Antelope drinking at an Okavango water hole. Women in a local craft enterprise making baskets from sustainably harvested palms. Photos courtesy of Conservation International

Environmental Education and Conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana On a policy level, Conservation International is working to improve management of the Okavango River basin. It also supports scientific research on threatened species, which may reveal environmental disruption in the Okavango ecosystem. Another pressing issue is the recent building of fences around the delta to control the spread of cattle lung disease. These fences prevent wildlife from migrating between the delta and dispersal areas. A third component of CI's Okavango project is the promotion of locally controlled craft enterprises, which focuses on support for the sustainable harvest of palms and dyes used in basket making. This enterprise development contributes to the complementary goals of economic and cultural stability and the protection of biological diversity. 2 of 3