UAE CONCESSIONS THREATENS BOMA-JONGLEI BIODIVERSITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000911

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - GARBLED TEXT PARA 12

DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/E
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI UNSC SU
SUBJECT: UAE CONCESSIONS THREATENS BOMA-JONGLEI BIODIVERSITY

KHARTOUM 00000911 001.2 OF 002


--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (U) SUMMARY: Despite stiff requirements for consultation with and
preapproval of projects by the Government of Southern Sudan's
Ministry of Wildlife (MOW),the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
ecotourism company, Al Ain National Wildlife Establishment has,
without authorization, built a two-kilometer airport facility. The
latter can accommodate international flights, and includes numerous
hotel facilities, and will also include an extensive road network
through the pristine wildlife areas of Boma National Park. The
MOW's Bureau of Conservation has recommended that the MOW suspend
the project until a land use plan is developed to better protect
core areas of the park, and preserve critical migratory routes and
breeding areas. USAID's USD 12.6 million project to MOW and the
Wildlife Conservation Society for preservation of the biodiversity
in Boma-Jonglei will be undermined if the GOSS does not act on this
issue. END SUMMARY.

--------------
GOSS-WCS PARTNER TO PROTECT PARK
--------------


2. (U) Southern Sudan's Boma-Jonglei landscape attracted
international attention in June 2007 when media, including the New
York Times, published the findings of a wildlife survey jointly
carried out by scientists from GOSS, the Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS),and the National Geographic Society. Supported by a
grant from USAID, this initial survey was the first wildlife study
to be carried out in Southern Sudan after 22 years of civil warfare.
Findings made front page news when the study revealed that Southern
Sudan is home to vast herds of migratory gazelle and antelope, the
scale of which rivals the famed wildebeest herds of Tanzania's
Serengeti Plains. Results of the survey estimated these herds at
more than a million mammals - ranking Southern Sudan's animal
migration as one of the two largest on earth.


3. (U) Overall, these important findings also indicated that
Southern Sudan is one of the most biodiverse regions in Africa. It
consists of the largest freshwater wetland in the world as well as
pristine savannas and is home to significant populations of classic
African wildlife including elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches,
lions, leopards, buffalos and hundreds of bird species.


4. (U) Traditional ethnic groups throughout Jonglei State and parts
of Eastern Equatoria State have strong ties to wildlife and live off
the land. Conservation and related livelihoods programs for, and
with, these ethnic groups could also support conflict prevention
goals.


5. (U) In response to these important survey findings, GOSS and the
Ministry of Wildlife signed a formal agreement with WCS in March
2007, to collaborate and develop a long-term partnership aimed at
conserving local wildlife and the broader ecosystem, and embark on
measured land use planning programs.

--------------
USG GRANT PROMOTES PARK PROTECTION
--------------


6. (U) To support the new partnership, the U.S. Government committed
substantial financing through a 3-year, USD 12.6 million USAID grant
initiated in November 2008. The "Conservation of Biodiversity across
the Boma-Jonglei Landscape in Southern Sudan" program is being
implemented by WCS, and has four major components: a) strengthen the
capacity of GOSS to sustainably manage the area's natural resources;
b) develop land-use, zoning, and resource management plans; c)
improve monitoring, ecotourism development, and other sustainable
resource management activities; and d) improve the livelihoods of
indigenous communities by creating economic opportunities that are
sustainable.

--------------
GOSS GRANTS UAE "ECOTOURISM INVESTMENT
--------------


7. (U) While generating tremendous publicity for Southern Sudan's
wildlife resources, international press coverage of the survey
results also attracted the interest of investors from the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). According to a letter from the GOSS Ministry of
Presidential Affairs, a subsequent visit by GOSS President Salva
Kiir with the President of the UAE resulted in an agreement to grant
a major land concession - estimated at nearly 6,200 square miles -
to Al Ain National Wildlife Establishment. This concession was

KHARTOUM 00000911 002.2 OF 002


formalized in an agreement on "The Development and Management of
Tourism in Boma National Park and its Environs" between GOSS and Al
Ain, and signed in July 2008. It grants a 30-year concession to Al
Ain to construct an eco-tourism development project in Boma National
Park. The agreement spells out stringent guidelines that give the
Wildlife Ministry control over all development in the park.


8. (U) More specifically, the agreement stipulates that all
construction activities will require review and approval by the
Ministry of Wildlife, as well as the completion of thorough
environmental assessments for all activities. In addition, the
agreement grants the Ministry strict control over tourist visitation
to the remote park, which can only be reached via aircraft.



--------------
SEVERE VIOLATIONS THREATEN PARK
--------------


9. (U) The area has recently attracted international media attention
once again when, on July 9, 2009 "The Economist" published an
article that reflected growing concerns about both the GOSS
concession, as well as the real attraction for tourists to Al Ain's
development. According to the article, "Some conservationists
wonder if the visitors may be looking for big-game trophies, despite
a general ban on hunting in the south."


10. (U) There has been internal debate within the GOSS Ministry of
Wildlife in recent months with some claiming that Al Ain has already
violated critical terms of the agreement. This is made all the more
important by the fact that the concession is located in the center
of a particularly sensitive migration corridor in Boma National
Park.


11. (SBU) Correspondence with the Minister of Wildlife Conservation
and Tourism from the Bureau of Wildlife Conservation, highlighted
several key clauses of the agreement that Al Ain is allegedly
violating. Specifically, the Bureau asserts that Al Ain has
undertaken extensive and large-scale construction activities without
assessing the potential impacts on the sensitive ecosystem, and
without any approval or oversight from the Ministry; including a two
kilometer long airstrip that can facilitate international flights,
numerous accommodation facilities, and a wide access road and
extensive supporting road networks which cut through pristine
wildlife areas.

--------------
WILDLIFE BUREAU RECOMMENDS SUPERVISION
--------------


12. (SBU) In addition, the Bureau argues that the terms of the
agreement are being violated due to large aircraft flying in and out
of the park without the knowledge or supervision of the Ministry or
park authorities. The Bureau recommends that the Ministry of
Wildlife suspend Al Ain development until a land-use plan is
completed to better delineate core protection areas of the park, in
order to preserve critical migratory routes and breeding areas of
wild animals.

13. (U) COMMENT. In light of these current developments, the
Mission is concerned that, if violations continue to go unaddressed
by GOSS, the Al Ain development will severely undermine U.S.
Government-supported interventions to preserve Southern Sudan's
world-class natural resources, and to develop sustainable use of the
resources for tourism and livelihoods. USAID's program of
"sustainable" ecotourism in the Boma-Jonglei landscape is
implementing a model that will improve the livelihoods of the area's
indigenous populations without destroying the very resource that can
make the area an international draw. END COMMENT.

WHITEHEAD