Wildlife occurs in protected areas and in fragmented habitats outside protected areas in desert, semi-desert, low rainfall savannah woodland, high rainfall savannah woodland and marine ecosystems. The number of many species has either declined or disappeared from many of their former habitats. There is no designated protected area representing fresh water ecosystems except the proposed Umgur wetland protected area.

Transboundary protected and conserved areas

Sudan does not have any transboundary conservation areas.

Policy context

A comprehensive report on legislation and policy related to protected area management, governance, and equity was undertaken by the BIOPAMA programme. It identified 18 relevant laws and policies in Sudan (Tessema, 2019).

Key species

Sudan’s wide range of ecosystems is home to a wide diversity of species. Information on present distribution and abundance of wildlife resources in the Sudan is very limited. Sudan is home to 937 species of birds, including 17 species of global conservation concern. In the coastal habitats, mangroves are an important species, but are very threatened. Sudan has diverse freshwater and marine biodiversity, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and a wide range of species such as sharks, dugongs, turtles and seabirds. Information on the species composition is not well-known, particularly since the separation from South Sudan.

Pressures and threats

Sudan faces a number of threats: environmental degradation; expansion in civil construction and economic activities; climate change and drought; expansion of land cultivation; pollution and alien invasive species.