The reasons for updating the previous land cover mapping of 2011 in South Sudan are numerous. Although no systematic work

has been conducted in recent years, displacement of people related to civil unrest is frequent and commonly results in increased pressure on natural resources, with deforestation and degradation of woodlands for biofuel production and land conversion to agriculture. The area under investigation will now include 10 km around South Sudan’s country boundaries to better understand transboundary patterns (e.g. livestock movements) not mapped in previous assessments.