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Home / Agriculture / Coffee Forest Symbiosisby Dr. Anand Titus and Geeta N. Pereira Page 1 | Page 2 A few endangered species of wild animals: Tigers. Elephants, leopard cat, rusty spotted cat, Asiatic wild dog, sloth bear, lion-tailed macaque , Nilgiri tahr and Nilgiri langur purple-faced. INDIAN ELEPHANT: International demand for Ivory and Organized crime inside the game sanctuaries is threatening the wild elephant population. Elephants are in real peril. Unlike the African elephant only the males of the Indian elephants have tusks, and a part of the genetic population called MAKHNAS do not have it at all. The tusk size denotes rank and position among the herd. Young and females form herds and Males tend to disperse. Fully grown individuals consume up to 350 kg of grass and foliage per day. However, they never overgraze. Compared to the African elephant, the Indian elephant is much smaller in size. The only way out to protect these animals is by giving them their own domain of untouched forests, free from human habitation.
TIGER: The tiger made its appearance in India about 10,000 years ago and has ruled the forests of the subcontinent since then. In 1948, the tiger population was estimated to be 25,000. However, with the forest cover shrinking at an alarming rate together with poaching, only, 3500 of these majestic cats is found in the wild. Extinction is a grim possibility. Tiger is recognized as the National Animal of India. An adult tiger can weigh up to 600 pounds and pull down an animal four times its size.
Environmental CrisisFor the past three years the price of coffee has been below the cost of cultivation and this coffee crisis has triggered a range of reactions from the coffee farmers. Coffee farmers are increasingly diverting their attention towards short term profits. On one side they are indiscriminately cutting native trees and replanting the soil with saplings like eucalyptus, mangium, mesopsis, acacia, delonix, feltoforum, and other species meant for the restoration of desert soils. These tree species have high amount of phenolics and are miners of precious nutrients. Instead of contributing to the soil fertility they degrade the soil and also remove water from the groundwater table. In the bargain the self supporting stability of natural forests decline. We firmly believe that the greatest threat to this fragile planet in the 21st century is the destruction of coffee forests and creation of monocropped forests. Imagine millions of acres of pine, eucalyptus, acacia or mangium forests. They do not support any other plant or animal life. So called forests have the potential of wiping out millions of plant, animal and bird species which are vital for mans existence.
SolutionForest nurseries and private nurseries need to propagate the native forest trees which contribute thousands of tons of biomass and periodically rejuvenate the soil system. So coffee farmers need to prepare and preserve the seeds of these traditional varieties of hardwood and semi hard wood species which act as rain harvesters and enrich the fertility status of the soil. Our earlier studies have shown that below the ground interface , all biotic partners are inter connected with each other and closely follow nature’s principle of sharing the land and the bounty it holds.
Consequences Due To Loss of Forest Cover
Strategies to Protect Coffee Forests
ConclusionThe specter of Industrial growth catching up in rural towns is increasing dramatically and within a decade it will have a telling effect on the world’s natural resources which are already under threat. Mistakes have been made, forests cut down when they could have been saved, wildlife, destroyed when they could have been preserved. People need to know to know the value of what they are destroying. These environmental concerns have been expressed time and again by the United Nations but precious little has been done. Our goals should be reliable supplies of energy that are ecofriendly and affordable. First; we should recognize that even as forests become scarce, other fossil fuels like tar and shale will remain plentiful for centuries. This fact will ease the pressure on existing forests.
"Coffee can protect wildlife, ecosystems and environments,” said Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. And caring about sustainable coffee can also protect coffee workers, of whom there are some 25 million worldwide. Ted Lingle "Sustainability is a three-legged stool, he said. "It consists of economic viability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility” . The good news is that the United Nations has made a Commitment to Serve Sustainable Coffee, at its head quarters, Certified by the Rainforest Alliance. They further recognize that worldwide many countries that are breeding new generation varieties of coffee which are sun loving and respond to high amounts of fertilizers and chemicals can damage the fragile ecosystem. This in itself is a dangerous trend because it defeats the very purpose of sustainability.
On one hand we need to keep alive the spirit of the forests and that of our ancestors. After all this ancient time tested partnership between man and forests has helped in preserving the richness of the mountain. Imagine a world without wildlife and trees ! . It creates an empty world, without depth and substance. It will spell disaster to all of mankind. On the other hand the war on poaching is escalating. Rare species of butterfly, crocodile, elephant tusks, rhino horn etc are trophies that are exhibited in affluent houses. Under our very own eyes, our entire ecosystem is changing. Man’s unbridled greed has resulted in accelerating deforestation. There may not be enough land left for the survival of wildlife, leave alone forests. In the coming months we need to take stalk of old challenges and gear ourselves to face new challenges. Just as we speak about global peace, we also need to make peace with mother earth’s flora and fauna.
The authors wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Allen J Pais, Coffee Planter, “ PROVIDENCE ESTATE ” ,Siddapur, Coorg, Kodagu. For contributing the wildlife photos. References
www.ineedcoffee.com/04/biodiversity/ Page 1 | Page 2 |
