NEED Work Package Leader

Prof Joseph Mbaiwa

 

                                

 

                              

Institution            

University of Botswana (UB), Okavango Research Institute (ORI)

Position in NEED

Work Package Leader of Work Package 5 "Fossil-Free Wetlands"

About            

Joseph E. Mbaiwa is a Social Scientist with training in Environmental Sciences, Natural Resource Management and Tourism Sciences. Joseph Mbaiwa currently works for the University of Botswana and is based at the Okavango Research Institute (ORI) in Maun. He is a Professor of Tourism Studies and currently working as the Deputy Director Research Management at ORI. Joseph Mbaiwa holds a PhD in Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University (USA). He also holds a M.Sc. (Environmental Science), Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and B.A. (Environmental Science) all from the University of Botswana. He has about 20 years of research and consultancy experience in Botswana. Much of his research and consultancy services focus on issues of tourism development, ecotourism, Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), rural livelihoods, natural resource use and conservation in Botswana. Prof. Mbaiwa has also co-authored a book on tourism, rural livelihoods and the environment in the Okavango Delta. He has also published over 40 journal articles in national and international journals, 27 book chapters and presented over 47 papers in international and national conferences. While at ORI, he has supervised several student Bachelor’s degree, masters and PhD theses.

 

In relation to consultancy, Joseph Mbaiwa has been involved in 26 consultancy projects where he worked as a Tourism Specialist either in a Team of Consultants or as an Individual Consultant. He worked with consultancy companies such as GeoFlux PTY LTD, GISPlan PTY LTD and others. As a result, he has a wide experience in primary data collection through interviews, informal interviews and focused group discussions, desktop studies and report writing. Joseph Mbaiwa is widely published on Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), ecotourism and tourism development in Botswana. Finally, Prof. Mbaiwa has also organized and facilitated workshops for different tourism and natural resource management stakeholders (e.g. for government officials, tourism operators, rural communities, CBNRM stakeholders, Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB), Kalahari Conservation Society etc).