A new study by British researchers finds that some 60 percent of wild coffee species that could contribute to the resilience of commercial coffee species are at risk of extinction.
The threat comes from increasing numbers of droughts and fast spreading fungal pathogens, said researchers, whose work was published in January in the open access journal Science Advances.
Their study provides insights that could aid in the survival of the global coffee sector.
Researchers said the coffee industry needs to take steps to assure survival of these wild coffee species, including the upkeep of germplasm collections, assemblages of seeds that are kept outside of their natural habitats for plant breeding, preservation and other research purposes.
Arabica and robusta comprise 60 percent and 40 percent respectively of traded coffees, but other wild coffee species likely will be needed in the future or the coffee sector’s survival given the increasing threats faced by these two major species.
There are 124 species of wild coffee known, each of which have traits useful for coffee development, including climatic tolerance and pest resistance. The research project assessed the risk of extinction for all 124 of these known wild coffees, using data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria. Researchers also analyzed germplasm collections. Their results showed that 75 (60 percent) of these wild coffee species are considered threatened with extinction, making them one of the highest recorded threat rates for a plant species.
Researchers also found that 55 percent of all wild coffee species are held within germplasm collections and 72 percent are found in protected areas. While at face value these results may not seem troubling, threatened species are inadequately represented in both germplasm collections as well as in protected areas.
Overall, small distribution sizes, low numbers of locations where wild species are present and ongoing threats such as habitat loss are the main drivers for coffee species extinction risk, researchers said.
Study authors include A.P. Davis; H. Chadburn; J. Moat; R. O’Sullivan; S. Hargreaves; E.N. Lughadha at Royal Botanic Gardens in Richmond, UK; J. Moat at University of Nottingham in Nottingham, UK; R. O’Sullivan at Queen Mary University of London in London, UK.
