On the Great Island, collections of wild coffee trees were initiated in the 1960s by J. Vianney-Liaud (Institut Français du Café, Cacao et autres plantes stimulantes, Kianjavato), J-F. Leroy (Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris), and J-L. Guillaumet (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, ex-ORSTOM, Antananarivo). At the initiative of Mr. Vianney-Liaud, these efforts led to the preservation of these coffee trees under natural forest cover at the FOFIFA research station in Kianjavato.
Among the 67 species present in Madagascar, nine are endemic to the west coast and classified in the Baracoffea group, sharing characteristics of both Psilanthus and Coffea (sympodial and/or monopodial development, long corolla tube flowers, semi-included stamens, and a long style). All attempts to preserve them in Kianjavato have failed (possibly due to unsuitable environmental conditions such as climate, soil, etc.). The other 58 species are part of the Mascarocoffea Chev group (Chevalier, 1942), named in reference to the absence of caffeine in the seeds reported for the first species studied.
By the end of the 1970s, the collection contained 6031 trees representing 170 populations (groups of trees from the same geographical location), with 133 corresponding to 43 species (FOFIFA internal report). In 2009, after losses and new introductions, 3668 trees for 173 populations were counted (Dulloo et al., 2009, 2010). In 2013, following replacements, this collection, covering an area of 12 ha, included 3710 trees representing 166 populations, 154 of which correspond to 51 described species native to Madagascar (FOFIFA internal report, Rakotomalala, 2012; Couturon et al., 2016).
This collection is unique in Madagascar and globally, as very few species in living form are in collections outside Kianjavato and outside the country.
An initiative to preserve the site and enhance biodiversity has led to the creation of the non-governmental organization named Biodiversity Eco-valorization and Coffee (BEC association), with objectives including:
- promoting the safeguarding of Madagascar's endemic biodiversity, particularly the preservation of wild coffee species in Kianjavato;
- promoting the eco-valorization of the Kianjavato station as a biodiversity sanctuary for its flora and fauna;
- fostering relations and exchanges between Malagasy and non-Malagasy individuals (scholars, students, and young researchers) and developing educational activities around biodiversity.