Communal Herding

our programs

At the request of local communities, we help oversee communal herds of cattle—helping protect them from predators and provide regular veterinary care.

Tradition counts

Historically, pastoralist herders maintained healthy ecosystems and protected livestock from predation, but in the last generation the culture has changed with herd-boys attending school and not livestock. As unattended livestock wander the landscape they cause overgrazing, erosion and desertification while predators get an easy meal.

What resulted was more communities losing critical livestock, and then more lions being killed in retribution.

To help solve this conflict, we launched a Communal Herding Program, to resurrect the traditional herder to reverse the landscape impacts of overgrazing, reduce lion conflict and support prosperous communities. Hence, our primary goals in this programme are:

1) healthy cattle
2) restored rangelands
3) protected cattle from predator attack
4) creating a market for sales of local predator-friendly beef.
5) reduced retaliatory killings of lions

This program is supported by generous donors and institutions and, in particular, an overarching funding initiative called “Herding 4 Health”. An initiative jointly managed by the Peace Parks Foundation and Conservation International, this programme extends across seven Southern African countries, including Botswana.

Key strategies of the Herding 4 Health model dovetail our early work and include identifying and training specialised herders (Ecorangers) in partnership with communities who then enable the collective management of livestock through planned grazing and mobile, predator-proof “bomas”—livestock enclosures.

With improved herd health management, disease prevention, and record-keeping, farmers are able to participate in and access more lucrative livestock markets as an incentive for good farming practices.

In April 2019, CLAWS together with livestock owners, formed the first communal herd in Botswana, located in Eretsha village of the Northern Okavango. We trained and hired six herders to watch after the cattle while grazing during the day, take them in the boma in the evening, monitor livestock health and protect them against predator attacks. On a regular basis, the team moves the boma, leaving denuded areas to rest and recover. We formed a community herding committee, consisting of community elders and cattle owners, a chairman and CLAWS representatives. The committee meets twice a month to manage activities, monitor and evaluate results and develop rotational grazing plans.

In 2022, we formed the second communal herd in Eretsha. The two herds now contain more than 700 cattle altogether from 28 livestock owners, covering more than half of the village cattle (approximately 1,400 head). Today, our herding team comprises our cattle foreman Paul Dube and Kutlwano Tsheko, both leading one herd, and twelve skilled eco rangers. With veterinary assistance from Dr. Erik Verreynne and vigilant management, our cattle are in the best condition in the region! We are also happy to experience minimal predator conflicts since the program has started. Today, we are receiving continuous interest from neighboring villages to expand the program.

In November 2022, we reached another big achievement in the program: The official launch of our field-based quarantine enclosure supporting greater market access for wildlife friendly beef. Various governmental department officials came to Eretsha to celebrate this event and the launch of our mobile quarantine boma. For four weeks, our eco ranger team, led by Kelebogile Motshoi, kept 31 healthy cattle isolated from other cattle with the aim to protect them from Food and Mouth Disease before slaughter. The area for the quarantine was carefully selected, enabling sufficient grazing ground and our team stayed with the cattle for regular health check-ups. With the second quarantine round just completed, we continue this important part of the program.

What is special about this: Our quarantine enclosure cuts significant costs for the farmer and the environment. Further, it supports rangeland grazing which is healthier for the cattle and can stimulate rangeland restoration through planned grazing. Currently, villagers can only sell to small local markets for a fraction of the selling price as those in regions with separations between cattle and wildlife because our local cattle may mingle with Cape buffalo carrying Foot and Mouth Disease. There is no incentive to take much care of the cattle if the price is so low. If villagers want to sell their cattle for a better price, they must pay to transport them to a quarantine far away, pay for fodder for the quarantine period (30 days) and personal housing that cuts significantly into their selling profits. So, those farmers that are part of our Communal Herding Program and adhere to Herding 4 Health principles, can sell their cattle for double the current value- creating the best incentive yet to be part of our Wildlife Friendly initiative. The biggest employers in our area, the safari operators, support our initiative and are interested in purchasing our meat for their staff and guests at a premium price. Ultimately, we look forward to environmental and financial sustainability in this area.

This program is funded by AFD (Agence Française de Développement) and the EU.

SAFE, PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES

Cattle are healthier and better protected—supporting a vital way of local life. Fewer than 1% of our herded cattle have been killed by lions with no known retaliatory killing of lions!

Elsewhere, in the neighboring villages Beetsha and Gunotsoga, livestock owners have also shown interest in joining a communal herd. If we can accommodate this demand our target of encapsulating 90% of cattle in our partner communities will be within our reach. Also, by expanding our program, we hope more communities will experience the benefits of our conservation work. Participants will be able to sell their livestock in better condition and for higher prices, hopefully achieving social uplift for these communities.

our programs