Tackling the Bush and Erosion in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

The past couple of days the students have been out in the bush, gaining a new appreciation for the wild.  According to the schedule we were going on a "nature walk," but they said it was more like trekking through the bush.  Let me assure you they were champs and left the experience speaking of their newfound love for the bush, rathering than complaining about the thorns along the way.  They got their first views of wildlife and then they were off to work.  After learning different practices of controlling soil erosion and water run off, we put our new skills to use.  We moved rocks and shoveled dirt to fill gullies where water usually rushes through.  These traps will slow the water and trap the top soil that would otherwise be washed away.

From there we did a technique called brush packing, where you cut toxic bush and lay it out over seedlings in order to protect them from birds and decrease the chance of them blowing away in the wind.

After a few seasons of rain you will see the bush turn from this...

To this...

The students have officially left a mark in Botswana and hopefully they will come back and visit to see the bush blooming with an abundance of wildlife due to their conservation efforts.  Now that we have been around Gaborone, from the classrooms of the University of Botswana to the bush of Mokolodi Nature Reserve, we are ready to head north to the mighty Kavango Delta.  This means we will be rather disconnected, so I will get a post in at the end of next week when we return from our adventures in to the wild!