00:00RECON Africa is a typical example of extractive companies that come in Africa and risk life support systems.
00:08This is the story of the fight to protect one of the most pristine ecosystems on the African continent.
00:14On one side is the Canadian oil and gas company, RECON Africa, searching for fossil fuels to exploit.
00:20On the other side are the defenders of the Okavango Basin, the third largest river in Africa.
00:25So the Okavango is an ecological wonderland.
00:29It's a place to a diversity of species.
00:32What makes this river so unique is that after running through Namibia, instead of having an outlet in the sea,
00:37it forms a delta in the middle of the desert in Botswana.
00:40It's been a lifeline for wildlife, including for elephants, lions and hundreds of species of birds and fish.
00:45Its delta is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
00:49Okavango supports livelihoods of about two million people in both Namibia, Angola and Botswana.
00:56Since 2021, the Canadian company, RECON Africa, has been drilling extensively in the region in search of gas and oil.
01:03We cannot risk our pristine environment being destroyed as it has been supporting us for generations.
01:09I mean, I'm speaking about our last remaining large head of savannah, African elephants, indigenous species like the black spotted hyena.
01:19And of course, our same communities, which are already fragile and very marginalized.
01:24And many other best species that are found in an area.
01:27So that's why we say RECON Africa must be stopped.
01:32The company has obtained permits to explore eight million acres, an area about the size of Maryland,
01:37spanning across Namibia and Botswana in the hopes of finding fossil fuels.
01:42RECON Africa has drilled about three wells, exploratory wells in conservancy areas.
01:49They have bulldozed roads in conservancy forests.
01:53They've just bulldozed a road in a seasonal river called the Omatako, and that flows directly and feeds the delta.
02:02So any slight pollutants that ends up in those water sources will really have a negative implication on the people's livelihoods.
02:10And of course, on the indigenous animals that are found in that area.
02:13RECON Africa claims that it applies rigorous safety and environmental protection standards.
02:18And that it protects the water through regular monitoring and reporting on hydrological data to the appropriate water authorities.
02:25And as a young person and an environmental activist myself, I can really not let those life ecosystems be risked by greed and profit.
02:35In an attempt to stop this project, opponents have organized protests, waged a legal battle and launched an international campaign.
02:42They have even convinced celebrities such as Prince Harry and Leonardo DiCaprio to publicly condemn it.
02:48I have a lot of hope in my heart that, of course, we will stop them in our tracks, because I believe in the power of voices that comes together, not only locally, but internationally.
02:59For now, the company has not yet moved from exploration to exploitation of the land.
03:04Environmental Commissioner has just granted an extension for them to keep on exploring for the next until 2025.
03:12And local communities are now calling on the Minister of Environment and our local government to stop this.
03:19It's really time to stop fossil fuel industries and to put an end to extractive companies that come to Africa and risk the future of Africa.
03:27Because what we need is alternative and sustainable ways of living.
03:31Oil must remain in the ground because oil is threatening our ability to survive in the future.
03:41For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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