Beyond short-term opportunities, the residents of Kavango worry about the state in which ReconAfrica will leave the region. In the Okavango Basin, Reconnaissance Africa (ReconAfrica) will conduct explorations on two concessions covering more than 35,000 km 2. Extracting and transporting oil and gas fragments habitat and cuts across animal migration routes. Botswana is home to the continent’s largest remaining herds of African elephants. Local residents say some women from the area have been hired to work in the kitchen and the other opportunities are one-week contracts for jobs such as digging a vegetable garden. The company has also drilled water wells for the Kawe community. That includes the volumes of water needed, the number of boreholes, where the water will be taken from the Omatako, how the extraction of water could affect nearby water wells or surrounding communities, and the disposal and treatment of wastewater from drilling. Industry experts, community groups, and environmental activists have expressed concern that ReconAfrica’s plans for its test wells have not been properly vetted through Namibia’s environmental review process. Specific steps are taken that are part of our plans and verified by environmental auditors and technical specialists. The bloody history of anti-Asian violence in the West, Survivors recall the terror of the first F5 tornado. © 1999-2021 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights reserved, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates, Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species. He eventually said he was too busy to talk but that we could come to his office in Windhoek to review the environmental impact assessment and all supporting documentation we’d requested. This approach to solutions-based journalism depends on the support of our readers. Researchers and community groups worry that oil and gas development in the licensed areas could pollute and strain scant water resources. New roads also facilitate animal poaching by providing easy access to wild places. Annette Hübschle and others emailed Mwiya, copying National Geographic, in late 2020 requesting the register and to be added to that list of interested and affected parties “for any future developments pertaining to the license.”, Mwiya did not provide the register, and he said that the review process he was responsible for—the test wells—was already complete. A network of rigs, pipelines, and roads would sprawl across an environmentally sensitive, semi-arid region that is home to Africa’s largest remaining population of savanna elephants as well as numerous threatened or endangered wildlife species. Here, on the border of Namibia and Botswana, there’s a Permian basin the same size as the Eagle Ford in Texas. “They focus just on the immediate step. 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If the broader interconnected region is pocked with oil wells and associated roads, infrastructure, and workers’ camps, habitat inevitably will be degraded and fragmented. Potholes appear along the edges of the tarmac. The rig belongs to ReconAfrica, an oil and gas company headquartered in Canada, currently drilling three test wells in the sedimentary Kavango Basin of Namibia. In a February 2020 financial investment podcast interview, Evans said, “We think this unconventional play has a really high chance of success.” In standard industry parlance, “unconventional” signals that “a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing” is often needed. Mail & Guardian 12 Feburary 2021 Okavango Delta under threat from oil, gas exploration Here’s how to help preserve the landscape. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattle’s vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. This story was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Alongside agriculture, tourism — including hunting — is one of the main industries, and locals are worried that extensive oil drilling could drive away wildlife — and visitors. ReconAfrica spokesperson Claire Preece noted that “fracking is an oil or gas production method in unconventional reservoirs” in her October 21 reply to questions from National Geographic. The Okavango river basin is still relatively pristine, but oil and gas extraction could affect groundwater levels and contaminate surface water and groundwater resources, eventually reaching the Okavango … Some hope ReconAfrica may fix the long dirt road to Kawe, the site of a test drilling well. The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site and biodiversity hot spot in Botswana, is downstream of the region ReconAfrica is exploring for oil and gas. This power plant stopped burning fossil fuels. Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, however, is emphasizing the potential positive effects. The Okavango region is home to the largest herd of African elephants left on Earth and myriad other animals—African wild dogs, lions, leopards, giraffes, amphibians and reptiles, birds—and rare flora. More than two trillion gallons of water flow in each year to create a shifting, verdant patchwork of islands, channels, and lagoons. The work will run for two years and is available only to domestic companies. Also, ReconAfrica holds a 100% interest in a petroleum licence, northwest Botswana which comprises an area of approximately 8,990 sq km (2.2 million acres) and … Experts who have reviewed the Namibian environmental impact assessment for the test wells point to serious problems in the way it was carried out. How Berkshire Hathaway fed investors a flawed narrative about their climate progress. Donate now, and all gifts get matched through May 31. ReconAfrica refuses to discuss this.”. Numerous people have accused him of acting hostilely toward anyone questioning ReconAfrica’s activities. Jacklin and Arkert, two of the independent experts who reviewed the environmental impact assessment for National Geographic, said details about water needs for the test wells, which should be addressed, are neglected in the EIA. “People in the area get their water from hand-dug wells and small hand pumps, Arkert said. The company has the rights to drill for oil in more than 35,000 square kilometres of the Kavango Basin, an environmentally sensitive, protected area that supplies water to the Okavango Delta. Bird migration is one of nature’s great wonders. “This kind of stuff has failed to deliver development to this part of the country.”. Neither Namibia’s mining nor environment ministries responded to questions about ReconAfrica’s long-term plans. It’s one of the largest inland deltas in the world—a virtually pristine wilderness where antelope splash through grassy floodplains, zebras emerge from mopane woodlands, and elephants plod across shallow channels. Similarly, the American Ornithological Society published a report in 2018 showing that competing noise from oil development caused birds in Alberta, Canada, to change their songs. Oil and gas infrastructure involves “the construction of roads, pipelines, and buildings” that “could all negatively affect important animal habitat, migratory pathways, and biodiversity,” according to the World Wildlife Fund. The conservancy makes money through sustainable hunting and as a destination for wildlife-watching visitors. Instead of oil … Some 18,000 of the country’s estimated 130,000 elephants roam the Okavango region, many within the area that ReconAfrica looks to exploit for oil and gas. Reader support keeps our work free. “The strategic question that arises,” he said, “is whether the potential benefits of [petroleum] outweigh the potential cost of alteration to the only permanent flowing surface water” in the region. The Colorado Plateau is breathtaking—but stepping off trail for a killer photo can be deadly for biocrust. For Shikongo, it’s not a question of whether water will be fouled, but when. ReconAfrica refuses to discuss this.” This time the threat extends to the south of the continent. Even many who live in the affected region were unaware. The company has a license for an area of 9,800 square miles, plus an adjacent area in neighboring Botswana — 13,250 square miles in total. The experts pointed to the lack of physical assessments of fauna and flora and to the possible effects on local communities and other people, on archaeological sites, and on groundwater and surface water. Meandering through the grasses, the Okavango River is the lifeblood of this region. “ReconAfrica refuses to talk about the bigger picture – what the landscape would look like in the event of an oil find,” Chris Brown, CEO of the Namibian Chamber of Environment — an industry-sponsored organization that works with environmental groups — said in an email. They’re also angry that they were not consulted, and skeptical that they will benefit from permanent jobs despite having to live with the test well on their doorstep. Designated Play of the Year by oil and gas investment … The Okavango river basin is still relatively pristine, but oil and gas extraction could affect groundwater levels and contaminate surface water and groundwater resources, eventually reaching the Okavango … ADVERTISEMENT This story was initially printed by Yale Setting 360 and is reproduced right here as a part of the Local weather Desk collaboration. Multiple statements by ReconAfrica officials, as well as technical studies such as the company’s May 2020 Kavango Basin Research Report and investor presentations, reinforce the probability that exploration would involve fracking. © 1999-2021 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. She confirmed that the assessment didn’t include interested and affected parties and “left out key assessments and specialist studies…and has not identified alternatives” to oil and gas extraction, such as solar and wind power. Angolan lawmakers revoked a ban on exploration for crude and natural gas in protected natural reserves, including the Kassanje Basin and the wildlife-rich Okavango River Basin. After Muyemburuko emailed Mwiya some questions in January, Mwiya — who is supposed to be unbiased in his role — responded by labeling one question about the removal of trees as “stupidity and nonsense of the highest level” and accusing Muyemburuko of “Eurocentric and colonial thinking” in denying people the chance for jobs and regional development. All rights reserved. The ministry did not answer questions from National Geographic but said in a press release on September 18 that “the socioeconomic impacts of exploratory drilling will result in the employment of locals” and many other benefits, such as new water wells for communities near the proposed drill sites. Scot Evans, ReconAfrica’s CEO, is a former Halliburton vice president with decades of technical and operational experience fracking shale oil in the U.S., and Nick Steinsberger, the senior vice president for drilling and completions, is often referred to as one of the fathers of fracking for his promotion of the use of high-pressure water mixed with chemicals to crack open the rocks. It’s also home to 20 other species listed as “vulnerable,” including Temminck’s pangolin and the martial eagle. On February 15, parliament voted overwhelmingly to allow oil and gas exploration in natural reserves, including the Kassanje Basin, a key component of the cross-border Okavango Basin ecosystem which includes Namibia, Zambia and … In an otherwise dry environment, the Okavango River (known in Namibia as the Kavango) is a lifeline, flowing from the highlands of Angola, through northern Namibia, and emptying out into the Okavango Delta, in northwest Botswana. In response to questions about other environmental effects of test wells, Preece said, “Drilling fluids will be reused” and “disposed of safely off-site,” and cuttings “will be managed in lined pits, cleaned, and disposed of off-site,” according to company and regulatory requirements. The Kavango Basin, which spans northeastern Namibia and northwestern Botswana, is part of the Kalahari Desert. We aim to inspire more people to talk about climate change and to believe that meaningful change is not only possible but happening right now. Located in the Okavango wilderness region of Namibia and Botswana, the massive Kavango Basin is thought to hold more than 30 billion barrels of crude oil. He worries that because this area is so geologically active, seismic jolting could disrupt the flow of the Okavango River, the lifeblood of the region’s people and wildlife. The regions of Kavango East and Kavango West are home to 200,000 people — including the indigenous San — making a living from farming, fishing, and tourism. Hawkers hold giant wild mushrooms — omajowa, a seasonal delicacy — aloft to passing vehicles. Members of ReconAfrica’s Kavango Basin senior team include fracking experts. ANPG launched a tender on January 21 to study the accessibility of the Etosha-Okavango Basin. Okavango River Basin including all main tributaries and the Okavango Delta with its entrance at Mohembo gauging station and outlet at Maun (data source: NIWR, … Sign up for more inspiring photos, stories, and special offers from National Geographic. At the same time, she reiterated that fracking isn’t applicable to ReconAfrica’s exploration license and insisted that the company was focused on “hydrocarbons in conventional reservoirs” that don’t need to be fracked. According to the UN, Namibia cannot feed itself. Namibia’s Environmental Management Act stipulates that an assessment be done “in an objective manner.” Throughout the EIA, Mwiya highlights the benefits of the project, and he encouraged the government to approve it. Donkey carts trundle down the side of the road, along with cows and goats driven by herders. “Clean water: That is the oil and the gold,” David Quammen wrote in a 2017 National Geographic magazine story documenting the Okavango Wilderness Project, an initiative supported by the nonprofit National Geographic Society in partnership with other nonprofits and the Namibian government. Since January 2021, however, that quiet has been shattered by 24-hour drilling. Their village — 90 minutes along a potholed dirt road from the town of Rundu on the Namibia-Angola border — was peaceful, with the sounds of birdsong and the wind rustling the tree leaves. Experts say that if large-scale oil production in a massive area north and west of the delta were to proceed, it would harm this fragile ecosystem. Namibia: Indigenous leaders want big oil out of Kavango Basin Few other water sources are available during the long dry season here. The family has no idea if they will have to leave their home and, if so, whether they will be compensated. What does a COVID-19 outbreak mean for life at Everest’s base camp? Preece said ReconAfrica is undertaking “exploration, as indicated in the EIA, and if further exploration activities are required, subsequent EIA studies will be undertaken as per the Namibian national legislation and regulations encompassing issues related to water and all other environmental components.” According to the Namibian government, ReconAfrica would need another environmental impact assessment in order to begin fracking for production. ReconAfrica’s licensed exploration area abuts the main river that feeds the Okavango Delta for some 170 miles. “What will happen when our water gets contaminated?” wondered Ina-Maria Shikongo, the main coordinator of the Namibian chapter of Fridays for Future, a global climate youth movement inspired by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. ReconAfrica, a petroleum exploration company headquartered in Canada, has licensed more than 13,600 square miles of land in the two countries. Max Muyemburuko is the chairperson of the Kavango East and West Regional Conservancy and Community Forestry Association. This approximately 7,000-square-mile wetland amid the Kalahari Desert is fed by rains in Angola’s highlands. Photograph by Aaron Huey, Nat Geo Image Collection. Promising early results suggest we may have a new tool in the battle against the pernicious mosquito-borne parasite. National Geographic repeatedly asked Timoteus Mufeti, Namibia’s environmental commissioner, why the environmental impact assessment didn’t disclose water use by the test drilling, and to comment on problems the drilling could cause for local people and the environment. JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICAConservationists and community leaders in the spectacular Okavango wilderness region of Namibia and Botswana are raising alarms over oil and gas exploration and potential production that they fear would threaten the water resources of thousands of people and endangered wildlife. Previously, ReconAfrica CEO Scot Evans and the company have discussed unconventional drilling opportunities — a term often used to refer to fracking — in the Kavango. “I didn’t know there is some company that will come to drill the oil,” said Jacob Hamutenya, chairperson of George Mukoya Conservancy, which is about 50 miles from one of the test well sites. An influx of oil workers into this remote landscape—and the money, roads, alcohol, and pollution they’d bring—would jeopardize the traditional way of life of the San, said Jennifer Hays, a professor of social anthropology at the Arctic University of Norway. Prospecting will be allowed in 5% of protected zones and “possibly” only 3% will be drilled, Mineral Resources Minister Diamantino Azevedo said. Canada-based petroleum exploration company ReconAfrica has licensed more than 13,600 square miles of land, about 70 percent in Namibia and the rest in Botswana. The delta is also sheltered by Ramsar, an international treaty to protect wetlands whose signatories include Namibia and Botswana. “I didn’t know about this,” he said, “nor saw this coming.”. A water tanker that holds 3,000 gallons would have to make 500 journeys for each well. Why electric cars are cheaper if you’re rich. ReconAfrica’s assessment “does not meet with the standards of comprehensive unbiased and scientific investigation required,” said Jan Arkert, a consulting engineering geologist who’s based in Uniondale, South Africa, and has worked for decades on drilling-related projects. The company, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, has secured these concessions from the governments of Botswana and Namibia. More than a million Africans rely on it for their water and livelihood. Fracking in particular is of ecological concern because it requires large amounts of water and has been known to cause earthquakes, pollute water, release greenhouse gases, and lead to cancers and birth defects, among other problems. Angola Revokes Law Banning Oil Exploration in Okavango Basin Candido Mendes 2/19/2021 US Coronavirus: Increased traveling and spring … Its farms support only about 70 percent of its people, and the lands under ReconAfrica’s drilling license have more than 600 working farms, some irrigated with water from the Okavango River. On February 15, parliament voted … Some facts about ReconAfrica’s project remain murky, but important details are coming to light. After the exploration stage, the development would likely involve building hundreds of wells, pipelines, and pumping stations, all linked by access roads. The 2019 environmental impact assessment (EIA) commissioned by ReconAfrica was widely criticized for glossing over potential ecological problems. “Biodiversity is a determinant of public health—without these wild animals doing ecosystem services for us, we can’t survive.” Elephants, for example, fertilize and seed trees with their dung and excavate the ground, opening up water sources for other animals. Oil development “is a threat to our livelihood,” Lekgowa said. “There are many questions to be answered.”. Angola Revokes Law Banning Oil Exploration in Okavango Basin Candido Mendes 2/19/2021 US Coronavirus: Increased traveling and spring … The Elephant Listening Project found that forest elephants in central Africa switched to a more nocturnal lifestyle as a result of noise from oil exploration and development. Critics say the EIA also did not sufficiently address the impact on the Okavango region’s 18,000 elephants; maintaining migration corridors for the elephants is crucial to both their safety and that of villagers. “Studies show that there are multiple pathways to wildlife being harmed,” biologist and author Sandra Steingraber, who has long studied risks from fracking, told the Revelator last year. Nature Sounds: DJ, music producer, and scientist Jayda G infuses environmentalism into house music, How tiny Monaco became a giant in ocean conservation, Meat production leads to thousands of air quality-related deaths annually, ‘Megadrought’ persists in western U.S., as another extremely dry year develops, Antarctica’s ice could cross this scary threshold within 40 years. After examining ReconAfrica’s September 2019 investor proposal describing drilling, possible fracking, and the digging of hundreds of wells in the area, she said that “either the Namibian government didn’t read the fine print or it is in denial as to what it signed off on.”. “We drink from the river because we live far from the town, and we don’t have treated water, but if these people come with a system that will damage the water, this is life-threatening to us.”, Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The public wants to know what the likely consequences would be of an oil find and the impacts to the Kavango regions and to the Okavango Basin. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization that keeps a record of Earth’s dwindling species, ReconAfrica’s license encompasses the territories of seven endangered animal species, among them the gray crowned crane and the African wild dog, and four critically endangered animals, including the black rhinoceros and white-backed vulture. Was Napoleon Bonaparte an enlightened leader or tyrant? Known as one of the greenest commercial buildings in the world, since it opened its doors on Earth Day in 2013 the Bullitt Center has been setting a new standard for sustainable design. This approximately 7,000-square-mile wetland lies east and southeast of ReconAfrica’s licensed area. The drilling area is also the homeland of the San — otherwise known as Bushmen — a group of many tribes who have historically been victims of genocide and who lost most of their land during the colonial era. A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. The more we celebrate progress, the more progress we can make. The delta – a World Heritage site recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – is also pivotal to Currently, the drive is laborious, the road pocked with deep holes, with frequent sections of bone-shaking corrugated ridges. Seen from space, fingers of green define Botswana's Okavango Delta. GABARONE, Botswana — An explorative study looking into the feasibility of drilling for oil and natural gas in the Okavango River Basin in Southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert is moving forward, despite opposition from environmental activists. Physicians for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit U.S. organization working for a cleaner environment, reports that fracking for oil and gas can be disastrous for wildlife because it can poison the food chain, destroy habitat, and cause mass die-offs of fish and other aquatic species.