Habitat loss, climate change pose grave threat to wild coffee species

Wild coffee species are under threat, with 60 per cent of them facing possible extinction due to climate change and the loss of natural habitat, as well as by the spread of diseases and pests, scientists have said. Most coffee species are found in the forests of Africa and Madagascar, the Guardian reported on Wednesday. While cultivated coffee is thriving, making up a hugely profitable business globally, the health of those species will also be affected by climate change.

In Ethiopia, the number of locations where Arabica, the original of the world's most popular form of coffee, grows could be reduced by as much as 85 per cent by 2080, and up to 60 per cent of the land used for the country's coffee production could become unsuitable by the end of the century, the researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, UK, published their research on Wednesday in the journals Science Advances and Global Change Biology.

Ethiopia is Africa's biggest coffee exporter, exporting $1 billion worth of the crop annually. About 15 million people in the country work in coffee production. Commercial coffee on a global scale will also be affected if wild species die out, as those plants could hold the key to cross-breeding coffee varieties more resilient to the effects of climate change and possibly resistant to certain pests and diseases. The analysis was based on the scientists' examination of the 124 known coffee species, and an assessment was produced for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which publishes the global Red List of threatened species.

Lead author Aaron Davis said: "Among the coffee species threatened with extinction are those that have potential to be used to breed and develop the coffees of the future, including those resistant to disease and capable of withstanding worsening climatic conditions. "The use and development of wild coffee resources could be key to the long-term sustainability of the coffee sector. Targeted action is urgently required in specific tropical countries, particularly in Africa, to protect the future of coffee."

(With inputs from agencies.)