Little effort is made ‘towards reforestation, and wildlife struggles to adapt...
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The Plate-billed Mountain Toucan— classified as Near Threatened (IUCN)
Crimson-rumped Toucanet—losing its habitat to coffee, cocoa, bananas and sugar cane
WHEN THE FIRST RAYS of sunlight appear on the horizon and the alarm clock goes off, there is nothing better than a large, hot cup of coffee to kick off the day. Millions of people begin their days with pure gold. Children, meanwhile, have developed a fondness for drinking hot cocoa or cold chocolate milk for breakfast. Yet we tend to overlook where our products and their ingredients come from. Even less frequently do we realise the negative effects that the cultivation of coffee and cocoa have on the flora and fauna of their countries of origin. So, let’s take a collective trip to Ecuador—in the middle of the Andes at the edge of South America—to find out what happens to the flora and fauna there when we turn on our coffee machines and open a fresh pack of coffee. AGRICULTURE DESTROYS JUNGLE HABITAT Ecuador, located in the middle of the Andes, is known for its spectacular mountain landscapes, a centuries-old culture and the most biodiverse jungles on our planet. However, it also exports bananas, roses, coffee and cocoa. Since Ecuador has comparatively little industry, agriculture is the main source of income for its16 million citizens. When you leave the capital city, Quito, and drive towards the coast, you traverse Ecuador’s legendary cloud forest. Before long, however, the densely overgrown
Coffee and Cocoa Killing
Ecuadorian Birds AUTHOR AND IMAGES DANIEL BROCKNER TRANSLATION PATRICK ROLAND
cloud forest becomes patchy and deforested areas become the norm. These areas are used for cattle-grazing or to cultivate coffee and cocoa. At an altitude of 1500m, the climate—high rainfall and pleasantly warm for most of the year—is ideal for agriculture. Our beloved coffee and cocoa thrive in these conditions, where centuries-old jungle once stood. Its loss has a devastating impact on the ecosystem. Little effort is made towards reforestation, and wildlife struggles to adapt to the constantly and rapidly shrinking habitat. Among the species affected is the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan Andigena Iaminirostris. Already Endangered, it has suffered massively from the jungle being cleared and has now been classified as Near Threatened by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Plate-billed Mountain Toucan’s habitat is a small territory from Colombia to Ecuador. It is found only at an altitude of 1600–2600m and, through continuous clearing of the cloud forest, it is constantly losing more and more of its crucial habitat. According to Mongabay, a non-profit provider of conservation and environmental science news, clearing of the Ecuadorian forests increased significantly from 2001 to 2012. Just a few metres in altitude below, many other bird species are also threatened by habitat loss. The Chestnuttipped Toucanet Aulacorhynchus derbianus lives at an altitude of 1600m. This small, green relative of the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, like countless other bird species, is losing large parts of its natural
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