Many of us have a passion for good coffee and good chocolate. But most of us don't know how those two passions can affect our songbird populations.
Hi. This is Scott Fitzpatrick from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
Lots of us are addicted to coffee, and even to the restorative qualities of a chunk of good chocolate. But have you considered the connection between these indulgences and our beloved migratory songbirds?
Many songbirds spend the winter in the tropical forests of Mexico, Central and South America. That's also where much of the world's cacao beans- the base for chocolate- and coffee beans are grown.
Traditionally, farmers have cultivated coffee and cacao in the understory of the forest, leaving the canopy intact. But in recent decades, they've taken to cutting down the trees and growing the crops in full sunlight. This produces a higher yield, but it comes at a cost.
Studies have shown that the diversity of migratory birds plummets when these crops are converted from shade to sun. In fact, studies in Colombia and Mexico found up to 97 percent fewer bird species on sun-grown coffee plantations.
And while sun-grown crops produce more beans, these yields cannot be sustained without the addition of environmentally harmful chemical fertilizers, insectides, herbicides and fungicides.
In contrast, shade trees protect the coffee and cacao from rain and sun, help to maintain the soil quality and reduce the need for weeding. Another bonus is that the songbirds that live in the canopy eat the bugs that would otherwise infest the crops.
Every shade plantation that succeeds means another piece of the tropical forest is saved from bulldozers. But in order for farmers to survive on their smaller crop yields, they may need to charge more. That leaves us with a choice: either we can pay a bit more for our coffee and chocolate, and support sustainably managed farms and invest in a healthier environment, or we can choose to spend less - and our songbirds will pay.
Something to consider while you savor your next mocha latte!
For Something Wild, I'm Scott Fitzpatrick.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
