As the world’s demand for chocolate grows, farmers in Nigeria are moving into protected areas of a forest reserve that’s home to endangered species like African forest elephants. Over two visits and several days, The Associated Press repeatedly documented farmers harvesting cocoa beans where that work is banned in conservation areas of Omo Forest Reserve. The AP reviewed company and trade documents and interviewed more than 20 farmers, five licensed buying agents and two brokers operating within the reserve. They say cocoa from the conservation zone is purchased by some of the world’s largest cocoa suppliers. Those companies supply Nigerian cocoa to huge chocolate manufacturers, but it’s not clear if cocoa from deforested areas makes it into well-known sweets.
