Coffee in Trouble: 60% of wild coffee species threatened with extinction
Arabica wild coffee species threatened ala Ethiopia
The wild relative of Arabica, the most widely traded coffee in the world, is in particular trouble. Get your hands off my beans.
With the threat of loss of plants in the wild (in situ), a concerted effort should be made to capture the genetic diversity that is still present in the wild and preserve them in ex situ collections, while also protecting in situ sites. There are more than 100 species of wild coffee lurking in forests scattered across Africa, Asia, Australasia and islands like Madagascar. Most of these wild species, including the wild relatives of Arabica, are at risk of extinction from deforestation, climate change and the spread of diseases and pests, a new study has found.
Ethiopian coffee forest
Of the 124 species of wild coffee known to science, 75 species, or 60 percent, are threatened with extinction due to deforestation, climate change and the spread of diseases and pests, a new study has found. Around 72 percent of the wild coffee species occur within some protected area, but many of the parks also have lax enforcement, and coffee species are rarely included within park management plans. Coverage of the potential range of the species is also poor.
In situ (L) "on site". via
dr. π (pi)
.
The wild relative of Arabica, the most widely traded coffee in the world, is in particular trouble. Get your hands off my beans.
With the threat of loss of plants in the wild (in situ), a concerted effort should be made to capture the genetic diversity that is still present in the wild and preserve them in ex situ collections, while also protecting in situ sites. There are more than 100 species of wild coffee lurking in forests scattered across Africa, Asia, Australasia and islands like Madagascar. Most of these wild species, including the wild relatives of Arabica, are at risk of extinction from deforestation, climate change and the spread of diseases and pests, a new study has found.
Ethiopian coffee forest
Of the 124 species of wild coffee known to science, 75 species, or 60 percent, are threatened with extinction due to deforestation, climate change and the spread of diseases and pests, a new study has found. Around 72 percent of the wild coffee species occur within some protected area, but many of the parks also have lax enforcement, and coffee species are rarely included within park management plans. Coverage of the potential range of the species is also poor.
In situ (L) "on site". via
dr. π (pi)
.