Botswana contains the largest free-ranging elephant population in sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest densities occurring in the north-eastern region of the country. It is not surprising, therefore, that elephants are one of the most important wildlife resources in the country and one that carries with it the greatest impact. A relatively recent expansion in the range of elephants throughout northern Botswana has contributed to a large influx into the Okavango Delta and, as a result, an increase in the number of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) reports from many of the local communities there. HEC poses one of the most serious challenges to wildlife management throughout the Okavango Delta Ramsar site and, as such, has been chosen as an important management intervention in the implementation of the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP). However, a more detailed understanding of the underlying patterns and processes of HEC, through extensive fieldwork and data collation, is essential before effective management and HEC mitigation measures can be implemented.

My research is concentrating investigations in the Okavango Panhandle, an HEC ‘hotspot’ in Botswana. I aim to collect independent primary data on HEC, investigate and identify which factors make farms more susceptible to crop-raiding, and compare raided and non-raided farms to assess the effectiveness of different mitigation measures used. Data will be collected on elephant population numbers, distributions and densities in relation to human settlements, to gain a greater understanding of the elephants sharing space with humans in the Okavango Panhandle. Spatial correlates of HEC will be investigated and these findings mapped using GIS software. The research will be ongoing for three years and ultimately aims to provide essential information to wildlife managers and farmers to assist in developing practical and effective alternative land use planning strategies and appropriate deployment of mitigation measures to try to reduce HEC in the area.