Chobe Environment

This remarkable wilderness area attracts a vast array of birdlife and concentrations of large mammals, particularly elephant.

The nature of the Chobe environment is that the different regions change dramatically in accordance with the seasons in this land where rain is revered and every living creature awaits its arrival expectantly - read more about these changes in our 'When to Go to Chobe' section.

Conservation

Botswana is a key player in African nature conservation, in which Chobe plays a central role. Home to threatened or endangered species such as the African wild dog, cheetah, sable and roan antelope, access to Chobe National Park has long been tightly regulated.

Anti-poaching forces maintain a strong presence and, since the local population has a vested interest in the park through jobs and income, there are only rare incidents of illegal encroachment or hunting.

The Chobe National Park is one of the most visited wildlife areas in Botswana. Having protected this wilderness, the challenge is now to balance conservation, tourism and local participation in order to preserve it for future generations.

Indeed the most pressing conservation is not so much the protection of animals, but the abundance of them. Highly localised concentrations of elephant, coupled with a hunting ban, has resulted in a population explosion that is putting severe pressure on habitats, particularly in the Chobe River area.

Even excluding hunting concession areas and forest reserves, Botswana has put aside a phenomenal 17% of its total surface area as game reserves or national parks: at a total of over 100 00km², that's an area larger than Portugal.

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