Boma-Badingilo listing offers livelihoods, peace to host communities – Minister Nyanath

Culture, Museums and National Heritage Minister Sarah Nyanath Elijah Yong has urged communities around Boma and Badingilo National Parks to use their new World Heritage status to build local tourism and end communal conflict.

The call came during a reception in Juba for the national delegation returning from the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. Delegates returned after securing the listing of the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape as South Sudan’s first World Heritage Site.

The 11.25-million-hectare territory, which includes Boma and Badingilo national parks alongside surrounding savannas and floodplains, hosts the world’s largest land mammal migration.

Addressing youth and local community leaders, Minister Nyanath stated that developing eco-tourism around the parks creates direct alternatives to cattle raiding and inter-communal violence.

“This historic inscription opens a new chapter of opportunities for our country,” Nyanath said. “This is one thing that you, the youth who are here today, we need to put down guns. There are other important national roles and responsibilities we need to play.”

The minister noted that revenue from conservation, scientific research, and sustainable tourism will generate employment, attract private investment, and stabilize regional security.

Alongside the World Heritage designation, UNESCO placed the landscape on its List of World Heritage in Danger. The agency cited ongoing security risks, commercial poaching, wildlife trafficking, and habitat encroachment across the migration corridor.

Ministry officials confirmed they will begin community outreach programs in the coming weeks to establish local management committees and outline safety protocols for incoming visitors.