Our Story
Nestled in northeastern Botswana, the Nata Bird Sanctuary is a living example of what community-led conservation can achieve.
The Nata Bird Sanctuary covers 23,000 hectares (230 km²) on the north-eastern fringe of the Sua (Sowa) Pan within the wider Makgadikgadi system. Roughly 45% of the sanctuary lies within the pan itself, creating the seasonal wetland conditions that make this one of only three major flamingo breeding sites on the African continent.
In 1988 the Nata Conservation Committee came together with a simple but urgent goal: protect the birdlife of the Sua Pan wetlands before it was too late, while creating real economic opportunity for the communities who call this landscape home. Five years of planning and community mobilisation followed — including the voluntary relocation of roughly 3,500 head of cattle and the construction of new access roads — before the sanctuary was formally gazetted and opened in 1993.
Today Nata Conservation Trust operates as a Community-Based Organisation (CBO), governed by a board of trustees elected by representatives of the four neighbouring villages. The Trust manages the 230 km² sanctuary at the mouth of the Nata River delta, together with additional government-provided concession areas, reinvesting every pula of visitor revenue directly into wetland conservation and village livelihoods.
The Nata Conservation Committee is formed to protect the Sua Pan’s wetland birdlife.
Nata Bird Sanctuary formally gazetted; wins the “Tourism for Tomorrow” award for the Southern Hemisphere in its opening year.
Recognised by BirdLife International as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, in partnership with BirdLife Botswana.
A board of trustees from Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae guides the Trust’s conservation and community work.
To conserve the wetland ecosystems of the Nata Bird Sanctuary and the wider Makgadikgadi Pans, protecting threatened and migratory bird species, while directly improving the livelihoods and employment prospects of the neighbouring villages of Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae.
A thriving Sua Pan wetland system where healthy flamingo populations and rich biodiversity coexist with resilient, self-sustaining communities empowered through responsible birding tourism.
Every part of the Trust’s work is designed around one principle: conservation lasts when the people closest to the land lead it.
Sanctuary staff and community scouts from the four partner villages monitor the reserve day to day, helping guard its boundaries against illegal land use and disturbance to nesting birds.
All visitor revenue is reinvested into maintaining the health of the Sua Pan wetland system — the seasonal flooding, salinity and grazing balance that flamingos and other waterbirds depend on.
A trustee board elected by Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae governs the Trust, turning tourism income directly into local employment and livelihood projects.
In partnership with BirdLife Botswana the sanctuary is monitored as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area — tracking species counts and flamingo breeding success to guide management decisions.
