Liberia's endangered pygmy hippopotamuses face survival threats amid illegal mining and deforestation

Illegal artisanal mining, hunting, and deforestation in Liberia's protected national parks are putting one of the world's rarest species, the pygmy hippopotamus, at grave risk, according to the country's Forestry Development Authority, or FDA.

The FDA warns that escalating human activities in the Grebo-Krahn and Sapo National Parks threaten the survival of an estimated 200 to 300 pygmy hippopotamuses, a nocturnal and critically-endangered species found only in West Africa.

Globally, conservationists estimate that just 2,000 remain in the wild.

Despite repeated consultations aimed at resolving boundary and access disagreements with communities in the north and west protected areas of demarcation, tensions persist, limiting the ability of park authorities to operate effectively.

Ranger patrols have been significantly curtailed due to underfunding, creating opportunities for illegal mining and poaching within protected zones, according to the authority.

Nora Boweir, the FDA's deputy managing director, disclosed that surveillance cameras installed in Liberia's forest reserves have captured movements of the elusive hippos, particularly at night. The animals inhabit three of Liberia's tropical forest reserves, the Grebo-Krahn, Sapo and Gola Forest national parks.

These parks are home not only to pygmy hippopotamuses but also to forest elephants, critically-endangered Western chimpanzees, pangolins, duikers, Diana monkeys, and dozens of bird and primate species. The region forms part of the Upper Guinea Forest ecosystem, one of the most biologically rich yet threatened tropical forests in the world.

Despite its ecological wealth, Boweir cautioned that poaching, illegal gold mining, and unregulated farming are eroding biodiversity.

Mining activities, she said, cause deforestation, soil erosion, and water contamination, while noise, plastic, and chemical pollution disrupt wildlife behavior and breeding patterns. Human encroachment has also led to shrinking habitats and increased conflict between communities and wildlife.

Boweir revealed that staffing shortages have further weakened conservation efforts. Over the past five years, the Liberian government has retired public sector employees who reached the mandatory age limit, including several personnel assigned to Sapo National Park. Additional losses were recorded through deaths in service, leaving critical gaps that have not been filled.

"Three rounds of retirements have been conducted so far, and the remaining workforce includes a high number of elderly staff, which has affected productivity," Boweir said.

She added that infrastructure across the parks, including equipment and facilities, remains in poor condition, undermining enforcement and monitoring operations.

To reduce pressure on protected areas, the authority, with funding from international partners, has rolled out livelihood programs in surrounding communities. These include village savings and loan schemes, school renovations, beekeeping, cane rat farming, and the construction of hand pumps, initiatives aimed at providing alternative sources of income and reducing reliance on forest exploitation.

As part of protection efforts, Liberia's armed forces have been deployed to the three national parks under a presidential order. The troops are tasked with safeguarding national forest reserves and endangered species.

The FDA plans to strengthen conservation through community-based forest surveillance, enhanced law enforcement, wildlife and forest-cover monitoring, improved infrastructure, buffer zone regulations, and the creation of ecological corridors. The authority is also promoting a 'green economy' approach that supports women-led conservation enterprises, sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, eco-tourism, and research initiatives.

The FDA says it is also implementing strategies including stricter enforcement of conservation laws, land-use management, and community-led reforestation initiatives.

Between 2019 and mid-2025, more than 200 sightings of the endangered pygmy hippopotamus were recorded using surveillance cameras across Liberia's three national forest reserves. Before that period, the species' population was estimated at around 300.