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Botswana
Threatened Species:
7 more info»
IBAs:
12 more info»
EBAs:
0
BirdLife Botswana (BLB)
BirdLife Botswana is a BirdLife Partner Designate
Founded in: 1980Members: 240
Staff: 2
Address: BirdLife Botswana, Private Bag 003, Suite 348, Mogoditshane, Botswana
Tel/Fax: +267 (31) 90-540
Email: blb@birdlifebotswana.org.bw
Web: http://www.birdlifebotswana.org.bw
Mission of the organisation
In 1980 the Botswana Bird Club (BBC) was established to fill the void in ornithological knowledge and interest that existed then in Botswana, and still to a certain extent remains today, despite the great strides made by the BBC and the society, under its current name, BirdLife Botswana.
The BBC was originally a branch of the Botswana Society in 1980. It has, throughout its history, been composed of members, who were and still are mainly, expatriate birders who temporarily reside in Botswana. However, efforts are being made to secure the future of the organisation by encouraging a greater local, resident membership. In 2000 the BBC became independent and moved into the offices of the local branch of IUCN (the World Conservation Union) and became the official BirdLife International representative for Botswana also.
The change of name from the Botswana Bird Club to BirdLife Botswana also heralded a change in focus from a broadly social club with interests in bird conservation, to a more formal science and research based organisation. Since 1980 the journal The Babbler has been published biannually and a quarterly newsletter, The Familiar Chat has been published since 1990. Both publications have been produced by the dedicated efforts of a succession of volunteer editors, to which all members of the organisation, past and present, are eternally grateful.
Key Activities
Currently BirdLife Botswana remains active providing services to its members, which are the valuable mainstay of BLB. It is also heavily involved in education and outreach, and continues to undertake research and be involved in conservation.Recent Achievements
- Recruitment of the first 2 full-time staff members
- Completion of a 3-year aerial survey to count Wattled Cranes in the Okavango Delta
- Secured grants for work aimed at publishing a Beginners Bird Book in the local language, Setswana
- Initiated a nation-wide project aimed at monitoring threatened birds in Botswana, the results of which will be used to develop the Red Data Book of Birds of Botswana, due for publication in 2007