Older varieties of Coffea Arabica, such as Typica or
Bourbon need to be grown under a canopy of shade trees because of their
intolerance to direct sunlight. However, over the last 25 years new hybrid
varieties of coffee have been developed which are higher yielding and are also
sun tolerant. This has led many coffee farmers to cut down the forest canopy of
shade and plant denser groupings of coffee plants. The yield of coffee is
greater .....but at a severe price. The increased production of coffee puts a
greater nutrient demand on the plant and the soil which is often answered by
the farmer with a corresponding increase in agrochemical applications. This in
turn leads to water pollution, soil degradation, worker health risks, and a
dependence of the farmer on chemical supplies with associated costs.
The other aspect of this technified "sun coffee" which relates to the
birds is that the traditional shade plantations not only grew great coffee but
were ideal bird and other critter habitat. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird
Center in its research has determined that shade coffee plantations can
harbor up to 150 different species of birds whereas a typical sun plantation
may support around 5 species. Rainforests throughout the tropics are threatened
in a variety of ways and all of them spell problems for the critters that live
in them. Shade coffee plantations are great alternatives to full scale
rainforests and now they in turn are threatened.
