Botswana communities earn money by documenting wildlife sightings

The conservation nonprofit Wild Impact and the safari company &Beyond launched a payment scheme to reward residents of Gogomoga and Tsutsubega, two remote villages in Botswana.

These communities live on the edge of the Okavango Delta, a region home to large predators and approximately 130,000 people. Residents of these villages, which have fewer than 500 people each, now earn money for photographs of animals like elephants and lions that enter their territory.

The program began after local rangers helped residents document damage from wild animals to claim compensation from the Botswana wildlife department. Wild Impact and the communities then installed camera traps to monitor wildlife movement without invading human privacy. This initiative acknowledges the role of these villagers in conservation efforts while providing a financial incentive for peaceful coexistence. The villages currently lack paved roads, schools, shops, and electricity.