Michael Akresh, faculty in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England, has co-authored a new peer-reviewed study titled “Landscape influences on bird control of coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) damage: Insights from a coffee-producing region in Honduras.” The study, published in Ornithological Applications, examines how birds help control the coffee berry borer, a major insect pest in coffee production. Based on field research in Yoro, Honduras, the study found that bird predation reduced pest damage on coffee farms, and that surrounding forest cover strengthened that benefit. The authors also identified a landscape threshold: when forest cover exceeded 36% within 250 meters of farms, coffee berry borer abundance dropped noticeably.
The findings connect to Antioch’s community partnerships through the AUNE Institute for International Conservation (IIC), which helps bring Café Solar coffee from the Yoro region to the AUNE community. Akresh’s research underscores the value of forest-friendly, bird-friendly coffee systems in the same region where Café Solar operates, linking conservation science to a tangible campus offering that supports sustainable coffee production in Honduras
To read the study, click here.
