Abstract
Fires play an essential part in the maintenance of the environment, but amplified fire activity often leads to adverse effects in the environment such as destruction of property and loss of life. Botswana has experienced wildfires that are caused by humans intentionally and unintentionally. Some of these wildfires grow into mega fires such as the 2008 wildfires. Data of wildfires reported in Botswana from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources and the frequency of occurrence was studied and analyzed. It shows the period of 2006-2017, Ghanzi and Ngamiland districts were mostly affected by wildfires. These districts have protected land such as the wildlife parks which may lead to the outbreak of natural wildfires that burns unnoticed due to minimal movements of people. The wildfires reported in each district show an increase over the years and this may affect the smooth running of operations.
Highlights
Botswana is one of the sub-Saharan countries that is affected by large wildfires
These wildfires usually start between April and June, but they are not as intense as fires experienced in the late season from August to October [1]
There is no strong correlation between the total area burned and the number of wildfires
Summary
Botswana is one of the sub-Saharan countries that is affected by large wildfires These wildfires usually start between April and June, but they are not as intense as fires experienced in the late season from August to October [1]. Botswana recorded mega fires in the year 2008 where 3.6 million hectares of Ghanzi district was burned and most of which was the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). This affected the country negatively as lots of funds were used in fighting these fires. Byakatonda, J. et al investigated the relationship between Botswana’s climate and ENSO, which they found a close relationship They associated drought years with El Niño times due to high temperatures and less rainfall. The authors drew conclusions that fires in Chile have a significant relation with ENSO [7]
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