Biodiversity and the Military in Botswana

Abstract

This is a narrative of accomplishment that speaks well for a government and an army on a continent where both are widely held in contempt. It argues that Africans are contributing meaningfully to emerging global thinking on “security,” citing a case in which some of that new thinking involves environmental issues. In line with the new thinking, one African country, Botswana, has for almost two decades successfully deployed its capable, professional military to secure the large wild animals in its national parks. This article describes the country's wildlife resources and its antipoaching motivations before locating its antipoaching success in the wider framework of state capacity, political economy, and civil-military relations. The author urges caution in the use of armed forces for internal security roles in African countries but contends that Botswana's success can be replicated if key variables are understood and “controlled.”