Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana has built over 5.000 km of veterinary fences to contain foot-and-mouth disease, protect livestock, and enable meat exports.
Botswana is a sparsely populated country, largely covered by savannas and natural areas, but it is home to one of the… Largest sanitary fence systems ever implemented in the world.. Officially known as Veterinary Cordon FencesThese structures were not designed for human security or political borders, but for something even more sensitive: to prevent animal diseases from destroying the country’s main economic base..
The project began to take shape in the 1950s and expanded continuously over the following decades, creating a territorial network of fences that today totals… more than 5.000 kilometers in length.
When disease becomes a national issue.
The great enemy behind the fences is the foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious viral disease among cloven-hoofed animals. In Southern Africa, the main natural reservoir of the virus is the African buffalo, abundant in protected areas such as the Okavango Delta and national parks.For Botswana, the problem was not only sanitary, but also economic. The country had built its international reputation as an exporter of high-quality beef and, to maintain access to stringent markets such as… European Union, it was necessary to prove absolute control over diseases.
Without the fences, a single transmission could shut down entire markets for years.
A network of territorial separation
Veterinary cordon fences do not form a single continuous line, but a system of corridors and barriers Strategically positioned to separate wildlife areas from livestock farming regions, some fences cross the country from east to west; others isolate specific zones near national parks.In practical terms, Botswana was divided into sanitary zonesEach has its own rules regarding animal movement, vaccination, and transportation. Fences are the physical element that makes this division possible.
Simple engineering, gigantic impact.
Technically, the fences are relatively simple: posts driven into the ground and wire, generally high enough to prevent buffalo from passing through.
The impact, however, is colossal. Across thousands of kilometers, these structures have redefined animal flows, traditional migration routes, and even the use of territory by human communities.
Maintaining operational fences requires constant inspections, repairs after floods, and replacement of sections damaged by large animals.
Economic protection in numbers
Cattle farming has historically been responsible for up to 80% of Botswana’s agricultural exportsThanks to its fencing system and associated sanitary regulations, the country has become one of the few in Africa authorized to export beef to markets with extremely high standards.
Without veterinary cordon fences, this access simply wouldn’t exist.
The environmental cost of separation
Although effective from a sanitary point of view, fences have also generated controversy. Over the years, researchers have documented impacts on migratory routes of wild animals, especially antelopes and zebras, which historically traveled great distances in search of water and pasture.
During periods of severe drought, these physical barriers contributed to mass deaths of animals unable to reach more favorable areas. The dilemma became clear: protecting the economy meant profoundly altering the ecology.
Adjustments and redesign over time
Faced with criticism, the Botswana government began reviewing the placement of some fences, removing specific sections, and studying alternative solutions in more sensitive areas. Even so, the core of the system remains active because… The health threat remains real..
Foot-and-mouth disease has not disappeared from Southern Africa, and the risk of reinfection remains constant.
A model that has been copied and debated.
Botswana’s system of veterinary fences has come under study by international organizations such as the FAO and by other countries facing conflicts between wildlife, agriculture, and food exports.
He became a reference for territorial engineering applied to biosecurity…but it’s also an example of the limitations of this type of solution.
It is not a work celebrated for its aesthetics or visual grandeur, but for the invisible effect it produces on the national economy.
When a fence supports a country
The Veterinary Cordon Fences show that great works don’t need to be bridges, dams, or skyscrapers to change the destiny of a nation.
In Botswana, thousands of kilometers of wire These measures were sufficient to transform livestock farming into a stable economic pillar, connect the country to global trade, and reshape the sanitary map of the territory.
Ultimately, these fences don’t just separate animals. They define where the economic viability of an entire country begins and ends.
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