Student Article
Is Coffee in Danger of Disappearing?
Extinction (noun): The end of an entire species or group of organisms when there are no more living members left.
Deforestation (noun): The clearing of trees and forests.
Invasive (adjective): Tending to spread quickly and in a way that harms native species.
Genetic diversity (noun): The range of different genes within a species, important for adaptation and survival.
Cryopreservation (noun): The process of preserving cells or tissues by freezing them.
Imagine a world without coffee! It might sound impossible, but wild coffee plants are in serious danger. A landmark study by researchers at Kew Gardens in 2019 found that 60% of wild coffee species are threatened with extinction. That’s a shockingly high number — three times the average extinction risk for plants globally. The reasons? A troubling combination of climate change, deforestation, invasive pests, and plant diseases.
Where coffee comes from
While the coffee we drink mainly comes from two cultivated species — Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora (robusta) — wild coffee varieties are essential for long-term crop survival.
Why wild coffee plants matter
These wild species carry vital genetic diversity. Coffee growers use them to breed plants that are more resistant to disease, pests, and climate stress. If the wild gene pool vanishes, our commercial coffee varieties could be left defenseless against the next agricultural crisis. Consider what happened with the Irish potato famine in the 19th Century. A single disease, potato blight, wiped out entire crops because the plants lacked genetic diversity. The same could happen with coffee if we lose access to the rich genetic resources of wild species.
Why it’s so hard to save them
Adding to the problem is that wild coffee seeds can’t be preserved in seed banks using conventional freeze-drying methods. Their delicate nature means scientists must find advanced techniques — like cryopreservation or DNA banking — to conserve them before it’s too late.
Protecting everyone's morning brew
If the wild coffee plants disappear, our ability to safeguard global coffee production could vanish with them. The time to act is now — before everyone's favorite brew becomes a rare luxury.
© Luis Villazon / Our Media
Extinction (noun): The end of an entire species or group of organisms when there are no more living members left.
Deforestation (noun): The clearing of trees and forests.
Invasive (adjective): Tending to spread quickly and in a way that harms native species.
Genetic diversity (noun): The range of different genes within a species, important for adaptation and survival.
Cryopreservation (noun): The process of preserving cells or tissues by freezing them.