TED Case Studies
Botswana Cattle Ranches and Trade
1. The Issue
The grasslands of Botswana contain more than twice as many
cattle as people. Botswana's national cattle herd has grown from
a few hundred thousand cattle in 1950 to close to three million
today. Due to European import restrictions on meat, the cattle
must be kept inside fences to avoid disease. Cattle raising, and
the accompanying fences, have drastically reduced the once
plentiful wildlife of the country's plains and disrupted migratory
patterns. Environmentalists are now fighting to preserve one of
the continent's last great wild areas from cattle ranchers, whose
fences are denying buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest (protected under
CITES) access to migration routes, and local bushmen access to
their traditional lands.
2. Description
Environmental groups are pressuring several developed
countries to deny Botswana cattle subsides under terms of trade
agreed to under the Lome convention. These subsidies, coupled with
strict restrictions on imports, have led to the construction of
cattle fences in Botswana. If the cattle fences in Botswana
remain, then it is likely that several species of wildlife will be
damaged, because their migration routes will be disrupted.
Scientists invited by the government of Botswana to study
Botswana's cattle problems, concluded that "when the interests of
wildlife and cattle come into conflict, the wildlife loses".
European meat import regulations require the fences to be
built to stop cattle from contracting foot and mouth disease, which
the cattle contact from wild buffalo. The ecological damage due to
the beef industry on Botswana's wildlife has been considerable
because of the concentration of animals within the fenced areas.
According to Per Wramner, a leading Swedish scientist, "vast areas
of natural habitats have been degraded in many parts of the
country. The main cause is the expansion of the cattle industry".
Beef exports to Europe are worth more than $100 million a year
to Botswana. Botswana has tried to sooth tensions with
environmentalists by allowing them to study the impact of the
fences on migration routes. It has instituted a National
Conservation Strategy and hired a London public relations firms to
improve its image. However, critics claim the national policy is
vague and that the hiring of a public relations firm only confirms
that Botswana is merely concerned about its public image, not the
habitat of its wildlife.
3. Related Cases
(br>BRAZIL case
COSTBEEF case
GHANA case
(br>EUMEAT case
MADCOW case
4. Draft Author:Forbes W. Hayes
5. Discourse and Status: DISagreement and Allegation
[ALLEGE]
There are only allegations against the Botswana cattle ranges,
but "the conflict between wildlife and the cattle ranches threatens
the cozy relationship between Botswana's elite and the West."
6. Forum and Scope:
7. Decision Breadth:1 (Botswana)
8. Legal Standing: LAW
9. Geographic Locations
a. Geographic Domain: AFRica
b. Geographic Site: Southern Africa [SAFR]
c. Geographic Impact: BOTSwana
10. Sub-National Factors:NO
11. Type of Habitat:Temperate [TEMP]
The habitat is mostly a dry savanna characterized by wet and
dry periods throughout the year.
12. Type of Measure: Regulatory Standard [REGSTD]
13. Direct v. Indirect Impacts: INDirect
There is no problem with the actual beef exports to Europe,
but rather with the way that the cattle are raised and the
subsequent impact on the environment (see TUNA case).
14. Relation of Trade Measure to Environmental Impact
a. Directly Related to Product: NO
b. Indirectly Related to Product: YES BEEF
c. Not Related to Product: NO
d. Related to Process: YES HABITat Loss
15. Trade Product Identification: MEAT
16. Economic Data
Botswana has just 5,000 farmers, many of them government
officials. The country has a population of 1.5 million but also
one of the world's greatest disparities between rich and poor.
According to the United Nations, the income of the wealthiest 20
percent of Botswana's population is 24 times that of the poorest 20
percent, a ratio exceeded only by Brazil (see BRAZIL case).
Cattle exports account for about $100 million a year, but
cattle exports account for only about two percent of Botswana's
export earnings. Most of Botswana's export earnings come from
diamond, copper, and nickel mining. Cattle ranching provides a
huge return on investment. A study by the International Labor
Organization (ILO) noted that the return on investment in cattle
was 2 to 1 in a non-drought year, but as much as 50 to 1 in a
drought year. In 1986, Botswana's cattle population was 2,332,000
and total beef industry output $405 million.
17. Impact of Trade Restriction:LOW
18. Industry Sector:FOOD
19. Exporters and Importers: BOTSwana and MANY
Most of Botswana's beef exports go to Europe
20. Environmental Problem Type:HABITat Loss
The environmental problem is the loss of habitat for the black
rhino, roan antelope, oribi, waterbuck, sable antelope,
klipspringer, white rhino, mountain reedbuck and puku. The
localizing of large ruminants also acts to degrade the habitat.
Seasonal migrations shift the sites where these animals graze and
therefore tend to minimize damage on a single area. Fences defeat
this purpose by focusing animals in a limited space.
21. Name, Type, and Diversity of Species
Name: MANY
Type: MANY
Diversity: 40 mammals per 10,000 km/sq (Botswana)
22. Resource Impact and Effect:MEDium and Structural
[STRCT]
Many areas of Botswana are of course still open and therefore
the overall impact of enclosing some areas to migration is not
overwhelming, but may be important in drought years when marginal
lands are keys to species survival. The problem is structural in
nature, via the Lome convention which encourages this type of
industry.
23. Urgency of Problem: MEDIUM
24. Substitutes: LIKE products
Some suggest that the existing ruminants (such as zebras,
antelope and other animals) could be managed and culled and that
these products might replace beef exports.
25. Culture:NO
26. Trans-Boundary Issues:YES
This is a trans-border problem because migratory patterns of
animals that are affected by the fences cross Botswana's borders
with neighboring countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and
Namibia.
27. Rights:NO
28. Relevant Literature
Abucar, Mohamed H.; Molutsi, Patrick. "Environmental Policy in
Botswana: A Critique." Africa Today 40/1 (1993): 61-73.
Comaroff, Jean.; Comaroff, John L. "Goodly Beasts, Beastly Goods:
Cattle and Commodities in a South African Context." American
Ethnologist 17 (May 1990): 196-216.
Pearce, Fred. "Botswana: Enclosing for Beef." The Ecologist
23/1 (1993): 25-29.
Pearce, Fred. "Beef for Europe Threatens Botswana's Wildlife."
New Scientist 134 (May 23, 1992): 10.
Rufai, Misbahu. "Fighting to Save the Environment." American
Muslim Journal (Apr. 10, 1992): 21:1.
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