African Wildlife and Environment Issue 68

Angola: Biodiversity expeditions in the OKAVANGO CATCHMENT

Military tanks are littered all around southern Angola and offer a reminder of the region’s past conflict.

As a researcher working in the Okavango, the Angolan Highlands become a very important part of your work and everyday life. As the source waters of the Okavango Delta, the rain captured in the Angolan Highlands predict the type of natural flooding event that the Okavango will receive each season. The ‘flood’ plays a critical role in a number of ecological and practical aspects of life in this region. How will surface water affect fish breeding, herbivore and predator movement and more practically, the accessibility of the bush airstrips which the tourism sector relies so heavily on? These highlands have always been a mystical place, mainly due to the difficulty of getting into the country, and then the many restrictions for exploring these vast wilderness areas.

Vincent Shacks

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Photographs: Vincent Shacks