SEROWE - Botswanas wetlands, such as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, have the potential to benefit people who inhabit the areas around them.

Mr Stevie Monna, the director of environmental affairs, said this when presenting the Wetlands Framework Management Plan (FMP) before the Central District Development Committee (DDC) recently.

The plan, prepared by the Centre for Applied Research (CAR) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), seeks to improve peoples livelihoods through wise use of the wetlands natural resources, Mr Monna said.

He pointed out that Botswana has several key wetlands such as the famed Okavango Delta, and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, with the latter having a bearing on Central District development planning. Our resources, such as wetlands can assist in generating wealth.

There are four key elements in wealth formulation; human capital, infrastructure, finances, and natural capital. All these are important in ensuring that our wetlands improve the wealth of the country, Mr Monna said.

Wetlands are areas in which water sits on the surface of the soil for periods of time, affecting the areas ecological characteristics, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salty, it was explained.

Mr Monna said the FMP is divided into two; an inception phase scheduled to run between November and December and a development phase slated for January to October 2010.

He outlined the FMP components as including using ecology and hydrology as driving forces on the natural side, the use of wildlife resources, resource use and economic valuation, having sustainable tourism, including archaeological sites, scenario development and analysis as well as land use and planning. Furthermore, he explained that the FMP would include a policy review, as well as socio-economic and livelihood analysis.

On the ecology and hydrology side, our activities will include updating the report Site Inventory Review with current ecological and hydrological status of the Makgadikgadi Pans.

There will also be an ecosystem functioning and integrity study highlighting the baseline hydro-geochemical parameters, trophic interactions and importance of the Makgadikgadi to other ecosystems regionally and globally, Mr Monna said.

He said the methods will include a desktop review of the current information on the physical and ecological background of the Makgadikgadi, starting with the Makgadikgadi Site Inventory Report of 2003.

Mr Monna said the FMP would also provide an assessment of wildlife and bird population tends, movement and distribution; another assessment and evaluation of human-wildlife conflicts, as well as a synthesis of results and reporting.

The FMP will establish the importance of the Makgadikgadi to migrating birds and their international population status, Mr Monna said.

A valuation study by four researchers, two each from CAR and the DEA, will take place in Gweta and Nata to the North, Sowa to the East, Mopipi or Mmatshumo to the South, as well as Rakops and Xhumaga to the West.

The Central District Commissioner, Mrs Lorato Platjie and the DDC welcomed Mr Monnas report and reiterated the importance of the Makgadikgadi to the district. BOPA