3230: South Sudan Pushes for the Recognition of the Boma and Badingala Migratory Landscape as World Heritage

On the Nationwide Discussion Hour on Radio Miraya, host Gabriel Shadar spoke with Amer Madol Majak, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture, Museums and National Heritage, Becu Thomas, UNESCO National Professional Officer for Culture, and Mr. Baya Philip Brown, Executive Director in the Office of the Director General at the Wildlife Service, about South Sudan’s push to secure international recognition for the Boma and Badingala Migratory Landscape as the country moves closer to its first UNESCO World Heritage Site status since independence. The guests explained that new survey data has strengthened the case for the site’s global importance, highlighted the scale and uniqueness of the white eared kob migration, and outlined major threats including commercial poaching, bushmeat trade, habitat fragmentation from infrastructure, climate change impacts, and human wildlife conflict. They also discussed what the nomination could mean for South Sudan, including stronger legal protection, improved management planning, increased tourism and livelihoods, national pride, and a shift in the country’s global image beyond conflict narratives.