South Sudan’s Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism says communities living in and around protected areas will be involved in a new process to define the boundaries of the country’s wildlife conservation zones.
The ministry says the initiative is aimed at developing a national policy and standard procedures for protected area demarcation, while addressing land-use concerns and involving affected communities.
Lieutenant General Martin Ring Malek, Assistant Director General for Administration and Finance and deputy chairperson of the Land Use Planning Committee, said government institutions planning projects in wildlife areas should consult the wildlife ministry.
“We are not opposed to anybody who will make a road construction. We are not opposed to those people who may be doing mining. But at least they should come to us,” he said.
Malek said the process would involve other institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment, the Land Commission and the University of Juba’s College of Natural Resources.
He said the need for a national framework has become urgent because some protected areas were demarcated many years ago and records had been lost because of poor record-keeping and conflict.
The comments came during a two-day workshop organised by the wildlife ministry in collaboration with African Parks. Participants discussed principles and procedures for demarcating protected areas and began drafting the national policy.
Malek said communities would not be left out of decisions affecting land use.
“We are here also to see to it that we agree on the measurement requirement of the community. Because the community has been involved in the land use. We are not going to leave them out,” he said.
Simon Chadier Michael, Director General of Tourism at the ministry, said clear boundaries are important for both conservation and tourism development.
He said some communities and tourism establishments are currently located inside protected areas, making proper demarcation necessary.
Michael said the government is also looking at ways for communities to benefit from protected areas.
“We are also trying to find modalities of how these communities can be able to benefit from this demarcation because the land is theirs,” he said.
The workshop also examined wildlife migration routes, ecological corridors, key habitats and access to water, as well as community consultation and grievance mechanisms.
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