VZCZCXRO6860
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0096/01 0611442
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021442Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0545
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0164
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/PCI NFITE, MGERDIN 
STATE PASS OPIC FOR DERB, ZHAN, MSTUCKART, JEDWARDS 
STATE PASS TDA FOR LFITTS, PMARIN 
STATE PASS USAID FOR NFREEMAN, GBERTOLIN, GWEYNAND, SLAWAETZ 
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS 
DOC FOR 3310/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
DOC FOR USPTO-PAUL SALMON 
TREASURY FOR DFIELDS, AIERONIMO, RHALL, DPETERS 
TRANSPORTATION FOR KSAMPLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR SENV EAID PGOV GH NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: NIGERIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INVOLVES 
COMMUNITIES IN CONSERVATION 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Mr. Alade Adeleke, Technical Director of Nigerian 
Conservation Foundation (NCF) told Pol-Econ Associate on February 17 
that the organization is seeking partnerships with U.S. universities 
specializing in climate change and the consequences it has on 
resource conservation and environmental protection. Under 
partnership with a New Zealand university, a Nigerian PhD student is 
conducting research on birds' species found on the Mambilla Plateau 
in Taraba State. When Regional Environmental Officer (REO) and 
Pol-Econ Associate met with Professor Emmanuel A. Obot, Executive 
Director of NCF in December 2008, he said that involving local 
communities is the preferred approach to resource conservation. 
During his December 2008 visit, REO learned that NCF has broad 
experience in managing national parks and has been very successful 
by implementing policies that empower local communities to manage 
and access resources, for example, policies that require timber 
harvesters to pay royalties to the local people. NCF is currently 
involved in a project which enables local communities to use Nipa 
palm to make buttons and necklaces for sale, improving their income. 
NCF also runs the Lekki Conservation Center in Lagos which protects 
wildlife along the Lekki axis from sprawling urban development. The 
center serves as an education hub for schools and visitors. NCF is 
actively involved in policy advocacy. It supported the creation of 
the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development and 
collaborated with the federal government to produce a National 
Conservation Strategy for Nigeria. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) During a meeting with Professor Emmanuel A. Obot, Executive 
Director of Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and four of his 
staff on December 1, 2008, Professor Obot told REO that NCF, the 
largest conservation non-governmental organization (NGO) in Nigeria, 
was founded in 1980 to protect and conserve nature. NCF has both 
local and international partners. Its international partners include 
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Birdlife International, and the 
World Conservation Union. Locally, NCF partners with other 
environmental NGOs, government institutions, the business community, 
academia, students and rural-urban communities. In 2001, NCF was 
granted 3 million naira (approximately USD 20,000) from Nigeria's 
ecological fund but has not received the money to date. In 2006, NCF 
adopted a new strategic plan tagged "Focusing on Biodiversity NCF 
2007 and Beyond". This new strategy provides a framework through 
which NCF seeks to implement its vision of a Nigeria where people 
prosper while living in harmony with nature. 
 
NCF Involves Communities in Conservation 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Professor Obot said that historically, NCF has worked with 
government agencies such as the National Parks Service to manage 
protected areas (PAs) and contribute to the economic development of 
communities living inside or around these areas. However, there was 
constant conflict between the government and the local communities 
due to government policies which restricted or completely excluded 
these communities from accessing resources in the protected areas. 
NCF adopted a participatory sustainable management approach aimed at 
involving the local people in resource conservation, he said. 
 
¶4. (U) An example of such an approach is the ongoing participatory 
forestry project in Donga valley and Mambilla plateau in Taraba 
State. This project is executed in collaboration with the UK's 
Department for International Development (DFID) and the Royal 
Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It is part of a larger 
program to ensure sustainable management of the forests of Taraba 
State through the establishment of a greater role for communities in 
forest management. Obot argued that the success stories and the 
unique achievements of this project show benefits both for 
biodiversity conservation and the improvement in livelihood of 
forest-based people. He indicated that the Taraba State model is 
being adopted as much as possible in other locations in Nigeria. 
 
¶5. (U) Obot added that that NCF has broad experience in setting up 
national parks and management structures like user groups to enable 
local communities to manage and access resources. He praised the 
user groups for implementing policies that benefit the local 
communities, for example, policies that require timber harvesters to 
 
LAGOS 00000096  002 OF 003 
 
 
seek permission from the local village committee and to pay 
royalties to the local people. Over 70 per cent of the proceeds from 
harvesting timber return to local communities, he said. 
 
Managing Parks is Difficult 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The management of national parks is not without difficulty. 
Most forest reserves are owned by the states and the federal 
government provides overall management support. The federal, state 
and local governments have not been able to agree on the best 
methods to conserve resources. Obot argued that the federal 
government's role should be to make policies and the role of states 
and local governments should be to implement them. He noted the need 
for new foresters, but expressed disappointment in the federal 
government for not training young people in forestry management. 
 
Lekki Conservation Center Unique 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) NCF also runs the Lekki Conservation Center (LCC) in Lagos, a 
conservation initiative created to protect wildlife found along the 
Lekki axis of the Lagos metropolis in the face of sprawling urban 
development. The center serves as an education and resource hub for 
schools and visitors. In 2006, 10,420 people visited the center. The 
project protects the environment, prevents poaching by surrounding 
communities and serves as a tourist center for local and 
international visitors. The center is also involved in research and 
environmental education. 
 
Nipa Palm Control Has Economic Impact 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) NCF is involved in a new project called "Nipa Palm Control by 
Utilization" located in Oron, Akwa Ibom State.  Through this 
project, NCF has established a Craft Center to produce ornaments and 
domestic items like buttons and necklaces from the Nipa palm. The 
project can be improved to help the indigenous people earn more 
income in a sustainable way, Obot said. 
 
NCF Policy Advocacy Successes 
----------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) NCF is actively involved in policy advocacy. It lobbies the 
government to change or modify laws; lobbied for the establishment 
of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency which subsequently 
became the Ministry of Environment, Housing, and Urban Development; 
worked with other groups to influence the government to enact the 
Endangered Species Act; collaborated with the federal government to 
produce a National Conservation Strategy for Nigeria. 
 
NCF Educates On Conservation 
---------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) NCF also educates the general public and target groups like 
law enforcement agents, woman and school children about its 
conservation programs. About 100 school children visit the Lekki 
Conservation Center (which houses the head-quarters of NCF) every 
day. On the national level, NCF runs conservation clubs that 
collaborate with the Ministry of Education. NCF organizes arts and 
essay competitions and national winners visit national parks and 
places of conservation interest.  The 2006 winners took a field trip 
to Ghana. 
 
¶11. (U) NCF uses the opportunity of several international 
environmental celebrations like Environment Day, Wetland Day, and 
Earth Day to educate and create more awareness on environmental 
issues and conservation actions in Nigeria. NCF has publications 
which have been used in universities. It also publishes a journal on 
conservation, Nature Watch and other materials. 
 
Research Partnerships Requested 
------------------------------- 
 
 
LAGOS 00000096  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶12. (U) NCF receives PhD students from New Zealand and London for 
research but has no direct partnership with American universities. 
Currently a Nigerian PhD student studying at a New Zealand 
university is working with NCF to conduct research on bird species 
in the Mambilla Plateau. NCF asked for help in identifying U.S. 
universities with which to partner. (Comment: Post will follow up 
with NCF to help the group reach out to U.S. universities. End 
Comment). 
 
¶13. (U) REO and Embassy Abuja have cleared this cable.