{
  "id": 19499982,
  "title": "Angolan hunters protect Southern Africa’s internationally important wetland",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/angolan-hunters-protect-southern-africas-internationally-important",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-11T13:30:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/2026/11/angolan-hunters-protect-southern-africas-internationally-important-wetland/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Four years ago, local elders in Angola's southeastern highlands reached out to environmental anthropologist Kerllen Costa. They expressed concerns over an increase in outsiders hunting for bushmeat without proper permission. These outsiders often enlisted locals to aid in their hunting endeavors. Costa, who leads the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) in Angola and co-founded Fundação Lisima, a conservation group, was approached by these concerned villagers. The elders explained to Costa that the outsiders were disregarding traditional hunting rules established by local chiefs. These included the time, location, and quantity of animals that could be killed, as well as sharing of the catch with villagers. Costa recounted that after months of dialogue, each village in the region selected a Watcher to serve as stewards of their forests. The Watchers' responsibilities included patrolling woodland areas, monitoring hunting trails, and ensuring compliance with traditional hunting practices. Costa emphasized that the concept of \"watcher\" extends beyond the Watchers themselves, encompassing anyone in the landscape who observes and interacts with the environment. This includes farmers, fishermen, and beekeepers, all of whom are expected to maintain vigilance over the ecosystem. The Watchers' domain is the Lisima Lya Mwono, a region situated along the source lake of the Cuito river in Moxico province. The Cuito is one of two major rivers that feed into the Okavango River and the colossal Okavango Delta in Botswana.",
  "summary": "Four years ago, elders from several different communities in Angola’s southeastern highlands approached environmental anthropologist Kerllen Costa, saying they’d noticed an influx of people from outside the highlands coming there to hunt for bushmeat without obtaining permission from local chiefs. Sometimes the outsiders recruited locals to hunt on their behalf. These hunting parties were…",
  "key_points": [
    "Local elders in Angola's highlands alerted environmental expert Kerllen Costa to illegal hunting.",
    "Watchers were selected in each village to protect forests and enforce traditional hunting rules.",
    "Lisima Lya Mwono region safeguards the Cuito river source, feeding the Okavango Delta."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}