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| all photos credit: Steve Boyes |
After thirty years of work to make the Okavango Delta in Botswana part of the world's natural heritage, UNESCO has designated it as the 1,000th site. One of the few inland deltas in the world that does not flow into a sea or ocean, the Okavango is a refuge to many of the most endangered large mammals and twenty-four species of threatened birds. The river originates in the Angolan highlands, 800 miles away. Its permanent marshes and seasonal flood plains are a key resource for many of Botswana's 130,000 elephants, the world's largest remaining wild population. The Delta is just one of three places left on the continent with more than 2,000 lions. The Okavango River's annual flood is a magnate for animals seeking fresh water in the extreme heat of the dry season. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) worked with the Botswana government to achieve world heritage status that was announced on June 22nd in Dohar, Qatar.
Although the designation officially recognizes the wild beauty and ecological importance of the Okavango, it faces development threats like most wilderness areas in the 21st century. Namibia is focused on the Okavango's Popa Falls as a possible source of hydroelectric power. In 2003 NamPower, the Namibian power company was given permission to conduct feasibility studies for a hydro-electric weir. Although Namibia's government insists the project has been shelved because of popular opposition,
the project has not permanently gone away, and Namibia's power needs are increasingly acute. The country imports about 50% of its power from South Africa. Widespread power outages are hampering economic growth.
The proposed project is relatively small (20-30MW), but it will flood islands that harbor threaten plants and inundate an area rich in mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The weir will cause sedimentation problems in the Okavango and erode its downstream channels. Elephant migration routes will be disrupted. Development may even alter the seasonal flood patterns on which so many creatures rely to survive the dry season drought. A scientific paper from the University of Cape Town concludes that evaporation in the Kavango Basin is increasing due to global warming. Namibia is co-signer of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971); as such it has a responsibility to manage the Okavango in a sustainable manner. Namibia has a remarkable conservation record. Altering its course by harnessing one of the world's last remaining wild rivers and endangering its unique delta system is not a path it should take.