• Latest
  • Trending
Botswana:- OIL GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM

Botswana:- OIL GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM

September 30, 2020
Whats the Best Time to go on Safari in Africa?

Where Can I Spot or See Cheetahs in Africa?

April 5, 2021
Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

April 2, 2021
Why Advertise With Us – Increase Your Safari Sales

How to Plan The Best Affordable African Safari on a Budget

March 27, 2021

Kenya:- International Flights Still Allowed But Cessation Within Nairobi Region

March 26, 2021
Safari Destinations You Can Visit From and Around Arusha Tanzania

Safari Destinations You Can Visit From and Around Arusha Tanzania

March 25, 2021

Uganda:- 6 Lions Die In Queen Elizabeth N. Park

March 24, 2021
Hunters & Gatherers of Tanzania Facts – The Hadzabe Tribe (Hadza)

Hunters & Gatherers of Tanzania Facts – The Hadzabe Tribe (Hadza)

March 19, 2021
Idi Amin Dada: The Rise Reign Fall and Movie of Uganda President

Idi Amin Dada: The Rise Reign Fall and Movie of Uganda President

March 13, 2021
Facts: Why Do Ostriches Bury Their Heads In The Sand?

Facts: Why Do Ostriches Bury Their Heads In The Sand?

March 10, 2021
Discover Africa – Safaris & Destination Marketing

10 Interesting Facts About African Leopards

March 9, 2021
Top 10 Smallest Tribes in Africa

Top 10 Smallest Tribes in Africa

March 9, 2021
The Great Wall of Benin City is The Longest, 16,000KM Long

The Great Wall of Benin City is The Longest, 16,000KM Long

March 6, 2021
Discover Blog
  • Login
Subscription
Advertise
  • Home
  • DestinationsExplore
  • ReviewsComing Soon
  • Africa GuideHot
    • Travel Stories
    • Conservation
    • Safaris & Travel News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DestinationsExplore
  • ReviewsComing Soon
  • Africa GuideHot
    • Travel Stories
    • Conservation
    • Safaris & Travel News
No Result
View All Result
Discover Africa
No Result
View All Result

Botswana:- OIL GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM

by Discover Africa
September 30, 2020
in Travel News
Reading Time:5 mins read
OIL & GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM

Canadian company Recon Africa said in an August 2020 press release they are planning to drill oil and gas wells into an environmentally sensitive, protected area in Africa that supplies the Okavango Delta with water.
The drilling location sits along the banks of the Okavango River in the newly proclaimed Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Recon Africa, which is listed on the Canadian TSX Venture Exchange, explains on their website they have acquired the rights to drill in more than 35 000 square kilometers of north-east Namibia and north-west Botswana.
Maps from both the Namibian and Botswana ministries of mines confirm they have been granted petroleum prospecting licenses in the area.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

Kenya:- International Flights Still Allowed But Cessation Within Nairobi Region

Recon Africa claims this new discovery could be bigger than the Eagle Ford shale basin in Texas, which the United States Energy Information Agency says is one of the largest terrestrial oil and gas finds in the world.

Oil and gas discoveries like the Eagle Ford Basin helped make the United States the largest oil and gas producer in the world, but have also created massive problems, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

They explain in their Guide for Residents and Policy Makers Facing Decisions Over Hydraulic Fracturing that the negative impacts of hydraulic fracturing often include poor air and water quality, community health problems, safety concerns, long-term economic issues, and environmental crises like habitat loss.

Recon Africa’s exploration licenses border three national parks upstream of the Okavango Delta.
They also cover 11 separate community nature concession areas, one World Heritage site, and part of the five-country Kaza Park – the largest protected area in southern Africa.

The drilling area also includes the last refuge of the San with a future drill site near the World Heritage Site of Tsodilo Hills in Botswana.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) says the site holds 4 500 rock paintings.

IMPACT ON SAN
Namibian-born University of Cape Town social scientist Annette Hübschle is very concerned about the impact of this fracking project on San communities in the area.

“Particularly worrisome is that First Nations peoples, the San peoples, are living in the region. They are already living on the margins of society. This is going to negatively impact their way of life, their livelihood strategies and the place they call home.”

Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has shared an environmental impact assessment (EIA) that was done to cover the drilling of three wells by Recon Africa, yet many members of the government, affected communities, and civil society are still in the dark about this development. Chris Brown, chief executive officer of the Namibian Chamber of the Environment, says he is not aware of the potential shale oil find.

“I have spoken to a number of people to ask if anyone in the mining sector here had heard of this development and if anyone in the NGO sector had heard of it, and it seems to be totally under the radar here in Namibia.”
Brown says any kind of project like this should have gone through environmental review and permitting processes.

Also Read 10 Best Photos of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Amboseli National Park Elephants

“There needs to be public consultation. We monitor all the adverts that come out in the newspaper, and we monitor all the adverts that come out around EIAs, and we haven’t picked this up at all,” Brown says. He says an EIA is required by law in Namibia before any invasive activities can be conducted.

Maxi Pia Louis, director of the Namibian Association of Community-based Natural Resource Management Support Organisations (Nacso), is also concerned about the lack of consultation by Recon Africa in the eleven community park concessions included in the alleged prospecting license area.

“I have no idea about this. It is huge, if there was an environmental impact assessment, I would have known because this is where a lot of our conservation projects are,” she says. Max Muyemburuko is the chairperson of the 615 square kilometer Muduva Nyangana Conservancy, which is covered by the prospecting license in Namibia.
He says two years ago people came to their community saying they were “looking for energy”.

“We tried to get hold of their team leader . . . but they said no, ‘we will come back to you after completing this research’, but since then they never came back.” He says he is concerned that the company may have “made deals behind our backs”.

CONCERNED
Hübschle says this lack of communication is very troubling, given fracking’s social and environmental record in the US. “We should be very concerned about the long-term impacts of fracking on livelihoods, health, ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and especially climate change.” Fracking seems to be part of Recon Africa’s plan.
Recon Africa’s CEO, Scot Evans, is the former vice-president of US industry giant Halliburton.

He told the industry journal ‘Market Screener’ in June 2020 that Recon Africa hired fracking pioneer Nick Steinberger in June to run the Namibian drilling project, saying: “Nick is the pioneer of ‘slickwater fracs’.”
The prospective area is also home to Africa’s largest migrating elephant herd as well as endangered African painted dogs and sable antelope. It is also a cornerstone of Namibia’s tourism economy, which brings in around N$500 million a year in sustainable tourism revenue.

The Okavango River, in the north of the potential fracking zone, is the sole provider of water to the Okavango Delta, Botswana’s most visited tourist attraction. This lifeline in the desert supports more than a million people in the region with food, employment, and freshwater, according to scientist Anthony Turton.

MACHINES
Recon Africa says they are refurbishing a big drilling rig in Houston and will ship it to Namibia in October to begin drilling as soon as November or December this year. On their website, they say they own 90% of the Namibian side of the shale deposit, with the government-run National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) owning the rest.
“This is neo-colonial extraction of the worst sort where Namibians draw the shorter straw and foreign companies walk away with our mineral wealth,” says Hübschle.

Brown says “during the Covid-19 pandemic there may be ways around this process, like doing it remotely or through something like Zoom, but doing away with it completely would be illegal”.Recon Africa has not responded to a request for comment.

This article by : The Namibian

OIL GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM
OIL GAS DRILLERS THREATEN OKAVANGO ECOSYSTEM


 

You Want your Safari company, Camp, Lodge, or Hotel Featured?? Talk to Us Or Email Us Marketing@discoverafricaa.com

Need an African Safari? Talk to us Now Enquire Here

Please subscribe to our Youtube Channel

In case of any inquiry, please contact us via our contact form



 

Tags: BotswanaOil & Gas MiningOkavango Delta
ShareTweetShare

Be the first to know the best African Travel Guides, Articles and Advises from our Experts both in East and Southern Africa.

Unsubscribe
Discover Africa

Discover Africa

A marketing platform for the last 5 years, promoting African Tourism and showcasing the best bits of African Travel Trends. Promoting inter African Tourism and encouraging Africans to travel within Africa.

Related Posts

Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK
Travel News

Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

April 2, 2021
Travel News

Kenya:- International Flights Still Allowed But Cessation Within Nairobi Region

March 26, 2021
Travel News

Uganda:- 6 Lions Die In Queen Elizabeth N. Park

March 24, 2021
Serengeti To Kigali Direct Flight by Grumeti Air
Travel News

Serengeti To Kigali Direct Flight by Grumeti Air

March 2, 2021
South Africa Cities Renamed to Xhosa Names.
Travel News

South Africa Cities Renamed to Xhosa Names.

February 27, 2021
10 top most powerful passports in Africa in 2020
Travel News

10 top most powerful passports in Africa in 2020

January 15, 2021
Next Post
UGANDA:- Gorilla Baby Boom Amid Covid 19

UGANDA:- Gorilla Baby Boom Amid Covid 19

Research :- Lion Bones Contains Infectious Diseases Transmissible to Human

Research :- Lion Bones Contains Infectious Diseases Transmissible to Human

Kenya :- Meet The Salt Mining Elephants of Mt. Elgon (Kitum Caves)

Kenya :- Meet The Salt Mining Elephants of Mt. Elgon (Kitum Caves)

Emirates Cancels Flights to South Africa Among Airlines

Emirates Cancels Flights to South Africa Among Airlines

Search

No Result
View All Result

Recent News

Whats the Best Time to go on Safari in Africa?

Where Can I Spot or See Cheetahs in Africa?

April 5, 2021
Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK

April 2, 2021
Why Advertise With Us – Increase Your Safari Sales

How to Plan The Best Affordable African Safari on a Budget

March 27, 2021

A fully fledged blog by Discover Africa Marketing, showcasing and educating about African Facts, wildlife, people and destinations.

Recent News

  • Where Can I Spot or See Cheetahs in Africa?
  • Kenya Included In The Countries Red Listed By UK
  • How to Plan The Best Affordable African Safari on a Budget

Our Newsletter

  • ABOUT US
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • JOIN OUR TEAM
  • FEATURES
  • CONTACT US
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS

© 2021 Discover Africa Marketing.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Destinations
  • Reviews
  • Africa Guide
    • Travel Stories
    • Conservation
    • Safaris & Travel News
  • Login
  • Cart

© 2021 Discover Africa Marketing.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?