Otshabile Bahetoleng

Otshabile Bahetoleng researches the role of the African philosophy Botho or Ubuntu in human-carnivore relations modern-day Southern Africa. She was born and brought up in Botswana. In 2011 she moved to the UK and earned a bachelors degree in Ecology from the University of East Anglia, followed by a masters in Environment & Development from The London School of Economics.

Otshabile is interested in the way that human beings think about nature and non-human beings such as animals. Prior to beginning her PhD she worked as an Environment Impact Assessment consultant in Botswana, specializing in community consultation and engagement. Currently she does her research in collaboration with the non-governmental conservation organization Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB), looking at the potential for Botho to contribute to resilient human-carnivore coexistence among cattle farming communities of the Kalahari region.

Recent publications:

Bahetoleng, O. (2020). Botswana’s challenge of river sand mining. SandStories.org.