A NEW investigation by the Initiatives for Community Development and Forest (IDEF) Conservation Association, a Cote d’Ivoire-based nonprofit, has exposed large-scale deforestation in Liberia linked to the expansion of cocoa plantations. The report warns that without swift European intervention, Liberia’s remaining tropical forests could soon vanish.
According to the IDEF report, farmers—many displaced by soil degradation and low yields in Cote d’Ivoire—are crossing into Liberia’s Grand Gedeh region to clear vast tracts of land for cocoa production. The trend, the organisation says, is creating an ecological crisis in one of West Africa’s last intact forest reserves.
‘The scale of deforestation is colossal’
Although deforestation is illegal in Liberia, enforcement remains weak. The IDEF report documents nearly 500,000 hectares of primary forest cleared for cocoa farming in Grand Gedeh alone since 2020. Global Forest Watch estimates that Liberia lost 162,000 hectares of natural forest in 2024.
‘The scale of deforestation is colossal,’ said IDEF Executive Director Bakary Traoré in a statement. ‘In the localities we visited, families had ceded forest plots ranging from 50 to 300 hectares, compared with 8 or 10 hectares in our previous report last year.’
The report highlights more than environmental damage. Investigators found evidence of human trafficking, child labour and exploitation linked to the cocoa trade. Many young migrants are reportedly being recruited to clear forests and work on plantations under harsh conditions.
From Cote d’Ivoire to Liberia: a shifting crisis
Cote d’Ivoire remains the world’s largest cocoa exporter, but decades of reliance on the crop have left the country’s soils depleted and forests destroyed. With over 90 percent of its original forest cover lost, farmers are now seeking new fertile land across the border in Liberia.
The IDEF investigation warns that this shift is transferring the environmental burden rather than solving it. ‘Cocoa expansion is moving the crisis, not stopping it,’ the report states, urging international buyers to address the cross-border nature of the problem.
EU delays spark concern among campaigners
The European Union is the world’s largest importer of cocoa and the main producer of finished chocolate. In 2023, it introduced the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to ban the marketing of products linked to forest destruction, including cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber, and timber.
However, the implementation of the regulation has been postponed until December 2026, drawing sharp criticism from IDEF and environmental campaigners.
‘Even though Europe could play a key role in saving these forests and helping communities, it is failing to do so because of constant procrastination,’ said Traoré. ‘While Europe dithers, there will soon be no forests left in Liberia—it will be too late.’
Environmental groups say the EU’s delay risks undermining its credibility as a global leader in sustainable trade. They argue that unless the EUDR is enforced quickly, cocoa grown on deforested land will continue entering European supply chains.
IDEF has called on both European regulators and multinational chocolate companies to ensure traceable, deforestation-free cocoa sourcing. The organisation also urged consumers to demand greater transparency about where their chocolate originates.
Euronews, which first reported the findings, said it has contacted both the European Commission and IDEF for comment.
Credit: Africabrieifng
