes approximately US$13 million per annum to the economy. We recently approved a Game Ranching Policy to lead to the further involvement of more private sector stakeholders in hunting.

27. The Policy is designed to encourage and ensure that game ranches function as true business operations with minimal regulation from Government. It is our hope that investment in game ranching will open opportunities for more private sector investment in the provision of accommodation and transport.

CONSERVATION IS GOOD BUSINESS

28. Ladies and gentlemen let me conclude by returning to the theme of the symposium, "Conservation is Good Business." It is generally acknowledged that renewable natural resources are the backbone of sustainable development and livelihoods. Natural resources provide inputs used in the construction and pharmaceutical industry. In the Peoples Republic of China, approximately 40% of all medicines depend on indigenous herbal plants. In South Africa, the famous herbal tea, Rooibos, earns the country about US$7.45 million per annum.

29. The travel and tourism industry accounts for 11% of the global Gross Domestic Product and supports 200 million jobs, which is 8% of world employment. According to the World Tourism Organisation, 5.5 million jobs will be created in tourism each year up to 2010. The tourism industry in Africa has not yet been developed to its full potential and therefore there are enormous opportunities for investment created by successful conservation efforts. There is no doubt in my mind therefore that, "Conservation is Good Business."

30. Lastly, I wish you fruitful deliberations. I hope the discussions will bring greater understanding of conservation issues and the opportunities it presents, not only for tourists, but also for improving the living standards of people through employment creation. This is crucial if we are to share a common vision of the sustainable exploitation of Africa's abundant natural resources.

31. I invite you to visit Botswana either as tourists or investors. I thank you for your attention.