NEW YORK: The National Geographic Society and De Beers Group have renewed their Okavango Eternal partnership for a further five years, extending a conservation initiative focused on protecting the Okavango River Basin and supporting conservation-linked livelihoods across Botswana, Angola and Namibia.
The announcement was made during New York Climate Week at an event co-hosted by the two organisations. The gathering brought together government leaders, policymakers and sustainability stakeholders to mark the first five years of the partnership and outline plans for its next phase.
President Duma Boko joined ministers from Botswana, Angola and Namibia at the event, where the three countries presented the Okavango Eternal Alliance, a platform intended to strengthen transboundary cooperation across the basin. The Okavango River Basin provides food, water and livelihoods for more than one million people and supports one of the world’s largest elephant populations. More than 95 percent of the water that sustains the Okavango Delta originates in the Angolan Highlands before flowing through Namibia into Botswana.
One of the partnership’s key achievements was the designation of Lisima Lya Mwono, or “Source of Life”, as Angola’s first Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The designation was supported by scientific research, traditional knowledge and community engagement advanced through the programme.
During the next five years, the National Geographic Society and De Beers aim to support efforts to secure formal protection for approximately 5.4 million hectares of land at the basin’s source in Angola while strengthening community-led stewardship programmes across the region.
Since its launch in 2021, Okavango Eternal has supported 19 research expeditions, documented new species and mapped 230 carbon-storing peatland sites. The partnership has also trained 82 community members through the Watchers programme to monitor more than 20,000 square kilometres of forest in Angola and supported 2,118 conservation-linked livelihood opportunities across Angola, Namibia and Botswana.
Other initiatives supported through the partnership include infrastructure improvements benefiting 18,500 people in Angola, the establishment of two Nkashi Knowledge Centres and the production of the film Nkashi: Race for the Okavango, which reached more than four million people. One of the partnership’s key achievements was the designation of Lisima Lya Mwono, or “Source of Life”, as Angola’s first Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The designation was supported by scientific research, traditional knowledge and community engagement advanced through the programme.
The next phase of Okavango Eternal will continue to support the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, with implementation work carried out by the Wild Bird Trust family of organisations. Future activities will focus on conservation science, expanding livelihood opportunities and supporting storytelling initiatives aimed at promoting conservation across the basin.
