The long-term preservation and protection of Boma-Badingilo can only be achieved through the 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
Community mapping surveys are being carried out in both parks, during which contact is made with leaders and other important people in each village. 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 will be emphasised through community and school visits to the parks and the creation of wildlife clubs in schools. This will ultimately facilitate 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
African Parks aims to initiate sustainable pastoral programmes and promote training to boost skills development with a view to encouraging conservation-led economic development. Income-generating projects are being explored and identified in order to provide an alternative to the dependence on park resources. Economic opportunities should also expand thanks to the anticipated development of regulated tourism activities over the coming years.
