The United Nations Environment Programme is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at global, regional and national levels. In Sudan, UNEP implements environmental governance, climate resilience, natural resource management and recovery programmes in partnership with national, state and local authorities, communities, civil society organizations and development partners.

Dinder National Park is one of Sudan’s most important protected areas and supports significant biodiversity, wildlife habitats, seasonal wetlands, forests, rangelands and water systems. The park is also closely connected to the livelihoods and resource-use practices of communities in the surrounding areas of Sennar, Gedaref and Blue Nile states.

Climate change, land degradation, agricultural expansion, population displacement, weak natural resource governance and increasing demand for land, water, forest products and grazing resources have placed considerable pressure on the park and its surrounding landscapes. These pressures have contributed to the degradation of wildlife habitats, blockage and sedimentation of mayas and seasonal water channels, loss of vegetation cover, soil erosion, expansion of cultivation into ecologically sensitive areas, unsustainable use of forest resources, human–wildlife interactions and conflicts among farmers, pastoralists, communities and park authorities.

The conflict that began in April 2023 has further affected livelihoods, public infrastructure, markets, institutional capacities and access to natural resources. Population movements and the disruption of traditional livelihood systems may have changed settlement patterns, agricultural practices, livestock routes and patterns of dependence on the park and its surrounding natural resources.

In September 2024, UNEP and the European Union signed an agreement to implement the project “Enhancing Food Security and Climate Resilience of Rural Communities in and around Dinder National Park.” The project aims to strengthen resilient livelihoods, improve natural resource governance, enhance climate resilience and reduce unsustainable pressure on Dinder National Park.

• Compile existing climate, environmental and socioeconomic information. 
• Develop the assessment methodology, workplan and field data collection tools. 
• Identify information gaps requiring field verification.
• Analyse historical climate trends affecting Dinder (rainfall, drought, flooding and temperature).
• Produce land use/land cover maps using recent satellite imagery.
• Identify areas affected by land degradation, vegetation loss and agricultural encroachment.
• Map water resources, mayas, seasonal streams and degraded ecosystems.
• Identify climate-sensitive ecosystems and environmentally vulnerable areas.
• Assess Exposure to Climate Hazards, Sensitivity of ecosystems and livelihoods , Adaptive capacity of communities, Climate-related natural resource pressures , Priority intervention areas 
• Develop Climate vulnerability maps , Ecosystem vulnerability maps , Community vulnerability profiles Intervention prioritization maps