Final answer:
The Kalahari Desert's harsh conditions have helped protect the bushmen lifestyle by discouraging outside settlement, allowing the San people to maintain their traditional semi-nomadic and hunter-gatherer existence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The harshness of the Kalahari Desert has played a vital role in protecting the bushmen lifestyle of the San people by making the region less appealing for agricultural expansion and urban development. The extreme aridity and limited water sources have deterred outside interests, such as farmers and herders, from encroaching upon the land. This has allowed the San to continue their semi-nomadic, hunter-gatherer way of life, relying on their deep knowledge of the environment to find food and water. Furthermore, the government's view of keeping the natural habitat intact for tourism and suspected underlying motives related to mining interests have discouraged permanent settlements and maintained the status quo of the San way of life. Nonetheless, contemporary challenges such as political and economic pressures do threaten the San's lifestyle, as other groups and governments have historically attempted to assimilate indigenous populations.