The Okavango Delta, the largest Ramsar Site in the world, is a globally important wetland ecosystem situated in northern Botswana. While the ecological integrity of this wetland remains largely intact, there are signs it is being slowly eroded in the face of gradually rising anthropogenic pressures. There is an urgent need across Botswana's wetland environments to balance competing uses of water and other wetland resources by production sectors, while providing for biodiversity conservation objectives. This need has led the Government of Botswana to develop a National Wetlands Policy and Strategy (now in the process of enactment). A Management Plan for the Okavango Delta (ODMP) is being developed as a schema for sustainable development in the area. This Plan is the first of a series of Plans that will be written for wetlands.