The rare black-and-chestnut eagle, one of the most endangered birds of prey in South America, has recently made a nest in Huila, in the center of Colombia's most important coffee-growing area.
"The black-and-chestnut eagle is one of the most important species in our territory," said Camilo Agudelo, director of the regional conservation agency CAM Huila, per Conservation International. "Today we see how communities, biologists, and institutions are coming together to protect it."
The eagle needs protection because its habitat is being lost to coffee plantations. About 25,000 hectares of forest in the region have been turned into agricultural land since 2011, and as the world gets warmer due to heat-trapping air pollution, coffee growers move to higher elevations to get away from the heat, meaning more and more of the mountains are turned into agricultural land.
Protecting the black-and-chestnut eagle requires protecting the entire ecosystem and the species in it. That's what the HYLEA Pact is doing, led by Conservation International, the international development organization IDH, CAM, and the Government of Huila. It is introducing new coffee-growing methods that are better for the forest.
"The approach we're taking in Huila is comprehensive — and that's a major contributor to the forest's recovery," said Raina Lang, head of the global coffee program at Conservation International. "We're restoring degraded lands, improving regenerative agriculture in coffee lands and increasing environmental awareness about forest and species protection."
Instead of simply growing coffee, the program encourages farmers to mix the plants together with fruit trees, timber trees, and nitrogen-fixing species that help soil health. The fact that the eagles are nesting in the area is a sign that this approach is helping to restore the forest.
"The presence of this pair and their offspring in Huila is not just a scientific record, it is a sign of hope," said Carlos Costa, the executive director of Conservation International-Colombia. "It reminds us that if we work together with communities and institutions, we can reverse the decline of the most endangered species and ensure that they continue to play their vital role in Andean ecosystems."
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