ARTICLES
Café Mesa de los Santos funds
ongoing biological study,
results to be announced at SCAA encouraging for environment
Bogotá, Colombia
 Otus Choliba |
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| Café Mesa de los Santos, a certified-organic, certified shade-grown coffee farm in Colombia, has funded an ongoing biological research project to evaluate the farm’s biodiversity, with reports available annually. The most recent study, released in March, found 17 new bird species, taking the total of known migratory and resident birds on the farm to 117. The coffee farm is now known to be the home for more than 50 percent of the total number of bird species recorded inhabiting coffee lands in Colombia. About 14.5 percent of birds recorded are migratory and about 85.5 percent are permanent or occasional residents. In addition, three of the migratory birds recorded are new for the list of migratory bird species inhabiting coffee lands in Colombia. The study was conducted by professor Camilo Peraza (birds), Jairo Pérez-Torres (mammals) and Andrés A. Acosta (amphibians and reptiles), with a team of 15 post-graduate biology students from the prestigious Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Some conclusions of the study are as follows: • Birds: The three shade-coffee lots studied and their surrounding habitats are appropriate for temporal maintenance of migratory birds that come from September through February each year, as well as the healthy maintenance of resident species. • Mammals: Despite the relatively short time mammals have been surveyed at the farm, the number of individuals reported is considerable, notably the abundance of bats in residence. This suggests the likelihood of recording new species as the mammalian study is continued over time. • Amphibians and reptiles: The seven amphibian species were recorded in three different environments (terrestrial, aquatic, open areas), which indicates a high level of ecological restoration and conservation on the farm. Café Mesa de los Santos was certified organic in 1998. The coffee also boasts the coveted “Certified Shade-grown, Bird-friendly®” seal, awarded by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Café Mesa de los Santos invites interested specialty coffee professionals and bird enthusiasts to visit the hacienda, where a team of horses is ready to transport visitors through guided tours, immersing visitors in the creation of “café de sabor divino” (coffee of divine taste) and highlighting the natural beauty of the farm and its wild residents. |
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For more information, please contact Kate LaPoint of To The Point Business Imaging at 206.418.9958 or Oswaldo Acevedo, farm owner, via e-mail at telmo@cafemesadelossantos.com or visit the company’s web site at www.cafemesadelossantos.com. Note: Oswaldo Acevedo will be available for interviews at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) conference & exhibition in Boston, April 26-28 at Royal Coffee’s booth #426 and 428. Interviews may also be scheduled by e-mailing telmo@cafemesadelossantos.com. |