Dear MEL Topic Readers,
World's coffee under threat, say experts
Of the 120 plus known coffee species, only two are used for consumption, Arabica and Robusta. If so, do we need to worry about the rest of the wild coffee species?
Coffee species grow in tropical climates, mostly in Africa and Madagascar, and some in India, Sri Lanka, and Australia and keep evolving in the wild. Since they are genetically related to the two cultivated coffee crops, they’ve been crossed with these domesticated crops to improve the yields, resistance to diseases, and endurance to climate changes. So, the existence of the wild coffee species, though they are not drinkable, is essential for our coffee. However, a new study found that 60% of those wild coffee species are on the brink of extinction. And only about a half of those wild species are kept outside the wild for backup.
As the global climate changes faster and more drastically, how long will those wild coffee species last in the wild? Switching to tea doesn’t seem to be so safer as half of the wild tea species are also threatened with extinction. Yes, actions are needed for the future.
Enjoy reading the article and learn how threatened coffee species are.
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