

BIRD-FRIENDLY CERTIFIED COFFEE
PRESERVE HABITAT
PROTECT BIODIVERSITY
FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
SUPPORT SUSTAINABLITY
Did you know Canadians drink an average of 6.3 kg of coffee beans per person per year? Or that 40% of the nesting birds in Canada migrate to coffee-producing countries like Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central & South America each winter?
Developed by the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Bird Friendly certification ensures each bean is shade-grown and organic. Producing coffee using traditional methods maintains diverse foliage, tree heights, and biodiversity, ensuring quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. This certification not only benefits the environment but also offers farmers a premium price for their products. Due to its rigorous standards, the Bird Friendly program plays a crucial role in combating climate change.
Each time you purchase coffee at the Wild Neighbours Café, you can feel great knowing you’re being a good neighbour to our wild friends!
WHY GO BIRD-FRIENDLY?
Information and facts taken from the Smithsonian Institute. For more information, read the complete article “Ecological Benefits of Shade-grown Coffee.“
DIVERSITY & HABITAT
Unlike conventional coffee plantations, bird-friendly plantations boast a significantly higher tree density and shade canopy cover, coupled with lower vegetation strata and coffee height. This unique combination creates superior habitats and fosters a richer wildlife diversity. According to the Smithsonian:
- In Southern Mexico, bird-friendly coffee plantations provide habitat for a staggering 180 species of birds, 46 of which are migratory!
- Bird-friendly farms in the Venezuelan Andes support up to 14 times the density of migratory birds than local primary forests due to an abundance of small-fruit trees, shrubs, and flowering plants that attract insects.
- In Guatemala, overall bird abundance (+30%) and diversity (+15%) were more significant in shaded farms than non-shaded farms.
- In Ethiopia, certified shade coffee forests are less likely to be deforested.
- Certified coffee farms display healthier riparian zones.
- Bird-friendly habitats host a significantly higher density of small mammal species.
POLLINATION & PEST CONTROL
The high density of plant species on bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee plantations can support a higher animal and insect life diversity than un-shaded plantations. This biodiversity also brings ecological stability.
Within shade-grown coffee plantations, insects act as pollinators and food. Birds eat these insects, providing valuable organic pest control against bugs that may feed on coffee bushes.
- In Costa Rica, farms with greater flowering plant density have higher bee diversity than those without.
- Areas with higher honeybee populations and greater honeybee pollination see higher coffee yields.
- In Jamaica, when birds were excluded from coffee plantations in a study, researchers found a 70% increase in the coffee berry borer, an insect detrimental to coffee plants.
- The presence of birds in coffee plantations can significantly reduce insect populations, with studies showing a 64-80% decrease.
- A 40% canopy cover can reduce harmful weeds by 40%, thus reducing the need for herbicide use. Canopy cover also reduces the spread of some plant fungal infections.
- The pollen and seed-dispersing animals in shaded farms help native trees maintain reproduction and gene flow.
SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION
In the precipitation-rich and mountainous terrain often conducive to coffee growth, tree cover stabilizes slopes, minimizes soil erosion, and prevents leaching.
- Traditional shade-grown coffee cultivation requires less tillage, which helps maintain soil structure.
- In Nicaragua, carbon levels, a key indicator of soil fertility, were 18% higher in bird-friendly, shaded plantations.
- Leaf litter is a protective mulch but decomposes, adding the organic materials needed to maintain healthy and nutrient-rich soils.
- The pollen and seed-dispersing animals in shaded farms help native trees maintain reproduction and gene flow.
- There are significantly fewer hurricane-induced landslides in farms with complex vegetation structures.
The abundance of trees within bird-friendly plantations helps protect the quantity and quality of water supplies.
- Reduced insecticide and herbicide use in organic, bird-friendly farms helps minimize water contamination.
- Soil moisture in shaded coffee plantations can be 42% higher than in non-shaded farms, and they have 50% less soil erosion.
- Complex vegetative structures produce less runoff, are less susceptible to flooding, and positively affect the water storage capabilities of an area.
- Shaded areas experience less fluctuations in daily temperature, which helps increase humidity and decrease evaporation from soil.
CARBON SYNCING
It is estimated that global warming could shrink viable coffee-producing land by 30% as soon as 2050. As with natural forests, the shade trees of bird-friendly plantations sequester carbon. Pulled from the air, this carbon remains in the wood and roots of the tree until the tree is removed or dies; the decomposition process then returns the carbon to the soil. Trees not only keep carbon out of the atmosphere but act as a potential buffer to climate-change-induced temperature increases.
- In Indonesia, a study found that shaded plantations had 58% more carbon stock in the upper 30 cm of soil than non-shaded plantations.
- In Costa Rica, the carbon sequestration for a shaded coffee plantation was calculated at 99 tons per hectare! In comparison, a stand of pink oak sequesters 70 tons per hectare.
WANT TO HELP? READ THE SMITHSONIAN’S “7 SIMPLE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO LIVE BIRD-FRIENDLY”:

UPCOMING CONSERVATION EVENTS.
WORLD OF WOLVES
MARCH 6, 2025 // 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Join us for an evening of fascinating insights as Dr. Mark Boyce, renowned population ecologist and professor at the University of Alberta, explores the complex world of wolf populations in Alberta and Yellowstone. Dr. Boyce has spent decades studying habitat selection, population viability, and the ecological impacts of species reintroductions—including his groundbreaking work modeling the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park. From predator-prey dynamics to conservation challenges, this talk will shed light on the science behind wolf management and their role in the wild. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from one of Canada's leading experts in wildlife ecology!
PLANTING WITH POLLINATORS
APRIL 3, 2025 // 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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SQUIRRELS
MAY 1, 2025 // 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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CARIBOU
JUNE 5, 2025 // 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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VALLEY ZOO DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY.
Since 1988.
OUR
MISSION.
The Valley Zoo Development Society (VZDS) is a registered charity and not-for-profit that was started in 1988. The VZDS acts in partnership with the City of Edmonton to ensure the continued development of the beloved Edmonton Valley Zoo.
Our mission is to raise funds and promote awareness to ensure the continued development of the Edmonton Valley Zoo, and its education and conservation programs. This is achieved through various events and programs as well as through funds raised at the Wild Neighbours cafe.
Thank you for your ongoing support.