Central to this project is the pursuit of achieving Sustainable Development Goals particularly, Goal 1: No poverty; Goal 2: Zero hunger; Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 15: Life on land and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals. To this end the project will be multifaceted to allow for the pursuit of these various goals and objectives. The project site is located in Xere the Boteti Sub District, slightly more than 200 kilometers from the mining town of Letlhakane. This is a village that has a population of just above 400 people (Cities/Towns and Villages Projections 2020, Statistics Botswana). Despite being within the sprawl area of a flourishing mining town, the main source of livelihoods for the village is Ipelegeng. This leaves the community vulnerable to poverty. Therefore there is need for concerted efforts to facilitate community empowerment. Where there are high levels of poverty there is usually higher attrition on the utilisation of natural resources. These are often not effectively managed, nor utilized sustainably, therefore not garnering economical benefits for the community. The implementation of a multi-faceted project will allow for an across the board contribution towards the achievement of pertinent objectives and strategic goals of the GEF/SGP Country Programme Strategy for Operational Phase (OP) 6 on community landscape conservation. It will be achieved through raising of awareness of the community on issues that relate to the Nagoya Protocol, communal self-assurance of the value of their natural resources and associated indigenous knowledge. These categories will enable the understanding of resources beyond their natural state to appreciating the potential benefits of value addition processes and product development. The community, through capacity building initiatives, will be equipped with entrepreneur- and life skills thus creating a community that is resilient and empowered to further develop their income generating avenues utilizing their natural heritage.

Although they are considered the first people in Southern Africa, the San are amongst Southern Africa's poorest and most marginalised people. In an effort to empower the San communities, governments have enacted legislative frameworks through their constitutions, policies and other statutory instruments. For example, in Botswana, this is echoed in the constitution guaranteeing fundamental freedom and basic human rights to all its citizens, including the San communities. The government has also developed the revised Remote Area Development Programme (RADP) of 2009, an Affirmative Action Framework for Remote Area Communities of 2014 and a Revised National Policy for Rural Development of 2002. Through these instruments, a conducive and enabling environment has been created to promote efforts geared towards empowering the most marginalized people including the San. Furthermore, the governments of the respective countries have established initiatives and programs, all aimed at empowering these marginalized groups. However, these have proven not to be as effective as envisaged and not sustainable, as the population continues to be impoverished and marginalized. Therefore there is a need to continuously innovate solutions to empower the San communities to translate their rich cultural heritage into sustainable livelihoods.