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| Africa Horn | |
| Many wild coffee species threatened with extinction. | |
| 2019-01-22 | |
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Climate change and deforestation
Research published by experts at Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew found that current conservation measures for wild coffee species are not enough to protect their long-term future. More than 100 types of coffee trees grow naturally in forests, including two used for the coffee we drink. Scientists say the figure is "worrying", as wild coffee is critical for sustaining the global coffee crop. About one in five of the world's plants is threatened with extinction, and the 60% figure is an "extremely high" one. Aaron Davis, head of coffee research at Kew, who co-led the work, said that among coffee species threatened with extinction are some that could be used to breed and develop the coffees of the future, including some that have resistance to disease and that can withstand worsening climatic conditions. He said targeted action is urgently needed in specific tropical countries, particularly in Africa and particularly in forested areas which are being hit hard by climate change. “As temperatures increase and rainfall decreases - the suitable area for growing ... diminishes,” Davis said. He noted the findings were not just important for coffee drinkers. “There are many countries which depend on coffee for the ... bulk of their export earnings. It’s estimated there are 100 million people producing coffee in farms around the world.” The study found that 75 wild coffee species are considered threatened with extinction, 35 are not threatened and too little is known about the remaining 14 to make any judgment. Furthermore, it was found that 28% of wild coffee species grow outside protected areas and only about half are preserved in seed banks. | |
| Posted by:3dc |