Who We Are and Our Work
The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project is committed to securing permanent, sustainable protection for the greater Okavango River Basin, from the source waters in the highlands of Angola, to the Delta in Botswana. Since 2015, NGOWP has been working with local communities, NGOs, and the governments of Angola, Namibia and Botswana to realize this vision.
Supporting Local Action
The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project is working to support the Angolan government and its Ministries of Tourism and Environment in protecting these remote watersheds, and developing and implementing a conservation plan for the Okavango system.
In addition to working with regional governments, NGOWP has partnered with regional secretariats, NGOs, and local communities to help establish community-based alternative livelihood cooperatives for sustainable agriculture and forestry, watershed management, infrastructure development, education outreach, healthcare, energy and information technology and protected areas management to support a conservation-based local economy.
Expeditions
Since 2015, the NGOWP team has completed 12 ambitious multi year expeditions covering more than 13,000 kilometers on foot, in dug-out mekoro (canoes), on fat-tire bikes and on motorcycles from the highlands of Angola — where the source waters of the Okavango Delta originate — to the salt flats of the Makgadikgadi Pan, where the waters reach their terminus.
Year after year, they document the Okavango ecosystem like never before, accumulating vast amounts of data to make it available for scientists, policymakers, educators, and anyone else to explore and use. Their work provides an important baseline for this little-known area — and is essential for securing its permanent protection. Learn more about our expeditions.
Recent Expeditions
Latest Stories
Led locally by the Nkashi Trust, the Nkashi Knowledge Centre in Beetsha, Botswana, is a vital community hub that supports education and economic opportunity in the heart of the Okavango Delta.
De Beers and National Geographic have partnered to address one of the most critical conservation challenges in Africa: Protecting the near-pristine source waters of the Okavango Delta.
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