The paper makes an assessment of the scarcity of the following key natural resources in the Okavango Delta: arable land, basket-making resources, fish stocks, and river reeds. It uses socio-economic indicators to assess the scarcity of natural resources and then suggests how these could be monitored from time to time. Scarcity is discussed in a broader context that incorporates an analysis of its underlying causes. The study is mainly based on secondary sources and data from on-going studies at the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre.