Coffee Lovers, Attention! Study Finds Over Half of Coffee Beans Face Danger of Extinction

Because we are firm believers that caffeine comes first; especially when it comes to those irksome morning meeting or the traffic jams that life hands us, we are naturally big time coffee lovers (addicts!). The quality of coffee beans makes a huge difference in the flavour and aroma of your morning cup. But, coffee lovers, we are in big trouble! According to a new study, over half of all wild coffee species worldwide are in danger of going extinct. To be precise, about 60 per cent of wild coffee species are under threat of extinction, and if we do not preserve now, there is not really a very bright future of coffee farming. Coffee Leaf Rust Is Reducing Its Production Drastically in Latin America; the Industry Is in a Crisis Situation. 

The study published in Science Advances, states that the reason behind such significant risk is climate change, deforestation, disease and drought. The researchers analysed 124 species and identified that 75 of them face the threat of extinction with 13 considered critically endangered, 40 endangered and 22 categorised as vulnerable. Over two billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world every day, and two primary coffees that we drink are Arabic and Robusta, both of which are listed among the endangered species. However, protecting and conserving the species that are less or not used for consumption is equally vital as they provide stability and diversity.  Is It Healthy to Drink Coffee? Some Reasons to Chug Our Favourite Beverage. 

“Some of the coffee species assessed have not been seen in the wild for more than 100 years and it is possible that some may already be extinct,” one of the study’s co-authors Eimear Nic Lughadha said in a statement. Africa’s largest coffee producer which is in Ethiopia, the threat is especially dire. The researchers further found that Arabica crops could decline by 85 per cent by 2080 and 60 per cent of the land used for coffee farming will be wiped out by the end of the century. The species would be needed to help breed new disease and climate resistant strains. This could cause crop yields to go down in the coming years and hence could hamper the industry’s ability to provide fresh and better-tasting coffee. ‘Cannabis Coffee’ to Be Introduced in a UK Cafe, May Help Reduce Stress & Anxiety. 

Aaron Davis, one of the study’s lead authors, told AFP, “As a coffee drinker you don’t need to worry in the short term. What we are saying is that in the long term if we don’t act now to preserve those key resources we don’t have a very bright future for coffee farming.” The research was conducted with guidelines from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, headquartered in Switzerland, the organisation that publishes the global red list of threatened species.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2019 11:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).