Environmental change in and around the Okavango Delta during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Abstract

Historical data, archival information, in-situ observations and multi-date remotely sensed imagery comprising CORONA photographs of 1967, aerial photographs of 1991 and 2000, and Landsat TM and Landsat ETM images of 1989 and 1994 and 2001, respectively, were used to reconstruct environmental changes in and around the Okavango Delta during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The major changes that emerged from this reconstruction include persistent flood and rainfall failures, sustained contraction of surface and groundwater resources, floodplain desiccation, significant expansion of woody cover and significant decrease in grazing resources. These changes require urgent formulation and immediate adoption of climate smart interventions that can enhance our capacities to cope with the adverse effects deteriorating climatic conditions.