The Cross River National Park is a national park of Nigeria, located in Cross River State, Nigeria. There are two separate sections, Okwangwo (established 1991) and Oban (established 1988). The park has a total area of about 4,000 km2, most of which consists of primary moist tropical rainforests in the North and Central parts, with mangrove swamps on the coastal zones. Parts of the park belong to the Guinea-Congolian region, with a closed canopy and scattered emergent trees reaching 40 or 50 meters in height.
Cross River National Park borders Korup National Park in Cameroon and is the largest rain forest area in Nigeria. It is also a hotspot for biodiversity.The park has one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, and has been identified as a biodiversity hot spot. Sixteen primate species have been recorded in the park. Rare primates include common chimpanzees, drills and (in Okwangwo) Cross River gorillas. Another primate, the gray-cheeked mangabey, seems to have recently become extinct in the area.
Both divisions of the park are threatened by illegal logging, slash and burn farming and poaching. Eco-tourism may support efforts to preserve the park fauna. Assisting villagers in buffer zones to practice sustainable forestry also holds promise.
The Okwangwo Division and the Oban Division are the two non-contiguous divisions of the Central Riverine National Park (CRNP), one of eight national parks in Nigeria. The Nigerian National Park Service (NNPS), which reports to the Federal Ministry of the Environment and is headed by a Conservator General, is in charge of the CRNP. Furthermore, a Conservator of Parks oversees every National Park in Nigeria.
The Guinean Forests of West Africa include the CRNP. With two distinct seasons—a dry season (November to March) and a rainy season (March to November), its vegetation is made mostly of moist lowland rainforest. The daily average temperature ranges from 14 °C to 25 °C, while the annual rainfall falls between 2000 and 3000 mm. Many endemic and severely endangered species, like the Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli, which inhabits the Okwangwo Division, may be found in the CRNP, a Pleistocene biodiversity refuge. The national park is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area and is included in the UN's list of the 25 Biodiversity Hotspots in the World.
History
The park was first proposed in 1965, but serious planning did not start until 1988. The World Wide Fund for Nature - UK played a leading role for the plan to establish the park in two divisions separated by farmland and the Cross River valley, with a budget of $49.9 million. The plan envisaged villagers in the buffer zone being involved in running the park and being given development aid.
The Cross River National Park (CRNP) was established by the Federal Ministry Government Decree in 1991, with the Cross River gorilla chosen as the theme animal. The original plan was not fully implemented, and the park established in 1991 only included existing forest reserves. After a small amount of initial aid, the funding dried up and the villagers became hostile to the park administration. An amending decree in 1999 converted the Nigerian National Park Service, which runs the park, into a paramilitary outfit with increased powers.The park was created in 1991 and borders the Takamanda and Korup national parks in Cameroon. It also crosses with five local government areas (Obanliku, Boki, Etung, Ikom, and Akampka). Because of its proximity to PA in Cameroon, the CRNP could be a component of a bigger transboundary PA. With the creation of the park, some 105 buffer zone settlements were formed, some of which were enclave towns inside the park.
The local populations' ability to lawfully utilize the forest's resources was taken away when the CRNP and its borders were established in 1991. Because the ICDP and relocation initiatives did not yield substitute means of subsistence, the local residents are left with no choice but to continue utilizing the CRNP's resources—albeit with illegal implications. As a result, the local populations in the CRNP become the drivers of forest fragmentation.
Organisation
The Nigeria National Park Service is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing & Urban Development. The Cross River National Park is headed by a Director under the guidance of a Park Management Committee. The park management has established a station at Kanyang as a base for primate research and eco-tourism. The Butatong Divisional Head Office, established with assistance from the European Union and the World Wildlife Fund provides a base for rangers patrolling the Okwa and Okwangwo sectors of the Okwangwo division.