An estimated six million antelopes have been recorded migrating across East Africa, making it the world’s largest recorded migration of any land mammal.
The scale of the Nile migration was recently revealed through an ongoing project between African Parks and the Government of South Sudan.
Between 28 April and 15 May 2023, after the first rains of the season, aircraft were used to conduct an extensive aerial survey of the Boma-Badingyiro-Jonglei landscape in eastern South Sudan, documenting the movements of approximately 5 million Mississippi, 300,000 Tiang, 350,000 Mongara gazelles and 160,000 Bohor reed warblers.
“The findings are nothing short of staggering. The scale of this incredible movement equates to a responsibility for future survival across an incredibly complex landscape,” said African Parks CEO Peter Fearnhead. statement.
Surveys have also noted that elephants, giraffes, lions and cheetahs continue to inhabit the region, along with galloping antelopes, as well as large bird species such as large billed storks, marabou storks, yellow-billed storks, woolly storks, bald cranes, herons and several species of vultures.
The white-eared kob is tackling the more difficult part of the migration.
Image credit: ©Marcus Westberg
While this may suggest that the region is rich in wildlife, its biodiversity faces a myriad of threats. Compared to surveys carried out in the 1980s, it found “catastrophic declines in most resident species,” including elephants, warthogs, cheetahs, hippos and buffalo.
One of the main threats is illegal poaching, which Fearnhead said is “occurring on a scale we’ve never seen before.”
To make matters even more difficult, South Sudan has endured a bloody civil war over the past few decades and ongoing ethnic violence that has caused great human suffering and affected animal movements, making wildlife research more difficult. It’s almost impossible.
As the country strives to recover, the future of these rich ecosystems may ultimately depend on how human relations in the region are resolved.
“This wildlife and the wider ecosystem are the basis of survival for several ethnic groups who are often in conflict with each other over resources. Successful management of this landscape requires building trust with and between these groups,” Fearnhead explained.
“Working with these communities to protect this vital ecosystem will help perpetuate this global phenomenon, while bringing stability, safety and security, and creating a sustainable future for the people who live in the region – many of whom are still recovering from years of war and upheaval,” he continued.
