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Benefits of Sustainable Cocoa Growing
Conserving the RainforestIn these rainforest regions, sustainable cocoa growing can benefit
everyone - farmers, plants and animals. If the small farmer can make
a living from his land sustainably, new agroforestry areas will be created.
What remains of these rainforest regions stands a better chance of being
conserved when animals use agroforests to move between areas of natural
forest.
Everybody WinsSustainable farming actually provides more income to the farmer. At the same time, the biodiversity of the cocoa agroforest creates more habitats for wildlife and can help prevent destruction of the rainforest. VIDEO: Less Maintenance (30 Sec.)Allen M. Young, Ph.D., Milwaukee Public Museum VIDEO: More Income (1 Min.)Eduardo Somarriba, Ph.D., Agroforestry Specialist, CATIE Agroforest as HabitatCocoa trees grown in conjunction with native trees provide almost as
much habitat for wildlife as natural rainforest. Indigenous birds such
as the toucan and Amazonian parrot, as well as dozens of migrating species
such as the wood thrush, scarlet tanager, Baltimore Oriole and others,
find both food and shelter in the shade canopy. In contrast, a pasture
or a typical banana grove is a monoculture, offering little benefit
to wildlife.
VIDEO: Benefits to Wildlife (30 Sec.)Allen M. Young, Ph.D., Milwaukee Public Museum
Preserving BiodiversityCocoa trees can play a positive and important role in preserving the native tropical forests and encouraging farmers to regenerate deforested areas. This, in turn, is a positive step in preserving the biodiversity of rainforest regions. VIDEO: The Future of Agroforestry (1 Min.)Eduardo Somarriba, Ph.D., Agroforestry Specialist, CATIE
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