As a way to further its efforts in supporting a more biodiverse, sustainable world, the Santa Barbara Zoo has announced it is now serving coffee that is certified Bird Friendly.
Historically, coffee grows best under a canopy of trees (shade), which provide a natural habitat for a wide variety of species, one of the most important being birds, the zoo explained. But in the 1970s, as demand for coffee grew, the practice of sun-grown coffee developed.
This was appealing to producers as it resulted in higher yields, but this process brought about heavy deforestation, effectively damaging the birds’ ecosystem, the zoo said.
The bird population in the U.S. and Canada has declined by almost 30% (a total loss of 3 billion birds) across biomes since 1970 with habitat loss as a driving force, the zoo said.
Bird Friendly coffees are shade grown, meaning the coffee is planted under a canopy of trees rather than on land that has been cleared of all other vegetation. They also have the strictest conservation requirements for tree canopy cover required of any coffee certifications.
The Bird Friendly stamp is a double certification because the coffee also meets organic requirements, meaning the beans are grown without the use of chemical pesticides that are harmful to the environment, the zoo said.
Bird Friendly coffee comes from farms that provide good, forest-like habitat for birds and other wildlife.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is serving Ampersand Coffee, which is certified Bird Friendly.