The Okavango Delta – Africa’s Wetland Wilderness

Steve Boyes

Meyer’s Parrot Project
Research Centre for African Parrot Conservation
University of KwaZulu-Natal

The Okavango Delta is one of the last remaining pristine wilderness areas in Africa or the world for that matter, as for the most part the system has remained unmanaged, unfenced and free of human encroachment and permanent habitation. The first Bantu tribes were estimated to only enter the delta some 250 years ago, about 100 years before the first Europeans. Some areas on Chief Island have never experienced any kind of commercial hunting activity. The delta is Africa’s greatest wetland wilderness and it provides for spiritual renewal and the opportunity to be immersed in something completely natural. The talk will deal with the geology going back into prehistory, the functioning of the system, and the threats that the Okavango is currently faced with. The story of the delta begins with the break up of Gondwanaland 150 million years ago, and continues through the formation of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, the rifting down through Zambia and Zimbabwe, and into Botswana and the Okavango Delta of today. To take us through the functioning of the system, I will relate the last 150 years of recorded history in the region from the discovery of Ngamiland by David Livingstone through to the channel switching and siltation we are witness to in the 21st century. I will talk about our understanding of the function of salinity in relation to plant and animal communities, the role of termites, hippos, elephants and quite honestly all biota in the engineering of this fascinating system. This is a fascinating story of the balance within and complexity of natural systems, and one that highlights the fact that we will never be able to model natural systems completely, but rather will only ever be able to look at specific relationships and identify factors that we would do well to conserve or maintain. I have a resource of satellite images of the Okavango Delta from 1964 through to the present and a complimentary GIS database that I would like to present. This talk aims to introduce the Okavango and generate research interest in the system. Now is the time and opportunity to do work on this untouched wilderness area.

Steve Boyes

Okavango Delta Wilderness Photos  PDF 1.2 MB