A Sweet Song: Birds in Sugarcane

In partnership with Cenicaña and the Calidris Association, Audubon Latin America and the Caribbean publishes this playbook with recommendations to conserve birds and biodiversity in the sugarcane agroecosystem, helping promote a balance between production and nature conservation.

Disponible en Español

Published August 13, 2024

The playbook A Sweet Song: Birds in Sugarcane celebrates the extraordinary natural richness of the Cauca River Valley in Colombia. The document is the result of a collaboration among the National Audubon Society, the Calidris Association, and the Colombian Sugarcane Research Center (Cenicaña), organizations that have worked together since 2021 to document practices and recommendations for conserving beneficial wildlife in sugarcane systems, with an emphasis on the contribution of birds to ecosystem services

This playbook is designed for sugarcane producers who want to implement practices that help protect birds and biodiversity. It uses evidence to show that production can go hand in hand with conservation, and that we can work together to design a more sustainable and balanced region.

Conservation is the answer

The Cauca River Valley is a paradise for birds. Nestled between two mountain ranges and crossed by an extensive water network, it holds a remarkable diversity of habitats, from dry forests in the flatlands to premontane forests along the foothills. Surrounded by water, wetlands, and floodplain areas of the Cauca River, birds have thrived in this valley. And when we add its cultural diversity—with salsa music and chirimías, the flavors of champús and sancocho, and people from diverse ethnic groups—this is a valley full of nuance and color.

However, despite this rich diversity, over the past five decades the region has undergone major transformations driven by infrastructure development, agroindustry, and urban expansion. While these forces have been engines of growth, they have also contributed to the decline of the territory’s natural richness.

We know that the future of this valley is in our hands, and that conserving this diversity is everyone’s responsibility. But how can we do it? This playbook helps answer that question. It is a practical tool for this work, offering detailed strategies and recommendations to conserve biodiversity in a transformed landscape. The sugarcane agroecosystem still offers important opportunities for bird and biodiversity conservation, because the natural areas that remain support a large number of species. For that reason, it is essential to focus on maintaining and improving existing conditions.

The good news is that nature is resilient, and everything we do on its behalf can have a positive effect. Here, the sugarcane agroindustrial sector plays a vital role in the future of our region.

With appropriate management, we can maintain biodiversity and the services it provides, creating a balance between food production and nature conservation, and ensuring that the region remains a sweet paradise for birds.