The Botswana Community and Conservation Initiative (BCCI) works at the intersection of people, wildlife and climate. Its vision is to support rural communities in developing sustainable land-use practices that protect ecosystems, enable wildlife movement across landscapes and build resilience in the face of climate change.
Natural Selection and conservation partners came together through BCCI in response to growing concern about the cumulative pressures facing northern Botswana, including the Okavango Delta. Changing climatic conditions and increasing strain on natural resources are impacting the ecological health of the region, with consequences felt by both wildlife and the communities who depend most directly on these landscapes.
These pressures are already visible. Reduced primary productivity, shifts in wildlife distribution and declining natural resources are contributing to increased vulnerability, deepening poverty and worsening food security in rural areas. Addressing these challenges requires solutions that work across scales—linking conservation, livelihoods and long-term planning.
BCCI focuses on landscape-scale approaches that support conservation-based economic opportunities, encourage responsible land use and maintain connectivity between key wildlife areas. By working alongside communities, conservation organisations and other stakeholders, the initiative aims to strengthen both ecological integrity and human wellbeing.
At its core, BCCI is about resilience. By investing in sustainable land use and community-led conservation, the initiative helps create landscapes that can continue to support wildlife, people and livelihoods in a changing climate.
