Coffee Hotspots - An Inventory of Biodiversity (INeedCoffee.com)

Coffee Hotspots - An Inventory of Biodiversity

BIODIVERSITY FACTS (Gabriel Melchias, 2001)

Nobody knows how many species are disappearing (or being generated) on the earth: probably fewer than 10 % of species have been given a scientific name.
Since the beginning of this century about 75 % of the genetic diversity among agricultural crops has been lost.
The rural poor depend upon biological resources for an estimated 90 % of their needs.
A 13.7 km² area of La Selva forest in Costa Rica contains almost 1500 plant species-more than all those found in the United Kingdom’s 243500 km².
In the U.S.A. 25 % of all prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies are substances extracted from plants. Another 13 % come from microorganisms and 3 % from animals.

INDIA IN RELATION TO BIODIVERSITY

India has a bio diversity of 45,000 species of flora which accounts for 15 per cent of the known world plants. Of the 15,000 species of flowering plants, 35 per cent are endemic and are located in 26 endemic centers. Among the monocotyledons, out of 588 genera occurring in the Country, 22 are strictly endemic.

The WESTERN GHATS, one of the eight HOTTEST HOT SPOTS of biodiversity, are suffering annual deforestation rate of 1.16 per cent, despite 15 per cent of their land area being protected as wild life sanctuaries. India ranks tenth in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. The Indian gene centre is globally recognized as one among the twelve mega diversity regions of the world. More than 20 crop species were domesticated here. It is known to have more than 49,000 species of plants, 18,000 species of higher plants, including major and minor crop (166) and their wild relatives (326). Around 1000 wild edible plant species are widely exploited by native tribes. These include 145 species of roots and tubers, 521 of leafy vegetables/ greens, 101 of buds and flowers, 647 of fruits and 118 of seeds and nuts. In addition, nearly 9500 plant species of ethno-botanical uses have been reported from the country of which around 7500 are the ethno-medicinal importances and 3900 are multi purpose, edible species.

TABLE 4: NATIVE CLIMBERS INSIDE COFFEE FORESTS

COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME	FAMILY	MEDICINAL USE	ENDANGERED Yes/No
Pepper	Piper nigrum	Piperaeae	Leprocy, Skin diseases, piles, worms, Fistula, Skin diseases.	No
	Cyclea peltata	Menispermaceae	diverse	No

Savithramma et al have recorded that the rate of extinction of species in India is perhaps the highest in the world. They further state that about 150 species, which were collected 100 years ago, have not been spotted in the recent past. Around 600 to 700 species listed by the Botanical Survey of India alone are on the verge of extinction at the rate of 100 species per dens; this extinction rate will be more than 1000 times the estimated normal rate of extinction. In the tropics, the destruction of forests, threatens 1, 30,000 species which live no where else.

TABLE-5. NUMBER OF RECORDED BIOTA IN INDIA. ( U. KUMAR & A.K.SHARMA, 2001)

TAXON	NUMBER OF SPECIES
FLORA BACTERIA	850
ALGAE	2,500
FUNGI	23,000
LICHENS	1,600
BRYOPHYTA	2,700
PTERIDOPHYTA	1,022
GYMNOSPERMS	64
ANGIOSPERMS	17,000
TOTAL	48,736

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY

The rough estimates points out that there exists 10-25 million species of living forms.
Only 1.5 million have been identified.
300,000 species of green plants and fungi.
800,000 species of insects
40,000 species of vertebrates
3,60,000 species of microorganisms

It is a well established fact in scientific circles that tropical forests are very rich in biodiversity. More than half of the species on the earth live in moist tropical forests, which are only 7 per cent of the total land surface, Insects 80 per cent and primates 90 per cent make up most of the species. World wide, tropical rain forests house the majority of floral and faunal species.

TYPES OF BIO DIVERSITY

1. GENETIC DIVERSITY

Refers to variation of genes within the species.

2. SPECIES DIVERSITY

Refers to the variety of species within a region.

3. ECO SYSTEM DIVERSITY

Consists of complex mixes of diversity between and within species. The altitude plays an important role in supporting different species of plant, animal and microbial life.

4. AGRO BIODIVERSITY

Refers to the major crops grown in a particular agri zone.

Agro- biodiversity in a traditional farming system… Adopted from Altieri, 1991 and UNDP, 1995.

Rich in plant and animal species
A wide diversity of niches in the local environment utilized.
Reuse of organic residues, consuming biomass enabled.
Eco systems functions, such as pest, weed and disease management enhanced.
Locally available resources consumed to an advantage.
Reduction of risk and optimization of resource use.
Associated with farmers time tested local knowledge about resources.

TABLE 6: NATIVE FRUIT TREES INSIDE COFFEE FORESTS

COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME	FAMILY	MEDICINAL USE	ENDANGERED Yes/No
Hebbalasu	Artocarpus hirsutus	Moraceae	Anorexia, eye diseases, Aphrodisiac	Yes
Halasu (Jack fruit)	Artocarpus integrifolia	Moraceae		No
Cashew	Anacardium occidentalle	Anacardiaceae	Rejuvenator	No
Hathimara	Ficus rcaemosa	Moaceae	Constipation, Annemia	No
Pagade mara	Mimosops elengi	Sapotaceae		No

Scientific evidence clearly points out to the fact that biological diversity increases from temperate to tropics and from high to low latitudes. Coffee farms are characterized by heavy rainfall but the distribution of rainfall is unequal from one farm to the other because of the mountain ranges & topographical variations. Soil, climate and type of cultivation too are important in influencing the flora and fauna of the region. However, altitude and rainfall pattern are the key elements in determining the type of vegetation in any given location. A change in the edaphic, topographic, relative humidity and micro and macro climate also profoundly alters the flora of the region. In short the interplay of the above mentioned factors results in the dominance of a particular species.

Documented evidence points out to a very startling fact. The so called DEVELOPED NATIONS are home to the smallest pockets of biodiversity while the Developing nations are blessed with the maximum biodiversity resource.

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