Environmental change in Africa is often associated with processes of land exploitation and degradation caused by human agents. However, recent studies have demonstrated how earlier assumptions about the causes and effects of environmental change in some cases have been misleading and simplistic. This paper explores changes during the last century in the abundance and distribution of such natural resources as grazing, browse, firewood and edible fruits and berries in a village in north-eastern Botswana. A variety of data sources were used, primarily aerial photographs from different years, vegetation sampling, colonial documentation and recent official records, as well as the oral histories of villagers. Initially, descriptions of the environment appeared confusing and contradictory.