This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
------- 
 
¶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