Nature conservation, borders and violence along the Chobe River between Botswana and Namibia in the twentieth and twenty-first century

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the intricate dynamics of the Chobe River borderland between Namibia and Botswana, a border marked by its dual identity as both a national boundary and a conservation frontier. The Chobe River border has witnessed transformations from a colonial-era demarcation to an area drawn into liberation wars and, subsequently, a hotspot for militarized conservation. Drawing from archival material and interviews in the region this study illuminates the entanglement of nature conservation and violence in the region, exemplified by the harmful consequences of safeguarding wildlife along the border. We argue that the militarized role of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in protecting high-value wildlife and conservation zones intersects with the history of the Kasikili/Sedudu border dispute and the establishment of the Chobe National Park as well as with broader state imperatives, including security, finance, and legitimation. We develop this argument through a comprehensive investigation into historical debates over the border’s position, conflicts related to land use, and the BDF’s evolving role in green violence.