This chapter explores the management of communal rangelands in Botswana. The approach links national analysis with local observations from case studies in
published literature and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s
(IUCN’s) work on participatory planning and community engagement in natural
resource management in Kgalagadi District, where the legal and policy opportunities and constraints to achieving sustainable land management are examined. Kgalagadi District is the southernmost district of Botswana and lies within the Kalahari Desert.
Despite Botswana’s progressive approach to developing the robust land
administration and land tenure systems that contribute to good governance and
economic progress, in reality land management is still confronted by the need to
connect a traditional communal rangeland management system with a growing
urban economy and an increasing land market.