the Aqua Bengal Delta one of the most
vibrant wetlands on the planet could be
in danger of disappearing from deep in
the my humble forest highlands of Angola
flow the surface water that feeds the
cui toe and Cubango rivers these vital
waterways flowing down from the hills
and converging at angola’s southern
border then form the larger akka bengal
river which crosses the Kevon go east
region of northern namibia and continues
into Botswana’s Kalahari Desert every
year 2.5 trillion gallons of life-giving
water flows from Angola through Namibia
to Botswana and there preserves what
could be called one of the world’s
largest inland Delta a seas teeming with
wildlife like hippos elephants and
african fish eagles wear these priceless
waters begin the forests have remained
untouched and largely undeveloped in a
tragic twist of the 27 years of civil
war that ravaged Angola and drove people
from the region
the upper reaches of the rivers are
still laced with landmines mines that in
Angola have killed thousands and injured
up to 80 thousand people since 1961
war has left a treacherous landscape in
its wake thus kept the forests largely
safe from timber harvest in agriculture
this allows crystal-clear water filtered
by sandy soils to create one of the
world’s most pristine and productive
wetlands albeit two countries away
besides being something of a paradise
for Buffalo
baboons crocodiles and all manner of
other creatures the Delta also plays
host to some 100,000 tourists a year in
safari lodges and camps driving one of
Botswana’s top industries now with the
civil war fading into the past
developers are circling around the
Angolan Highlands eager to take
advantage of its riches two
hydroelectric dams irrigation projects
and other development that could
compromise this vital flow of water
what’s more while roots along the
waterways retain moisture and sediment
more and more of the forests along the
banks is being cleared with fire for
river access hunting and subsistence
crops with these pressures growing the
urgency has never been greater to
preserve the upper reaches of these
rivers to save the Delta
enter the Okavango wilderness project an
intrepid expedition team supported by
the National Geographic Society which is
using scientific discovery of a detailed
data collection to build a powerful case
for the ecosystems protection over the
course of eight survey expeditions so
far the team has traveled over 4,000
miles by foot bicycle and mokoro a
traditional canoe their goals to
discover endemic species conduct the
first source to Delta surveys and the
tricky book crucial business of
informing conservation strategies across
political borders after all does Angola
benefit from sustaining Botswana’s
thriving tourism business or can
Botswana tell Angola not to develop
their own industries maybe through
cooperation they can both come out ahead
the team works in collaboration with
Angolan officials to conduct this
exceptional study of the cuido and
Cubango rivers noting wildlife and human
presence alike so far the team has
already identified 24 possibly new
species to science this will all be
essential data in the pivotal
conversations to come what are some of
the options for valuing the priceless
gift of water that in gola renders to
its southerly neighbors for one the
cuite land Cubango could support a
growing ecotourism industry in Angola or
perhaps the Botswana government will
find that paying Angola to keep the
water flowing is a necessary price to
save its jewel in the desert saving the
akka Vangel Delta will ultimately
require the investment and collaboration
of at least three countries Angola
Botswana and Namibia in order to ensure
that this fragile ecosystem can function
as a whole one thing is certain though
time is running out
without vigilant conservation efforts
like those of the Aqua vengo wilderness
project one of the world’s wondrous
wetlands may not survive
[Music]
vibrant wetlands on the planet could be
in danger of disappearing from deep in
the my humble forest highlands of Angola
flow the surface water that feeds the
cui toe and Cubango rivers these vital
waterways flowing down from the hills
and converging at angola’s southern
border then form the larger akka bengal
river which crosses the Kevon go east
region of northern namibia and continues
into Botswana’s Kalahari Desert every
year 2.5 trillion gallons of life-giving
water flows from Angola through Namibia
to Botswana and there preserves what
could be called one of the world’s
largest inland Delta a seas teeming with
wildlife like hippos elephants and
african fish eagles wear these priceless
waters begin the forests have remained
untouched and largely undeveloped in a
tragic twist of the 27 years of civil
war that ravaged Angola and drove people
from the region
the upper reaches of the rivers are
still laced with landmines mines that in
Angola have killed thousands and injured
up to 80 thousand people since 1961
war has left a treacherous landscape in
its wake thus kept the forests largely
safe from timber harvest in agriculture
this allows crystal-clear water filtered
by sandy soils to create one of the
world’s most pristine and productive
wetlands albeit two countries away
besides being something of a paradise
for Buffalo
baboons crocodiles and all manner of
other creatures the Delta also plays
host to some 100,000 tourists a year in
safari lodges and camps driving one of
Botswana’s top industries now with the
civil war fading into the past
developers are circling around the
Angolan Highlands eager to take
advantage of its riches two
hydroelectric dams irrigation projects
and other development that could
compromise this vital flow of water
what’s more while roots along the
waterways retain moisture and sediment
more and more of the forests along the
banks is being cleared with fire for
river access hunting and subsistence
crops with these pressures growing the
urgency has never been greater to
preserve the upper reaches of these
rivers to save the Delta
enter the Okavango wilderness project an
intrepid expedition team supported by
the National Geographic Society which is
using scientific discovery of a detailed
data collection to build a powerful case
for the ecosystems protection over the
course of eight survey expeditions so
far the team has traveled over 4,000
miles by foot bicycle and mokoro a
traditional canoe their goals to
discover endemic species conduct the
first source to Delta surveys and the
tricky book crucial business of
informing conservation strategies across
political borders after all does Angola
benefit from sustaining Botswana’s
thriving tourism business or can
Botswana tell Angola not to develop
their own industries maybe through
cooperation they can both come out ahead
the team works in collaboration with
Angolan officials to conduct this
exceptional study of the cuido and
Cubango rivers noting wildlife and human
presence alike so far the team has
already identified 24 possibly new
species to science this will all be
essential data in the pivotal
conversations to come what are some of
the options for valuing the priceless
gift of water that in gola renders to
its southerly neighbors for one the
cuite land Cubango could support a
growing ecotourism industry in Angola or
perhaps the Botswana government will
find that paying Angola to keep the
water flowing is a necessary price to
save its jewel in the desert saving the
akka Vangel Delta will ultimately
require the investment and collaboration
of at least three countries Angola
Botswana and Namibia in order to ensure
that this fragile ecosystem can function
as a whole one thing is certain though
time is running out
without vigilant conservation efforts
like those of the Aqua vengo wilderness
project one of the world’s wondrous
wetlands may not survive
[Music]
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