"By uniting the strengths of the government, conservation and private sectors, we are breaking new ground in supporting small-scale coffee farmers and raising the scale of biodiversity conservation in Mexico and Central America," said Glenn Prickett, senior vice president, Conservation International. "The Alliance will demonstrate practical, cost-effective methods to improve the ecological, economic and social integrity of the world's quality coffee growing regions."

The goals of the Alliance include increasing the number of coffee producers participating in the Conservation Coffee program, expanding the area of coffee fields that are being farmed using best practices, and making more high quality sustainable green coffee available to roasters. The Alliance will also engage with interested stakeholders that share its goals. The long-term objective is to broaden the resource base available to support small-scale coffee farmers and biodiversity conservation and enhance the ability to drive meaningful and measurable changes within the coffee industry.

"One of Starbucks highest priorities is working with farmers and their communities to encourage and expand the production of high quality, sustainable coffee and support farmers' success into the future," said Dub Hay, senior vice president of Coffee, Starbucks Coffee Company. "The Conservation Coffee Alliance complements Starbucks holistic sustainability efforts in coffee origin countries and our desire to work with others to lead positive change in the coffee industry."

Since Starbucks and CI began working together in 1998, the collaboration has produced significant benefits for habitat conservation and farmer livelihoods in Mexico, Colombia and Peru. Beginning with its flagship site along the buffer zone of the El Triunfo Biosphere Rese
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Contact: Jason Anderson
j.anderson@celb.org
202-912-1464
Conservation International
27-Sep-2004