%0 Journal Article %T Why Shade Coffee Does Not Guarantee Biodiversity Conservation. %A C¨¦sar Tejeda-Cruz %A Evodia Silva-Rivera %A Jonathan R. Barton %A William J. Sutherland %J Ecology and Society %D 2010 %I The Resilience Alliance %X Over the past decade, various strategies have emerged to address critical habitat losses through agricultural expansion. The promotion of shade-grown, premium-priced coffee has been highlighted as one alternative. Our research, based on interviews with farmers in Chiapas, disputes some of the assumptions made by shade coffee campaigners. Results revealed a predisposition to converting forest to shade coffee production due to the socioeconomic challenges farmers face and the potential for increasing incomes. To ensure that their well-being is improved at the same time as reducing environmental impacts, there is clearly a need to provide more detailed information on who is responsible for enforcing certification criteria and how this should take place. %K alternative coffee %K conservation %K biodiversity %K Mexico %U http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art13/