Desertion of Coffee Plantations Hurts Ecosystems

José Eduardo Mora

SAN JOSE, Apr 29 (Tierramérica) - The coffee production crisis in Central America is taking a toll on environmental equilibrium, say experts, because the abandonment of thousands of hectares of plantations reduces the process of carbon fixing and oxygen production, while also leading to increased soil erosion.

International coffee prices have plummeted, forcing thousands of small and medium producers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to leave their land and seek other alternatives to make their livelihood. Many coffee-growing areas have been deserted or turned over to intensive livestock operations.

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