Changing socio-ecologies of Kalahari: Local perceptions towards environmental change and tourism in Kgalagadi, Botswana

Central parts of southern Africa are expected to face major environmental and economic changes in the near future, calling for proactive thinking on how local people could diversify their livelihoods. In Botswana, the tourism industry is considered as a major option for economic diversification and current tourism policies include a strong emphasis on tourism that participates in and benefits communities. The developmental impact of tourism depends on how the local communities perceive their livelihood options and the role of tourism. This paper analyses how community members in selected villages in Kalahari Desert perceive the current and estimated future impacts of climate change and how these impacts may influence their livelihoods in future and what role the tourism industry may play in that process. Based on the results, there are minimal local benefits and participation in tourism, which limits the potential of tourism to work for sustainable local development in practice.