Objectives of the Baracoffea's project

This project aims to study three Coffea species of the Baracoffea group (Coffea boinenis, C. ambogensis and C. bissetiae) native to the dry forests of the northwestern Mahajanga region in Madagascar. These species, well adapted to a semi-arid climate, are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List. The general objective is to know the biology of these species according to the climate in their natural environment (flowering, fruiting and germination times) and to set up an ex-situ conservatory at the University of Mahajanga, allowing to establish a valuable study resource for the community in the future.

The three species studied are naturally distributed in two different sites: the Antsanitia forest and the Ankafarafantsika national park. They were selected based on several criteria, including the fact that these species represent the general characteristics of other species in the Baracoffea group, such as leaf deciduousness and terminal flowering, on the one hand; and on the other hand, due to the location and accessibility of these sites relative to the city of Mahajanga. 

Building on this work, the project now extends to Coffea decaryana, a Critically Endangered species endemic to Namoroka National Park. This species occurs in highly restricted microhabitats within Madagascar’s dry deciduous forests, and little is known about its population size, ecological requirements, or regeneration potential. The project will document C. decaryana through ecological surveys, threat assessments, phenological monitoring, and population genetics, while prioritizing remaining populations for conservation.

This research is supported by the Rufford foundation: https://www.rufford.org/projects/rickarlos-bezandry/ex-situ-conservation-three-coffea-baracoffea-species-adapted-semi-arid-regions-northwestern-madagascar/ and Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund www.speciesconservation.org/small-grant/coffea-decaryana/40553