Importance of Ethiopian shade coffee farms for forest bird conservation. (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Buechley, Evan R.; Şekercioğlu, Çağan H.; Atickem, Anagaw; Gebremichael, Gelaye; Ndungu, James Kuria; Mahamued, Bruktawit Abdu; Beyene, Tifases; Mekonnen, Tariku; Lens, Luc
• Is Part Of: Biological conservation. Volume 188(2015)
• Page Start: 50
• Page End: 60
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: Understory insectivore -- Coffee -- Agroforest -- Biodiversity hotspot -- Ecosystem services -- Forest specialist -- Climate change -- Tropical ecology -- Ornithology; Conservation of natural resources -- Periodicals; Nature conservation -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.9516
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.01.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0006-3207

Abstract

Highlights: We sampled bird communities on coffee farms in Ethiopia, where coffee originated. Shade coffee farms had over double the species richness of forest sites. Forest had a greater relative abundance of specialists and understory insectivores. Ethiopian shade coffee is perhaps the most "bird-friendly" coffee in the world. Ethiopia may benefit economically from preserving and certifying shade coffee. Abstract: Coffee is the most important tropical commodity and is grown in high-priority areas for biological conservation. There is abundant literature on the conservation value of coffee farms internationally, but there has been little research on this topic in Africa. Ethiopia is a diverse and little-studied country with high levels of avian endemism, pressing conservation challenges, and where Coffea arabica originated. We sampled bird communities in shade coffee farms and moist evergreen Afromontane forest in Ethiopia utilizing standard mist netting procedures at seven sites over three years to evaluate bird species richness, diversity and community structure. Although species diversity did not differ between shade coffee and forest, shade coffee farms had over double the species richness of forest sites and all but one of the nine Palearctic migratory species were captured only in shade coffee. There was a greater relative abundance of forest specialists and understory insectivores in forest, demonstrating that little-disturbed forest is critical for sustaining these at-risk groups of birds. Nonetheless, all species recorded in primary forest control sites were also recorded in shade coffee, indicating that Ethiopian shade coffee is perhaps the most "bird-friendly" coffee in the world. This is an important finding for efforts to conserve forest birds in Africa, and for shade coffee farmers that may benefit from avian pest regulation and biodiversity-friendly coffee certifications.