Uh oh, wild coffee species at risk of extinction due to climate change

A recent study published in Science Advances found that 60% of wild coffee species are at risk of becoming extinct.

Forbes reported that this includes wild species of arabica coffee, the most cultivated coffee species, which requires favourable weather conditions and is difficult to cultivate.

According to the report, global coffee trade mainly relies on two coffee species, arabica, which contributes 60%, and robusta, the remaining 40%.

Global coffee trade now faces new risks that threaten the survival of  these two species.

Arabica naturally occurs in parts of South Sudan and Ethiopia, while robusta grows in wet and tropical parts of Africa.

These threats include drastic climate change effects, such as lengthy droughts, the spread and escalation of fungal pathogens , diseases and pests, as well as social, economic and market-based factors.

According to the study, despite arabica and robusta being the most produced coffees for global trade, there are 124 coffee species known to science that grow naturally in tropical parts of Africa and the Indian Ocean islands including, Comoros Islands, Mascarene Islands and Madagascar.

Seventy five coffee species (60%) have been regarded as at risk of extinction, with 13 being critically endangered, 40 endangered and 22 labelled vulnerable, based on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List Categories and Criteria.

Madagascar has the highest number of threatened coffee species, with 43.