An In-Depth Look at The Fight to Save the Okavango Delta

A major investigative report by Rolling Stone Magazine has exposed how oil drilling is threatening one of the most pristine and important areas of Africa, first raised in a campaign led by The Duke of Sussex.

In October 2021, Prince Harry and the conservation charity Re:wild joined local activists and campaigners from Namibia and Botswana in calling for the drilling to stop, highlighting the dangers of drilling in the Okavango River Delta.

In this latest story, Jeff Goodell uncovers how this fragile and unique landscape is being put at devastating risk by a drilling company on a dubious hunt for oil, driven by the prospect of profit.

“If they drill here, our ecosystem is going to die…We will get no benefit from this. We will get nothing.” — Lopang Majanga, Local guide from Botswana

The Delta is a key area for our planet’s health. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main source of water for nearly 1 million people. It is also home to endangered wildlife, from lions and giraffes to African Wild Dogs and the world’s largest remaining population of Endangered Savanna Elephants.

Jeff concludes that the drilling would “turn the delta into an industrial sacrifice zone and become a poster child for our collective willingness to sack even the most sublime cathedrals of the natural world.”

We cannot let that happen.