The Okavango Jakotsha Community Trust has a plan to undertake a project of restoration of blocked channels within the Western edge of NG24. The project site is approximately 13 km East of Etsha 13 village and 45km west of Jao settlement in the western edge part of the panhandle of the Okavango Delta, the World Heritage Site which is also a Ramsar site designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetland. The panhandle is one of the areas with exceptionally deep channels, high vegetation variability and a diversity of ecosystems and habitats, being home to a variety of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

This project has been identified and aligned with the thematic area of
GEF/SGP on Conservation of Biodiversity and Community Landscape
Conservation strategy and compact strategy on engaging local in the
conservation and the management of the World Heritage Site to promote the

protections, conservation and sustainable use of natural assets to enhance the resilience of the local community livelihood through access and benefit sharing from the effective management of the panhandle of the Okavango Delta World Heritage site for improvement of sustainable livelihood.

The main critical objective of this project is to address the impacts of channel blockages, caused by invasive alien plants (e.g., floating water fern - Salvinia molesta Mitchell) which end threatening the community members from not access to natural resources for potential diversifications. Reintroducing natural processes to restore back the natural shape of targeted channel to provide the diversity of habitats required for a healthy river ecosystem and ensure their long-term recovery by addressing the root cause of the issue.

This project will focused on the objectives of restoration of naturally beauty of the river channels which will lead to increase community knowledge and awareness of the Panhandle?s natural and cultural heritage assets for conservation and sustainable use to improve management effectiveness of Panhandle of the Okavango Delta WHS through shared governance between all stakeholders and significant contribute to the ecological and biological process, conservation and improving habitat diversity and ensures biodiversity is maintained and improved into sustainable socio-economic livelihood support.