The Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign
by Carolee Colter, Seattle Audubon Society

Coffee is good for migratory songbirds. No, they don't need it to stay awake on all-night migration flights. But they do need coffee plantations in which to spend the winter when they get to the tropics. Unfortunately, throughout Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands and Colombia -- the destinations of most wintering songbirds -- there are virtually no forests still standing in the mid elevations (roughly 500 to 1500 meters.) These regions have all been converted to permanent cropland.

However, the birds have found a viable replacement -- traditional coffee and cacao plantations. Grown in the time-honored manner, coffee bushes are cultivated under a forest overstory, using basic principles of agroforestry. This involves planting a mixture of nitrogen-fixing trees with up to 40 other useful species, to provide not only shade, but firewood and fruit for household and commercial use. Shade trees protect the coffee and cacao bushes from rain and sun, help maintain soil quality, counteract erosion, and provide natural mulch which reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and weeding.

Habitat, and Humanity

As far as the birds are concerned, coffee plantations are a modified forest. The flowers and fruits of the shade trees attract omnivorous species like Tennessee Warblers and Orchard Orioles. (Although most Neotropical migrants feed primarily on insects in breeding season, some species readily turn to fruits and flowers while wintering in the tropics.) Researchers have found a surprising biodiversity of birds, butterflies, ants, amphibians and orchids. Wintering migrants are joined by resident tinamous, parrots, trogons, toucans and woodcreepers.

Coffee has been called a "democratic crop." While there are vast plantations worked by tenant farmers for absentee landowners, most coffee is still grown by families on small farms. Because of its high profitability per unit compared to raising corn or beef, coffee growing has been looked to as way for small landowners to earn cash with relatively little investment. Traditional practices allow farmers to avoid dependence on expensive chemical applications, protecting them and their families from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure and fertilizer run-off in drinking water.

Casualties of Conversion

Until recently, nearly all commercial production of coffee was managed under a canopy of shade trees. But debt-strapped nations seeking to boost export commodities have undertaken a deliberate campaign to modernize growing practices away from traditional "shade" coffee to new "sun," or "technified" coffee. The US Agency for International Development has also encouraged this trend. Sun coffee plantations produce higher yields -- at a serious social and environmental price. They require large applications of expensive chemicals, while the plants are more susceptible to disease and need to be replaced more often. Small farmers can't afford the increased costs.

Another casualty of the conversion to "sun" coffee is biodiversity. Studies in Colombia and Mexico found 94-97% fewer bird species in "sun" than "shade" coffee plantations. The last refuge of wintering Neotropical migrants is gradually disappearing. With so much tropical forest already eliminated, the birds have nowhere else to go.

What's a Coffee-Drinking Bird-Lover to Do?

As consumers of one third of the world's coffee, Americans have a lot of influence. Due to increased consumer awareness, people are starting to ask for shade coffee, which helps to keep shade coffee economically viable.

To raise awareness about the positive role played by shade coffee in conserving migratory birds, a group of local roasters, retailers and importers joined with Seattle AS to form the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign. We define "shade coffee" as coffee grown under a canopy of trees of diverse species that provides viable winter habitat for migratory birds. We welcome new members (contact Seattle AS for membership requirements); current members include 26 importers, roasters and retailers in WA, OR, ID, MT, British Columbia and northern CA. By patronizing these companies and asking for shade-grown coffee, you can use the marketplace to help preserve habitats.

For listings of stores in your area that carry shade coffee, call the Seattle Audubon office at 206/523-4483 or e-mail: coffee@seattleaudubon.org. If you want your favorite coffeehouse or supplier to carry shade coffee, ask them to join the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign by contacting Seattle AS at the above address. The World Wide Web carries increasing discussion on this topic; you can access numerous links through the NAS Web page: http://www.audubon.org/, or e-mail Lissette Pavajeau: lpavajeau@audubon.org for specific links.