Okavango Delta Management Plan - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

2.4.7.2 Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site (TH-WHS)
The Tsodilo hills are found some 50km west of Sepopa Village in the District. They rise up
to a height of 410m above the Kalahari sand plains. The site was nominated on the world
heritage list in 2001 as a cultural site, under criterion i, iii and iv.
At present, the Tsodilo Hills site is inhabited by two communities, namely the
Hambukushu (Bantu) and the !Kung (San), both of which are either descendants or
relatives of the people who were using the Hills approximately more than 150 years back
(Campbell et al. 1994). The hills are of significant spiritual and cultural value to the San
and Hambukushu, but more so for the latter whose ancestors are believed to have executed
the paintings found on the rocks today. Both the Hambukushu and the !Kung San, have
traditional beliefs associated with the site. The hills are sacred and are considered the
resting place for the spirits of the dead and the home of their various gods. Archaeological
studies have revealed that this area has been occupied by humans for the past 100, 000
years.
The most spectacular feature of the Tsodilo site is its rock art, concentrated in the site’s
three main inselbergs. A date of 1.5 million years has been attributed to the rocks (Brooks
et. al. 1992). The rock paintings are unique from other sites in southern Africa in the style
of their paintings in that they appear in minimally sheltered overhangs as opposed to
sheltered paintings in Matopo (Zimbabwe) and Drankensburg (South Africa). There are red
and white paintings. The red paintings mainly depict wild animals and are associated to the
San while the white mainly depicts domestic animals and are associated with the early
farmers. Archaeological evidence indicates that the hunter-gatherer life appears to be
continuous through time rather than abruptly changed (Robbins 1990; Campbell et. al
1994)
As a tourist attraction site, the four inselbergs are the only outstanding features in the
almost flat topography of the desert. The access road to the site has been upgraded and
facilities such as interpretation centre, camping sites, ablution blocks, and availability tour
guides from members of the community have improved the condition of the site (Keitumetse
2005). The Tsodilo management plan that was produced in 1994 has been revised and a
recent one, 2005, adopted. The plan outlines a monitoring programme that spells out
targets and Limits for Acceptable Change (pg 56) for the site. The Tsodilo <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>
has been adopted as part of the ODMP. It also spells out an implementation plan which can
be assessed against the ODMP implementation strategy. In addition, as a world heritage
site Tsodilo is protected under the 1972 UNESCO <strong>Convention</strong> for the Protection of the World
Cultural and Natural Heritage.
2.4.7.3 Moremi Game Reserve
Approximately 20% of the <strong>Okavango</strong> <strong>Delta</strong> area lies within the Moremi Game Reserve and is
protected under the 1992 National Parks Act. The Moremi Game Reserve covers 4, 871 km2 and forms part of the eastern corner/section of the <strong>Okavango</strong> <strong>Delta</strong>, and is often described
as one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. A mixture of mopane woodland and
Acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons characterize the Reserve. The high diversity of plant
and animal life of the Moremi Game Reserve is typical of the <strong>Okavango</strong> <strong>Delta</strong>.
2.4.7.4 Gchwihaba Caves
This is certainly one of the wildest and remotest of all tourist destinations in Botswana.
Gchwihaba Caves are situated some 50km south east of Aha Hills on undulating Kalahari
sand dunes. Inside the caves are linked passages and caverns that exist on two levels; one
56