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Coffee Hotspots - An Inventory of Biodiversity

by Dr. Anand Titus and Geeta N. Pereira

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FUTURE NEEDS

  • Local farmers need to be connected in a way that there is an exchange of seed and plant material among and between farming communities with no patents attached.
  • The wide genetic pool should be in the hands of farmers rather than a few select seed corporate.
  • The realization that coffee forests have in built social and environmental functions.
  • The urgent need is the creation of a multi agency action plan involving locals and the panchayat administration officials, right from the grass roots upwards in assessing the diversification of both floral and faunal species.
  • Participatory conservation practices involving local communities.
  • At a higher or an advanced level, training of locals in identifying and creation of herbariums so as to develop bio resource maps for each and every ecological niche.
  • Help from NGO’s and Government agencies.
  • World Bank funding.
  • Community forests with villagers as guardians of nature and not bureaucrats.
  • In Situ Conservation
  • Ex Situ Conservation
  • Privatization of genetic resources with farmers as major beneficiaries.

The conservation of bio diversity will directly reflect in maintaining the health and vitality of the coffee forest eco system. The important aspect is that by conserving bio diversity we indirectly support the coffee ecosystem at the micro level which includes microorganisms and at a macro level comprising of hills, valleys, mountains, & all forms of biotic life.

CONSEQUENCES TO LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

  • Deals a critical blow to SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
  • Farming communities that loose traditional varieties that are locally adapted to a challenging environment, risk becoming increasingly dependent on external sources for seeds and other inputs.
  • Introduction of genetically modified seeds, new set of seeds to be bought only from multinationals.
  • Increased dependency on monocultures/ pesticides/weedicides/chemicals.
  • Increased cost of production per unit area.
  • Increased pressure on the land.

FARMERS AS GUARDIANS OF BIODIVERSITY

Species extinctions have occurred throughout the establishment of coffee farms due to a number of factors like natural disasters, habitat loss, global warming and floods. Minimum extinctions have been caused by direct interference by coffee farmers. Inside the coffee ecosystem, farmers unknowingly practice three types of conservation. Conservation of species, conservation of forest ecosystems, and conservation of the biosphere.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

  • Avoid mono cropping
  • Avoid the introduction of exotic trees
  • Avoid the introduction of genetically modified crops
  • As individuals we need to make sure that our environment is as favorable for local and indigenous animal and plant life.
  • Generate awareness about the ecology of the Western Ghats among the local people.
  • As far as possible try to control pest and diseases by biological control and native remedies using herb, spice and mixtures.
  • Conservation of energy and resources should be our top priority.
  • Saving the biodiversity on an extensive scale should be on a war footing so that saving a few pockets will only result in a museum.

EYE OPENERS AT JOE’S SUSTAINABLE FARM: KIREHULLY ESTATE.

  1. ROLE OF WILD LIFE IN SEED GERMINATION OF FOREST TREES

    2. We have also painstakingly observed for over many years that some of the rare ”NATIVE” ENDANGERED hard wood species like Rosewood, Nandi, Matthi , Honne and a few other species of hard wood species show very poor germination in commercial or forest nurseries in spite of treating the seeds with dilute acids, intended to break the outer hard coat. However, these very same species show successful germination when seeds pass through the digestive system of a few wild animals and birds.

  2. We have also observed that the ripe COFFEE berries coming out of the digestive tract of wild animals have a unique taste and flavor.
  3. Local farmers use CRUDE EXTRACTS of many important plant species as food and medicine, not only for humans but for life stock too.

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