Human settlements and wildlife distribution in the southern Kalahari of Botswana

Abstract

Relationships between selected wildlife species and livestock distributions obtained from aerial surveys in the wet season of 1992 were examined in the southern Kalahari of Botswana. Borehole locations were used to identify main human and livestock activity. Multivariate statistics were used to analyze the influence of environmental variables, including vegetation condition and vegetation structure, on wildlife and livestock distribution in the wildlife core area of the Kalahari. Grass greenness and distance to boreholes were found to be the main variables influencing the distribution of larger wildlife species and livestock. Many wildlife species selected green areas. The northern portion of the southern Kalahari has a higher average rainfall and was consequently greener; a further consequence was that more humans and boreholes were found there. It appeared that wildlife species most dependent on moisture occupied only a relatively small range of available habitat, selecting the mainly unprotected greener areas but avoiding areas very close to boreholes, possibly because they are occupied by livestock and close to humans. It is postulated that increasing human impact in the wet-season wildlife ranges may contribute to a decrease of wildlife numbers in the Kalahari, especially those species highly dependent on patches of green grass.