Lag Badana National Park

Lag Badana National Park (Bushbush National Park) is a national park of Somalia. It is located on the far southern coast, next to the border with Kenya.

Lag Badana National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Map of Somalia
Location	Lower Juba, Somalia
Nearest city	Kismayo
Coordinates	1°23′S 41°35′E[1]
Area	3,340 km2 (1,290 sq mi)

History

Lag Badana was the first national park to be established in the country. During the second half of the 1980s, the Ministry of Tourism under the Siad Barre administration sought to center the tourist industry in the vicinity of the park, with nearby coral reefs and offshore islands likewise envisioned as part of the development.^[2]

By 1989, newer legislation was drafted governing the establishment of national parks, game reserves and special reserves. The conservation of wildlife resources was at this time overseen by the Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range's National Range Agency. Its Department of Wildlife also operated an independent law-enforcement unit, which had been created through presidential decree.^[3]

Following the outbreak of the civil war in 1991, development of the national park came to a halt. In August 2014, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a number of new development projects aimed at Somalia's youth. Among these was an initiative to assign leadership of the national park to young managers so as to strengthen environmental preservation and potential tourism opportunities.^[4]

Environment

The Lag Badana area contains over 200 vascular plant species and is home to rare animals like the lesser kudu. Of the plants, around 20 are endemic.^[5] Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit.^[6] The park has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.^[7]

References

1. "Lag Badana-Bushbush National Park". protectedplanet.net. Archived from the original on 2013-06-19.
2. Coastal and Marine Environmental Problems of Somalia, Volume 1. UNEP. 1987. p. 127.
3. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (1989). The Iucn Sahel Studies 1989. IUCN. p. 107. ISBN 2880329779.
4. "Investing in the next generation: creating the future for Somalia's youth". Markacadeey. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
5. Oldfield, S.; IUCN/SSC Cactus and Succulent Specialist Group (1997). Cactus and Succulent Plants: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland: IUCN. p. 59. ISBN 978-2-8317-0390-9. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
6. IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2006). Conservation Strategy for the Lion Panthera leo in Eastern and Southern Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: IUCN.
7. "Laag Badaana". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-31.