yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Helping to Protect the Okavango Basin | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

This is a perfect wilderness. It’s vast. Unending. When this wetland floods, it grows to around 22 thousand square kilometers, becoming visible from space. Surrounded by the Kalahari Desert—one of the driest places on earth—the Okavango Delta is a water wonderland.

It is the jewel of the Kalahari. It attracts biodiversity unrivalled in the region, is home to the largest remaining elephant population on the planet and creates a conservation-based tourism economy in Botswana that supports many thousands of jobs. The Delta itself is protected, but the highlands and the rivers that supply it are not.

The story of this water begins thousands of kilometers north, deep in the Angolan highlands—in an area larger than 21 thousand soccer fields. Every year the mighty Cuito and Cubango river systems carry around nine and a half trillion liters of this water down through Namibia to spill out into the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

One, two, three! As part of an ongoing conservation effort, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has surveyed these river systems. They found the aftermath of a nearly three-decade civil war has led to an increase in deforestation and unchecked commercial agriculture, putting the future of this wetland wilderness at risk.

But they have also discovered more than a hundred species believed to be new to science. Today, the project is also focused on working with local communities to secure the permanent, sustainable protection that the greater Okavango Basin needs to survive.

Now, National Geographic has been joined by De Beers, which has spent over 50 years discovering diamonds in partnership with the people of Botswana while also supporting education, healthcare, livelihoods, and wildlife conservation efforts. De Beers’ Building Forever commitment strives to ensure that every diamond discovered has a positive impact on people and the planet.

Through this new partnership, De Beers and National Geographic will work together to help conserve this entire water system. Protecting wildlife corridors, so that animals can roam freely. Working with people from the region to help create sustainable livelihoods. And sharing the remarkable story of the Okavango with the world. All to preserve one of the planet’s greatest natural wonders.

More Articles

View All
Even & odd polynomials | Mathematics III | High School Math | Khan Academy
[Voiceover] So, we have three functions here. What I want to do together is think about whether each of these functions are even or odd. And just as a little bit of a reminder, for an even function, if you were to input -x into the function, it’s the sa…
WTF Just Happened To China's Economy?
China’s economy has slipped into a deep slump. China is announcing stimulus plans; they are going to really push out a bazooka to get stock prices up. This is the broadest push so far year to date. You can call it a bazooka or not, but nothing seems to be…
The Universe's Biggest Paradoxes
Has anyone ever accused you of acting like you’re the center of the universe? Maybe you were 10 years old, upset that your mom wouldn’t take you to buy candy, or you were so focused on an upcoming project that you totally forgot to wish your coworker cong…
8 Hiking Essentials You Shouldn’t Leave Home Without | National Geographic
Action! Fellow adventurers, thrill seekers, and aficionados of the great outdoors, lend me your ears. I’m Starlight Williams, digital editor at National Geographic, amateur peak seeker along the northeast coast, and budding glamper. From trusty hiking pol…
Amor Fati | The Stoic Anxiety Hack
Excessive worry about the future causes a very undesirable experience called anxiety. This could be short-term anxiety during the day because of something you’ve planned in the evening, or it could be long-term anxiety about the future that is completely …
Warren Buffett Buys GOLD?
Well, it’s that time again. The 13Fs are out. Uh, so we as the little investors get to have a look at what the big money managers of the world are buying and selling. And definitely the most watched 13F filing is definitely that of Mr. Warren Buffett. Uh…