The Sudd wetland is a designated Ramsar site. It has an estimated area of 57,000 km2 and is one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world. The Sudd is an environmental and economic asset that supports livelihoods, the national economy, and ecosystem services including climate change mitigation and hydrological functions in the bigger Nile Basin area. It also has non-economic values including its role in supporting the culture, unique wildlife and as a symbol of national identity for South Sudan. One of the greatest values of the Sudd is that it supports unique and irreplaceable cultures like the Dinka, Nuer, and Shilluk. Draining the Sudd would destroy these cultures. One of the objectives of this rapid environmental assessment is to provide information to underpin the various management plans (ecological, hydrological, agricultural, and developmental) that the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) should implement to ensure that the development of the Sudd wetland is sustainable. In this context, the following key recommendations are made to the GoSS and its partner agencies.