Sustainable development and nature-culture linkages in the coffee cultural landscape of Colombia

Abstract

The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (CCLC) is an exceptional example of a living, continuous and productive agricultural landscape. It reflects a centennial tradition of small-scale coffee production and adaptation at mountain altitudes under difficult conditions. It also embodies a distinctive culture based on collective work in coffee production and evolving associative processes passed down through generations. These collective efforts are fundamental to the continued use of land and have generated innovative management practices for natural resources under extremely challenging geographic conditions.