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Describes the geography, climate, history, economy, culture, and people of Botswana. ... Read more

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National Geographic has been called a window on the world and a passport to adventure. Each month an estimated forty million people in 190 countries open its pages and are transported to exotic realms that delight the eye and mind. Such widespread renown gives the magazine's writers an almost magical access to people and happenings, as doors that are closed to the rest of the journalistic world open wide.

Thomas Y. Canby was fortunate to be a Geographic writer and science editor from 1961 to 1991, a time during which the Society's ventures and size grew by leaps and bounds and the resources available to staff were seemingly limitless. In From Botswana to the Bering Sea, he gives readers an on-the-ground look at the life of a National Geographic field staffer and an insider's view of the fascinating dynamics within the magazine's editorial chambers.

Canby's assignments dealt largely with issues of global concern, and his travels took him to the farthest reaches of the planet. This book gives the reader the visas and tickets to share in Canby's experiences-from a Filipino rice harvest capped by a feast of deep-fried rats, to impoverished villages of Asia and Africa gripped by the world's most widespread famine, to seal hunting and dog sledding with Eskimos in the Canadian high Arctic. Readers match wits with paranoid guardians of the secret Soviet space program; skirt land mines in the flaming oil fields of Kuwait; and dodge death while scuba diving to an archaeological site in a Florida sinkhole. The book also gives insight into the magazine's inner workings: how article subjects are chosen; how writers are assigned and interact; how prolonged trips to impossibly remote destinations are planned; how staffers operate in the field.

Working for National Geographic has been called "the best job in the world." From Botswana to the Bering Sea describes that unique job, and answers from first-hand knowledge the question Canby and his colleagues are so often asked: "So, what is it like to work for National Geographic?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An deftly written, engrossing, armchair tour of the world
Tom Canby had the great good fortune of working for the National Geographic during that wonderful time when all the big glossy magazines and high-circulation newspapers were willing to spend money to bringinformation to their readers.This willingness to to be serious aboutnews coverage gave this deft and sensitive writer the chance to roam theworld and take the time necessary to cover his beat (science) in depth andwith a thoroughness almost unheard of today, when even great institutionslike National Geographic are nickel-and-diming to cut costs.FromBotswana to the Bering Sea is the personal memoir of a gentle man and agentleman. Canby would probably be the first to admit (as he, in fact,alludes in his book) that he is not the stereotype of the hardbittentabloid news reporter.Instead he is an essayist of uncommon grace. This is a wonderful book.

Wonderful Reading
This is not a review but an urgent request to find the most recent book published by Thomas Y. Canby,Sandy Spring Legacy.This is the legacy of a Quaker Village and tells the story of one of the oldest towns in theMaryland Piedmont, settled by the Quakers and others in the early 1700's. I am interested in finding this book as I once lived in this little QuakerVillage forty years ago.Thank you for any leads you may have.

Canby hits the mark for National Geographic fans.
If you like reading National Geographic, then you'll like reading ThomasCanby's book about his 30 years with the yellow border magazine. Herecounts some of his favorite assignments, including glimpses behind thescenes, and the occasional personal note. My favorite is the ratassignment. After a day of chasing rats, he settles down for a few beers.After getting a good buzz, the fried rats are served and he and his friendsdig in with gusto. Later, in writing the actual article, Canby details therat feast but somehow fails to mention the beer.

Canby is an unabashedlover of National Geographic, making a number of references to the positiveaspects of working for the magazine and the envy with which other writersview a National Geographic assignment. So, don't expect any revelationsabout the inner workings of the Society beyond those already published.Criticisms of management and the editorial staff are mild, and generallytake the form of disagreement. The book does provide interesting insightinto how story content was sometimes influenced by "mossbacks" onthe Board of Trustees. There is also a brief but blistering appraisal offormer editor John Oliver LaGorce, but this only reiterates and reinforcesprevious reports.

All in all, National Geographic fans will find thisbook a good middle-of-the-road look at how things work within the magazine.Canby does a pinch of bashing, a bushel of praising, and a ton of good oldstory writing-all in the National Geographic style. ... Read more

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Le Botswana, la République du Botswana pour les usages officiels, est un pays d'Afrique australe sans accès à la mer, entouré de l'Afrique du Sud au sud et sud-est, de la Namibie à l'ouest, de la Zambie au nord et du Zimbabwe au nord-est. Les habitants s'appellent les Botswanais. Autrefois, le protectorat britannique était appelé Bechuanaland. Le Botswana adopta son nom après son indépendance à l'intérieur du Commonwealth le 30 septembre 1966. Sa capitale est Gaborone. Son économie est, majoritairement liée à son voisin sud-africain, dominée par les services (43 % en part du PNB en 1999[2]) , les mines (48 %), les industries (4 %) et l'agriculture (5 %). ... Read more

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The book analyses the use of natural resources andassociated land use conflicts in the Okavango Delta,Botswana. Fishing, wildlife conservation, tourism,crop farming, livestock farming, and veld productcollection are some of the uses of natural resourcesin the Okavango Delta. Between resource users, there is resource conflict over these resources. This is caused by the lack of an integrated natural resource use policy. The Okavango Delta Management Plan recently adopted may solve the problem. ... Read more

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This study analyzed the effectiveness of tourismdevelopment as a tool to achieve conservation andimproved livelihoods in the Okavango Delta,Botswana. The concept of social capital, sustainablelivelihoods framework and the Community-BasedNatural Resource Management (CBNRM) paradigminformed the study. Qualitative and quantitativedata were gathered through field-based research,using tools of participant observation, semi- structured interviews, and key informant interviews.Results indicate that tourism through CBNRM haspositive impacts on rural livelihoods. It generatesincome and employment opportunities for residents.Residents? attitudes towards tourism andconservation have thus become positive compared to adecade ago when these communities were not involvedin CBNRM. On the overall, results show that tourismthrough CBNRM can be a viable tool toachieve improved livelihoods and conservation in theOkavango Delta. ... Read more

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This book examines how biodiversity is used andshared under a common property regime and howdifferential access and control may affect itsconservation. This is analysed by testing thehypothesis that output sharing common propertyresource (CPR) management systems are better atconserving biodiversity by both equity andefficiency criteria than access sharing CPR systems,since the they are better able to contain theimpacts of heterogeneity, community size, monitoringand enforcement. Findings from case studies showthat both access sharing and output sharing commonproperty contracts are characterised by some degreeof inequality. Access sharing contract ischaracterised by greater income inequality thanoutput sharing contract. Clearly, output sharingcontract is preferable based on inequality reducingcriterion. In terms of biodiversity conservation,output sharing contract dominates due to itsresponsiveness to changes in exogenous variables anddue to the fact that it is based on sustainableresource harvesting quantities. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Republic of Botswana (Tswana: Lefatshe la Botswana) is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" (singular: Motswana). Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966. It has held free and fair democratic elections since independence. Geographically the country is flat and up to 70% of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. It meets Zambia at a single point. ... Read more

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This thesis provides an in-depth overview of the role of human factors in the degradation of natural resources in and around Botswana's Okavango Delta. In terms of temporal coverage; two distinct periods comprising the interlude years between 1849 and 1967 and, 1967 and 2001 are covered, with 1967 providing a watershed before which environmental trends are reconstructed on the basis of multi-sourcehistorical/archival data sets. For the post-1967period, declassified intelligence satellitephotographs of 1967(CORONA), Landsat imagery for theyears 1989, 1994 and 2001, aerial photographs of 1991and 2000 and collateral information from theliterature are used to reconstruct long-term trendsin environmental change and to interrogate the natureand outcomes of human-environment interactions. Themajor insights emerging from this investigation pointto naturally inducedenvironmental stress anddeteriorating conditions that are being aggravatedand fast-forwarded by inappropriate human resourceuse practices. The thesis concludes by providing awide range of recommendations and suggestions for theway forward without repeating what is readilyavailable in the literature. ... Read more

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The climate is changing as a result of GHGs emission mainly from human activities. Climate changes climate will adversely impact various ecosystems and economic activities. Semi-arid environments will be impacted more than other environments as extreme events are likely going to occur more on this regions. The water sector is more likely to be impacted more than other sectors due to its direct link with precipitation, which will be affected by climate change. Though most of the studies have ignored the impacts of climate change on the demand side of water resources, to get a holistic view on the impacts of climate change on water resources there is a need for overall assessment both demand and supply. The rationale for assessing the impact of climate change on both the supply and demand is because water availability is a function of both supply and demand. Thus, this book employs systems dynamic model to simulate the total impacts of climate change on livestock water demand and supply in Botswana. The results can be used to determine the vulnerability of the livestock sector to impacts of climate change on water resources in semi-arid environments of Africa. ... Read more

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Botswana's large deposits of diamonds have made it one of the richest African countries on a per capita basis. However, more than wealth, what has made Botswana a model country in southern Africa is its long tradition of democratic rule, respect for ethnic and racial differences, freedom of the press, and governmental programs to support its citizens. Even though Botswana has had its share of problems—including ecological disasters such as drought— the spirit of its people and their willingness, despite cultural differences, to work together to overcome such setbacks make this country exceptional. General readers will find a wealth of up-to-date information on such topics as the legacy of Christian missionaries, especially the famous David Livingstone, society post-Independence, the unique blend of Christianity and ancestral spiritual practices, the AIDS crisis, initiation rites, community rule by chiefs, polygamy, cattle raising, food and beer, betrothal customs, education, unique games, the integral music and dance, and much more.

The authors provide a thorough, one-stop resource for learning about a significant country that has stayed peaceful despite the strife of neighboring South Africa and Angola, for example. Narrative chapters by these insiders cover the land, people, languages, education, economy, history, religion and worldview, literature and media, art and architecture, cuisine and traditional dress, gender roles, marriage, and family, social customs and lifestyle, and music and dance. Photos, a chronology, and a glossary complement the narrative.

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Motzafi-Haller explores the meaning of writing in the "post" post-modernist moment, when master narratives have been questioned and the very act of representing "others" has been problematized. ... Read more

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"Action Magazine" is a non-governmental donor-funded project based in Harare, Zimbabwe. The project produces a magazine for schools targeted at the top primary level (but distributed more widely in primary grades and secondary forms) using a "popular publishing" format to present health and environmental science material in a manner which is attractive and accessible to children. As well as copies being distributed to every school in Zimbabwe, since 1988, the distribution has been broadened initially to Botswana and Zambia and more recently to Lesotho and Swaziland, together with a pilot project in Namibia. This book reports on an evaluation of the project, which examined the use of "Action Magazine" in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Issues included children's visual literacy and appreciation of the health education messages, as well as the wider impact of health and environmental science information on schools, children and the wider community. The potential of the medium for supporting the most remote and disadvantaged rural communities is reported and discussed. ... Read more

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This collection provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics of contemporary natural resource based livelihoods and implications for their sustainability in the context of the Kalahari environment of southern Africa, a region subject to marked spatial and temporal natural variability. Each chapter is written by an active Kalahari researcher and addresses, from an environmental or a social perspective, the implications of different policies for rural livelihoods and coping strategies. ... Read more

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This important monograph details the ecology and population dynamics of the Herero, a group of cattle and goat herders in the northern Kalahari Desert of the Ngamiland district of Botswana.Although the Herero arrived in the region less than a century ago as destitute refugees, these staunchly traditional Bantu speakers have established themselves as a prominent and prosperous tribe in a pocket of the Kalahari previously occupied almost exclusively by !Kung-speaking foragers.This book traces their rise to economic prominence in Botswana and the accompanying decreases in mortality, increases in fertility, and resurgences of tribal ethnicity.Demographic data were collected through intense ethnographic interviews of over 700 Herero. This book will interest researchers and students in anthropology, sociology, and ecology. ... Read more