7 March 2014: The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has announced that South Sudan deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on 17 February 2014. South Sudan is now the 194th party to the CBD. The CBD will enter into force for South Sudan on 18 May 2014.

South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011. The country supports important wildlife populations in Africa, and hosts one of the largest wildlife migrations in the world. Boma National Park, west of the Ethiopian border, as well as the Sudd wetland and Southern National Park near the border with Congo, provide habitat for large populations of kob and topis, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, hartebeests and lions. Sudan’s forest reserves also provide habitat for bongo, giant forest hogs, red river hogs, forest elephants, chimpanzees, and forest monkeys. [CBD News] [IISD RS Sources]