TOURISM IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF GA
TOURISM IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF GABORONE GAME RESERVE AND STRATEGIES USED TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACTS WITH THE HELP OF STAKEHOLDERS
Gaborone Game Reserve was established in 1988 as a wildlife education centre. Although small, at just under 600 hectares, it is now the third busiest reserve in the whole of Botswana. The park has network of game viewing roads, a visitor’s education centre, picnic sites with barbeque stands set among tall trees, a ‘hide’ for viewing game around waterhole and a ‘bird hide’ overlooking a read-filled expanse of wetland. A detailed route map is supplied at the entrance gate, which is a short distance off Limpopo Drive on the eastern side of the city. A variety of wildlife animals are found there like impala, kudu, ostrich, zebra, gemsbok and springbok. The reserve is also popular with bird watches. The variety of habitats within the pack, from thorn shrubs and woodland forest and marshland has attracted a wide range of birds including raptors, like the snake eagle, the crimson boubou and the gallinule, which inhabits the wetlands. Gaborone Game Reserve was established to enhance conservation awareness in Gaborone and the surrounding areas. (Lebogang, 2010)
ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS
The impacts of tourism upon the environment of Gaborone Game Reserve can be separated into two broad categories of positive and negative impacts. The positive impacts of tourism are that tourism help to protect habitants and wildlife within the park from other more environmentally harmful forms development such as logging or from other forms of destructive human activity such as poaching. Looking at the issue of poaching it is said that poaching in Gaborone Game Reserve is less because it is closer to a police camp called Special Support Group which makes poachers to be afraid to poach there. Tourism has also makes the environment to look beautiful because it has makes some improvements in tourism landscape. The landscape made the environment in the reserve to
Gaborone Game Reserve was established in 1988 as a wildlife education centre. Although small, at just under 600 hectares, it is now the third busiest reserve in the whole of Botswana. The park has network of game viewing roads, a visitor’s education centre, picnic sites with barbeque stands set among tall trees, a ‘hide’ for viewing game around waterhole and a ‘bird hide’ overlooking a read-filled expanse of wetland. A detailed route map is supplied at the entrance gate, which is a short distance off Limpopo Drive on the eastern side of the city. A variety of wildlife animals are found there like impala, kudu, ostrich, zebra, gemsbok and springbok. The reserve is also popular with bird watches. The variety of habitats within the pack, from thorn shrubs and woodland forest and marshland has attracted a wide range of birds including raptors, like the snake eagle, the crimson boubou and the gallinule, which inhabits the wetlands. Gaborone Game Reserve was established to enhance conservation awareness in Gaborone and the surrounding areas. (Lebogang, 2010)
ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS
The impacts of tourism upon the environment of Gaborone Game Reserve can be separated into two broad categories of positive and negative impacts. The positive impacts of tourism are that tourism help to protect habitants and wildlife within the park from other more environmentally harmful forms development such as logging or from other forms of destructive human activity such as poaching. Looking at the issue of poaching it is said that poaching in Gaborone Game Reserve is less because it is closer to a police camp called Special Support Group which makes poachers to be afraid to poach there. Tourism has also makes the environment to look beautiful because it has makes some improvements in tourism landscape. The landscape made the environment in the reserve to
Cited: Chakalisa. (2013). Botswana Tourism. Retrieved September 10, 2013, from Botswana Tourism: www.botswanatourism.com Holden, A. (2000). Environment and Tourism. New York. Janet. (2011, december 7). Kalahari Conservation Society. Retrieved september 10, 2013, from www.kcs.org.bw Lebogang. (2010). Gaborone Game Reserve. Botswana Bojanala Volume 5 , 10-15.