De Beers and National Geographic today announced the launch of Okavango Eternal<\/em>, a strategic partnership to address one of the most critical conservation challenges in Africa: protecting the source waters of the Okavango Delta and the lives and livelihoods they support. The five-year commitment, which will help protect Africa\u2019s endangered species, ensure water and food security for more than one million people and develop livelihood opportunities for 10,000 people, represents critical inward investment to underpin the resilience and long-term recovery of the region in the years ahead. The partnership is focused on working hand-in-hand with communities throughout the Okavango to deliver shared ecological solutions that lead to collective economic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Okavango Basin, spanning southern Angola, eastern Namibia, and northern Botswana, is the main source of water for the Okavango Delta. Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango Delta is one of Africa\u2019s most important ecosystems, unrivalled in its biodiversity, and home to the world\u2019s largest remaining elephant population as well as lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hundreds of species of birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Okavango Delta\u2019s health is dependent on its source lakes and rivers, which carry water that originates as rain in Angola\u2019s highlands. While the Delta itself holds protected status, the Okavango Basin that feeds it does not, and the effects of climate change, deforestation and upstream commercial agriculture are putting this critical lifeline at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has been working to secure permanent, sustainable protection for the Okavango Basin. National Geographic has been joined by De Beers \u2014 which has worked with the people of Botswana for more than 50 years to advance education, healthcare, livelihoods, and wildlife conservation, as part of the company\u2019s Building Forever sustainability approach \u2014 to help secure protection for the Okavango Delta\u2019s headwaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the course of five years, De Beers will work together with National Geographic by providing support, expertise and funding to expand and accelerate work already underway, helping to establish sustainable local livelihoods in harmony with the Okavango Basin\u2019s conservation. The partnership will focus on protecting the natural world and supporting communities across Botswana, Namibia and Angola. This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Protecting the natural world<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Providing long-term wildlife corridor protection for the movement and proliferation of endangered species<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Supporting critical conservation research through funding expeditions to gather new data, installing monitoring technology and building capacity of local researchers through grants and training<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Supporting local communities<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Helping ensure water and food security for more than one million people<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Developing livelihood opportunities for 10,000 people<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Enabling increased resilience to climate-related impacts<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Raising awareness of the Okavango Delta and its benefits through compelling storytelling<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Facilitating access to the Delta for local educators and youth<\/p>\n\n\n\n o Helping bring the wonder and importance of the Delta and its headwaters to a wider global audience<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no doubt that the Okavango River Basin is under threat. How we treat this delicate ecosystem in the coming years will dictate its vitality \u2014 for its people and its wildlife \u2014 for future generations. This is our last chance to help protect this natural wonder and we are pleased to partner with De Beers on this critically important project,\u201d said Dr. Steve Boyes, National Geographic Explorer and leader of the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project. \u201cTogether, we will leverage our collective resources to scale efforts to facilitate long-term, sustainable management of protected areas in the region by helping establish and further partnerships between governments, NGOs, and local communities through a sustainable conservation economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, added: \u201cDe Beers has been in 50\/50 partnership with both Botswana and Namibia for decades, making their people significant shareholders in De Beers and our commitment to the long-term sustainable development of the countries a core part of our business As part of our Building Forever mission to ensure every De Beers diamond creates a positive and lasting impact in the place where it is discovered, we manage half a million acres of land for conservation across southern Africa, protecting wildlife, supporting livelihoods and creating education and eco-tourism opportunities for the surrounding areas. However, many areas in southern Africa are still at risk, including the critically important Okavango Basin. That\u2019s why our partnership with National Geographic is vital. By sharing our expertise and resources and working with local communities, governments and other NGO partners, we will deliver a positive impact that is far greater than what any of us could achieve on our own, and ultimately protects the natural world and improves people\u2019s lives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is exciting to see this level of support and partnership at a time when coming together to protect this one-of-a-kind place is so urgently needed,\u201d said Koketso Mookodi, National Geographic Explorer and Botswana Country Director for the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project. \u201cThe people of the Okavango Basin rely on its life-giving waters and we must unite our efforts and do everything in our power to ensure that they continue to flow for the future of the people and the wildlife that call this place home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through Okavango Eternal<\/em>, De Beers and National Geographic will work together to help establish and activate one of the largest transboundary protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so, it will also help build self-sustaining conservation-based tourism economies to create local support and understanding of the water basin\u2019s conservation in Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The partnership will also produce a Botswana-based film about the Okavango Basin to raise awareness about the issues facing this ecosystem and why it\u2019s important that it\u2019s protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More details of the Okavango Eternal partnership are available at www.nationalgeographic.com\/okavango-eternal<\/a> and www.debeers.co.uk\/en-gb\/okavango-eternal.html<\/a> (if visiting from the UK); or www.debeers.com\/en-us\/okavangoeternal.html<\/a> (if visiting from outside of the UK).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow the partnership\u2019s progress through the @natgeo, @intotheokavango and @debeersofficial social media handles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DE BEERS AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNER TO PROTECT A NATURAL WONDER De Beers and National Geographic today announced the launch of Okavango Eternal, a strategic partnership to address one of the most critical conservation challenges in Africa: protecting the source waters of the Okavango Delta and the lives and livelihoods they support. The five-year commitment,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-10676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bulletin"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n