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Bird Decline: Bird Friendly Coffee Certification with Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/about-bird-friendly-coffee
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

This week John Latimer and I continued our conversation on bird decline and depopulation with our forest/bird producer Mark Jacobs - retired Aitkin County Land Commissioner and Ruth Bennett. Ruth is a research ecologist with the Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center.

Ruth told us about Smithsonian got into the coffee game - when researchers in the 90s realized they were seeing lots of migratory birds in the coffee farms of Latin America that still had shade trees.

Three-quarters of the world's coffee farms destroy forest habitat to grow coffee in the sun and often use harmful pesticides and fertilizers that poison the environment. When forests disappear, migratory songbirds disappear, too. In order to combat population and habitat loss, Smithsonian scientists created the Bird Friendly certification. Instead of clearing rainforest, Bird Friendly coffees grow underneath shade trees that sequester carbon, fight climate change and provide habitat for birds, including migratory species whose impressive journeys can take them from the backyards of the U.S. and Canada all the way to coffee farms in Latin America. While much of the world’s coffee drives habitat loss, Bird Friendly habitat flies above the rest by ensuring a combination of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity proven to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Certification standards cover everything from canopy height to insect biodiversity to protect the wildlife that lives where coffee is grown. Bird Friendly coffees are also certified organic, meaning they are grown without pesticides, which is better for people and for the planet. Bird Friendly producers can also earn more for their crops. The certification gives growers access to gourmet market price premiums, and the timber and fruit trees on shade coffee farms provide farmers with additional income. Every cup of Bird Friendly coffee purchased rewards these farmers for being good stewards of the environment and encourages them to continue conserving Bird Friendly habitat. Buying Bird Friendly also supports the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's conservation research aimed at understanding and protecting your feathered friends, including advancing Bird Friendly coffee research.
Three-quarters of the world's coffee farms destroy forest habitat to grow coffee in the sun and often use harmful pesticides and fertilizers that poison the environment. When forests disappear, migratory songbirds disappear, too. In order to combat population and habitat loss, Smithsonian scientists created the Bird Friendly certification. Instead of clearing rainforest, Bird Friendly coffees grow underneath shade trees that sequester carbon, fight climate change and provide habitat for birds, including migratory species whose impressive journeys can take them from the backyards of the U.S. and Canada all the way to coffee farms in Latin America. While much of the world’s coffee drives habitat loss, Bird Friendly habitat flies above the rest by ensuring a combination of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity proven to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Certification standards cover everything from canopy height to insect biodiversity to protect the wildlife that lives where coffee is grown. Bird Friendly coffees are also certified organic, meaning they are grown without pesticides, which is better for people and for the planet. Bird Friendly producers can also earn more for their crops. The certification gives growers access to gourmet market price premiums, and the timber and fruit trees on shade coffee farms provide farmers with additional income. Every cup of Bird Friendly coffee purchased rewards these farmers for being good stewards of the environment and encourages them to continue conserving Bird Friendly habitat. Buying Bird Friendly also supports the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's conservation research aimed at understanding and protecting your feathered friends, including advancing Bird Friendly coffee research.
Three-quarters of the world's coffee farms destroy forest habitat to grow coffee in the sun and often use harmful pesticides and fertilizers that poison the environment. When forests disappear, migratory songbirds disappear, too. In order to combat population and habitat loss, Smithsonian scientists created the Bird Friendly certification. Instead of clearing rainforest, Bird Friendly coffees grow underneath shade trees that sequester carbon, fight climate change and provide habitat for birds, including migratory species whose impressive journeys can take them from the backyards of the U.S. and Canada all the way to coffee farms in Latin America. While much of the world’s coffee drives habitat loss, Bird Friendly habitat flies above the rest by ensuring a combination of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity proven to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Certification standards cover everything from canopy height to insect biodiversity to protect the wildlife that lives where coffee is grown. Bird Friendly coffees are also certified organic, meaning they are grown without pesticides, which is better for people and for the planet. Bird Friendly producers can also earn more for their crops. The certification gives growers access to gourmet market price premiums, and the timber and fruit trees on shade coffee farms provide farmers with additional income. Every cup of Bird Friendly coffee purchased rewards these farmers for being good stewards of the environment and encourages them to continue conserving Bird Friendly habitat. Buying Bird Friendly also supports the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's conservation research aimed at understanding and protecting your feathered friends, including advancing Bird Friendly coffee research. Learn more about Bird Friendly coffee in the Bird Friendly Coffee FAQ.

Heidi Holtan is KAXE's Director of Content and Public Affairs where she manages producers and is the local host of Morning Edition from NPR. Heidi is a regional correspondent for WDSE/WRPT's Duluth Public Television’s Almanac North.