PARIS — In a major step toward international recognition for its natural treasures, South Sudan has officially submitted the Boma-Badinglo Migratory Landscape for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The official nomination was presented at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris by a high-level South Sudanese delegation, including Wildlife Minister Denay Jock Chagor and Cultural Museums and National Heritage Minister Sarah Nyanath Elijah. The ministers met with UNESCO Director Khaled El Anany to discuss the country’s vast natural and cultural heritage, as well as ongoing efforts to safeguard these irreplaceable ecosystems.
South Sudan is home to a staggering diversity of mammals, birds, and reptiles that thrive across its relatively untouched savannas and wetlands. The Boma-Badinglo landscape, in particular, hosts one of the largest land mammal migrations on Earth, rivaling the famous Serengeti.
The nomination will be formally considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee during its upcoming session in Busan, Republic of Korea, this July. If accepted, the site will become South Sudan’s first-ever UNESCO World Heritage site, opening doors for increased global conservation funding, technical support, and international tourism.