Podcast 109 – Prince Harry joins a campaign to save Africa’s Okavango River Basin

In a week when the Queen was said to have berated unspecified world leaders "for too much talking and not enough doing" on climate change issues,  Prince Harry has joined up with the non-profit conservation group   https://www.rewild.org/  in a campaign  to try and protect southern Africa’s Okavango River Basin. 

The river basin is home to hundreds of thousands of people many of whom are indigenous to this area, as well as endangered wildlife, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  We are informed that the Okavango ecosystem is being threatened by corporate oil exploration that could lead to devastating ecological consequences.

Prince Harry, Re:wild, local communities and others in Namibia and Botswana are asking members of the public to sign an open letter to the governments of Namibia and Botswana calling for an immediate moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the Okavango River Basin, including by the Canadian oil and gas firm ReconAfrica, and seeking an impartial and independent commission to be established to analyse the effects that oil and gas exploration will have on the area. 

Re:wild report that since the end of 2020, when ReconAfrica obtained a license for exploratory drilling across a 13,200-square-mile area that covers part of the Okavango River Basin, local leaders and activists have publicly expressed their concerns that the company did not adequately consult local communities, that it may not be implementing sufficient environmental safeguards to prevent the pollution of the region’s sole source of water, and that it may be putting endangered wildlife at greater risk. 

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, Prince Harry and a local Namibian activist call on the World to stand in solidarity with the communities in Namibia and Botswana. They write that they believe profit is being put ahead of the protection on an important ecosystem, and say that ‘some things in life are best left undisturbed to carry out their purpose as a natural benefit. This is one of them.’

ReconAfrica say on their website that they have been selected to work with the Namibian government and local officials to plan and drill three conventional exploratory stratigraphic wells in Namibia. Results from the first well have now confirmed there is an active petroleum system in the basin. They go on to say that ReconAfrica is using proven, safe, and effective technologies and applying rigorous safety and environmental protection standards in all aspects of their operations in Namibia.

In terms of sustainability ReconAfrica states that it is developing plans to address international Net Zero carbon emissions targets but say ultimately, the people of Namibia and Botswana, through their traditional authorities, elected governments and regulatory agencies, will determine how the countries will manage their natural resources.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili. You can reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/