SUDAN’S LARGEST NATIONAL PARK UNDER THREAT AS VILLAGES CONTINUE TO GROW
▶ Research chief blames the loss of the reserve’s giraffe population on factors such as habitat loss
Al Dinder National Park is home to some of Sudan’s most diverse wildlife, but rangers face a daily battle to protect the area from increasing human encroachment.
The park is 400 kilometres south-east of Khartoum and abuts Alatash National Park on the other side of the SudanEthiopia border.
Al Dinder, which spans more than 10,000 square kilometres, is the largest national park in Sudan.
Sandwiched between the vast grasslands of the subSahara region and the forests of the Ethiopian highlands, the park’s variety of habitats make it a haven for wildlife.
Freshwater lakes are dotted across the woodlands and savannah, making it important for migratory birds as well.
“It enjoys the richest wildlife in Sudan, but the growing human violations threaten to diminish the wilderness,” said Albadri Al Hassan, head of Al Dinder’s development organisation.
The park was declared a protected reserve in 1935, when Sudan was under Anglo-Egyptian rule and few people lived in the area.
But in recent decades, the population increased in villages across the park and its border buffer zone, creating a need to find new land to grow crops.
Cattle herders increasingly encroached on the park in search of pasture after their traditional grazing lands were ploughed.
“Such behaviours are posing an immense threat to the reserve,” said Omar Mohamed, head of Al Dinder’s wildlife research station.
Giraffes were among the animals most affected by such encroachment. Habitat loss and other environmental factors meant giraffes eventually disappeared from the park, Mr Mohamed said.
Villagers say they do their best to observe park restrictions but they need more land so they can feed themselves.
“We use traditional agriculture and we prevent our animals from grazing outside our village,” said Abubakr Ibrahim, a farmer from Mai Carato, a village on the western bank of the Rahad River, which flows through the reserve.
He said some regulations were “very hard and impractical” for the residents of many villages in the area to follow.
He said his village was allotted 5 sq km of land, which was “too small”.
“Our village alone has an estimated population of around 2,000 people,” he said.
“The reserve is vast, so giving us more space will not do any harm.”
But conservationists said that allowing villages to expand their lands would take a toll on wildlife.
“Any expansion to the villages will greatly harm the reserve, disturb the wildlife and reduce their resources,” Mr Mohamed said.
“It would be best to move those villages to better-serviced areas outside the reserve.”
Human encroachment disturbs the park’s wildlife in other ways. Villagers harvest wild honey from the woods, lighting fires to create smoke to ward off the bees, in breach of rules.
Rangers patrol the terrain in search of people breaking the rules, who can face hefty fines or up to six months in jail, depending on the offence.
“We try to pursue them but sometimes they flee before we arrive,” said one of the rangers, Mohamed Makki.
But all is not lost. Mr Mohamed said it was still common to see hyenas, lions and smaller cat species such as servals, particularly at night.
By day, African buffalo and several species of gazelle and birdlife are also frequently seen by visitors.
Despite the challenges, the reserve “remained pristine and managed to maintain its wilderness”, Mr Mohamed said.
“All we want is to keep it this way.”