Africa
National Geographic: Hundreds of elephants mysteriously died. We may finally know why
A massive die-off of the endangered species has been happening in sub-Saharan Africa since 2020. Until now, the culprit was unknown. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED Dec. 5, 2023– When hundreds of African savanna elephants dropped dead in Botswana’s Okavango Delta in 2020, conservationists were alarmed. As the death toll rose—from dozens in…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Story10 ReconAfrica pauses controversial oil drilling in Namibian wilderness
ReconAfrica has stopped drilling in the Okavango Delta watershed—for now— leaving in its wake lost jobs and environmental concerns BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED June 27, 2023– Standing at the border post between Botswana and Namibia, next to the looping streambed of the Okavango River, Max Muyemburuko waved goodbye. As chairperson of Namibia’s…
Read MoreNational Geographic: FINAL ReconAfrica ripped through the Okavango watershed to find oil. Instead, they found trouble
Canadian driller ReconAfrica, facing lawsuits and investigations, has left angry communities and fractured landscapes in the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta watershed. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED March 28, 2023– For the Canadian company hoping for an oil bonanza in the watershed of the wildlife-rich and visually spectacular Okavango Delta, 2022 was another grim year,…
Read MoreSnares: Low-tech, low-profile killers of rare wildlife the world over
BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED Aug. 18, 2022– Snares are simple, low-tech, noose-like traps that can be made from cheap and easily accessible materials such as wire, rope or brake cables. Easy to set, a single person can place thousands, with one report warning that snares “are a terrestrial equivalent to the drift nets that have…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Canadian Oil Company Illegally Bulldozes Protected Land in Africa
Farms, water, and endangered wildlife are threatened as ReconAfrica expands its operations despite violations. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED February 23, 2022 — 13 MIN READ RUNDU, NAMIBIA Once, the only marks on the ground in remote northeastern Namibia were the round, flat footprints of elephants; the cloven-hoofed spoor of giraffes, elands, sable antelopes, and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Oil Company Accused of Drilling in African Wildlife Reserve, Offering Jobs for Silence
Canada-based ReconAfrica appears to have flouted Namibian law, legal experts say. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED December 13, 2021 — 20 MIN READ RUNDU, NAMIBIA Canadian oil and gas exploration company Reconnaissance Energy Africa has bulldozed land for a test oil well inside a protected wildlife area in northeastern Namibia, and two local…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Members of Congress urge investigation into Okavango oil exploration
National Geographic reporting spurs a bipartisan call for “a thorough and coordinated investigation” by federal agencies. BY LAUREL NEME AND JEFFREY BARBEE PUBLISHED JUNE 23, 2021 8 MIN READ Two members of the United States Congress have sent a plea to the secretary of state, the attorney general, and other top officials urging a “thorough…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Oil exploration company in Okavango wilderness misled investors, complaint to SEC says
A whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cites “egregious” violations by ReconAfrica and executives. BY LAUREL NEME AND JEFFREY BARBEE PUBLISHED MAY 21, 2021 • 15 MIN READ ReconAfrica, a Canadian company exploring for oil and gas upstream of one of Africa’s most lush and wildlife-rich habitats, may have fraudulently misled investors…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Oil company exploring in sensitive elephant habitat accused of ignoring community concerns
Namibians allege ReconAfrica disposed of wastewater unsafely, without permits, and ignored concerns about potential impact of oil drilling on water and wildlife. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2021 • 12 MIN READ ReconAfrica, a Canadian company exploring for oil and gas in Namibia upstream of a world-famous UNESCO World Heritage site…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Test drilling for oil in Namibia’s Okavango region poses toxic risk
The petroleum exploration company ReconAfrica doesn’t appear to have taken what experts say is a key step to prevent contamination of groundwater. ANIMALS WILDLIFE WATCH BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED MARCH 12, 2021 – NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 7 MIN READ The Canadian oil and gas company ReconAfrica began exploratory drilling in Namibia upstream…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Test drilling for oil and gas begins in Namibia’s Okavango region
This month, ReconAfrica’s multimillion-dollar drilling rig pierced a riverbed in elephant habitat some 160 miles from the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED JANUARY 28, 2021 – National Geographic WALVIS BAY, NAMIBIAThe search for oil and gas in the watershed of the world-famous, wildlife-rich Okavango Delta moved one step closer to reality when a…
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