The Cross River State Government in Nigeria is proposing to construct a ‘‘Cross River Superhighway’’ that would bisectcritical remaining areas of tropical rainforest in south eastern Nigeria. We offer and evaluate two alternative routes to the superhighway that would be less damaging to forests, protected areas, and biological diversity. The first alternative we identified avoids intact forests entirely while seeking to benefit agriculture and existing settlements. The second alternative also avoids intact forests while incorporating existing paved and unpaved roads to limit construction costs. As currently proposed, the superhighway would be 260 km long, would intersect 115 km of intact forests or protected areas, and would cost an estimated ~US$2.5 billion to construct. Alternative Routes 1 and 2 are only slightly longer (~290 and ~353 km, respectively) and have markedly lower estimated construction costs (~US$0.92 billion). Furthermore, the alternative routes would have negligible impacts on forests and protected areas and would be better aligned to benefit local communities and agriculture. We argue that alternative routings such as those we examined here could markedly reduce the economic and environmental costs, and potentially increase the socioeconomic benefits, for the proposed Cross River Superhighway.
Mahmoud, M., Mahmoud1, M , Sloan1, S , Campbell1, M , Alamgir1, M , Imong2, I , Odigha3, O , Chapman4, H , Dunn2, A & F., A (2018). Alternative Routes for a Proposed Nigerian Superhighway to Limit Damage to Rare Ecosystems and Wildlife. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/alternative-routes-for-a-proposed-nigerian-superhighway-to-limit-damage-to-rare-ecosystems-and-wildlife
Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim, et. al. "Alternative Routes for a Proposed Nigerian Superhighway to Limit Damage to Rare Ecosystems and Wildlife" Afribary. Afribary, 19 Mar. 2018, https://afribary.com/works/alternative-routes-for-a-proposed-nigerian-superhighway-to-limit-damage-to-rare-ecosystems-and-wildlife. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim, Mahmoud Mahmoud1 , Sean Sloan1 , Mason Campbell1 , Mohammed Alamgir1 , Inaoyom Imong2 , Odigha Odigha3 , Hazel Chapman4 , Andrew Dunn2 and And F. . "Alternative Routes for a Proposed Nigerian Superhighway to Limit Damage to Rare Ecosystems and Wildlife". Afribary, Afribary, 19 Mar. 2018. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/alternative-routes-for-a-proposed-nigerian-superhighway-to-limit-damage-to-rare-ecosystems-and-wildlife >.
Mahmoud, Mahmoud Ibrahim, Mahmoud Mahmoud1 , Sean Sloan1 , Mason Campbell1 , Mohammed Alamgir1 , Inaoyom Imong2 , Odigha Odigha3 , Hazel Chapman4 , Andrew Dunn2 and And F. . "Alternative Routes for a Proposed Nigerian Superhighway to Limit Damage to Rare Ecosystems and Wildlife" Afribary (2018). Accessed April 20, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/alternative-routes-for-a-proposed-nigerian-superhighway-to-limit-damage-to-rare-ecosystems-and-wildlife