Bonface Orucho, bird story agency

South Sudan's first comprehensive aerial wildlife survey has revealing that the Eastern African nation hosts the largest land mammal migration on Earth, involving approximately six million antelopes, according to those involved in the survey.

The migration, referred to as the Great Nile Migration, was documented in the survey of the Boma Badingilo Jonglei Landscape (BBJL). This achievement is the result of a partnership between the government of South Sudan and nonprofit conservation groups, African Parks and the Wilderness Project.

According to Africa Parks, “each year, millions of white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and reedbuck migrate across the BBJL.”

The documentation of the Nile migration highlights South Sudan's ecological and conservation relevance, potentially reshaping the image of Africa's youngest nation, which has faced ongoing civil unrest since 2013 - and acting as a magent for tourists.

According to Nicholas Haysom, the Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission, UNMISS, “this announcement is an opportunity for the country to embark on a new narrative that is not just conflict and poverty.”

“This is a national asset and a gift, one which provides a source of unity and pride for the people of South Sudan at a time when the country is otherwise battling food insecurity, economic hardship, flooding, and the impact of conflict in Sudan,” he explained.

South Sudan has a long history of civil unrest that has continued to negatively influence conservation efforts. The Conflict Sensitivity Resource Facility (CSRF), a peace advocacy group reports that after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, only two international conservation organizations, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Fauna & Flora, resumed work in South Sudan.

More than a decade later, ongoing internal conflicts continue to hinder investment in Protected Areas (PAs), considering the intense civil that has continued since 2013. Failed peace talks reignited conflict in 2016, escalating ethnic tensions between the Dinka and Nuer tribes.  

The recent survey is countering this negative trend that threatens conservation by uncovering the extensive species in the country while rallying the government and conservation groups to ramp up strategic conservation efforts.

The survey covered a 122,774 km2 contiguous block, encompassing the entire known range of the four main migratory antelope species in the Great Nile Migration. Data from 251 tracking collars placed on large mammals was also integrated into the assessment, providing a holistic understanding of the region's ecological dynamics which continues across the boundary of South Sudan, into Gambella National Park in Ethiopia.

“The findings confirm a remarkable and unmatched wildlife phenomenon across a landscape of immense ecological importance,” Africa Parks explained in a statement on June 25.

According to Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks, “The results of this survey are nothing short of staggering.”

“The astonishing scale of the migration is only equalled by the responsibility to ensure that it survives into the future in an extremely complex landscape,” he explained.

Many ethnic groups live within the BBJL ecosystem, including the Dinka, Murle, Anyuak, Jie, Toposa, Nyangatom, Nuer, Mudari, Bari, Lokyoya, Madi, Lolubo, Ari, Lopit, Latuka, Boya, and Didinga.

“Each of these communities has deep cultural traditions, and livelihood activities that are firmly embedded and heavily reliant on wildlife and the vast landscapes they inhabit,” Africa Parks explained.

However, with the discovery comes an increased commitment to reinforce conservation efforts in not only the ecosystem but also across the country’s conservation areas.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, while announcing the survey results, committed government support through the Ministry of Wildlife and its partners. He emphasized prioritizing the training and equipping of wildlife rangers to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking.

“I also urge the private sector to embrace this exciting opportunity and invest in wildlife tourism ventures. Protecting our heritage is a shared responsibility,” he explained.

Beyond South Sudan, more African countries are ramping up wildlife surveys to assess populations and bolster conservation efforts. Meanwhile, conservation NGOs and private sector players are investing heavily in this promising industry through government partnerships.

In April, Elephants Without Borders published an analysis comparing Africa's two largest aerial elephant surveys. These surveys covered the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, home to over half the world's savanna elephants.

The KAZA stretches some 520,000 square kilometres across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The surveys confirmed stability in the population of elephants in this ecosystem.

Notably, technology is transforming wildlife surveys in Africa, moving researchers away from the traditional oblique-camera-count (OCC) approach toward more effective and accurate methods. 

A June 2024 report highlights using a semi-automated deep learning (SADL) model at Comoé National Park in Ivory Coast. This model successfully estimates wildlife populations, including small species previously difficult to count, achieving a 98% time-saving. 

"Will AI revolutionise wildlife aerial surveys? Our results suggest that we are heading in this direction. The significant time saving compared to fully manual image interpretation is a major step toward revolutionizing aerial surveys in Africa," the researchers explain in the report published in the Ecological Informatics Journal.

bird story agency

Useful links for editors:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954124002218#:~:text=AI%2Dassisted%20aerial%20surveys%20offer,observed%20in%20highly%20vegetated%20areas.

https://www.africanparks.org/worlds-largest-land-mammal-migration-confirmed-south-sudan