Mobile Electric Fences Transform Lives of Over 10,000 Gabonese Beneficiaries
Libreville, 12th September 2024 - Space for Giants, in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Forest, is proud to announce that its mobile electric fence initiative has reached and benefited 11,796 people across Gabon. This achievement highlights the strides made in mitigating the human-elephant conflict in the country with the deployment of 857 mobile electric fences and a goal of reaching 1000 fences by the end of 2024.
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. Since the project’s inception in 2022, Space for Giants has installed 857 fences, safeguarding farms from elephant crop raids and farmers from food insecurity.
"This electric fence has changed my life. It has secured my field, allowing me to harvest more plantains. I sold a portion of the harvest to cover my children's educational expenses and feed my family," said Albertine Sama Moussavou, a beneficiary from the Ogooué-Maritime province.
The electric fences have greatly enhanced beneficiaries' economic and psychological well-being. The average age of fence beneficiaries is 57. 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.
‘‘Before this barrier, life was very difficult. We couldn't do anything. Some of us even considered abandoning farming altogether. I lived in a makeshift camp within the plantation with my family. Since witnessing the effectiveness of this fence, my family and I have moved back to the village to live with the others. ” said Antoine Nguema, a beneficiary from the Ngounie province.
Beneficiaries have reported noticeable interactions between the electric fence and elephants, proving the tool’s effectiveness. The fences have repelled 1,055 elephant attacks out of 1,112 attempts, preventing crop raids and ensuring food security for rural communities. Due to the fence’s success in deterring elephants, requests for them have continually increased. To date, 2,339 fence requests have been documented across the territory with the Ministry of Water and Forests via incident reports and electric fence requests recorded on the Human-Fauna Conflict Gabon App.
"Communities have shown growing enthusiasm for the program due to the positive results of the fence's effectiveness. Nationwide, the demand for our fences far exceeds official figures. While 10,000 beneficiaries is commendable, further expansion is needed to secure more people, ”said Hans Pascal Ekorezock Ndong, Program Manager.
Space for Giants’ innovative mobile electric fence solution provides an immediate and effective response to the human-elephant conflict in Gabon. As a technical partner to the government of the Gabonese Republic, Space for Giants has played a crucial role in mitigating a socio-political crisis. The organization has installed 857 fences across 39 of Gabon’s 48 departments, demonstrating the widespread impact of this initiative.
Perenco, TotalEnergies, Maurel and Prom, Elephant Cooperation, and the Elephant Crisis Fund funded the mobile electric fencing program. The pilot phase also received funding from Assala Upstream, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Vaalco, and The Nature Conservancy.
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