Project Example: USAID Assessment in Southern Sudan

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) missions are required by the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) to conduct Tropical Forest and Biodiversity Assessments to help them incorporate sustainable development and conservation into their programs. While this is a legal requirement, it reflects the concerns and interests of the American public in environmental protection.

The Challenge

In 2005, Southern Sudan signed a peace agreement with the north, ending over 20 years of civil war. As might be expected, Southern Sudan is now focusing on development by taking advantage of its oil and other mineral resources to fund services for its population. Also, with such a high incidence of poverty, largely due to the war, and so few jobs available, unsustainable use of natural resources (for example, charcoal production, fuelwood collection, and bushmeat hunting) is difficult to control.

Southern Sudan has some of the most important and most threatened biodiversity resources in Africa. In 2006, aerial wildlife surveys surprisingly showed that many wildlife species survived the war. For example, in the Sudd, the largest swamp in Africa, large herds of elephants and tiang (an antelope) were observed. With over 20 years of civil war, very little data on biodiversity had been collected. These challenges, such as the high incidence of poverty, the pressure to develop, and the significant (and still largely unknown) threatened biodiversity resources defined the conditions under which Cadmus conducted the USAID Tropical Forest and Biodiversity Assessment.

Our Approach

The Scope of Work included three weeks in Southern Sudan working with a Sudan-based team. To conduct the assessment, the Cadmus team identified key biodiversity and forest resources, threats to these resources, and actions needed to conserve these resources and provided recommendations to USAID to help achieve conservation of tropical forests and biodiversity. In order to provide this information, the team reviewed country level reports; conducted interviews and held roundtable meetings with government authorities, NGOs, consultants, and community members; and visited sites of important biodiversity and tropical forests where there were significant threats, to increase the team’s understanding of the status of the resources. We conducted the assessment in a transparent, collaborative manner, taking into consideration perceptions and ideas from a wide range of stakeholders.

Our main recommendation to USAID was to increase support for field work (versus funding for central level ministries), and provide resources that can show on-the-ground successes in conservation. For example, we recommended that USAID support a national park containing significant biodiversity resources that are under threat. An ideal opportunity exists for USAID to do this. USAID/Uganda is promoting the creation of trans-boundary peace parks with Sudan. None of Southern Sudan’s national parks has an up-to-date management plan. National park staff and infrastructure are limited or non-existent in most parks and conservation is mainly “on paper.” We recommended USAID provide assistance in management planning, equipment and supplies, and other conservation priorities to a target national park.

Our Success

The process of conducting the assessment contributed to increasing the knowledge and skills of those working in conservation. The meetings and interviews we conducted introduced new ideas to conservation professionals in Southern Sudan; and the Sudanese team members came away from the assessment enriched by the new experiences gained during the process. None of them had previously visited the natural areas we observed, nor had they ever participated in a biological investigation. The assessment also gave them their first opportunity to speak to and hear from a wide range of stakeholders, exposing them to many different perspectives.