We don’t need more oil because we have enough proven reserves to supply demand as the world transitions to a more sustainable low-carbon economy.
Check out the latest developments here.
Yet, Canadian oil company ReconAfrica has its sights set on the Okavango River Basin—including Namibia’s Kavango regions and Botswana’s Okavango Delta—an ecosystem that supports the livelihood of tens of thousands of people and serves as home to endangered wildlife, from lions and giraffes to African Wild Dogs and the world’s largest remaining population of Endangered Savanna Elephants. The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Key Biodiversity Area, is also a lifeline to a desert delta and the main source of water for nearly one million people, relying on rivers originating in Angola, flowing through Namibia and emptying into northern Botswana.
We, the undersigned, are part of a growing community that defines progress not as the destruction of our planet to benefit a few, but as the protection of our irreplaceable natural resources to the benefit of all.
We stand in solidarity with the people of the Okavango River Basin in demanding a full moratorium on all oil and gas exploration and development in the Okavango River Basin, which includes the Kavango region of Namibia and is home to the famed Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Local communities in Namibia’s Kavango East and West regions deserve an independent and impartial public commission to examine oil and gas exploration in a way that is transparent, involves extensive consultation with them, and makes clear how this industry would affect their lives, rights, water, food security, and the natural environments of which they are custodians.
We further encourage the governments of Namibia and Botswana to consider sustainable, alternative energy so that they can meet their global climate and biodiversity commitments, while building a green economy that will benefit both countries’ people and wildlife in the long-term.
By signing this letter, we also pledge to use our collective voice to expose irresponsible extractive industry projects that pose a threat to ecosystems and the people who depend on them across the region by bringing sustained local, regional and international attention to them.
The choice is simple–either we preserve the wild and its benefits to humanity, or permanently destroy it through exploitation. We have made our choice by standing with local communities in embracing the former, protecting the irreplaceable Okavango River Basin for generations to come.
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Waorani Leader, Ceibo Alliance & Amazon Frontlines
Elephants Without Borders, Botswana
Namibia Chamber of Environment (Representing 70 NGOs in Namibia)
Women’s Leadership Centre
Environmental Investigation Agency
Meet the iconic species and characteristics of this region–and the people who rely on it.
We’ve created a social toolkit for you to spread the word about protecting the Okavango.
26,102 | Silke Bandermann | Mar 22, 2023 | ||
26,101 | Melissa Behrend | Mar 20, 2023 | ||
26,100 | Cindy Lang | Mar 19, 2023 | ||
26,099 | Susan Schmidt | Schmidt Family Farms | Mar 18, 2023 | |
26,098 | Nanna Ståhl | Mar 18, 2023 | ||
26,097 | Rachael Mclellan | Mar 18, 2023 | ||
26,096 | Balazs Latranyi | Mar 18, 2023 | ||
26,095 | Cordula Brockmann | Mar 18, 2023 | ||
26,094 | Cassidy Gee | Mar 17, 2023 | ||
26,093 | Sandy Varndell | Mar 17, 2023 | ||
26,092 | Beth Onan | self | Mar 17, 2023 | |
26,091 | Jacqueline Treutner | Travelstoriesforyou | Mar 14, 2023 | |
26,090 | Friedemann Bernstein | Mar 12, 2023 | ||
26,089 | Stefan Hirsch | Mar 09, 2023 | ||
26,088 | Elsa Van Staden | Mar 05, 2023 | ||
26,087 | Alessandra Sgarbossa | Legambiente Medio Brenta (Veneto regione) | Mar 04, 2023 | |
26,086 | Rheanna McCollum | Mar 04, 2023 | ||
26,085 | Torben Kragsbjerg | Mar 01, 2023 | ||
26,084 | Alexis Turner | Feb 23, 2023 | ||
26,083 | Anita Collins | Feb 23, 2023 | ||
26,082 | Natali DiCaprio | DiCaprio Enterprises | Feb 22, 2023 | |
26,081 | Claire Fabre | créatrice et habilleuse | Feb 22, 2023 | |
26,080 | Keetah Nicole Konstant | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,079 | Abir ELTAIEF | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,078 | Gaëlle Guérin | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,077 | Isabel Fitzmann | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,076 | Chen GuanHuei | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,075 | Daniela Böhme | private | Feb 22, 2023 | |
26,074 | Toni Achey | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,073 | Alex Armando Cárdenas Medina | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,072 | Reena Doss | Author | Feb 22, 2023 | |
26,071 | Kendell Gruendell | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,070 | Michael Marcoux | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
26,069 | Lis Addison | The Singing Tree Institute | Feb 12, 2023 | |
26,068 | Rhys King | Feb 10, 2023 | ||
26,067 | bryan kirshon | Zoological | Feb 07, 2023 | |
26,066 | Marla Katz | Feb 07, 2023 | ||
26,065 | Julia Böning | Feb 06, 2023 | ||
26,064 | Abrielle Mannino | Rollins College | Feb 03, 2023 | |
26,063 | Olivier de Froberville | Feb 01, 2023 | ||
26,062 | Margot Semonite | Feb 01, 2023 | ||
26,061 | Tom Johnson | Feb 01, 2023 | ||
26,060 | Romana Dlasková | Jan 31, 2023 | ||
26,059 | Tiffany Lee | Jan 31, 2023 | ||
26,058 | Vanessa Brown | BLK to Nature | Jan 31, 2023 | |
26,057 | Sreejit Bakshi | Prowl Of Nature | Jan 31, 2023 | |
26,056 | DeAnna Park | Jan 31, 2023 | ||
26,055 | Jane Jenkins | Jan 31, 2023 | ||
26,054 | Carla Winterbottom | Jan 31, 2023 | ||
26,053 | Alessandro Durando | Jan 30, 2023 | ||
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Image Credits
Cover Photo: Frans Lanting
Carousel: The Women’s Leadership Centre, Windhoek; Cory Richards
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