VZCZCXRO6425
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0911/01 2181229
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061229Z AUG 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4209
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

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 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶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. 
 
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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