Mining as an ally in preserving Botswana’s Okavango Delta

The paper examines the potential for mining to coexist with environmental preservation in Botswana's Okavango Delta. It highlights the economic pressure on Botswana to diversify away from declining diamond revenues by utilizing iron-ore, copper, and coal deposits. While acknowledging the environmental risks to the Delta—which is also threatened by upstream irrigation in Angola and Namibia, population growth, and poaching—the author suggests that mining companies can be allies in conservation. This is supported by the reputational risks associated with the Delta's World Heritage status and the regulatory oversight of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the International Finance Corporation. The document advocates for a governance model based on cooperation, land-use planning, and community engagement to ensure mining provides the capital and employment necessary to sustain the region's long-term ecological and tourism value.

• Tsodilo Resources has identified significant iron-ore deposits near the Okavango Delta, with Block 1 containing high-grade ore valued at approximately US$ 14bn and Block 2 estimated to have 5 to 7 billion recoverable tonnes.
• Botswana faces economic pressure to diversify its GDP as diamond deposits deplete, possessing a comparative advantage in iron-ore, copper, and coal, which could be beneficiated into a domestic steel industry.
• The Okavango Delta faces multiple ecological threats beyond mining, including upstream water abstractions for irrigation in Angola and Namibia (potentially consuming 15.7% of mean annual inflow), proposed hydropower dams in Namibia, and human-wildlife conflict.
• Mining companies may be incentivized to adhere to strict environmental standards due to the Okavango Delta's World Heritage status, Tsodilo Resources' listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and its partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
• The author proposes a governance strategy that enlists mining companies as allies through land-use planning and community-based natural resource management, suggesting that tangible community benefits from mining can help preserve the Delta.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2014). Mining as an ally in preserving Botswana’s Okavango Delta. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-as-an-ally-in-preserving-botswanas-okavango-delta/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Mining as an ally in preserving Botswana’s Okavango Delta. 2014. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-as-an-ally-in-preserving-botswanas-okavango-delta/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Mining as an ally in preserving Botswana’s Okavango Delta |date=14 October 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-as-an-ally-in-preserving-botswanas-okavango-delta/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2014mining, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Mining as an ally in preserving Botswana’s Okavango Delta}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-as-an-ally-in-preserving-botswanas-okavango-delta/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }