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(WARENTON, VA) Forests in the Angola Highlands feed water to millions of people and species across seven countries. That water source is under threat. Rainforest Trust is working to protect it.

The bountiful waters that fall on the highlands of Angola to create what is known as the “Angola Highlands Water Tower” are the source of many major rivers in southern Africa. The watershed has extraordinary importance to human communities in dry regions of Africa as well as to thousands of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and plants.

Located in the Miombo Forest, the largest tropical dry forest in the world, it is home to cherished threatened African species like Critically Endangered White-backed Vulture, Endangered Bateleur, African Savanna Elephant and Wild Dog, and Vulnerable Cheetah and African Lion.

The Angolan water tower is the essential water source for an inland oasis for wildlife in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana to the south—the Okavango Delta. This is the largest “inland delta” in the world, meaning it receives an incredible quantity of water that never flows into the sea or the ocean (in this case, an annual rainfall is equivalent to 170 million Olympic swimming pools). Instead, it evaporates, creating a water system that is essential to a vast array of life in southern Africa.

If the Angola highland water tower dries up and stops sending water to Okavango, one of the most important wildlife habitats on Earth would be destroyed. And the threats are growing: a deforestation front is advancing around the edges of this landscape for agriculture and charcoal and hunting and oil and gas concessions threaten habitat and wildlife to the south.

We cannot lose this pivotal watershed that encompasses:

●  3.1 million acres of critical habitat across 5 community-led conservation areas

●  Vital habitat for African Lions and Endangered African Wild Dogs

●  One of the largest populations of Endangered African Savanna Elephants in the world

●  A freshwater source for wildlife and people across 7 countries

●  Rich peatlands that store nearly 300 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalents

About Rainforest Trust

Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has been safeguarding imperiled tropical habitats and saving endangered species by establishing protected areas in partnership with Indigenous and local organizations and communities. With its partners, Rainforest Trust has safeguarded more than 66 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. Rainforest Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies upon the generous support of the public to successfully implement its important conservation action. The organization is proud of earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.