BirdLife BotswanaCopy the link

In 1980 the Botswana Bird Club (BBC) was established to fill the void in ornothological knowledge and interest that existed then in Botswana, and still to a certain extent remains today, despite the great strides made by the BBC and the club, under its current name, BirdLife Botswana. The BBC was originally a branch of the Botswana Society in 1980. It has, throughout its history, been composed of members, who were and still are mainly, expatriate birders who temporarily reside in Botswana. However, efforts are being made to secure the future of the organisation by encouraging a greater local, resident membership. In 2000 the BBC became independent and moved into the offices of the local branch of IUCN (the World Conservation Union) and became the official BirdLife International representative for Botswana also. The change of name from the Botswana Bird Club to BirdLife Botswana also heralded a change in focus from a broadly social club with interests in bird conservation, to a more formal science and research based organisation. Since 1980 the journal The Babbler has been published biannually and a quarterly newsletter, The Familiar Chat has been published since 1990. Both publications have been produced by the dedicated efforts of a succession of volunteer editors, to which all members of the organisation, past and present, are eternally grateful. Currently BirdLife Botswana remains active providing services to its members, which are the valuable mainstay of BLB. It is also heavily involved in education and outreach, and continues to undertake research and be involved in conservation.