The long-term conservation and protection of Boma-Badingilo can only be achieved through active participation and engagement with local communities and local authorities.
Proximity to Juba and Bor adds to the density of people living around Badingilo. The communities are concentrated on its western and southern boundaries with thousands of people from various ethnic groups, including the Murle, Mundari, and Bari among others.
In Boma, a significant number of people live inside its boundary, comprising different ethnic groups, including the Murle, Jie, Kichepo, Toposa, Anuyak and Nuer. In addition, the park has 16,000 people living just outside its boundary, in the towns of Pochalla and Pibor and Kuron Peace Village.
The overarching objective for both parks is to implement a strong community engagement programme, based on the African Parks approach which includes learning from the local communities, to create a firm foundation on which the relationship between the local communities and park management can thrive. This will ensure that local communities benefit from and support the protection of this vast wilderness area.
Community Engagement
Land-use planning has begun in villages, where discussions have begun with leaders and others, along with assessments of the needs of each village. Aerial and ground surveys of cattle camps in and around Boma are helping to create a baseline of the human presence inside the park and in implementing the transhumance programme across the Boma-Badingilo landscape to accommodate the needs of these people in the planning. Initial meetings have been held with community leaders throughout the region to introduce African Parks and discuss its involvement in the landscape, as well as to understand and address the needs and concerns of community members. In this way, awareness is being created and knowledge fostered among community members about wildlife conservation and its benefits.
Education and Environmental Awareness
Environmental education is being emphasised through community and school visits to the parks and the creation of wildlife clubs in schools. This is facilitating an attitude of awareness and learning which will not only secure the future of the parks but create one where both people and wildlife can thrive.
Sustainable Enterprise Development
Sustainable pastoral programmes and training have begun, boosting skills development with a view to encouraging conservation-led economic development. To enhance sustainable enterprise development, vegetable gardens have been created in various villages to supply the park camps with local produce. Other income-generating projects are being identified in order to provide an alternative to being dependent on park resources. Economic opportunities should also expand thanks to the anticipated development of regulated tourism activities over the coming years.
