Flora
Badingilo National Park spans 8,935km2 Sudano-Guinean biomes. The Park has a tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of about 900mm and is characterised by savannah woodland in the west, towards the Nile River that opens into grassland in the east of the park. The Badingeru Swamp, in the northwest, is a key area for wildlife as it provides the largest perennial body of water in the park throughout the year.
Fauna
Badingilo supports the second largest mammal migration in Africa, the migration of hundreds of thousands of white-eared kob. While exact figures are unknown, estimates from surveys conducted in the early 2000s suggest numbers of nearly 1.3 million animals in total, including tiang and Mongalla gazelle. A more recent survey conducted in a section of this landscape in 2015 and 2016 indicated the population numbered around 300,000 of just white-eared kob, suggesting that antelope numbers remain high to this day. In the wet season, these migrations that merge in Badingilo to breed forming a unique ecosystem, fully dependent on the park’s intact grazing resources.
Badingilo also supports an important population of critically endangered Nubian giraffe, and used to support viable populations of elephant, roan antelope, eland, waterbuck, reedbuck, lelwel hartebeest, buffalo and zebra, as well as lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, wild dog and ostrich. Sadly, the current population status of these species is unknown and likely very low in numbers.
Management Implication
In order for African Parks to ensure Badingilo National Park and its wildlife persist long into the future, we need to first establish good governance structures which will be accomplished by working closely with government bodies and local communities. This, complimented with the formation of an effective law enforcement team and community engagement initiatives, will help secure the landscape, ultimately reducing threats, including poaching, ensuring it continues to benefit the people and wildlife by whom it is depended. We believe that with good management and existing wildlife populations, we will see a recovery of migrating antelope and steady increases in other key species.
