Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF

Current state of knowledgeMadagascar. However, the single tetraploid species of the genus, C. arabica, isgeographically disjunct from all other coffee species and is confined to the Ethiopianhighland plateau. There are two records of occurrence of C. arabica in forests outsideEthiopia: Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya and Mount Boma in southeast Sudan (Friis1979). However, these areas and the respective coffee populations have not beensufficiently investigated to confirm whether these are natural populations or escapes fromcultivation. A recent study using RAPD markers shows that the population on MountMarsabit is more similar to a widely grown cultivar of the species in plantations of Kenyathan to the wild population, and its truly wild origin is questionable (Lashermes et al.1996).The wild populations of C. arabica occur in the humid forests of southwest andsoutheast Ethiopia, separated from each other by the Great Rift Valley (GRV), at altitudesranging between 1000 and 2000 m. The southwestern forests constitute the main ecoregionof the species. Specifically, it occurs in the Illubabor, Jimma, West Wellega and Bale zonesof Oromia State, and in the Kaffa, Sheka, Bench and Maji zones of the Southern Nationsand Nationalities People (SNNP) state. Localities known for their high abundance of coffeetrees, and hence important for conservation and sustainable use of wild populations of thespecies are the Amora-Gedel, Berhane-Kontir, Boginda-Yeba, Dawo-Tobi, Geba-Dogi(Yayu), Harenna (Bale mountains), Maji, and Mankera forests. All are on the southwesternplateau except the Harenna forest, which is located east of the GRV. In its natural range,coffee is one of the dominant plant species in the shrub or small tree layer.2.4 Approaches in plant genetic conservationApproaches in plant genetic conservation can be broadly categorized into two: Ex situ andin situ. In situ conservation is defined in Article 2 of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) as the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats & the maintenanceand recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the caseof domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed theirdistinctive properties (UNCED 1992). This is a broad definition and recognizes theconservation of plants in both their natural habitats and man-made habitats like farms and20