GREAT APES, ECOTOURISM IN CROSS RIVER, NIGERIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001138

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ECON EAID NI CM
SUBJECT: GREAT APES, ECOTOURISM IN CROSS RIVER, NIGERIA

REF: LIBREVILLE 150


1. Summary. Economic officer and regional environmental
officer visited Cross River State, on Nigeria's eastern
border with Cameroon, on Feb. 13-17 to see its economic
infrastructure and potential for ecotourism. Cross River
contains Nigeria's last remaining rain forest, as well as
the rare Cross River gorilla and other endangered primates.
These are threatened by encroachment and illegal timber
cutting. Governor Duke proposed habituating gorillas to
humans' presence to boost ecotourism, which concerns
environmental NGOs. South Africa's Protea chain is managing
successfully the highlands Obudu Cattle Ranch hotel. The
tourism sector in Nigeria and Cross River State faces
significant challenges, including deficient infrastructure
and poorly educated employees. Almost uniquely in Nigeria,
Cross River State has a significant, state-wide potential
for tourism. End summary.


2. Economic officer and regional environmental officer (REO)
visited Cross River State, on Nigeria's eastern border with
Cameroon, on Feb. 13-17 to see its economic infrastructure
and potential for ecotourism. Officers had a wide range of
meetings with local figures, including Cross River Governor
Donald Duke, state officials, and non-government
organization (NGO) environmentalists.

Cross River Gorillas Are Rare, Reclusive, Endangered
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3. Cross River State contains Nigeria's last remaining rain
forest, as well as a share of the extremely rare Cross River
gorilla. There might be only 70 to 100 of these great apes
in Nigeria and 200 in Cameroon, making this subspecies rarer
than Africa's mountain gorillas. The Cross River gorillas
move between the two countries and required protected
habitat and corridors for their continued survival. There
are four groups of gorillas in Nigeria, with 20-30
individuals each; some groups live largely in isolation and
some are separated by a busy road. The Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) works with unprotected forest
areas lying within community lands between reserve areas, to
permit the gorillas' transit. While these great apes rarely
are observed, local residents reportedly killed three of
them between the fall of 2005 and February 2006 for
allegedly raiding crops after severe storms killed the
mainstay vegetation species that apes depend on for food.
Nigeria's and Cameroon's parks and conservation personnel
carry out no substantial joint operations to protect rare
gorilla populations.

Tensions between tourism, development, the environment
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4. A major challenge for Cross River is the fact that the
Cross River National Park occupies about one third of the
state's land area. This argues strongly for Cross River's
developing tourism. Cross River environmentalists spoke
approvingly of Governor Duke and his emphasis on economic
growth. Some of them, though, were concerned that
development would come at the expense of the state's rich
wildlife. Cross River is home to the mandrill (drill),a
species of large primate that also is threatened. NGOs in
the state have founded several conservation projects
focusing on primate research, especially the Afi Mountain
Wildlife Sanctuary, managed by the Pandrillus Foundation.
Pandrillus's Afi Mountain Drill Ranch is reportedly the
world's most successful breeding program for an endangered
primate and is home to drill monkeys and chimpanzees. The
Drill Ranch also includes a recently completed rain-forest
canopy walkway. Built by a Canadian company, it is 390
meters (almost 1,300 feet) long and the largest such walkway
in Africa.


5. One Cross River environmentalist warned of extensive
illegal timber cutting, fueled by bribery, by a company
owned by a Chinese-born businessman. REO cautioned Governor
Duke on March 17 that Cross River had perhaps 20 years in
which to create the framework to protect its rich
environmental resources. After that, because of pressures
especially from illegal logging, the rain forest would be
fragmented irretrievably and its rare species likely beyond
recovery. Duke replied that he would work to strengthen the
applicable state and federal legislation to prevent this
destruction. Duke commented that his countrymen did not
consider the Cross River gorilla a "national treasure" and
said he would work to change this. The WCS reported in May,
however, that Duke had proposed attempting to habituate
gorillas at Afi to humans' presence, to boost ecotourism. A
WCS official termed Cross River NGOs and Duke "deeply
divided" over the wisdom of this course.

South African chain succeeds with Obudu Hotel
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6. While the quality of most hotels in Nigeria is far below
Western levels, a notable exception is the Hotel Obudu
Ranch, managed by South Africa's Protea Hotels and Inns
group and better known as the Obudu Cattle Ranch. The ranch
is located at the base of the Sankwala Mountains, in the
state's far north, and overlooks the Cameroon border.
Founded in 1949 by Scottish ranchers, the hotel's site is
free of malaria and tsetse fly and is served by a small
airport 55 km (34 miles) away -- unusual in this country of
relatively poor air connections. The Obudu complex boasts a
water park and a long, European-built cable car leading to
the hotel's 5,200-foot altitude. Governor Duke said proudly
of the Obudu Ranch, "Everything you have seen is our own
money, our own resources." (Comment: While some Cross River
sources asserted Duke spent too much to develop the Obudu
complex, Cross River now has something tangible to show for
this outlay -- unlike many publicly funded projects in
Nigeria. End comment.)

Cross River State's potential for tourism
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7. Roads in Cross River State are spotty, mainly two-lane
roads with large stretches of deficient road surface. In
the northern part of the state, some main roads were
overgrown by vegetation. The dirt road to Butatong, home of
the Okwangwo headquarters of Cross River National Park's
northern department, was so bad as to be arguably
impassable. Facilities and personnel at the park
headquarters both were scarce, and the park offered no
information facilities to visitors -- who were not in
evidence in any case. Governor Duke seemed receptive to
REO's suggestion to build a visitors center, and Duke
pledged to drive to Butatong to see the road conditions for
himself.

Comment
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8. Tourism in Nigeria and Cross River State faces
significant challenges, including poor infrastructure;
employees' poor education and poor training; and high prices
for mediocre goods and services. Nigerians' attitude toward
customer service is a challenge for tourism. Only in 2005
was published the first travel guide dedicated exclusively
to Nigeria, with its colorful history, large land area, and
population of about 130 million people -- and this book has
only 213 pages on actual sights and attractions in the
country. Almost uniquely in Nigeria, Cross River State has
significant potential for domestic and foreign tourism
across the state. Protea's Obudu Cattle Ranch demonstrates
this potential, and Protea-managed hotels across Nigeria
enjoy a high reputation, demonstrating the benefit that
outside expertise can provide.
CAMPBELL