VZCZCXRO8516
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0001/01 0020659
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020659Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4849
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0534
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0919
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 0125
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000001 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/ENV FOR PRATHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON TRGY KRVC TPHY NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: A GLANCE AT THE STATE OF WILDLIFE AND FORESTRY IN 
NIGERIA 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT DISTRIBUTE OUTSIDE USG. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  ESTHOff and visiting REO met with key Nigerian 
federal officials responsible for wildlife and forest conservation 
and management November 26-29.  Ownership of the major Nigerian 
wildlife and forestry reserves transferred from the federal 
government to the states starting in 2000 without a coherent 
conservation policy and adequate legal framework in place and 
technical capacity for the states to manage and use these national 
treasures in a sustainable manner.  From thereon, the state of 
forestry and wildlife has been on a decline, leading to increased 
poaching and illegal logging, according to the officials.  In 2005 
wildlife inspectors were removed from Nigerian airports, seaports, 
and border checkpoints under a reorganization move.  Since then, 
there have been no clear mechanisms to prevent trafficking in 
wildlife and wildlife parts and products from the country.  For this 
reason, Nigeria was suspended two years ago from the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES).  The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been working 
with the Federal Government of Nigeria and concerned states to 
promote conservation and plans to submit grant proposals under the 
Department Economic Support Fund to promote conservation in Yankari 
and Calabar national parks.  End Summary. 
 
Conservation not a Priority 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Mr. John Mashelbwale, Assistant Director for the Nigeria 
Wildlife Services and CITES Officer for monitoring the illegal 
killing of elephants (MIKE), said that Nigerian wildlife 
conservation efforts are fraught with problems ranging from the lack 
of adequate resources to lack of enforcement authority over 
state-owned game reserves and forests.  According to Mashelebwale, 
the downward slide started in 2000 when, as part of the GON's 
decentralization program, ownership of the national parks 
transferred from the federal government to the states, even though 
the latter have little or no capacity in wildlife and forestry 
conservation and management.  Most states see the reserves primarily 
as a source of income (from tourism) and do very little to advance 
conservation.  They lack comprehensive laws, wildlife and forestry 
management plans, qualified personnel, and resources to promote 
conservation and sustainable ecotourism.  The result, according to 
Mashelbwale, has been a deteriorating wildlife habitat, increased 
poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife and wildlife parts 
outside of the country. 
 
Nigeria Suspended from CITES 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Nigeria was suspended from the CITES convention in 2005 for 
failure to make sufficient progress in cracking down on illicit 
trade in endangered wildlife.  Wildlife officials stated that 
illicit trade in wildlife is thriving because of the lack of 
institutional mechanisms to prevent illegal hunting and trade. 
Since 2005, wildlife inspectors have not been posted at Nigeria's 
airports, seaports and international border crossings.  According to 
Mashelbwale, there has been some political wrangling to reinstate 
the wildlife inspectors; however, currently there is no funding to 
do that.  Wildlife officials identified Hajj and Umra chartered 
flights as convenient conduits for trafficking wildlife, 
particularly parrots and ivory, out of the country.  Trafficking 
overland is also rampant, according to these officials.  They said 
that fuel tankers are used to smuggle hides and skins and ivory to 
and from Nigeria to neighboring Central African Republic, Chad, 
Cameroon, and Gabon. 
 
Yankari National Park 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Yankari National Park, about 300 kilometers northeast of the 
capital Abuja, is Nigeria's most famous game park and home to one of 
the few viable elephant populations in West Africa.  The park's 
ownership was transferred to Bauchi State in 2006, after the Federal 
Government lost a court battle to prevent the transfer.  The park 
does not have a wildlife management plan, professional workforce, or 
adequate equipment (e.g., patrol cars and other game warden tools) 
to fight poaching and promote ecotourism.  Federal conservation 
officials stated that poaching is on the rise and expressed 
apprehension about the ongoing viability of the colony without 
improved game management and conservation efforts. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Highlighting the deteriorating situation, Mr. Jarafu Mamza, 
Director of Nigeria's National Park Service stated that the last 
significant recovery of 446 pieces of elephant ivory took place in 
1996, despite recent indications that the elephant population in the 
country is dwindling.  According to the director, Sambiza Forest 
 
ABUJA 00000001  002 OF 002 
 
 
Reserve in Borno State, northeast Nigeria, lost its elephant 
population of 200 to 300 in the 1990s due to insufficient attention 
to conservation and insistent poaching.  He wants to work with 
Bauchi State to prevent the same fate befalling the elephant 
population in Yankari.  To combat trafficking, the Nigerian Park 
Service, in collaboration with Interpol's Working Group on Wildlife 
Crime, is establishing a Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit.  The unit 
is expected to be up and running in the New Year and is expected to 
enhance the agency's ability to combat trafficking. 
 
Nigeria's Forests under Threat 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Mrs. Ann Ata, Director of the Nigerian Forest Service, 
described Nigeria's forest reserves as badly managed and under 
constant threat from deforestation, desertification, and illegal 
logging.  She said that Nigeria is loosing its forests at the rate 
of 3.5% per year, the highest in Africa primarily due to harvesting 
of firewood and drought.  She added that Nigeria did its last forest 
survey in 1995 and desperately needs to conduct a new one, which is 
essential to develop and implement an effective conservation 
strategy.  Like the game reserves, Nigeria's forest reserves are 
owned and managed by the states; however, most of them have no 
forest management plan, laws, or qualified personnel to manage and 
conserve their forests.  According to the director, although state 
governments give out logging concessions and generate revenue they 
rarely use the income to reinvest in their forests.  Cross River 
State in the south is the only one that has laws and is doing a 
better job in managing its forest reserves, according to the 
director. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (U) The state of Nigeria's wildlife and forestry is under threat 
from natural and manmade causes.  Nigeria's decentralization of 
ownership of national reserves to the states can have some 
advantages; however, without proper local capacity to effectively 
protect and manage them the long term viability and sustainability 
of these treasures is in serious jeopardy.  The states need to 
strike the right sustainable balance between income generation and 
conservation and need to coordinate with their national counterparts 
to promote a coherent policy.  The WCS has been working with the 
Federal Government of Nigeria and concerned states to promote 
conservation in Calabar and Yankari reserves.  Post and the Regional 
Environmental Office have initiated discussions with concerned 
state, federal and WCS representatives to develop proposals for 
consideration under Department Economic Support Fund for elephant 
conservation in Yankari and great apes in Calabar.  End Comment). 
¶9.  This cable has been coordinated with Consulate Lagos. 
 
SANDERS