A wetland is a waterlogged area. The Sudd Wetland, which means obstruction or barrier, was formed by the White Nile in the Bahr al-Jabal section. This resulted in a large, solid floating vegetation island that changes with seasons and years.
During the wet season, water levels increase, causing flooding. In the dry season, due to South Sudan’s hot temperatures, the water level gradually decreases to about 42,000 km².
In most cases, the wetland is sustained by rainwater and the flowing White Nile, which moves northward from Juba across a shallow depression.
This produces a network of channels, lagoons, and inundated areas. It is also supported by water from Lake Victoria.
The vast Sudd consists of permanent swamps, rivers, rain grasslands, and floodplain woodlands. The wetland is home to many aquatic species and reptiles, such as frogs, large fish populations, and lizards.
It also supports an amazing antelope migration and millions of Palearctic migratory birds.
However, mosquitoes are very common in the area, which is why people living near the wetland are advised to take precautions against malaria.
The people who live in the Sudd are nomadic agro-pastoralists. They have adapted to the different conditions of the area by developing traditions that combine nomadic agro-pastoralism and fishing.
Unique survival methods have been put in place, such as seasonal construction of settlements on small islands in flooded areas, traditional hunting, and proper fishing techniques.
The tribes that live in the Sudd include the Nuer, Dinka, Shilluk, and Anyuak. They maintain beliefs and practices that support and protect the environment.
For example, in the Shilluk community, it is considered a taboo to kill the Nile lechwe, a rare animal species.
Wildlife in the Sudd
There are many notable wild species in the Sudd, including: African elephants, Nile lechwe (endemic to South Sudan), Tiang migration, White-eared kob migration, Buffalo and Various bird species that migrate from Africa, Asia, and Europe, including the shoebill.
Some birds find the Sudd to be a comfortable wintering ground. These include: Great white pelican, Black-crowned crane and White stork among the rest.
Many surrounding habitats rely on the Sudd as a dry-season refuge. The wetland is rich in abundant fish, which provides food for both animals and humans. It remains largely untouched by industrial development.
Fish communities in the area include: 31 siluroids, 16 characoids, 14 cyprinoids, 11 mormyrids and 8 cichlids.
As the world’s largest tropical wetland and Africa’s biggest swamp, the IUCN World Heritage Site Gap Assessment identified the Sudd-Sahelian Flooded Grasslands and Savanna Ecoregion as a key ecological area.
The Sudd is characterized by extensive seasonal rain-fed flooding and low soil permeability.
Sudd Swamp is an adventurous place that you should visit when in South Sudan!
