CLEARING LANDMINES FOR VITAL CONSERVATION
PROTECTING THE OKAVANGO
The Okavango River Basin, home to the world’s largest remaining elephant population, originates in the highlands of Angola. Here the Cubango and Cuito rivers are the source that keep this beautiful but fragile ecosystem alive, feeding down to supply the river basin, providing water for over one million people and sustaining wildlife throughout Angola, Namibia and Botswana.
Protecting the Okavango’s headwaters is therefore vital, but for this to be achieved, the landmines that still remain beneath the earth in south east Angola need to be removed. Their existence not only directly threatens the lives and livelihoods of Angolan families, but also prevents important conservation work. The sun-bleached remains of elephant bones stand testament to the direct impact landmines have on wildlife, whilst Angola’s remaining landmine legacy is also stopping opportunities for sustainable development and ecotourism.
The people of Angola are amongst some of the poorest in the world. Over 60% of the population subsist on less than two dollars a day. Many of these families live in remote rural areas, the very place where landmines, the legacy of 27 years of bitter conflict, remain. They rely on the land to survive, putting them at risk of accidents and death. Fertile earth cannot be farmed, valuable cattle may step on mines and be destroyed. Often this can leave families reliant on bush meat for food and income. Fires are set to drive animals out of hiding—representing a huge environmental threat to the region.
(Photograph: Kyle Gordon | National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project | www.natgeo.org/okavango)
HALO'S PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Since 2015, HALO has been working to support National Geographic’s Okavango Wilderness Project, providing safe access and logistical support through the minefields of south east Angola. This has allowed teams of scientists to survey the wildlife and health of the source rivers for the very first time.
Last week, at an event hosted by the International Conservation Caucus Foundation, HALO and National Geographic briefed US Congress on Angola’s landmine legacy and the conservation challenges for sustainable development in the country. Listen in below as Jose Agostinho, Deputy Programme Manager for HALO Angola, explains the country’s devastating landmine problem and the urgent need for support if the vision of a sustainable future is to be achieved.
(Photograph:Chris Boyes | National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project | www.natgeo.org/okavango)
Working with local communities
HALO has been working in Angola since 1994, employing hundreds of Angolans as deminers and destroying tens of thousands of landmines so communities can rebuild. Our close relationship with the local population has been fundamental to National Geographic’s work.
“HALO has been such an important part of what we do. Our work in local communities has been through HALO being already established and having a network across Angola. A lot of our entry into communities is through HALO as a trusted partner.” (Amy Pokempner, National Geographic.)
This has allowed National Geographic to begin working with local people to introduce basic conservation concepts. By providing safe access through mined areas, HALO has also enabled National Geographic’s scientists to survey the region’s biodiversity, discovering the presence of the critically endangered African wild dog, leopards, cheetahs and even lions.
(Photograph: Mauro Segio | National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project | www.natgeo.org/okavango)
SECURING THE FUTURE OF THE OKAVANGO
This is a critical moment in time for securing the future of the Okavango and its vital headwaters in the highlands of Angola. However, until the landmines are removed, plans to protect this precious region cannot be implemented. Opportunities for sustainable development and ecotourism could provide a lifeline for Angola’s rural communities but there are 222 minefields that directly impact the Okavango watershed alone to be cleared. Across the country as a whole, 44% of Angola's minefields still remain, threatening the lives of men, women and children every day.
“There is a rare opportunity in this area to intervene before the balance is tipped, a real opportunity for working in communities and across the three countries to have an impact now before the water dries up, before the animals are hunted to a point where they cannot have a safe migratory route across this area.” (Amy Pokempner, National Geographic)
Listen to Amy Pokempner from National Geographic as she discusses the importance of their partnership with HALO and the potential to secure the future of the Okavango by protecting its source in Angola.
To achieve a mine-free future for the people of Angola and preserve the vital Okavango ecosystem will require support from governments, NGOs and donors large and small. Over the last few years funding for mine clearance in Angola has decreased dramatically. This has meant the number of local staff HALO is able to employ has dropped from 1,150 in 2008 to just 250 today, despite the fact landmines continue to kill and maim. The time to act is now.
