Boma National Park

Boma National Park is situated in south east South Sudan and is an integral component of a larger 200,000 km2 ecosystem that stretches west through the Jonglei corridor to Badingilo National Park and north to the Sudd, an inland delta bordering the White Nile, one of two primary tributaries of the Nile River. This area contains the second largest land mammal migration in Africa, where each year hundreds of thousands of white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and reedbuck move north and east from the wetlands on the bank of the White Nile towards Boma and Gambella National Park in Ethiopia. But this area supports far more than just wildlife, various White Nile tributaries drain throughout the landscape creating rich black cotton soil that sustains the livelihoods of millions of people.  

At 19,189 km2, Boma serves as the largest national park in this globally significant system. However, continuous armed conflict has severely impacted the lives of communities in and around protected areas in South Sudan, and as such, has resulted in a major pressure on the country’s wildlife and their habitats, including Boma. In order to ensure the long-term ecological, social, and economic sustainability of this globally significant park, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan signed a 10-year agreement with African Parks on 25 August, 2022. Boma and Badingilo National Parks are the first to join the African Parks portfolio in South Sudan and bring the total number of parks under our management to 22 in 12 countries across Africa.    

Boma Highlights

• Boma supports part of the second-largest land-mammal migration in Africa, where hundreds of thousands of white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and reedbuck on move through the landscape on an annual basis.
• The park is a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site and is an Important Bird Area (IBA) that hosts approximately 400 bird species, including shoebills and the black-crowned cranes.
• In addition to white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and reedbuck, the park also supports populations of elephant, Nubian giraffe (sub-species of northern giraffe), buffalo and Lelwel hartebeest and small populations of lion, cheetah, wild dog and leopard.
• Boma has a significant number of people living inside its boundary who are composed of different ethnic groups, including the Murle, Jie, Kichepo, Toposa, Anuyak and Nuer. Each group has distinct traditions, culture, and livelihood activities.

On 25 August, 2022, African Parks signed a 10-year management agreement with the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism to restore and develop Boma National Park, to become one of the leading wildlife sanctuaries in South Sudan. 

View Partners