A new international study has highlighted the importance of mature shade trees in coffee farms and reveals “a critical oversight” in sustainable coffee and carbon-capture programs.
The research, undertaken by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), found more than double the amount carbon could be lost through the removal of non-coffee shade trees than might be gained through tree planting. This was still found to be the case if plantation-style coffee farms planted new shade trees.
The study authors say carbon-capture programs incentivise the planting of new trees but do not reward the preservation of mature shade trees in existing agroforestry farms, despite their far greater carbon storage potential.
Some sustainability initiatives currently incentivise the planting of new shade trees via carbon markets that award farmers sellable carbon credits. The NZCBI and STR scientists believe the current carbon-market format compensates farmers for planting new trees but not for protecting standing shade trees.
“There is a lot of money behind planting trees on degraded coffee farms, yet there are basically no financial incentives, outside of the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification, to protect standing shade trees,” says NZCBI Ecologist and Senior Author Ruth Bennett.
“To be clear, planting shade trees on monoculture coffee farms is a positive step, but our findings show tree planting alone can’t make up for what you lose when you remove mature shade trees.”
The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, was based on data from 67 studies conducted in coffee regions around the world.