The other night, we went to an ostrich farm to look at the stars.
I always wanted to say that.
This guy gives star lectures and has a really awesome telescope. ("It costs about as much as a small car. Maybe not such a small car. Okay, about as much as a Landcruiser." Darn, crossing that off my Hanukkah list.) I saw Jupiter and its four moons, I saw our moon up close (it look just like the pictures, but cooler in real time), and some other stars of all ages and distances. We saw the Andromeda GAlaxy, which looks a lot like a smudge that's swollen in the middle. The best was 47 Tucanae, a globular cluster. It's pretty amazing.
Sorry I haven't had much time for you this week. Here's why: (and I will probably be out of communication for a week or two)
Robin Zelman
ISP Proposal
Abstract:
I always wanted to say that.
This guy gives star lectures and has a really awesome telescope. ("It costs about as much as a small car. Maybe not such a small car. Okay, about as much as a Landcruiser." Darn, crossing that off my Hanukkah list.) I saw Jupiter and its four moons, I saw our moon up close (it look just like the pictures, but cooler in real time), and some other stars of all ages and distances. We saw the Andromeda GAlaxy, which looks a lot like a smudge that's swollen in the middle. The best was 47 Tucanae, a globular cluster. It's pretty amazing.
Sorry I haven't had much time for you this week. Here's why: (and I will probably be out of communication for a week or two)
Robin Zelman
ISP Proposal
Abstract:
I intend to quantify the effects of the presence of Kaziikini Camp and Santawani Lodge on the surrounding vegetation. I will do transects radiating outwards from the camp, recording the presence of plant species along these transects. The data will be analyzed to determine how the diversity of plantlife changes as distance from the camp increases.
Problem Statement:
The Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust is a community-based natural resource management organization located on the border of Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta region of northern Botswana. The trust runs the Santawani Lodge and Kaziikini Camp, whose profits are used to directly benifit the Sankuyo community. Kaziikini Camp is owned, staffed, and run completely by members of the trust.
Community-based organizations were encouraged by the government of Botswana in order to create a greater investment in natural resource management on the part of individual communities. Ideally, a CBO will provide employment and a consistent source of income to a village or community that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.
The Okavango Delta is the world's largest RAMSAR site and well-known for its unparalleled biodiversity. Tourism is the second biggest source of income in Botswana. Tourism has the potential to provide for the Batswana indefinitely, if it is managed in a sustainable fashion. Tourism can also be incredibly detrimental to Botswana. Too much traffic and infrastructure development can permanently destroy the diversity of wildlife in the delta.
In order to prevent this, the government of Botswana has encouraged a low-volume, high-cost approach to tourism. The advantage of this is that less damage is done to the environment with the same level of profit. A major pitfall of this policy is that a low-volume, high-cost tourist business requires a large initial investment, which many Batswana are unable to do, leaving the market open for foreign opportunists. Community-based organizations are the alternative to this, allowing businesses to create partnerships with individual communities and eventually leave the business to the community.
The concept of community-based natural resource management does not always work perfectly. I plan to study the environmental impacts of the Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust. By assessing the relationship between diversity of plantlife and distance from a tourist camp, I hope to gain insight into the future sustainability of this particular community-based organization. As this is one of the more successful and well-known community-based organization, it is that more important to learn about the effects on the community and the environment.
Tourists often come to Botswana to see the diversity of wild animals, and the plantlife has a direct effect on this. By studying the effect of tourism on plantlife, it will be possible to see whether the diversity of wildlife is threatened and therefore whether tourism is sustainable.
Tourists often come to Botswana to see the diversity of wild animals, and the plantlife has a direct effect on this. By studying the effect of tourism on plantlife, it will be possible to see whether the diversity of wildlife is threatened and therefore whether tourism is sustainable.
Goal:
My goal is to determine how plant diversity varies with proximity to Kaziikini Camp and Santawani Lodge.
Objectives:
1. Do as many plots radiating out from one of these tourist locations as I have time for, recording the data about the plantlife.
2. Organize the data into distances from the center.
3. Determine if the number of species varies between distances.
4. If there is variation, determine if it is statistically significant.
5. If time permits, interview staff and patrons of the Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust to examine the perception of the effects of tourism on the biodiversity.
Design and Methods:
Starting from the center (lodge or camp), I will walk a straight line transect radiating outwards. Every 50 meters, starting at 0 meters, I will mark a point to be the center of two plots, one 10m x 10m and one 2m x 2m. The larger plot is to study tree and shrub species and the smaller plot is for herbaceous species. The following data will be collected:
Distance from center lodge or camp
Species
%cover of species (estimate)
%bareground in plot (estimate)
%dead biomass in plot (estimate)
%canopy cover (estimate)
Height of vegetation (measured if possible)
Diameter at breast height (trees)
Distance will be measured with a tape measure and transects will be done using a compass bearing for direction. Plants of the Okavango will be used as a field guide.
Distance from center lodge or camp
Species
%cover of species (estimate)
%bareground in plot (estimate)
%dead biomass in plot (estimate)
%canopy cover (estimate)
Height of vegetation (measured if possible)
Diameter at breast height (trees)
Distance will be measured with a tape measure and transects will be done using a compass bearing for direction. Plants of the Okavango will be used as a field guide.
Analyze data by compiling information into distances. Compare data for each distance. Figure out if results are statistically significant.
Schedule:
Monday, Nov. 19, morning: travel to Sankuyo. Afternoon, explore area, possibly begin transects.
Tuesday, Nov. 20-Friday, Nov. 23: Run transects all day, as time and weather permit.
Saturday, Nov. 24, morning: finish transects if necessary. Interview staff and guests. Return to Sedia.
Monday, Nov. 26-Friday, Nov. 30: Compile data and do statistical analysis on computers at HOORC.
Monday, Dec. 3-Tuesday, Dec. 10: Write paper on computers at HOORC.
Wednesday, Dec. 11-Friday, Dec. 13: Prepare oral presentation. (Make Powerpoint at HOORC?)
Saturday, Dec. 14-Sunday, Dec. 15: Sleep, swim, drink.
Monday, Dec. 15: Return to Gabs.
Interview topics:
How is the waste treated and discarded?
Where is the water coming from?
Have you noticed any biodiversity changes in the last decade? Few years?
Where is firewood gathered?
What infrastructure has been developed in the area?
Where is firewood gathered?
How does the tourist camp/lodge affect your experience?
Sources:
My main sources of information on Sankuyo were http://www.awf.org/documents/Santawani_Lodge_Case_study.pdf and http://www.santawanilodge.com/index.htm. I learned about CBNRM and CBOs from several lectures at the University of Botswana. Fieldwork techniques were derived from the following:
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