Khaleej Times: There’s more to Sudan than disasters in Darfur. It's heartening indeed to learn that the crisis-ridden nation is witnessing what conservationists regard as the biggest natural event in the world. A recent Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) survey found in South Sudan vast numbers of migrating antelopes and gazelles.
The autonomous region has apparently surpassed Serengeti insofar as the scale of the migration of wild animals is concerned. Around 1.3 million antelopes and other animals, including some species that were previously thought to be on the verge of extinction in the region, have been found to be on the move across the swamps and grasslands in the southern part. So far, Serengeti boasted of the largest mass migration of wild animals which takes place twice a year from the Tanzanian part of the Serengeti plain to the northern part of Kenya.
It was believed that the civil war in South Sudan, which erupted in 1982 and finally came to an end in 2005, had destroyed wildlife in the area. Hence, the discovery of the "biggest migration of large mammals on Earth" is significant because it indicates a thriving ecosystem in an area where several species have been wiped out of existence, thanks to conflicts and poaching.
The findings also raise hopes for ecotourism in the region. Any effort to develop ecotourism will certainly lead to creation of jobs for the local community and boost the economy. In fact, WCS in association with the authorities in South Sudan has called for an international conservation mission to protect the region's ecosystem. Plans are afoot to recruit former members of Sudan's People's Liberation Army to manage parks and promote environment-friendly practices and conservation across the territory.
The international community should come forward to help South Sudan protect its abundant ecosystem and natural resources. It should also take care that the oil rush in the region doesn't come in the way of this breathtaking natural event.
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