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By: Richard Williams/0775339618 / 0881084573/[email protected]
Gbarpolu County, Liberia – Farmers in Gbaryama and Karlo towns, Bopolu District, are raising urgent alarms over repeated invasions by wild elephants, which have not only devastated their farms but are also threatening the region’s fragile food security and economic resilience.
For the past two farming seasons, residents of these forest-fringed communities have endured significant losses, with elephants trampling and consuming large quantities of essential crops such as cassava, plantains, peanuts, bananas, and vegetables. Local estimates suggest the damage exceeds 150,000 Liberian dollars, plunging many farming families into economic hardship.
“Last year, we made big peanut and cassava farms, but the elephants used two days to destroy everything,” lamented Old Lady Varjah Kamara, co-chair of the Nenela Women’s Group in Gbaryama. “We couldn’t farm this year because we are afraid. Farming is how we support our children’s education and feed our families.”
Other community members, including Mr. Folley Kamara, a seasoned farmer from Karlo, noted that the elephants travel in groups and often invade at night, leaving trails of destruction that make recovery nearly impossible.
“We have complained many times to the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), but nothing has changed. The elephants are ruining our lives, and since we are told not to harm them, what are we supposed to do?” Kamara asked.
The situation underscores a growing tension between wildlife conservation and rural livelihoods in Liberia’s forest zones. Gbarpolu County, rich in biodiversity and situated near protected areas, has seen a rise in human-wildlife conflicts in recent years as deforestation, mining, and shifting climate patterns push animals like elephants closer to human settlements in search of food and habitat.
Environmental experts say such conflicts are a symptom of a larger ecological imbalance. “Elephants are critical to forest ecosystems, but their movements into farmlands are signs that their natural habitat is under threat,” said an independent environmental analyst familiar with the region. “Without integrated landscape management and community-based conservation, both wildlife and rural livelihoods will continue to suffer.”
Responding to the outcry, Boimah Rick, Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer with the Forestry Development Authority, confirmed that the FDA has initiated community training programs to help mitigate the issue. “We have trained farmers across Gbarpolu and surrounding areas in non-lethal methods to deter elephants, such as the paper brick method, chili fencing, and noise deterrents,” he said.
Rick emphasized that the trainings are ongoing and are being supported by both the government and international conservation partners. “In many cases, the methods work. But we need more resources to expand our outreach and provide the materials needed for communities to protect their farms effectively.”
He encouraged the affected farmers to continue applying the deterrent techniques shared during the workshops. “We are also engaging partners to scale up support so that communities can live and farm peacefully without endangering wildlife,” he added.
As the elephants’ incursions persist, farmers in Gbaryama and Karlo are urging the government to step in more decisively—either by relocating the animals or by establishing a formal compensation and protection mechanism for communities at the frontline of conservation zones.
“We are not against protecting elephants,” said Old Lady Varjah, “but what about protecting the people who are trying to survive?”
This crisis brings to the fore the urgent need for Liberia to adopt inclusive conservation models—ones that safeguard wildlife while prioritizing the well-being of the rural communities who live closest to nature.
