In the last 25 years, more than half of the seven million acres of coffee farms in northern Latin America have been cleared of shade trees. The diversity of bird species plummets. On shade farms, coffee is grown slowly under forest cover, preserving important migratory bird habitat as well as complex flavor in the beans. The detritus of shade trees supplies nitrogen for the soil, and the birds inhabiting the tree canopy eat insect pests. It has won international acclaim in Coffee Review magazine.
Connoisseurs believe that because it ripens gradually, it has a more sophisticated flavor.
Under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, International Migratory Bird Day focuses attention on nearly 350 species of migratory birds that travel between wintering grounds in Mexico, South and Central America, and the Caribbean, and nesting habitats in North America. All Rights Reserved. Inc. All Rights Reserved.