Cheetah Conservation Botswana

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CHEETAH CONSERVATION BOTSWANA aims to preserve the nation's cheetah population through scientific research, community outreach and education, working with rural communities to promote coexistence with Botswana's rich diversity of predator species.

19/06/2026

Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s surface yet remain some of the most undervalued landscapes on the planet. This year, World Desertification and Drought Day shines a light on the essential role rangelands play in sustaining food and water security, biodiversity, climate resilience, and cultural identity under the theme: “Rangelands: Recognise. Respect. Restore.” The message resonates to us in Botswana and the western Kalahari landscape that CCB calls home.

Botswana is a rangeland country. Our vast savannahs and semi-arid grazing lands support livestock production, wildlife, and pastoral livelihoods. But these systems are increasingly under pressure from land degradation, prolonged droughts, and unpredictable rainfall. The ripple effects of these reach food security, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem balance.

To recognise, respect, and restore rangelands means acknowledging their value, honouring the knowledge of pastoralist and indigenous communities who have sustainably managed these lands, and investing in sustainable grazing practices, water management and community-led stewardship.

Desertification and drought are not distant environmental issues, they are lived realities shaping food security, livelihoods, and ecosystems across Botswana and beyond. Now is the time to act. We are uniting against desertification and drought!

16/06/2026

Fifty years ago, on the 16th of June, 1976, the youth of Soweto rose with one voice against injustice, demanding the right to be taught in their native languages. Their tenacity gave birth to the observation of the Day of the African Child since 1991, when it was first initiated by the OAU Organisation of African Unity. A day that celebrates the resilience, imagination, and fire of every young person across this continent.

We see that very fire in the eyes of children in the villages of the Ghanzi District. Through bush camps, classroom visits, and community playgroups, we harness this fire to turn curiosity into life-changing knowledge. Working in a water scarce region, we’re particularly invested in this year’s theme: “Ensuring universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for every child in Africa.”

As part of our bush camp curriculum, students are taught how to filter water to make it safe for drinking. A child who understands the value of clean water is likely to grow into an adult whose views of rivers, pans, lakes, and oceans that wildlife and people share are framed through a conservation mindset. They become the people for whom positive change is a lifelong pursuit; just like the survivors from Soweto.

For every child of Africa, we vow to continue to apply our heads, hearts, hands and minds to making each new day a step closer to realising the impatient dreams of the youth of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

11/06/2026

Today, we turn the spotlight one of the world’s most elusive wild cats, and a distant cousin to cheetahs: the lynx. Unlike their lithe, spotted cousins, lynx are stockier and sport a short bobbed tail, broad snowshoe-like paws, and distinct tufts on their ears that help sharpen their already exceptional hearing. These features are elements of this ambush hunter’s adaptations for life in dense woodlands and snowy terrain.

Once widespread across Europe, the Eurasian lynx is now a highly endangered species that survives in fragmented populations; with the main threats to their survival being habitat loss to infrastructure expansion, and historical persecution leading to illegal killings. This situation inspired the establishment of International Lynx Day to highlight the power of transboundary cooperation for this wild cat’s prosperity. From 2014 to 2020, the Interreg 3Lynx Project brought together institutions and communities from 5 countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany and Italy) to work on protecting lynx populations moving across shared mountain landscapes. The project equipped responsible stakeholders through experience, data and tool sharing, and by implementing a harmonised lynx monitoring at population level.

Lynx survival hinges on consistent, multi-level cooperation, commitment, and action across barriers of culture, language and terrain. From its founding till today, International Lynx Day continues to serve the great cause of reminding us about a rare natural gem that we can’t afford to lose.

10/06/2026

The late, great writer, Maya Angelou once said, “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young”. In this reflection, we see how books have a way of unlocking a child’s imagination. Do you remember falling in love with a character or animal from your favourite book as a child?

In 2020, we published our first bilingual children’s picture book: “Xabe: The Cheetah Hero/Xabe: Mogaka wa Matlotse”. The story was co-authored by Engagement and Awareness team members, Goabaone Britz Malepe and Katlego Kolanyane-Kesupile, with Connie Sebati assisting on translation. The story is set in the western Kalahari of Botswana and follows Xabe, a young boy who – following being denied inclusion in his favourite game by his peers – wanders into the bushveld surrounding the village of Qabo and unexpectedly encounters a cheetah cub caught in a snare. Having learned about the plight of cheetahs and the importance of coexistence through CCB’s work, the young boy’s simple act of kindness propels him into a rather dramatic, and dangerous, situation.

The thematic landscape of the story features messaging on bullying, living with disabilities, compassion, appreciating the environment, accountability, and friendship. It is a tale about courage, kindness and finding your voice even when the world tells you to stay quiet – all values that we believe are perfect for children aged 5 to 12. Additionally, the richness of the story and illustrations make it the kind of book you can revisit over and over as you grow, and still find something new to leave with.

Whether you have a child, or know a child, you’d like to gift a copy to, we are absolutely ready to get it into your hands. Books are available through CCB offices in Gaborone and Ghanzi. This is just one way to support CCB’s work, share our passion for conservation and education, and open the doors and windows of someone’s imagination – and there are few gifts as great as that.

08/06/2026

Among the many things that they do, oceans regulate the global climate, produce much of the oxygen we breathe, and influence rainfall systems that shape landscapes far beyond the coast. One facet of the complex systems oceans support is that they are where many animals and humans find their food. These oceanic communities - marine ecosystems (interconnected life forms like coral reefs and mangroves) and human coastal communities – are connected by water, regardless of how far apart they appear.

As such, the 2026 World Oceans Day theme: “Sustainable Fishing Means More” calls for everyone involved in extracting from their waters to acknowledge the importance of maintaining healthy fish populations, supporting marine biodiversity, and ensuring food security for marine life and coastal communities. Even at the smallest, domestic scale, fishers are aware of the fine balance that must be maintained to make returning with a catch a regularity.

Amplified across the globe, however, are the risks of overfishing and pollution which diminish marine life and fracture fragile ecosystems. In addition to rising sea temperatures, the effects of these manmade challenges are felt directly by the communities that rely on the ocean for livelihoods or food. The choices we make about how we use natural resources today has an effect on the resilience of our planet tomorrow, and sustainable fishing practices fall among them.

Education is a fundamental tool to help make the vastness and complexity of oceans more easily digestible. UNESCO’s Ocean Literacy portal has a collection of great resources – from books and lesson plans to policy briefs and protocols – designed for audiences of all ages. By learning more, we can make informed seafood choices while advocating for stronger protections for marine ecosystems. We can all play a role in safeguarding our blue planet.

06/06/2026

It's the weekend, and we know that whether you're having a morning lie-in, bookish afternoon, or snuggled on the couch watching movies, a good hug can elevate the experience. However, sometimes, you might seek out a huggee and find yourself with a differently elevated experience.

Thankfully, the folks at Indianapolis Zoo have all you need when it comes to felines. For 'Hug Your Cat Day' this year, they shared this straight-forward, highly intuitive and informative selection of potential huggees and some you should keep far away from. Because sharing is caring, consider this a hug from us to you on this first weekend of June! 😊

05/06/2026

This World Environment Day, the theme: “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future” urges us to be cognizant of the fact that healthy ecosystems are one of our strongest defences against climate change. Here in Botswana, rising temperatures, loss of habitats, droughts, and changing rainfall patterns are increasingly putting pressure on farmers, wildlife, and fragile ecosystems. Worldwide, we’ve noted that as habitats get more fragmented – be it the Pacific Northwest or Western and Central Europe – connected ecosystems are becoming increasingly important for wildlife survival and climate resilience.

The environment is more that wild forests that absorb carbon, and wetlands that reduce the impact of floods and storms – it is everywhere the wind blows, from the highest mountain to the quietest footpath. This understanding is why our various programmes teach people of different ages how to value their surroundings, and realise that supporting human-wildlife coexistence has many faces. These are simple messages to convey, but it takes collective work to move them from thoughts to living practices.

The challenges facing our planet can feel overwhelming, but there is hope in collective action. Across Botswana and around the world, people are proving that a more sustainable future is possible, and that we can build solutions that benefit both people and wildlife. Happy World Environment Day!

01/06/2026

Environmental education remains a vital component of CCB’s holistic approach to conservation. Despite a lack of electricity at the school, 99 Standard 5, 6, and 7 students at Bere Primary School got to engage with our Communities for Conservation (C4C) - Development Intern, Goitseone Samson, as she delivered an environmental education talk with support from Tshepho Bakani, Farming for Conservation Officer, and PhD scholar, Otshabile Bahetoleng. The trio covered topics ranging from coexistence techniques to the human element of conservation and applications of scientific research in real life.

Following interactive discussions, the students got to play the “Win-Win Game” – a firm favourite that has them embody practical ways in which farmers, livestock, and cheetahs can coexist with one another using non-lethal deterrents such as Livestock Guarding Dogs alongside diligent herding. “One of the most encouraging parts of the talk was seeing how eager the students were to learn and participate”, said Samson, continuing: “as we know, students who learn the importance of conservation early can be vessels for safeguarding Botswana’s biodiversity”.

With school talks being a fundamental part of our C4C programming, it is quite encouraging to have different departmental representatives join in whenever possible. With each child reached, we hope that we plant seeds that show them how they too can become ambassadors for conservation in their communities and beyond.

27/05/2026

Dear coffee drinkers, did you enjoy your dose today? Did you know that 75% of food crops require pollination, including coffee – whose primary agents are bees? But it’s not just them. Fibres like cotton and flax… pollinated. Agricultural feed like clover and alfalfa… pollinated. This means pollination affects more than just what we eat.

Nearly 2,000 species of birds are essential partners in this global system. These include honeycreepers, some parrots, honeyeaters, and sunbirds. When a hungry bird dives deep into a tubular flower for a sip of nectar, pollen rubs onto its body (bill, head, back, breast) and sticks. When they fly from flower to flower, that pollen is transferred. Birds have a poor sense of smell; thus, many bird-pollinated flowers have evolved to display bold, bright colours to be noticed even without producing scents. Larger bird-pollinated flowers even have sturdy stems to support a perched bird’s weight.

In tropical areas where birds are abundant, bird pollination is especially common. However, ironically enough, in environments like deserts or high-altitude regions where insects are scarce, birds are also vital pollinators. 85-90% of flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce. Birds sustain the shrubs, trees, and wildflowers that create healthy habitats for cheetah prey like springbok and impala.

Sadly, 16.5% of bird and mammal pollinators are now threatened with extinction. Without pollinators, plant life faces a dark future. Having no plants means no natural prey, and no prey means heightened conflict risk for carnivores like cheetahs. When we talk about promoting coexistence, we mean at all levels – from our breakfast stations to the expanses of the wild.

25/05/2026

Behind every strong kraal is a farmer who has put in the work to figure a number of things out. Our Farming for Conservation (FFC) team actively works with two farmer networks – namely, the Ghanzi Farmers Network and Southern Livestock Farmers Network (SOLIFANE) – in an effort to make this process of figuring things out less isolated. Understanding that true empowerment means participants find themselves enriched to the point of independence, a handful of farmers from these groups have been identified as ‘model farmers’ and have stepped up to share the responsibility of educational stewardship.

The model farmers are people who have implemented carnivore-friendly farm management techniques that have greatly reduced wildlife-related conflict and improved the sustainability of their farming enterprises. Among some of the techniques FFC promotes, model farmers use livestock guarding dogs (LGDs), have built predator-proof kraals, and practice husbandry methods that minimise conflict. Their farms serve as demonstration sites for other members of the community to learn about the different ways one can coexist with wildlife. Through the model farmer initiative, we hope to see more farmers grow healthier and stronger herds by using non-lethal deterrents, staying on top of healthcare, keeping good records, and practicing eco-friendly farming.

The task of making sure that living in wildlife-rich areas isn’t seen as a sentence to living in perpetual conflict needs as many active hands and minds as are available. We are grateful to be part of a localised ecosystem that believes that coexistence isn’t just a dream but an attainable reality.

Address

Office B5, Kgale Siding Office Park
Gaborone
PRIVATEBAGBO284,BONTLENG

Website

http://www.cheetahconservationbotswana.org/

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