HOORC is a centre for the study and conservation of one of the world's largest and most intact inland wetland ecosystems -the Okavango Delta- as well as other southern African wetlands, river basins, watersheds and (since 2007) Kgalagadi drylands. The research centre was founded in response to plans to use the Okavango for a large scale water supply programme.
Situated near Maun, Botswana's northwestern Ngamiland capital on the fringe of the Okavango, HOORC specialises in natural resource management research, emphasizing issues related to tourism, land & water, ecosystems, livelihoods and governance and with a focus on influencing policy makers on the region's most pressing environmental issues. Multi-disciplinary in approach, the Centre initiates, coordinates and promotes research and assists with environmental monitoring. It aims to develop and implement educational strategies for the sustainable use of resources in order to promote sustainable environmental management in the Okavango, Kalahari and SADC regions through outreach activities such as those of the BIOKAVANGO project. HOORC is an academic centre of the University of Botswana.
HOORC's library – a branch of the University of Botswana's Library Services -- serves a broad community of researchers and stakeholders involved in studying and planning for the Okavango Delta region. HOORC's library resources cover the wide range of subject areas of interest to the Okavango research community -- ecology, land use planning, hydrology and socio-economic issues as well as information about similar work in other countries and regions.
