CONSERVATION, LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR RESILIENCE, CONFLICT MITIGATION, AND IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS IN THE BOMA-BADINGILO LANDSCAPE SOUTH SUDAN

The project was implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) under a cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project's goal was to ensure effective conservation of key wildlife species and habitat, improve security and mitigate conflicts, enhance sustainable and resilient livelihoods for local communities within the Boma-Badingilo Landscape, and build partnerships with other programs and initiatives to multiply positive impacts for people and wildlife. The project focused on four main components: Increased Capacity, Plans and Systems in Place to Sustainably Manage Land and Natural Resources and Mitigate Resource-Based Conflict; Effective, Participatory, and Broadly Supported Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management in Place; Community Resilience and Improved Livelihoods; and Partnerships for Natural Resources Management and Community Resilience in the Boma-Badingilo Landscape. During the reporting period of October to December 2020, significant progress was made in several areas. In Component One, WCS continued to provide coaching and technical support to and on-the-job training for the park authorities in Boma and Badingilo National Parks. Monitoring and collection of data on human-wildlife conflicts have continued. In Component Two, monitoring and collection of data on poaching incidents have continued, and camera traps have been continuously deployed in selected locations in Badingilo National Park, providing additional information on species spatial and temporal presence in these areas. Quantitative results for the reporting period include 4,050,000 hectares of biologically significant areas under improved natural resource management, 207 direct beneficiaries with improved economic benefits derived from sustainable natural resource management and/or biodiversity conservation, and 2 community members who applied improved conservation law enforcement practices. The project also made progress in developing a Camera Trapping Plan to generate more rigorous and standardized data on the distribution, occupancy, and abundance of wildlife species. The Boma-Badingilo Landscape is among the most outstanding biodiversity areas in South Sudan, covering 95,000 km² of largely intact habitat. The project's achievements in this reporting period demonstrate progress towards the project's goal of ensuring effective conservation of key wildlife species and habitat, improving security and mitigating conflicts, enhancing sustainable and resilient livelihoods for local communities, and building partnerships with other programs and initiatives to multiply positive impacts for people and wildlife.