Critical minerals in sacred lands
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Critical minerals in sacred lands
Critical minerals in sacred lands. It is inevitable that critical exploration projects will move closer to heritage sites in Botswana.
Canadian exploration company Tsodilo Resources’ Gcwihaba Skarn Metals exploration project in northwest Botswana will be an intriguing one to follow.
Although outside the demarcated borders of Tsodilo Hiils and the Okavango Delta (two UNESCO World Heritage sites, there are several environmental groups that have raised concerns about ongoing exploration projects in the sacred lands of Botswana.
Critical minerals in Gcwihaba
Last week Tsodilo Resources announced that it had identified Rare Earth Elements (REE) and other metals (including copper, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, and silver) 50m from surface at two different targets in the Gcwihaba area.
According to Tsodilo’s Chairman and CEO, James M. Bruchs the skarn-hosted REE mineralisation proximate targets contain a polymetallic assemblage including fifteen rare earth elements and critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, and silver.
Gcwihaba is about 150km from Tsodilo Hills, a cultural and archaeological site in Ngamiland noted for its rock art and cultural and heritage significance and 130km from the boundary of the world-famous conservation area the Okavango Delta.
Encroaching on UNESCO sites
In the past, there were disputes in Botswana about mining and exploration activities near the Okavango Delta. There has never been any concerns raised about Tsodilo Hills.
A portion of one of Tsodilo Resources’ earlier exploration licenses encroached on the UNESCO buffer zone of the Okavango Delta which resulted in regulatory delays and legal action.
However, according to several sources on the ground in Botswana, there is no direct evidence that the Gcwihaba Skarn Metals Project threatens the UNESCO World Heritage site at Tsodilo Hills.
Gcwihaba contains 15 of the 15 REE elements listed on the USA’s 2025 list of critical minerals.
Bruchs says that Tsodilo Resources’ 2026 drilling program will focus on defining high-grade REE zones while further evaluating the polymetallic potential of the system to support preparation of an initial mineral resource estimate.
WhyAfrica takes you to exploration sites
For more about critical minerals, REEs and exploration and mining in Africa visit the WhyAfrica website.
During WhyAfrica’s Road Trips we visit exploration and mining projects across Africa.
We don’t only report about or publish company press releases, we give you background, on the ground information, insight and context about natural resources and the development of projects on the African continent.
If you book with Endorphin Expeditions (WhyAfrica’s sister company) or are a WhyAfrica partner or member, we’ll even take you to visit these sites, no matter how remote.
WhyAfrica specialises in the sustainable use and responsible development of Africa’s natural resources, including the sun, wind, soil, hydrocarbons, fossil fuels, critical minerals and REEs, biodiversity, wildlife, forests and fisheries.
Image: Rock paintings at Tsodilo Hills in Botswana. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Critical minerals in sacred lands
