Summary
This meta-analysis synthesised existing literature to assess how coffee management practices affect biodiversity loss across tropical systems. The findings demonstrate that only diverse agroforestry systems with native tree species achieve significantly lower species loss than monocultures, whilst intermediate shade-grown systems often show similar biodiversity impacts to intensive monocultures. The work highlights substantial geographic knowledge gaps and cautions against treating 'shade-grown coffee' as a homogeneous category for conservation purposes.
UK applicability
Direct applicability is limited as coffee production is not established in the UK climate. However, the findings may inform UK import purchasing decisions, corporate sustainability commitments regarding tropical commodity sourcing, and policy frameworks for biodiversity impact assessment of agricultural commodities.
Key measures
Species richness loss associated with different coffee management intensities; comparison of five management strategy categories from monoculture to diverse agroforestry
Outcomes reported
The study quantified species richness loss across five coffee management strategies using meta-analysis of existing literature. It compared biodiversity impacts from monoculture systems through to diverse agroforestry with native tree species.
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