Great Nile Migration Landscape | South Sudan Boma & Badingilo

A Vision for the Future

African Parks has joined forces with the people and government of South Sudan in a joint conservation effort to protect the area’s abundant wildlife and expansive environment. We can do a better job of protecting South Sudan’s wildlife and landscape if we learn about the locals’ strong attachments to the land and the animals’ migration patterns. The BBJL’s inhabitants, including humans and animals, may rest easy knowing that this vital environment will be well-protected for the foreseeable future thanks to a long-term management arrangement.

Join us in protecting the largest land mammal migration on Earth.

Together, we can protect this unique migration and the livelihoods it supports, ensuring a stable and sustainable future for the communities and wildlife that depend on this landscape.

Surveying the Savanna: Discoveries from Boma Badingilo Jonglei Landscape (BBJL) Aerial Survey

Among the world’s greatest remaining savannah floodplain ecosystems, Migration Landscape is among the biggest. The White Nile floodplain system, of which it is a part, is crucial to the well-being of the river and the wetlands around it.

This area has never been thoroughly surveyed before the BBJL aerial survey. To guarantee the long-term viability of the ecosystem and its inhabitants, this landmark survey has shed light on the magnitude of the migration and contributed to the development of strategic conservation initiatives.

The survey found that the BBJL contains the world’s highest concentration of migrating antelope. There are a lot of tiang, Bohor reedbuck, Mongalla gazelle, and white-eared kob in this group.

Most sedentary species, like elephants and giraffes, have declined since 1980s surveys, despite the fact that these animals require water all year round and do not migrate. This further emphasises the need of adequately protecting the landscape outside of Boma and Badingilo national parks.

Community and Conservation

Community involvement and support are crucial to wildlife conservation efforts in South Sudan. A plethora of indigenous peoples, such as the Dinka, Murle, Anyuak, Jie, Toposa, Nyangatom, Nuer, Mundari, Bari, Lokoya, Madi, Luluba, Lopit, and Boya, all fiercely defend their homelands within BBJL. Traditional ways of life and economic pursuits in each of these groups go deep into the soil and depend substantially on the abundant flora and fauna that grace their expansive homelands.

The sustainability of wildlife migration and the lives of local communities relying on the landscape for their cultural well-being are threatened by the commercialisation and illegal extraction of resources.

A vital component of our conservation efforts is community-based conservation programs, which guarantee that the preservation of this remarkable migration and its habitat will continue to support the livelihoods of the local population. Effective conservation partnerships benefit both the landscape and the people who live in and around it, and they may be formed through active community engagement.

From the White Nile to Gambella

Crossing numerous various habitats and ecosystems, including the White Nile river—a lifeline for both wildlife and communities—the migration travels from the South Sudan savannah into Gambella National Park, Ethiopia.

The grandeur and precariousness of our natural environment are sharply brought to light when one watches the world’s greatest mammal migration. African Parks is collaborating with the South Sudanese government and other organisations to protect this migration so it can continue for future generations.

Understanding the BBJL Aerial Survey

With the help of this historical aerial survey, we can take another step toward protecting this environment for the sake of the people who live here and the animals that call it home.

Covering the currently known range of the four main migratory antelope in the BBJL, including areas to the northeast of Akobo, which had never been examined before and showed massive numbers of white-eared kob, the survey flew across a continuous survey block of 122,774 km2. These results, along with information from 251 tracking collars worn by animals of different species, shed light on the ecological dynamics of the area, allowing for more precise conservation management plans.

Among the migratory antelopes found in the BBJL are the Bohor reedbuck, Mongalla gazelle, tiang, and white-eared kob, according to the estimates. The total number of antelope individuals belonging to these four species is around six million (5,896,373 ± 909,495).

The findings have been validated by having them peer-reviewed by Dr. Kevin Dunham. From April 28th to May 15th, 2023, a team of observers flew in tandem with two planes equipped with cameras set to take a picture every two seconds. This was all part of the survey. nearly the course of the study, this led to the capture of nearly 330,000 photographs. A group of five recent grads from the University of Juba used specialised software to tally the animals in sixty-four transects using 59,718 labelled photographs.

Aerial surveys are used for more than just animal counts. The local ecosystem’s health is depicted clearly by this all-encompassing evaluation of livestock, wildlife, and human activity. Natural resource stewardship, protected area development, and wildlife management strategies can all benefit greatly from the survey data.

With funding from The Wilderness Project, African Parks, the South Sudanese Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, and the South Sudanese Government worked together to conduct this survey. Boma and Badingilo national parks have been supported by the following organisations: Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF), Fondation Segré, Hempel Foundation, Rainforest Trust, Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund (LRF), Wyss Foundation, and the European Union.