Okavango Delta

• Transboundary management of water resources
• Lack of wildlife monitoring programme
• Animal sanitation and diseases
• Mining exploration licenses overlapping with the buffer zone
• Management and governance
• Engagement of local communities and indigenous peoples
• Alien invasive species

Total amount granted to the property: USD 150,000 from the Flanders Funds-in-Trust (2017-2021) for the community management of protected areas for conservation (COMPACT) programme in cooperation with the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme. Further support through the Flanders Funds-in-Trust (2019-2022) to the States Parties of Botswana, Angola and Namibia to examine the feasibility of a transboundary extension of the property.

On 23 March 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1432/documents/, reporting the following:

• Exploration activities close to the buffer zone are being monitored;
• The Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) is conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB), with a basin-wide Environmental Monitoring Framework and hydro-meteorological, water quality, environmental and biodiversity surveys;
• A Community Based Natural Resource Management Strategy was developed to accommodate traditional resource use for livelihoods and increase local access to tourism opportunities;
• An analysis of the 2019 aerial wildlife surveys will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre once available;
• Hydrological monitoring data show that 2018/19 was the driest year since 1981 because of low rainfall in the region. For 2019/20, an improvement was expected due to exceptional rainfall at the source in the Angolan highlands;
• Biological methods used to control the invasive species Salvinia molesta with local stakeholders seem to be successful;
• Ten out of 15 wastewater-generating facilities were non-compliant with national wastewater pollution standards and using disposal methods not permitted in Wildlife Management Areas. Nevertheless, monitoring shows that water quality in the delta is good;
• An audit of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) of the cable-stayed bridge and associated approach road at Mohembo was conducted and observed numerous non-conformities.

The draft Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP) was submitted by the State Party on 13 April 2021.

With support from Flanders (Belgium), the State Party has convened a steering committee to review the feasibility of an extension of the property in cooperation with the States Parties of Angola and Namibia. An Action Plan was agreed but its implementation has been delayed because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Letters of exchanges between the World Heritage Centre and the States Parties of Botswana and Namibia in November 2020 clarified that oil exploration activities were approved in northeastern Namibia and northwestern Botswana within the Okavango river basin, but that the license excluded the Tsodilo World Heritage property (Botswana), and the EIA for the drilling of multiple stratigraphic test wells was shared. On 1 February 2021, the review of the EIA undertaken by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN was submitted to the State Party of Namibia. The World Heritage Centre received various petitions and letters from civil society, including Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, expressing concern over the project.

The cooperation between the States Parties of Botswana, Angola and Namibia through OKACOM is welcomed, supporting long-term protection of the property. Any development in the Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB) leading to unsustainable water abstraction or pollution could impact the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The impact of the low rainfall in 2018/19 on water levels in the property demonstrates the importance of a basin-wide approach. The conduct of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as requested by the Committee, with a basin-wide Environmental Monitoring Framework, is an important step to achieve this.

The State Party of Botswana’s leadership in exploring the possibility of a transboundary extension of the property is commendable. Inclusion of key areas of the CORB would enhance the current collaborative efforts to protect the property.

The  revision of the ODMP presents an important opportunity to ensure that the protection of the OUV underpins the management objectives and to incorporate traditional resource use for livelihoods, user access rights and cultural rights as requested by the Committee, as well as other protection and management issues. The submitted draft is currently under review by IUCN. Invasive alien plants remain an important threat to the ecological integrity of the property, and control strategies and comprehensive monitoring should be included in the new ODMP. 

It is concerning that no progress was reported on the requested EIA for the veterinary cordon fences as they create a major impediment to wildlife migrations. 

The 2019 aerial wildlife survey results will be important for evaluating whether wildlife populations have been maintained since the previous 2012 survey and should serve as a baseline for establishing a regular monitoring programme of wildlife populations.

The numerous non-conformities observed in the audit of the EMP for the Mohembo bridge project are of concern and it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to complement the EIA with a specific assessment of the potential impacts of the project on the property’s OUV. Adequate measures are also required to ensure that all wastewater-generating facilities in the property comply with the legislation.

The granting of oil exploration licenses in Botswana and Namibia is of significant concern. While the licensed areas do not overlap with the property or its buffer zone, they are situated in environmentally sensitive areas of CORB, with a potential negative impact on the property in case of spills or pollution. The areas are also important dispersal routes for elephants and other wildlife. While the current activities as described in the planning documents are not likely to have a significant direct impact on the property based on their restricted scope and location away from the property, this might be a first stage towards a larger project with significant risks to the interconnected water system of the delta and the OUV, in case reserves are found. Furthermore, IUCN and the World Heritage Centre identified some gaps and concerns with the EIA, such as the need for a more detailed spatial distribution assessment of species and to ascertain the connectivity of the ecosystems. Therefore, great caution should be applied in proceeding with any stage of this project. Any potential future activities, including further exploration stages such as seismic research and drilling of stratigraphic wells should be evaluated critically, and be subject to an EIA that corresponds with international standards, including an assessment of social impacts and a review of potential impacts on the World Heritage property in line with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment.