Columbian World Heritage Site coffee regions protected
Columbians love their coffee – it’s part of their culture and national heritage and their trademark smooth coffee is loved the world over. However, recently there were some national concerns that mining in the country was adversely affecting the coffee industry and those great Columbian coffee beans.
Of those who raised their objections, including tourist agents and promoters of local areas, many have their eye on designation specific areas in Columbia with ‘PCC’ status. What does this mean? PCC status is part of the national ‘Cultural Coffee Landscape’ and once certain municipalities area awarded this status, they acquire a certain protection of culture and nature. As a result of this categorisation, the tourism to the areas would, in all likelihood, be improved.
In order to address these concerns, the President of Columbia, Juan Manuel Santos, made a public declaration that his government would prevent mining in 47 coffee-growing areas. This declaration followed recommendations from UNESCO, as the global organisation sees coffee regions as a World Heritage Site.
One area of dispute is Quindio, where mining has already been permitted and has been met with protestations of the local government. As such, there have been requests for secondary legislation to monitor any mining projects to reduce any damage to the area and its potential for qualifying as a PCC area.
The whole PCC scheme is hoped to be up and running by the end of the year. It is a programme that will involve various government departments, including the Colombian Ministry of Culture and the National Federation of Coffee Cultivators.