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: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/df4687…
Blue Water GIS The Wild Bird Trust #NGWOP

#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 Abdulbasat

Well done to ALL involved!🎉🎉

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

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 Vladimir Russo told Mongabay at #COP27
news.mongabay.com/2022/11/protec…

Check out Vladimir Russo'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.'

Well said Vladimir Russo!

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

youtu.be/39R5KCKqkxw?t=…

#NGOWP

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

🗓️ 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 COP27 join us in the Blue Zone or watch online live! youtube.com/channel/UCbBQ0… #COP27

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

doi.org/10.1093/zoolin…

#BatWeek2022

#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! youtube.com/watch?v=Gam84l…

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

“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: youtube.com/watch?v=YHA6eq…

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

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

botswanaunplugged.com/botswana-youth…

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! 📽️🎞️🇦🇴

africa-press.net/angola/all-new…

#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 Charles
on.natgeo.org/6010MePf2

Congratulations to #OkavangoEternal , a partnership of #NatGeo and De Beers Group, for being shortlisted for the 2022 #NationalSustainabilityAwards ’s Partnership of the Year and being receiving a judges’ award for being highly commended! nationalsustainabilityawards.co.uk/winners22.php
Better Society News

“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.
on.natgeo.org/6010MdPG2

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.”
mg.co.za/opinion/2022-1…

#NatGeoExplorer and #NGOWP leader Steve Boyes 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.