This week the students at Kazungula and Kasane Primary Schools spend club time learning about butterflies! Ms Moore and Mr Lipa work with the kids to encourage their understanding of the importance of insects in wetlands systems. After reviewing the basics on insects and their body parts, we focused more on learning about the individual habits and lifestyles of these beautiful creatures.

            The students learned about the 4 main stages of the butterfly life cycle and how they undergo metamorphosis as caterpillars before they turn into what looks like a completely different looking insect. We discussed how different the eating habits are for caterpillars and butterflies, and how butterflies only drink nectar and water while their juvenile form will eat leaves and other plant matter.

            Butterflies provide some of the same benefits as bees to agricultural areas by pollinating plants but unfortunately they are at risk for several different reasons. The children learned that due to excessive spraying of pesticides on crops, the caterpillar populations in farming areas could be decimated, leaving little chance for butterfly populations to reach normal numbers. Our lesson also covered habitat loss as another reason that butterfly populations are threatened.

            After learning a few key differences difference between butterflies and moths, the kids got really excited because they made their own butterfly nets and got to run around looking for butterflies! Whenever a group of students caught something, everyone would gather around and determine whether it was a moth or a butterfly and try to identify what kind it was. Several of these butterflies will be kept and taken to CARACAL’s Biodiversity Center to become members of our butterfly garden.

            Next week the kids will continue learning about insects as we tackle everyone’s favorite eight-legged friend, spiders!

Kathleen Alexander's work in Botswana attracts attention of U.S. ambassador | Virginia Tech News | Virginia Tech

Kathleen Alexander's work in Botswana attracts attention of U.S. ambassador | Virginia Tech News | Virginia Tech

Our students also participated in an international art project this Saturday that is run by Nancy Ranch and her husband. This couple is currently traveling around the world, visiting school groups like CARACAL's and helping them create individual pieces of art that show what they think best describes their country. For example, most of the students think that the wildlife is what is most important about Chobe so many of them drew different animals like hippos, elephants, giraffe, and zebra. Each hand drawn card is copied twice so that the children may keep their drawing while the second copies are carried to the next country where students in another organization can pick a card they like the best to keep. Using these visual, artistic aids, this project teaches kids around the world about different environments and cultures that they aren't familiar with. Our students got to choose cards from Namibia and the cards that were made by the Botswana children will be heading off to Cambodia to be distributed to a school group there! The kids had a great time learning a new way to make cards and also getting to use watercolor paints afterwards! Thanks so much Nancy for an amazing weekend!

Crocodiles are important components of African fresh water ecosystems. While an important threat to human life, they play an essential role in water system function as a top predator and key stone species. Children in our educational program visit the Crocodile Farm in Kazungula with our Teacher Ms Moore and learn about the important role of crocodiles. These species generally are only feared. Managing this human-wildlife interface requires that we understand how to stay safe and why these species are important and deserve our protection.

 

Buffalo bushmeat linked to brucellosis in Botswana - environment - 08 March 2012 - New Scientist

Buffalo bushmeat linked to brucellosis in Botswana - environment - 08 March 2012 - New Scientist

CARACAL's bi-monthly water sampling continues as we measure the levels of E. coli in the Chobe River. The river has started to flood so it makes for an adventurous field day for Rob, Izzy and Lipa as they brave the wetlands in our inflatable boat!

The maps for our participatory wetlands program are now being finalized and will be distributed in June to the Chiefs of each village in the Enclave. This project (funded by UNDP SGGEF) took years to accomplish but provides the first participatory resource and governance project to take place in Northern Botswana. Here, Dr. Alexander, Mpho Ramotadima, and Pete Laver provide realtime GIS mapping discussions with community members in the Kgotla. Recent electrification of the region has provided the opportunity to use computers to enhance community participation and interaction.The team had to be creative, plastic bags cover the Kgotla window so that the community can see the map images and a sheet acts as a screen for the computer images.

The data from this project will be used to understand landscape changes and influences on water quality and the needs of local communities.