Wildlife Conservation and National Parks (Amendmenmt), 2025.

This Act, consisting of 4 sections, introduces 3 substantive amendments to the principal Act, as follows (1) Section 2 inserts new definitions of "arms of war" and "firearm", providing that both terms have the same meanings assigned to them under the Arms and Ammunition Act, thereby harmonizing the terminology used in the wildlife legislation with that Act; (2) Section 73, concerning the powers of wildlife officers, is amended to authorize wildlife officers, where necessary for the performance of their duties, to carry firearms or arms of war, including weapons not covered under the Arms and Ammunition Act, even on land they do not own. Such weapons may be used for the protection of officers or other persons, the prevention or investigation of offences under the Act, and the arrest of persons committing or suspected of committing such offences. A new subsection (3A) further provides that the Director, the Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, and the Commissioner of the Botswana Police Service shall determine the types of arms of war that may be used for these purposes; (3) Section 92 expands the Minister's regulation-making powers by authorizing regulations governing the control, use, and administration of firearms and arms of war, and by inserting a new paragraph empowering the Minister to prescribe regulations concerning the conditions of service.