Major Constraints of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Botswana

This policy briefing examines the constraints affecting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EA) process in Botswana, focusing on legislative gaps, institutional capacity limitations, and the financial sustainability of the professional regulatory body.

• The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), acting as the Competent Authority, lacks independence because the director reports to the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism. This structure allows the minister to exempt projects from the EA process at their discretion under Section 3(3) of the act, and Section 76(2) provides a blanket exemption for government security agencies based on national security.
• The lack of independence and clear guidelines for exemptions has led to environmental and social risks, exemplified by a radioactive waste storage facility near Pilikwe village. This project faced criticism for lacking rigorous EA processes and insufficient public consultation regarding human health risks, leading residents to challenge the site selection in court.
• The DEA suffers from severe human resource shortages, operating only six offices nationwide with an average of three qualified officers per station. This capacity gap, combined with Botswana's size, hinders the monitoring and enforcement of EA recommendations, leading some developers to ignore these requirements once project permission is granted.
• Technical reviews of EA reports are often conducted by DEA officers who may lack the specialized expertise required for complex ecological, hydrological, or radioactivity issues. While the act allows for technical input from other agencies, a lack of formal mandates for those agencies results in the DEA conducting most reviews internally, potentially leading to non-optimal decisions.
• The Botswana Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners Association (BEAPA) faces significant financial instability due to an over-reliance on government funding. Approximately 90% of its annual budget (which ranges from BWP 1.5 to 1.75 million) is government-funded, while member subscriptions contribute only about 10% (approximately BWP 131,500).
• BEAPA's membership is limited by ambiguous registration requirements that mandate a 'qualification in an environmental discipline' or an EA course. This excludes other technical experts necessary for multi-disciplinary EA processes, contributing to low membership numbers and threatening the association's long-term sustainability.

APA

Tshwene-Mauchaza, B. (2015). Major Constraints of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Botswana. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Policy-Briefing-145.pdf

Chicago

Tshwene-Mauchaza, Boipelo. Major Constraints of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Botswana. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Policy-Briefing-145.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tshwene-Mauchaza |first1=Boipelo |title=Major Constraints of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Botswana |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Policy-Briefing-145.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tshwenemauchaza2015major, author = {Tshwene-Mauchaza, Boipelo}, title = {{Major Constraints of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Botswana}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Policy-Briefing-145.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }