Developed from a core conservation area on a degraded cattle grazing zone in 1985, Orapa Game Park in the country’s biggest mining town is proving to be Debswana’s diamond in the wild.
Measuring an impressive 48,964 hectares from the initial 3,000 hectares in 1992, the park boasts impressive wildlife including zebra, eland, wildebeest, springbok, giraffe, waterbucks, rhinos as well as various bird species. It has 50km perimeter fencing and a full time conservation officer, employed since 2000.
The park is key to the “Orapa Today Boteti Tomorrow (OTBT)” initiative, a programme aimed at building a sustainable alternative economy for the Boteti Sub District, in an effort to leave a lasting legacy beyond diamond mining.
The park is open seven days a week, and citizens under 12 pay P20 while the price goes to P40 for those aged above 12. Non citizens and those under 12 have to part with P45 and P90 respectively. The park allows self-drives, charging P70 and P150 for citizens and non citizens respectively for use of the cars.
In 2015, the mine teamed up with Birdlife Botswana for a three-year study of threatened bird species within Orapa Game Park with the objective of contributing to the conservation of bird species in Botswana. P1.88 million was pumped into the study of at risk migratory birds found near Debswana’s mines, starting with the lappet-faced vulture.
Orapa Game Park makes for an ideal family or school outing – just a stone’s throw away from the town of Orapa, within minutes, you could be catapulted into a wild experience of being at one with nature.
Source: https://news.thevoicebw.com/orapa-game-park-a-diamond-in-the-wild/
