Harry makes call to save ‘magnificent last Eden’

The Duke of Sussex has called for the world to save an area of Africa he has described as “this magnificent last Eden”.

Harry’s rallying cry came after he co-hosted a fundraising event for a National Geographic documentary highlighting the vulnerability of the Okavango Delta and its source rivers in Angola.

The duke is expected to tour southern Africa later this year and could visit the region of Botswana that is home to the delta.

In a post on his official Instagram account the duke said: “Millions of people, food security and regional power generation are dependent on these free-flowing rivers.

“Threats such as uncontrolled fires, the bushmeat trade, unsustainable harvesting of the forest and rapid biodiversity loss are already destroying this incredible and delicate landscape.

“Known by the locals as ‘source of life’, this ecosystem is wilderness at its best, playing an absolutely crucial role for the planet, people and wildlife. This is our one and only chance to save this magnificent last Eden.”

The location of the fundraiser staged last week is not disclosed on the @sussexroyal account but a picture has been posted of Harry holding a microphone as he talks to an audience in what looks like a screening room, with a panel of five people nearby.

Harry last week gave his backing to a £47 million landmine clearing initiative to help rid Angola of the military munitions, a cause championed by Diana, Princess of Wales.

The funds will be used by the Halo Trust to clear 153 minefields in a huge conservation region of Angola, a savannah area that is home to vital waterways that flow into the Okavango Delta.

The delta is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in southern Africa.

Picture: PA. Prince Harry.