Report on the mission to PRESCO Nigeria 20/11/04-28/11/04, in connection with the Ologbo extension project

Verwilghen Aude. 2005. Report on the mission to PRESCO Nigeria 20/11/04-28/11/04, in connection with the Ologbo extension project. Montpellier : CIRAD, 21 p. N° de rapport : CP_DOC 1784

Résumé : The entire zone already acquired or in the process of being acquired covers the former forest reserve (the Ologbo forest reserve), which is already completely exploited for slash and burn agriculture in the northern section, and is mostly covered by freshwater swamp forest and secondary lowland moist rainforest that is gradually being eroded by agriculture, in the southern section. There are major social challenges, notably because the extension project zone is located in a highly inhabited area that is used as agricultural land or as a land reserve by the surrounding local populations. Despite the legality of Presco's land acquisition, and the assumed potential impact of the project on local development, the company is already having to deal with some not insubstantial land disputes and will continue having to do so. There are also major environmental challenges, since virtually all the zone that has already been acquired is covered by dense rainforest which, although severely degraded (notably by active logging), still has considerable specific richness, with the existence of numerous humid zones (swamp forests), which are fragile ecosystems with a fairly high conservation value. However, there would not appear to be any endangered species (UICN list) in the zone, apart from the suspected existence of apes (chimpanzees or gorillas). Furthermore, in agronomic terms, even if the soils in the region are, generally speaking, highly suitable for oil palm, the existence of these hydromorphic zones, which occupy a large area of the concession, is a substantial limiting factor (difficulty and cost of drainage). As knowledge stands, there is relatively little precise information on the project zone at Ologbo. The prior environmental impact assessment (EIA) available (Presco, 2004, prepared by Blue Fin Nig. Ltd) provides information on the status of the biophysical environment, but it would seem in some cases not to be particularly reliable, and in all cases insufficient to: 1) gain a precise idea of the conservation value of the zone and of its agricultural capability (notably in terms of the hydromorphism limiting factor), 2) to serve as an assessment of the initial status with a view to monitoring (inaccuracy, inadequate methodology, etc.). In addition to the EIA already carried out, additional investigations are therefore necessary to gain more precise information about to aspects, among other things, that entail two major challenges: biodiversity, notably faunistic, and use of resources by the local populations. Faunistic, socio-economic and ethno-ecological surveys and inventories are therefore needed, and an agricultural diagnosis needs to be carried out. In addition, the agricultural capability of the concession needs to be mapped as accurately as possible, notably with regard to the main limiting factor - hydromorphism. Due to constraints associated with timing (land Bearing scheduled for the beginning of 2006), zone accessibility (swamp forest, flooded areas), and the data gathering methodology, it turns out that a satisfactory assessment of the conservation value of the zone could be carried out provided: - there is greater mobilization of human resources, - planting is started in the northern zone of the OFR that is currently being acquired (zone already farmed). In other respects, given the time constraints and the current state of knowledge for the environmental assessment, it is proving difficult to carry out a complete evaluation of the initial status prior to the launch of project activities at Ologbo, for the purpose of subsequent impact monitoring. This is a medium-term research task that is fully integrated into this pilot project.

Auteurs et affiliations

• Verwilghen Aude, CIRAD-CP-PALMIER (FRA)

Source : Cirad - Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/524211/)

Métriques

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