- hot-spots
- biodiversity
- Botswana
- Mass elephant die-off, Botswana
Problems
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast.
Why are elephants dying in Botswana?
According to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, hundreds of elephants that died in 2020 and 2021 mysteriously in Botswana's famed Okavango Delta succumbed to cyanobacteria poisoning. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are found worldwide, especially in calm, nutrient-rich waters. Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that affect animals and humans. Many dead elephants were found near watering, indicating they might have ingested the bacteria. The elephants died after a period of “lake turnover”—the seasonal mixing of water bodies caused by changes in wind and temperature. Winds blowing into Botswana around October must have stirred up water holes loaded with animal waste, creating the perfect environment for blue-green algae to thrive.
Human-wildlife conflict
The area is a hot spot for human-elephant conflict. Subsistence farming and other human activities along the Okavango Panhandle restrict the river as a water source for elephants. Elephants tend to avoid areas where people are active. In the past, elephants in the Seronga area moved across the belt of human activity along the Okavango Panhandle, usually at night when people were inactive, thereby avoiding direct contact and possible harassment. Most pans dry out in the dry season, while others may be low-quality and poisonous during blue-green algae blooms. Elephants' deaths occurred due to cyanobacteria poisoning as a result of restricted river access, forcing them to drink from contaminated pans.
Gallery
4
Timelines
2026
May
In 2026, it licensed an increased annual trophy hunting quota of 430 elephants. This is 0.4% of the total wild population, and CBD reports that local scientists recommend taking only 0.2% (280) of the animals to ensure the breeding population is sustainable. The majority of the elephant trophies in 2025 – 65% – came from Botswana. The southern African nation reopened trophy hunting on its land in 2019 after a five-year pause. The number of permits for importing African elephant hunting trophies has increased dramatically in the United States, according to an investigation by the Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD). It found that more than 300 elephant trophies were allowed to be imported in 2025. This compares with just 114 elephant trophies registered as imported in 2018. Permits are required for importing trophies in the US under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Supporters of trophy hunting say that it brings valuable income to poorer countries, and this money supports local rural communities and conservation efforts. Opponents say that it adds to the already considerable pressure on elephant populations from poaching – up to 30,000 are thought to be lost to illegal hunting each year. There are thought to be as few as 24-80 super tuskers left in the whole of Africa, and their loss would be devastating for the genetic diversity of the African elephant.
2022
Botswana’s elephant population, at more than 130,000, is considered one of the last strongholds for elephants on Earth. Poaching of elephants remains the most significant threat and continues to destroy what remains of African elephant populations.
2021
39 elephants mysteriously died in Moremi Game Reserve, north of the country, 100 km from Okavango Delta. Blood tests confirmed neurotoxin-producing cyanobacteria as the cause, similar to the previous year's deaths.
2020
The first cluster of 44 elephants died mysteriously in March 2020. By mid-June, conservationists had counted more than 350 carcasses scattered across the remote, roughly 3,000-square-mile region. Early tests ruled out anthrax, a potentially deadly disease caused by a bacterium that occurs naturally in soil. Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, a multidisciplinary team of researchers received a grant in October 2020 to work with the wildlife department and local researchers to determine the cause.
2018
One hundred fifty-six elephants were poached for ivory based on skull damage in the Okavango Delta.
2014
Okavango Delta is inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural Criteria.
2004
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan was established. The goal of the strategy and action plan is the long-term health of Botswana’s ecosystems and related species and to encourage sustainable and wise use of resources by providing a framework of specific activities designed to improve how biodiversity is perceived, utilised and conserved.
2000
The provisions of this policy, "Draft National Wetlands Policy and Strategy," facilitated the development of the Okavango Delta Management Plan with the goal of integrating resource management of the Delta for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of Delta resources.
1994
Permanent Okavango River Basin Agreement. The Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM) is a political agreement which commits the river basin states to work toward joint management of the Okavango River System.
1992
Legal protection is afforded through Botswana’s Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act.
1990
National Policy on Natural Resources Conservation and Development: The policy fully captures the importance of conservation and development vis-à-vis the country's natural resources. The Okavango Delta is a critical national asset, and the provisions of this policy contribute immensely to the conservation of the Delta through strategic and coordinated actions.
