Into the Okavango

Real-time missives from the Okavango river system in Angola, Namibia and Botswana. Join us as we explore one of the world's most important ecosystems.

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

#COP27: Join #NGOWP’s Kerllen Costa for a screening of “Kwando” on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. EET in the Green Zone, Hall A.

Kerllen will join @InsideNatGeo Young Explorer @Ghaamid_Mavura for a Q&A afterward. Hope to see you there!

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

We are thrilled to share that Okavango Explore StoryMap won the 2022 @Esri StoryMap International Competition for the "Nature and Physical Science"! 🎉

Experience Okavango Explore for yourself at: https://t.co/JC4aTXCmT5
@BlueWaterGIS @wildbirdtrust #NGWOP

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

#COP27 Last call to join us in the Green Zone, Hall A at 5 p.m. for a screening of "Kwando!"

We're excited to celebrate this 🎞️📽️ made in Angola, by an Angolan team 🇦🇴

Join #NGOWP's Kerllen Costa in conversation with @Ghaamid_Mavura

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Well done to ALL involved!🎉🎉

To protect our most magnificent places 🌍 🗺️ - people need to know about them. Congratulations on your powerful work!

[Amanda Huber @Huber099]

𝘼𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃!!!!👀🎉👀🎉👀🎉👀🎉
Hot off the press @BlueWaterGIS is IN THE NEWS!

WE WON OUR CATEGORY for the @ArcGISOnline @ArcGISStoryMaps Competition!!!!!
https://t.co/VEfpGQBvoY
#gischat @EarthViews360 @wildbirdtrust @intotheokavango 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

The peatlands in Angola's highlands are vital for keeping water flowing into the Okavango Basin.
“We are not solely interested in the landscape, but really the function of the peats which operate as a sponge,” NGOWP's @vladyrusso told @mongabay at #COP27
https://t.co/EKs65cR2Gz

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Check out @vladyrusso's #COP27 interview @mongabay on why peat in Angola can be a climate change solution:

“There is a pristine ecosystem that can be a potential solution for carbon sequestration in the area, and has not been studied enough, and has not been understood enough."

[Mongabay @mongabay]

As negotiations over slowing climate change unfold at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, a group of scientists and conservationists is pushing for recognition of the Angolan Highlands as a vital carbon sink.

https://t.co/Aqo7AAA84B

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Well said @vladyrusso!

Missed the discussion at #COP27? Catch the recording of Vlady & fellow panelist @BogoloKenewendo (starting at 29:00)

https://t.co/O7CsNf4aNi

#NGOWP

[National Geographic Society @InsideNatGeo]

Protecting the Okavango Basin represents one of the most critical conservation opportunities in Africa this decade. "We have an opportunity to make history here. This is an ecosystem that benefits three countries," said @intotheOkavango’s @vladyRusso at #COP27.

📷@Nature4Climate

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Thank you for the opportunity to share why protecting the Okavango Basin is so important for the planet, for nature, and for people!
🇦🇴🇳🇦🇧🇼

#COP27

#NGOWP

[Nature4Climate @Nature4Climate]

"To know is to protect" 🌿➕

While the #Okavango Delta is protected, 95% of water comes from areas which are not 💧

Protecting the entire Basin is one of the biggest conservation opportunities in Africa.

Ian Miller @BogoloKenewendo, @vladyrusso @InsideNatGeo

#NaturePositive

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

🗓️ NOV 9, 1-2PM Egypt time | Join us for a @insidenatgeo panel on why protecting the Okavango Basin is a win for nature, climate, & people. If you're @COP27P join us in the Blue Zone or watch online live! https://t.co/A1fpH4HedC #COP27

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

The #NGOWP team recently documented a species of bat that's specific to the remote highlands of Angola 🇦🇴

They explain why bats are a sign of a healthy ecosystem - & why Angola's highlands deserve further study as a "hotspot" for 🦇 species

https://t.co/onwY41tZQ9

#BatWeek2022

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

#NGOWP research team members Vlady Russo 🇦🇴 and Rob Taylor 🇧🇼recently shared the wonders of the Okavango River Basin with middle school students in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Catch their @natgeoeducation Explorer Classroom here! https://t.co/Q69MrFkMNR

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

According to a new study by an #NGOWP team of international scientists, Angola’s highlands are an important hotspot for bats. Historical records and recent studies suggest it may be home to at least 73 unique species of bat!

Happy #BatWeek2022 🦇

📸 by Fenton Cotterill

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

“If heaven was on earth, I think the Okavango Delta would be the place.”

Students from Botswana recently participated in National Geographic Photo Camp in Maun. Check out their photos & stories about what the Okavango Delta means to them: https://t.co/pNmvBUbdDL

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Students in Botswana recently learned about photography & the power of storytelling - under the guidance of #NatGeoExplorer @Thalefang!

Thanks @UnpluggedBW for capturing their photos & reflections on how they're connected to the Okavango Delta's waters

https://t.co/yAbqHZ05m0

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

A hearty congratulations to #NGOWP's Kerllen Costa and our entire team in Angola, whose film "Kwando" won the documentary category at Unitel Angol Move Festival recently! 📽️🎞️🇦🇴

https://t.co/C2rFpI7jEv

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

#NatGeoExplorer Koki Mookodi grew up a bus ride away from the Okavango Delta - but never learned about it in school.

That's why she's determined to improve the quality of science and conservation education in her native Botswana
📷 @Thalefang
https://t.co/Z1YJEEXsaY

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Congratulations to #OkavangoEternal, a partnership of #NatGeo and @debeersgroup, for being shortlisted for the 2022 #NationalSustainabilityAwards’s Partnership of the Year and being receiving a judges’ award for being highly commended! https://t.co/eNgu5VfmZj
@CTBetterSociety

[Nat Geo Education @NatGeoEducation]

“What could be more important than celebrating the people who taught us to read and write?” —#NatGeoExplorer Koki Mookodi

Here’s how Mookodi is helping teachers develop lessons that incorporate science & traditional knowledge in her native Botswana.
https://t.co/HrIIj5t7aD

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

Read why #NGOWP Botswana country director & #NatGeoExplorer Koki Mookodi, believes the best way to secure the #OkavangoDelta's future is to “empower local educators & equip them with the tools & resources they need to inform & engage the next generation.”
https://t.co/67wUQKHKEU

[Into the Okavango @intotheokavango]

#NatGeoExplorer and #NGOWP leader @drsteveboyes reflects on his passion and dedication for helping to preserve and protect the health of the #Okavango Basin for the future of its wildlife and the people he works alongside to protect it and that call it home.