Natural resource use and livelihoods in Botswana's Wildlife Management Areas

Global debates surrounding the management of natural resources in protected areas advocate greater involvement of local populations in order to mainta in sustainable resource use and conserve biological diversity. For this inv olvement to be effective, and for development to be truly participatory, a deeper understanding of people's relationships with the environment is need ed. This paper explores the society-environment interactions of people in a newly established Wildlife Management Area in western Botswana, illustrati ng the complexity and diversity of resource use and livelihoods that must b e addressed by development interventions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.