Tropentag 2010, September 14 - 16, Zurich, Germany "World Food System - A Contribution from Europe"

Protected Area: Present Situation and Future Conservation in Sudan

¹Technische Universität Dresden, Land Improvement and Nature Conservation, Germany
²Khartoum College of Applied Studies, Science, Sudan

Abstract

For the representing of the actual status of Sudan Protected Area management and contributing in the review of this issue, focusing in the Dinder National Park as an example this work is carved out giving an overview of the conservation history of the protected areas in Sudan.

The history of conservation areas and national parks in Sudan has always been closely linked to the historical and political evolution of the country. Sudan is the largest country on the African continent. The area of the Sudan is 2.5 million square kilometers; the population totals 33 million, comprising 540 tribes and a number of sub tribes that speak a total of 150 different languages. Due to the war in Southern Sudan the development projects were concentrated in the north and discouraging the integration of the people of the North with the black tribes of the South. The civil war has spread since the 1980's from southern Sudan to the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, Kassala and Dar Fur State.
According to the information available to UNEP, northern Sudan has six actual or proposed marine protected sites with a total area of approximately 1 900 km², and twenty-six actual or proposed terrestrial and freshwater protected sites, with a total area of approximately 157 000 km² nominally protected areas thus cover approximately ten percent of northern Sudan, with three sites – Wadi Howar, Dinder and Radon – accounting for a large portion of this figure. While this is significant and worthy of support, the actual level of protection provided and ecosystem integrity are more important than sheer size from their original condition as to potentially warrant de-listing. The UNEP investigation of Dinder National Park, for example, found that this major site was not only badly damaged and under severe stress, but was also being starved of the requisite funds for proper management.

Keywords: Natural resources, protected area ,conservation

Contact Address: Rasha Osman, Technische Universität Dresden, Land Improvement and Nature Conservation, Huchschul 46 / 1704, 01069 Dresden, Germany, e-mail: rashamissawyhotmail.com