Desert & Delta Safaris: Shaping the Landscape

Only three living species is said to be able to change the landscape that surrounds us. All three these species can alter the shape of the environment in such a way that it is changed permanently. These changes can be both positive and negative, making or breaking the fragile balance of the global ecosystems.

The first specie is responsible for the shaping of natural areas. Especially in the Delta this specie is responsible for the construction of the landscape. It creates the very soil under our feet, lifting the moist substrate to the surface where it dries and forms the islands. No, this is not some massive colossus, but rather the humble termite. Termite action is responsible for the recycling of the majority of dead plant material on the African Savannah.

From the humble termite, the next specie shaping our landscape is the elephant. Due to its large size, and very inefficient digestive system, the average elephant needs about 240kg of food per day. This leads to one of the biggest problems in elephant conservation: the ecosystem has to provide this mass of food daily for the elephants.

Currently the Botswana Elephant population is standing at around 150 000 individuals, around a third of the total population. To sustain this population, they need 36 000 000kg – yes, that is thirty six million kilograms - of food every day. For this reason Elephants roam over very large distances to get enough sustanance. An Elephant that was fitted with a radio collar in Botswana has travelled from here to Hwange in Zimbabwe and all the way up to Katima Mulilo on the Namibia / Zambia border. From there he came back to the Chobe area and into Botswana. He covered a distance of more than 450km and a total area of over 21 000 square kilometers. The smallest area covered by a single elephant in this survey was around 900 square kilometers. A young bull that was collared at a waterhole in Savute has covered an area of 24 848 square kilometers. Interresting to note that around 60% of these animals movement was outside of protected areas.

This brings us to the third, and most destructive of the Landscape shapers. Homo sapiens – man in his full glory. Man has attacked termites by many different means, aimed at trying to stop their jaws devouring the human food supplies. Termites has in return launched their own counter attack. Many homes suffer from termite infestation. The termites eat the wooden structures that humans construct all over the planet, getting back at humans in their own unique way.

In the case of the Human / Elephant interaction the conflict is not as simple. Humans has constructed artifical barriers such as International Boundaries, Fences, roads and towns across the natural migration corridors of the elephants. This leads to the elephant range being constricted. The impact of the growing elephant popultation is being forced onto a smaller and smaller area. As man has created the problem, man is the only specie that can solve the problem. The best solution for the elephant problem is to re-open the natural migration routes. This is done by means of transfrontier conservation areas. Big plans are currently being put together for the Kavango – Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation area, which would include parts of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This will greatly enlarge the current area under official protection, thereby enlarging the areas over which they can roam safely.