Mapping the ‘lines of life’ of South Sudan’s vast antelope migration
The lines on the map resemble the gossamer threads of dense spiders’ webs. Conservationists in South Sudan call them the “lines of life.” The map was made by joining up millions of points of data recorded by GPS collars attached to 262 migratory antelopes since 2023. The different colors denote four different migratory species: white-eared […]
The lines mapping the migration of South Sudan's antelopes resemble the intricate network of a spider's web, according to conservationists. The "lines of life" were created by connecting millions of GPS points recorded since 2023 from 262 migratory antelope. These four species—white-eared kob, tiang, Mongalla gazelle, and bohor reedbuck—travel together across South Sudan's Great Nile Migration Landscape, comprising around 6 million animals.
The colorful map uses yellow for tiang, red for bohor reedbuck, blue for white-eared kob, and white for Mongalla gazelle. Image courtesy of Inge van den Meiracker.
The vast majority of these movements occur outside the boundaries of Boma and Badingilo national parks, an area shared by an estimated 1 million people, their livestock, and emerging towns, roads, and mines. The "lines of life" aid conservationists in identifying critical areas for protecting wildlife movement. Megan Claase, conservation manager for African Parks, explains that while new high-use areas have been identified, more targeted efforts are still needed.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
