A pair of elephants in the Okavango delta. The savanna at sunset. Photos courtesy of Conservation International

Environmental Education and Conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana The Okavango Delta is one of the world's largest inland, freshwater deltas. This vast, 16,000-square-kilometer area has been called the "last Eden of Africa" because of its huge herds of wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, and elephant, its varied birdlife, the presence of lions, leopards, and cheetahs, and -- in the maze of swamp and islands -- the hippos, crocodiles, and unusual fishing owls. The delta radiates from the channel of the Okavango River and spreads to the southeast for 175 kilometers, before slowly disappearing into the salt pans of the Kalahari Desert. This magnificent area has little legal protection. In an effort to preserve its resident biodiversity and the fragility of its water-dependent landscape, Conservation International (CI) is conducting several public education projects among the area's Batawana and Baherero people. With Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks, CI has developed an environmental learning center, school materials written with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, and a wilderness camp for children, which was organized by CI and several local villages. This camp educates kids from across Botswana and trains environmental and community development personnel. 1 of 3