Work

Are Geographical Indications contributing to environmental conservation? The case of Café de Colombia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Colombia has a rich history of coffee production spanning over 300 years. As one of the world’s leading producers, the country dedicates a significant portion of its land to cultivating this vital crop. In the early 2000s, Café de Colombia received Geographical Indication (GI) certification, a milestone aimed at strengthening its reputation and competitiveness both nationally and internationally. This paper examines the impact of that recognition on land-use dynamics (i.e., deforestation). Using the Synthetic Control Method on a country-level panel dataset from 1992 to 2020, it estimates the effect of the GI certification on Colombia’s national deforestation rate. The findings reveal That deforestation would have been about 0.2 percentage points lower on average without the acknowledgement. Based on these results, the paper proposes to adopt a territorial-based and community-led policy mix to convert local peculiarities in strategic assets for sustainable development.

Source: Bio-based and Applied Economics

DOI: 10.36253/bae-17307

Authors: Nicola Caravaggio, Cristina Vaquero-Pineiro

Institutions: University of Molise, Roma Tre University

Language: English

Topic: Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: European Commission, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Research Executive Agency