UNESCO lists South Sudan antelope migration route as World Heritage in Danger

UNESCO has added South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape to its World Heritage in Danger list, giving the country its first UNESCO World Heritage listing.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation added the site on Sunday, July 26. The grassland and woodland savannahs cover about 37,500 square kilometres between the White Nile and the Ethiopian border, an area larger than Belgium.

About one million animals, including antelopes and gazelles, migrate through the wilderness every year. The route leaves marks on the grasslands that can be seen from the sky.

The area is viewed as threatened by war and climate change. South Sudan has faced a series of deadly conflicts since gaining independence in 2011.

Tourism Minister Denay Jock Chagor said the Boma-Badingilo landscape was one of the greatest wildlife migrations on Earth and called the listing “a proud and historic moment” for South Sudan.

Paulino Warnyang, a representative of communities living in the area, said the listing honoured the animals, the land and the people whose lives and traditions are connected to them.

World Heritage listings can draw tourism and may unlock funding for the preservation of sites facing threats such as pollution, war and negligence.