Milestone reached! The Government of Gabon joins with Space for Giants to celebrate the installation of the country’s 1000 fence

Libreville, 29th January 2025 - The 1000th mobile electric fence and a new provincial office were inaugurated today during a ceremony presided by the Minister of Water, Forests and Human-Wildlife Conflict, and the governor of the Nyanga province.

The event marks the success of an unprecedented innovation in environmental conservation that Space for Giants has implemented in Central Africa, linking community development with biodiversity protection.

Human-elephant conflict is a critical political, social, and economic issue in Gabon. It threatens food security and hampers rural communities’ ability to send their children to school, given that agriculture is a primary source of livelihood.

Installing mobile electric fences has allowed farmers to protect their farms against destruction from crop-raiding elephants.

The milestone means Space for Giants achieved its 2024 target of installing 1,000 mobile electric fences in Gabon to address the issue of human-elephant conflict and nearly 15,000 people have already benefited from the project, spread across 43 of the country's 48 departments.  

The solution, proven to be 95% effective in preventing elephants from raiding crops where it has been implemented, has been identified as one of the key measures adopted in Gabon's national human-wildlife conflict strategy.

The official inauguration ceremony was held today in the city of Tchibanga, in Nyanga Province. It was attended by Maurice Ntossui Allogo, the Minister of Water and Forests, key partners, and members of the local administration.  

This celebration, combined with the launch of a new provincial office funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, not only highlights Space for Giants and the Government of the Gabonese Republic’s commitment to effectively address the urgency and demands of local communities but also represents a significant step forward in the field of conservation in Central Africa. 

‘‘I am delighted to attend the inauguration ceremony of the 1000th electric fence,” said Maurice Ntossui Allogo, the Minister of Water and Forest. “Food security, safety, and the restoration of the dignity of rural communities depend on mitigating human-wildlife conflict, and the farmers who have suffered are waiting for actions from our Government, conservation partners, and international organizations, with results that must be immediately noticeable. 

“With this in mind, we must double our efforts by intensifying the installation of individual electric fences, as the feedback from beneficiaries has been encouraging.’’ 

The event was an opportunity for Space for Giants to reiterate its role as a key technical partner to the Government of the Gabonese Republic in mitigating this conflict. 

Eric Chehoski, Space for Giants Country Director, Gabon, said: ‘‘The completion of this 1,000th fence demonstrates the efforts of the Gabonese Republic to find a solution to a food security crisis for its rural citizens. As the technical partner in attenuating human-elephant conflict, Space for Giants recognizes that much more remains to be done, to extend the project into all affected rural communities across Gabon. 

“The growing demand for mobile fences reflects the effectiveness of the tool, its impact, and its adoption by farmers. Our hope is that the government will integrate the mobile electric fences into a community and economic development strategy that aligns with national priorities.”

Gabon is the largest refuge of African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), with an estimated 95,000 individuals. However, it is also the only country in the world dealing with human-elephant conflict on a national scale, with elephants present in 47 out of 48 administrative departments. 

Electric fencing has proven to be the only effective mitigation technique outside of administrative slaughtering in Gabon. As a result, the government of the Gabonese Republic, through its Ministry of Water and Forest and its technical partner Space for Giants, initiated the mobile electric fencing program to address the national crisis. 

The electric fence conceived and deployed by Space for Giants is therefore a crucial a bridge between conservation and the development of rural communities. Many farmers previously faced sleepless nights and high risks while protecting their crops using ineffective traditional methods such as lighting fires and banging on tin drums.

 The fences now provide peace of mind, shielding them from the stress and danger they once endured.

The mobile electric fencing program is funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Elephant Crisis Fund, Elephant Cooperation, Chantecaille Foundation, Perenco, TotalEnergies, Maurel & Prom, The Art Ortenberg and Liz Claiborne Foundation and Atlantic Packaging. It received funding in the pilot phase from Assala Upstream, Vaalco, Elephant Crisis Fund, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy.