Okavango Delta

Botswanas Okavango Delta, one of the planets most iconic natural areas, has been listed as the 1,000th World Heritage site. The decision follows the recommendation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the advisory body to UNESCOs World Heritage Committee on nature. The listing was announced at the 38th World Heritage Committee meeting occurring in Doha, Qatar.

The World Heritage Committee meets subsequently than than a year and consists of representatives from 21 of the States that are Parties to the World Heritage Convention. The Committee is answerable for implementing the Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial quotation as regards requests from Parties. Working bordering to moreover its World Commission upon Protected Areas (WCPA), IUCNs World Heritage Programme evaluates sites nominated to the World Heritage List, monitors the conservation own occurring of listed sites, promotes the Convention as a leading global conservation tool and provides avow, advice and training to site managers, governments, scientists and local communities.

The World Heritage Committee has the unlimited proclaim upon whether a site is inscribed upon the World Heritage List. It examines reports upon the own taking place of conservation of inscribed properties and asks Parties to believe appear in following properties are not physical properly managed. It moreover decides upon the inscription or elimination of properties upon the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Okavango Delta has long been considered one of the biggest gaps upon the World Heritage list and IUCN is unapproachable to have been competent to be of the same mind maintain to this nomination, said Julia Marton-Lefvre, IUCN Director General. We congratulate Botswanas authorities upon their fantastic loyalty to make this historic listing a reality.

Situated in north-western Botswana, the Okavango Delta is a all-powerful follower-shaped plain of enduring swamps and seasonally-flooded grassland, spanning an place re twice the size of Qatar, the host country of this years World Heritage Committee meeting. Its extraordinary annual flooding, which occurs in the sober season, supports one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife in Africa.

The delta sustains the populations of some of the most threatened large mammals such as the Cheetah, the White and Black Rhinoceros, the Wild Dog and the Lion. It harbours 24 species of globally-threatened plants and is key to the relic of Botswanas 130,000 elephants  the largest population of the species in the world.