So I'm feeling pretty good about my contribution to the environment when a new problem presents itself.
Shade coffee is grown under a canopy of dozens of tree species.
It is the next best thing for songbirds whose rain forest habitat has been cut down. Scientists have counted up to 150 species of birds in these coffee canopies. Unfortunately, increasing demand for coffee, and concern about a leaf rust, which destroys crops, led to the introduction of sun coffee culture. Growing coffee in full sun instead of under a canopy increases yield, and theoretically reduces the risk of leaf rust. It also eliminates bird habitat, so that fewer than 10 bird species exist where 150 lived before.