Tucked away by the Ethiopian border, Sudan's Dinder National Park boasts the country's most diverse wildlife, but rangers face a daily battle to protect it as human encroachment mounts.
Spread over more than 10,000 square kilometres, 400km south-east of the capital Khartoum, the park is Sudan's biggest and abuts Ethiopia's Alatash National Park.
Sandwiched between the vast grasslands of the sub-Sahara and the forests of the Ethiopian highlands, the park's variety of habitats have made it a haven for wildlife.
Lakes dot the park's woodlands and savannah, making it an important flyway for migratory birds too.
"It enjoys the richest wildlife in Sudan," said Albadri Alhassan, head of the park's development organisation.
"But the growing human violations threaten to diminish the wilderness."
When the park was first declared a protected reserve under Anglo-Egyptian rule in 1935, the area was sparsely inhabited.
But in recent decades, the population has soared in the villages that dot the park and its surrounding buffer zone, creating huge pressure for new land to grow crops.
And as cattle herders' traditional grazing lands have been ploughed up, they – in turn – have increasingly encroached on the park in search of pasture.
"Such behaviour is posing an immense threat to the reserve," said the head of Dinder's wildlife research station, Omar Mohamed.
Among the hardest-hit species has been the giraffe, which has disappeared from the park in the face of habitat loss and other environmental factors, Mr Mohamed said.
'Great harm to wildlife'
Villagers say they do their best to follow park restrictions but that they desperately need more land to feed themselves.
"We use traditional agriculture and we prevent our animals from grazing outside our village," said farmer Abubakr Ibrahim from Mai Carato, a village on the West bank of the Rahad river, which flows through the reserve.
He complains that some regulations are "very hard and impractical" to follow in the growing villages.
"Our village alone has an estimated population of around 2,000 people," he said, adding that its allotted five square kilometres of land was "too small".
"It is not enough for us," he said, arguing that "the reserve is vast, so giving us more space will not do any harm".
But conservationists disagree.
"Any expansion to the villages will greatly harm the reserve, disturb the wildlife and reduce their resources," Mr Mohamed said.
"It would be best to move those villages to better-serviced areas outside the reserve."
Human encroachment disturbs the park's wildlife in other ways too.
Villagers often harvest wild honey from the park's woods, lighting fires to create smoke to ward off the bees, in breach of park rules.
Rangers patrol the rugged terrain in search of offenders , who can face hefty fines or up to six months in prison, depending on the offence.
"We try to pursue them but sometimes they flee before we arrive," ranger Mohamed Makki said.
But all is not lost. The park's wildlife research chief says sightings of hyenas, lions and smaller cats – such as genets and servals – remain common, particularly at night.
By day, visitors can see African buffalo and several species of gazelle, plus an array of birdlife, both resident and migratory.
Despite all the challenges, the reserve has "remained pristine and managed to maintain its wilderness," Mr Mohamed said.
"All we want is to keep it this way."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
