UN lists South Sudan antelope route as heritage in danger
The United Nations has fast-tracked a vast antelope migration path in South Sudan onto its List of World Heritage in Danger, the young nation's first such listing.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the so-called Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape to its list Sunday.
The grassland and woodland savannas that cover some 37,500 square kilometers (14,500 square miles)—an area larger than Belgium—are viewed as under threat from both war and climate change.
1 million animals—including antelopes and gazelles—migrate through the vast wilderness between the White Nile and the Ethiopian border every year, leaving scars on the grasslands that are visible from the sky.
South Sudan has been the scene of a series of deadly conflicts since gaining independence in 2011.
"The Boma–Badingilo migratory landscape is home to one of the greatest wildlife migrations on Earth and stands as a powerful symbol of our country's resilience, beauty and potential," Tourism Minister Denay Jock Chagor told AFP.
Its listing "as South Sudan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site is a proud and historic moment for our nation," he added.
Paulino Warnyang, a representative of communities living in the area, said it honored "not only the animals and the land, but also the people whose lives, traditions and cultures have always been connected to them."
Making the UNESCO heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites that can face threats including pollution, war and negligence.
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Citation: UN lists South Sudan antelope route as heritage in danger (2026, July 27) retrieved 27 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-south-sudan-antelope-route-heritage.html
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