Together with our partner for this project, Lobone Creations, CCB launched its new community conservation DVD at a Gala event held at Mokolodi Nature Reserve's Worlds View Centre on Friday 13th April. The event was attended by over 170 invited guests, including Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture, The Honourable Moeng Pheto; the Mayor of Gaborone, His Worship the Honourable H. Mothei; and the Director of the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, Mrs R. Mojophoko.
Filmed in the local community and with dialogue in Setswana, with a choise of English or Setswana narration, the production is the result of some two years of planning, preparation and creation by a small team of staff, volunteers and supporters of both CCB and Lobone Creations. Telling the story of Rre Mmusi and Rre Thebe, two local farmers who use very different methods to protect their livestock and control predators on their land, the DVD is now destined to be viewed by communities across Botswana and will become an important component of our community outreach programme.
The initiative and indeed the celebration that took place on Friday 13th April, which turned out to be a great success, could not have been accomplished without the generous support of The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Global Environment Facility of the UNDP, Debswana and of course Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Local businesses, including Impression House, Showgroup Botswana and Sanitas also made a significant contribution towards staging this important and memorable event in our community conservation calander. (Photograph: The Honourable Moeng Pheto [left] presenting a Certificate of Achievement to Mpho Mosime, who played Rre Thebe in the Spirit of the Kalahari, at the DVD launch).
CCB's Status Report on the current cheetah population in Botswana was recently submitted to the IUCN, for inclusion into the Southern Africa Regional Status Report. Our Report, containing regional estimates derived from the most up-to-date surveys and data available, as well as other information relative to the status of the cheetah population here, will be published in a special edition of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group magazine, Cat News, later in the year. The Report will also soon be made available to download from our website.
It means a great deal to us, to have been included in this internationally respected forum at this time.