VZCZCXRO0202
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL
RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHUJA #2292/01 3521218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181218Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7797
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 2526
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 002292 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W, OES/PCI 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID/AFRICA/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DAVID ATWOOD 
 
ACCRA FOR REO FISHMAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TBIO EAGR ECON NI
SUBJECT:  NIGERIA'S CROSS RIVER STATE PUTS THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE 
CENTER OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AGENDA 
PORTIONS OF THIS CABLE ARE SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) Regional Environment Officer (REO) and ESTH Officer visited 
Cross River State November 20-24 to assess wildlife and forest 
conservation efforts in the state.  State officials reported that 
the state has embarked on an ambitious environment-centered 
development agenda with the primary objective of preserving the 
state's remaining forests and rich biodiversity through enhanced 
conservation, afforestation, and reforestation program.  The State 
House of Assembly is considering a comprehensive environmental 
legislation that will provide the legal basis for enforcing 
conservation measures.  It also plans to establish an eco-fund to 
finance environment-centered sustainable development projects in the 
state.  The state, to spearhead these efforts, has invigorated its 
Forestry Commission by appointing a new CEO and a governing board 
composed of public, private, and civil society representatives.  It 
has also sent a delegation to the Copenhagen Climate Change 
Conference to explore international carbon credit opportunities. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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CROSS RIVER SEES VALUE IN CONSERVING ITS RAINFORESTS 
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¶2. (SBU) Cross River State Commissioner for Environment Julius 
Okputu, Special Advisor on Conservation and Biodiversity Nzan Ogbe, 
and Permanent Secretary for Environment Charles Oduko met with REO 
and ESTH officer and outlined Cross River State Government's 
environment-centered development agenda.  Okputu said preserving the 
environment and combating the effects of climate change are top 
priorities of the State Government.  Nigeria has lost over 90 
percent of its rainforests, and of the remaining 10 percent, more 
than half is found within Cross River State, according to the state 
officials.  (NOTE:  Cross River, with about 800,000 hectares of 
rainforests, is Nigeria's most heavily forested state, according to 
local officials.  END NOTE).  Furthermore, over 60 percent of 
Nigeria's endangered plant and animal species are found within these 
forests, which are under threat from illegal logging, unsustainable 
harvesting of non-timber forest products, and expanding agricultural 
practices. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The State Government recognizes the ecological and economic 
value of its rainforests and is under pressure from both the federal 
government and civil society to protect them, according to Okputu. 
He said the core of the government's development agenda is 
maintaining and enhancing the Cross River National Park -- the 
largest rainforest in Nigeria and a national treasure -- through 
enhanced anti-logging enforcement and a afforestation and 
reforestation project.  Okputu said the state will channel more 
resources into the Cross River Forestry Commission, which manages 
the state's forest reserves. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Okputu said that for conservation to work, the person at 
the forest-level must see real benefits from conservation efforts. 
He added that the state has recently introduced a free heath care 
program for all children under five and pregnant women and wants to 
tie this benefit to its afforestation and reforestation project.  He 
said the state plans to involve the community in the project by 
Qsaid the state plans to involve the community in the project by 
distributing free stocks of saplings and asking each family 
benefiting from the state's free health care program to plant and 
care for two trees per child. 
 
 
 
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CROSS RIVER ESTABLISHING AN ECO-FUND 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Okputu disclosed his government's plan to establish an 
eco-fund to support projects that enhance environmental stewardship 
throughout the state.  The fund will draw its income from the 
state's share of the federal ecological fund, the United Nations 
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) 
program, a possible carbon financing regime that might emerge from 
the December 7-18 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, a planed 
biodiversity offset program, and logging concessions in the future. 
Okputu reported that his state will be represented in Nigeria's 
300-person strong delegation to the Climate Change Conference in 
Copenhagen.  The eco-fund will be used to finance sustainable 
agricultural projects, micro-hydro projects and renewable energy, a 
 
ABUJA 00002292  002 OF 003 
 
 
model green city, and the greening of existing cities, according to 
Okputu. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Okputu expressed displeasure at the current disbursement of 
the federal government's ecological fund, saying a disproportionate 
amount goes to drought and desertification control, which favors the 
northern states.  (NOTE:  Under the current formula, 60 percent of 
the fund goes for drought and desertification control, 25 percent 
for soil erosion and flood/gully control, 5 percent for pollution 
control, 5 percent for emergencies, and 5 percent for the 
administration of the fund.  END NOTE).  Okputu added that there is 
a collective push by the southern states to raise the 25 percent 
allocation for erosion and flood/gully control to at least 45 
percent, arguing that the current allocation is insufficient given 
the challenges faced by southern states and should be calculated on 
the basis of need rather than on entitlement. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Okputu is optimistic that the eco-fund will be established 
early next year and wants to do as much groundwork as possible to be 
ready for international carbon financing in the near future, which 
will be used to fund development projects.  He said the state will 
institute a standardized development approach, where all projects 
will need to have a commitment to environmental protection and 
sustainable development principles by undergoing environmental 
assessment to determine any possible damage to biodiversity and any 
other environmental impact before approval.  He added the state 
would require compensation for project-related loss to biodiversity 
and use the money to finance restoration efforts elsewhere.  Okputu 
mentioned the lack of a central databank of environmental assets, 
funding, and human capacity as major challenges in realizing the 
state's development agenda.  He said such a database is essential 
for effective forestry and biodiversity management and to apply for 
international carbon credits.  He requested USG assistance in 
building such a system and the capacity of his agency. 
 
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WASTE MANAGEMENT A GROWING CONCERN 
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¶8. (SBU) Permanent Secretary for Environment Charles Oduko said 
waste management is a significant problem in urban areas, especially 
in the capital city of Calabar.  (NOTE:  Calabar is perhaps one the 
cleanest cities in Nigeria and frequently earns praise as a model 
for other Nigerian cities to emulate.  END NOTE).  The city has no 
landfills, recycling or waste treatment facilities, although it has 
a functioning waste collection system.  ESTH Officer explained the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Methane-to-Market (M2M) 
program, which helps convert landfill-generated methane gas into 
small scale energy for local use and promised to facilitate linkage 
with EPA's M2M program.  Oduku said the state intends to privatize 
its waste collection and management services, convert existing 
dumpsites into landfills, and build recycling villages in 
partnership with the private sector. 
 
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A REFORMED FORESTERY COMMISSION 
------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Cross River State Forestry Commission Chairman Odigha 
Odigha and members of his governing board, composed of 
QOdigha and members of his governing board, composed of 
representatives from the public, private, and civil society sectors 
met with the visiting U.S. team and discussed their priorities. 
(NOTE:  Chairman Odigha is a respected conservationist and 
environmental activist who worked in the state for local and 
international NGOs for a long time.  END NOTE).  Odigha said the 
state, as part of its forest conservation plan, has imposed a 
two-year moratorium on logging in January 2008 and is actively 
enforcing the ban through a recently established anti-logging task 
force.  (NOTE:  The state plans to extend the moratorium before it 
lapses in January 2008.  END NOTE). 
 
¶10. (SBU) Odigha said, with the moratorium on logging in effect and 
the resultant removal of revenue targets from logging concessions, 
his agency is now more focused on its core mission of promoting 
conservation.  He also said the agency's board has approved 
elevating the Community Forest Management Unit within his agency to 
a department level, which he expects will result in more resources 
to encourage community-based forest conservation and wildlife 
management initiatives.  He reported the Commission is spearheading 
an afforestation and reforestation project through an indigenous 
tree-planting campaign involving local communities.  This is in 
addition to enhanced conservation of existing forests.  The state -- 
 
ABUJA 00002292  003 OF 003 
 
 
under its afforestation and reforestation project -- aims to 
increase its forest coverage from 800,000 hectares to one million 
hectares, according to Odigha.  He reported that the Commission has 
started a tree nursery program and will soon start distributing 
stocks of saplings to communities throughout the state. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶11. (SBU) Cross River State sees its depleted rainforests as 
precious resources that need to be preserved and enhanced for the 
benefit of current and future generations.  The state has laid out 
an ambitious environment-centered development plan but lacks the 
resources and capacity to carry them out in a reasonable period of 
time.  Prioritizing the various elements of the plan and taking an 
incremental approach is more likely to result in improved natural 
resource management and sustainable development.  The state's plan 
could serve as a model for other Nigerian states. 
 
¶12. (U) The REO in Accra cleared this cable. 
 
SANDERS