Page 63 - Discover Botswana 23rd Edition 2023

KALAHARI
Facing page: Rain falls from a dramatic cloud over Botswana’s Nxai Pan as a lone Bull Elephant takes centre stage in this vast landscape.
Top: A “Sore Eye Flower” Lily provides a splash of colour in the dry & drab looking Kalahari habitat at the onset of the rainy season.
Above: An African Giant bullfrog surfaces from its puddle. After being buried in the mud for many months, they emerge to feed and mate and repeat their cycle.
FRAGILITY
Considering its “tough” appearance and the incredible response Mother Nature has developed to mitigate the extreme conditions in the Kalahari, global warming is a serious threat here. Even minimal temperature rises can lead to an unprecedented negative impact on ecosystem functioning. Arid savannahs like the Kalahari are very vulnerable and the first to show signs of actual extinctions and other impacts of climate change.
Having a great love for this area, and increasing one’s understanding of the effects on biodiversity (changes in distributions, hybridisation, and inter-species competition) plus observing other threats like human encroachment, is therefore essential for effective preservation and management.
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