GPS maps trace South Sudan’s antelope migration

What you need to know

• The mapping concerns a large, cross-border migration, rather than a single reserve or isolated route. The Convention on Migratory Species describes it as the world’s largest land animal migration. 2
• Route information could help planners consider how infrastructure and other human activity relate to animal movements. That is a potential use of the maps, not evidence that a particular project has been changed. 23
• The candidate’s figure of 262 collared antelopes is not confirmed by the supplied reporting. African Parks currently reports 244 tagged animals across 12 species, including 88 from the four migratory antelope species. 1
• The mapping work combines collar data with aerial surveys, satellite imagery and field observations. This allows migration patterns to be considered alongside human activity and infrastructure. 3
• In 2026, UNESCO inscribed the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape as a World Heritage Site and on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Its decision reaffirmed that extractive activities must not take place within the property. 4

Why this matters

Migration routes cross a broad landscape, so decisions about land use and infrastructure may affect how animals move through it. Maps provide evidence that planners can use to consider those routes, while the available reporting does not establish whether that has happened in practice. 23

What happens next

The maps are intended to inform conservation planning and infrastructure decisions. The reporting leaves open whether they have influenced any specific decision; confirming the collar total and clarifying the coverage and availability of the mapped tracks would also help practitioners assess their use. 216

What we know

• African Parks estimates about 5.9 million white-eared kob, tiang, Mongalla gazelle and Bohor reedbuck in the Great Nile Migration Landscape, with an uncertainty of ±909,495. 1
• Its reported tracking total is 244 tagged animals across 12 species, including 88 of the four migratory antelope species. 1
• The 2025 maps cover seasonal movements of white-eared kob and tiang across South Sudan and Ethiopia. The reported mapping methods also include aerial surveys, satellite imagery and field observations. 23

What we don't know

• The supplied sources do not confirm the candidate’s figure of 262 collared antelopes or explain how it relates to African Parks’ reported totals. 16
• The reporting does not establish which collected tracks or routes are publicly accessible, or the date range they cover. 6
• It remains unclear whether the maps have changed a specific infrastructure, land-use or conservation decision. 26

Read the reporting

This WildNews briefing synthesises and summarises reporting from the sources below. WildNews did not produce the original reporting. Learn more about how we use AI