Looks like a valuable project. We may hope similar principles will soon also be applied to shade grown cacao.
One thing I have noticed, though, that puts a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm for bird friendly coffee: in the countries where it is grown, the local people mostly drink Nescafe. I think that any solution to that problem will be more economic than scientific. Still, I acknowledge the good in having the shade grown option for those of us privileged to choose it; that is better than it not existing at all. Jason Hernandez Tropical Permaculturist Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:33:48 -0400 From: =?windows-1252?Q?Heather_Kostick?= <upennbiobl...@gmail.com> Subject: Introducing Cool Beans Research Cool Beans Research is a non-profit research group aimed at putting the bird-friendliness back in bird-friendly coffee. Our small but mighty team currently consists of Dr. Doug Tallamy (University of Delaware), Heather Kostick (Prospective PhD Student at Univ. of Del., and current Masters candidate at Penn), and Brad Powell (webmaster extraordinaire). We're looking to raise awareness and funds for our research! 52% of US citizens are coffee drinkers, and 17% of US citizens are birders - if you fit into either (or both!) of those categories, then this research should interested you! Help Cool Beans Research be at the forefront of bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee research. Website: http://coolbeansresearch.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoolBeansResearch/=20 Non-profit purpose: To learn which shade tree species used by coffee=20 growers throughout Central and South America actually produce the=20 insects required to sustain wintering and local birds within coffee=20 farms. This information is essential for coffee growers to increase the=20= conservation effectiveness of their farms. If all trees produced insects=20= in equal abundance and diversity, this would be unnecessary, but there=20= are huge differences in how well trees produce the insects birds require=20= (Tallamy & Shropshire 2009, Burghardt et al 2010). Non-native trees=20= support fewer insects than natives because local insects have not=20 adapted to the novel phytochemical defenses of introduced trees. Yet=20 even native trees differ widely in their ability to produce insects used=20= by birds. Using common-garden experiments and bird foraging surveys on=20= cooperator farms in Central and South America, we will evaluate for the=20= first time the bird friendliness of regionally favorite shade tree=20 species. We have studies currently under way on four farms in Nicaragua=20= and Colombia for this purpose. Thank you for your time!
