From the mountains to the sea: restoring shaded coffee plantations to protect tropical coastal ecosystems

Traditionally, coffee is cultivated under a shading canopy of native trees in tropical areas of the world. Within the U.S., coffee is cultivated only in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Shade coffee plantations are a simplified but stable agro-ecosystem. Their shading canopy provides most of the ecological functions of natural environments such as nutrient recycling, habitat for native, endemic and migratory birds, and shelter for many plant and wildlife species including endangered species. In Puerto Rico, shade coffee plantations have played a critical role in protecting biodiversity by providing habitat and reducing sedimentation during a time period when the landscape was severely deforested. During these times, coffee plantations served as refugia for many species and protected marine environments by reducing runoff and pollution. Now, shade coffee has a similar or even more important role than it did during the first half of the 20th century. With the ever-increasing human population and associated development and the fact that coffee became Puerto Rico's principal agricultural crop, these plantations are a vital component of any conservation initiative in tropical United States.