Protecting the Okavango Ecosystem | National Geographic

Healthy ecosystems support rich biodiversity. The Okavango Delta hosts one of the most vibrant on Earth. Pristine water from Angola becomes the life force that sustains a vast variety of species. Two on the right! One on the left there! Each plays its part in supporting the system from the smallest to the largest. Year-round in the Delta, termites create nest mounds that form thousands of islands.

Plant life takes root, recycling nutrients from the water and fortifying the soil. Elephants also build the Delta. The planet’s largest population live here. As ecological engineers, they shape the landscape around them. Less than a week old. Seeds are sprouting already. The fresh elephant tracks are from a big lone bull. You can see they’re all torn apart. So he’s opening up a clearing here.

And as a steward, he’s left this one. He’s going to let it grow up. They’re choosing and managing this landscape. Such an important function. And without them, the balance we speak about is lost. The Delta is protected in Botswana, but it’s part of an ecosystem that extends back to its Angolan source waters through unprotected land. Threats like land clearance are diminishing wildlife habitats, risking the whole ecosystem.

That is why National Geographic is joined by De Beers through the Okavango Eternal partnership to help ensure the biodiversity that supports this delicate ecosystem is protected. Okavango Eternal is building on research started by the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project who have studied the source rivers that supply the Delta. So far, over 50 species new to science have been discovered.

Working together with local scientists and governments, Okavango Eternal will expand this research, supporting the protection of these species and their habitats. Connecting Angola to Botswana through one of the largest conservation corridors in the world, so that wildlife can exist safely, supported by an ecosystem that keeps nature thriving and water flowing.