World Female Ranger Week 2026

Othusang’s Journey in Conservation

When Othusang joined Great Plains Foundation’s Female Ranger Programme in 2022, conservation was not a career she had spent years planning for.

After more than eight years without formal employment, she applied for a position in the programme, hoping for an opportunity to build a better future for herself and her family. Today, as a member of Great Plains Foundation’s first cohort of Female Rangers, she has become an important voice for conservation and coexistence in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Born in a small settlement near the Okavango River, Othusang is a mother, an environmental science graduate, and one of the women helping reshape perceptions of who belongs in conservation.

“It was more of survival first before I got to love and enjoy the work that I am currently doing,” she reflects.

The Female Ranger Programme was established to create opportunities for women living alongside wildlife while strengthening conservation efforts in some of Africa’s most important ecosystems. In 2025, the programme grew to 19 women across Botswana and Zimbabwe, with female Rangers contributing to wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching efforts, community engagement, and environmental stewardship.

For Othusang, the role has become far more than a job.

“Protecting the natural world means that I, too, am part of that natural world that needs protecting,” she says. “The natural world and human beings are interconnected and need to take care of each other.”

Working in the Okavango Delta has given her a front-row seat to both the beauty and complexity of conservation. From monitoring wildlife movements and ecosystem health to supporting anti-poaching operations, she has learned that meaningful conservation requires patience, persistence, and partnership.

One of her earliest experiences in the field remains one of her most memorable. During her third month as a Wildlife Ranger, she joined a multi-agency operation involving government departments to remove snares and assist injured wildlife.

“That exercise made me appreciate conservation efforts that are trying to shape safer coexistence between people and wildlife.”

Since then, countless patrols have reinforced the importance of the work.

“When my team and I intercept illegal fishermen or destroy illegal camps, that’s when I realise that our work is making a difference.”

Like many rangers, Othusang says people often see the wildlife and landscapes but not the realities behind protecting them.

Conservation work can involve long hours, difficult terrain, dangerous wildlife encounters, and extended periods away from family. For women working in remote environments, balancing professional responsibilities with family life can be particularly challenging.

“Female Rangers have their own lives outside of work that need balancing with work life,” she explains.

Yet those challenges have also helped her grow. “I have grown tremendously in so many ways. I have learnt to be adaptable because conservation work keeps evolving and changing continuously.”

Her growth has extended beyond wildlife monitoring. She has developed new technical skills, embraced conservation technologies such as EarthRanger, and become increasingly confident working alongside colleagues in what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession.

“As a woman working in conservation, I am capable, strong, enduring, and able to work alongside my male counterparts to achieve a common goal.”

One of the lessons she values most is the importance of teamwork. Whether responding to incidents in the field, navigating flooded channels, or spending weeks away from home, trust between team members is essential.

“There is no ‘my’ in conservation, but rather ‘we’ because we are all driving towards the same goal.”

Othusang is also passionate about inspiring future conservationists. Through Great Plains Foundation’s outreach activities and children’s education programmes, she has seen firsthand how young people become excited about conservation when they are given the opportunity to learn about wildlife and the environment.

“Telling kids about the kind of job we do and seeing eager faces asking questions gives me hope.”

For her, conservation is ultimately about sustainability, ensuring that future generations inherit healthy ecosystems and thriving wildlife populations.

She hopes future generations will continue to experience the Okavango Delta as it exists today: vibrant, diverse, and full of life.

“The Okavango Delta is one of the few natural habitats that still holds a large variety of animals and plants with little human interaction.”

As Female Ranger Week celebrates women protecting wildlife across Africa, Othusang’s story is a reminder that conservation is not only about safeguarding landscapes. It is also about creating opportunities, building confidence, supporting communities, and empowering people to become stewards of the natural world.

Her message to all: “It is our responsibility, at an individual level, to start small to protect and preserve nature.”

For Othusang, conservation begins with that responsibility and continues through the collective efforts of people working together to protect the places they call home.

The future of conservation depends on people who are willing to protect it. To learn more about the Female Ranger Programme, visit our Female Ranger Programme page. If you would like to support this work or get involved, please contact info@greatplainsfoundation.org.

Thank you to our donors, supporters, and Earth Partners for making this programme possible through their continued investment in biodiversity conservation and women’s empowerment. We are especially grateful to the National Geographic Society for supporting our Female Biodiversity and Wildlife Rangers and helping create lasting benefits for both people and the planet.