South Sudan’s Boma‑Badingilo Landscape Designated First UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Government of South Sudan announced that the Boma‑Badingilo Migratory Landscape has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the nation’s first World Heritage site. The protected area spans roughly 12 million hectares of savanna, floodplain, wetland and woodland across Boma and Badingilo National Parks and the wildlife corridors that link them. It forms the core of the Great Nile Migration, supporting the world’s largest terrestrial mammal migration of an estimated six million antelope each year. The designation was achieved through a partnership between South Sudan’s ministries of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism and Culture, the South Sudan Wildlife Service, local communities, UNESCO, the IUCN and African Parks, which has managed the parks since 2022. Ministers Denay Jock Chagor and Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong hailed the inscription as historic recognition of the country’s natural heritage and a boost for conservation and community livelihoods.