MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION VIA SHADE CR

This project builds on the success of Phase I, funded in 2017 by NMBCA, across 200 hectares.

Here we propose to scale up organic and Bird-Friendly certification to double our total impact, to an additional 200 hectares of shade crop farms (400 hectares total) in a megadiverse region of the Venezuelan Andes, in a corridor between two key national parks where deforestation risk is exceedingly high.

Because focal areas are chosen strategically, and we include a new element of farmer-led tree planting, activities will furthermore prevent otherwise inevitable deforestation at higher altitudes, thus supporting conservation in a total of 1,400 hectares of crucial habitat for many species of migratory and resident birds.

This project will promote preservation of both natural and cultural heritage, bolster sustainable livelihoods, and introduce elementary school children to the benefits of leaving forests standing for both birds and people through the Smithsonian's longstanding 'Bridging the Americas' curriculum.

Future scalability potential includes more than 20,000 hectares (49,400 acres) of coffee plantations as well as large areas of cacao and other crops, for which certification criteria are being developed.