GNV News, 24 July 2026

In the Republic of Liberia in West Africa, deforestation is accelerating, driven by the expansion of cocoa cultivation. In Grand Gedeh County in southeastern Liberia in particular, reports indicate that in 2025 the county recorded the largest forest loss ever among Liberia’s counties, and that farmland is expanding even into protected areas and national parks.

Behind this trend are factors such as the expansion of cocoa cultivation and exports due to the rise in global cocoa prices, and an influx of agricultural workers from neighboring countries like Côte d’Ivoire, where regulations on cocoa production have been tightened.

Although the Liberian government is stepping up crackdowns on illegal logging and forest clearing, local residents and community groups are resisting from the standpoint of securing livelihoods and land rights. Combined with the inflow of agricultural workers, the forest issue is developing into a social and political conflict.

Another notable development is the rollback of international frameworks. In 2026, the European Union (EU) decided to terminate its agreement with Liberia on combating illegal timber trade. Through a mechanism that allowed only legal timber to be exported to the EU market, this agreement had been an important framework for promoting improved governance in the forestry sector. The termination is said to stem from stagnation and challenges in implementation, but as a result, external monitoring and incentives are weakening, raising concerns that the deterrent against illegal logging may decline.

The problems facing Liberia’s forests are not merely about deforestation or environmental degradation; they are complex issues where the global economy, the government’s law enforcement capacity and its relationship with local communities, and international frameworks intersect. The ongoing deforestation in Liberia driven by cocoa and its processed products—cocoa powder and chocolate—is deeply connected to global patterns of production and consumption.

Learn more about cocoa → “Deforestation Accelerating with the Expansion of Cocoa Cultivation”

Learn more about Liberia → “Towards Equal Economic Opportunities for Women”

Learn more about West Africa → “The Changing International Relations of West Africa”

Logs being transported to a sawmill in Liberia (Photo: World Resources Institute, Maite Knorr-Evans / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])