Birds do better in ‘agroforests’ than on farms

University of Utah: Compared with open farmland, wooded “shade” plantations that produce coffee and chocolate promote greater bird diversity, although a new University of Utah study says forests remain the best habitat for tropical birds. The findings suggest that as open farmland replaces forests and “agroforests” – where crops are grown under trees – reduced number of bird species and shifts in the populations of various types of birds may hurt “ecosystem services” that birds provide to people, such as eating insect pests, spreading seeds and pollinating crops.

“We found that agroforests are better overall for bird biodiversity in the tropics than open farms,” says study author  Çağan H. Şekercioğlu (pronounced Cha-awn Shay-care-gee-oh-loo), an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah. “This doesn’t mean people should farm in intact forests,” the ornithologist adds. “But if you have the option of having agroforest versus open farmland, that is better for biodiversity, with shade coffee and shade cacao [the source of cocoa and chocolate] being the prime examples.”

Şekercioğlu’s new study, funded by the University of Utah, is being published this month in the Journal of Ornithology. He will present the findings Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Ecological Society of America’s annual meeting in Portland, Ore. If consumers wish to support bird diversity and agroforests, “a good way is by choosing certified, bird-friendly, shade coffee or shade chocolate,” he says. While such coffee or chocolate often cost more because they are more labor-intensive to produce, the certification “is usually better for the farmers’ income as well.”

He adds: “There are trustworthy environmental organizations that certify shade coffee,” including the Smithsonian Institution, the Rainforest Alliance and the Rainforest Action Network. Other crops grown in shade include cardamom, which is a spice, and yerba mate, which is steeped in hot water to make a beverage popular in South America.

 An agroforest “is a type of farm where the crops are grown under trees at a reasonable density,” Şekercioğlu says. “Often, it’s not like forest-forest – it feels more like a open park,” although in Ethiopia “commercial coffee is grown under full-on forests in its original native habitat.”...

The orange-billed nightingale-thrush is an insect-eating bird that lives on Costa Rican “shade” coffee plantations. A new University of Utah study indicates that, compared with open farmland, wooded “agroforests” like shade coffee and cacao plantations promote bird diversity and also the “ecosystem services” birds provide to human society, including insect control, spreading seeds and pollinating crops. Photo Credit: Çağan Şekercioğlu, University of Utah