When sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices are implemented, both wildlife and farmers can benefit. 

HSI’s habitat protection and cacao program serves to educate and empower local cacao producers in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua to improve their production techniques to ensure a healthier environment and improve habitats for wildlife, while at the same time improving livelihoods of the local communities. 

HSI’s program reaches over 3,000 cacao producers in four cooperatives and over 40,000 acres, home to thousands of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Central America traditionally produced and exported cacao until the 1970s, when a disease struck the region that almost entirely wiped out cacao production. Most producers abandoned cacao production and focused on the production of their secondary shade trees (fruit, wood etc.), resulting in many wild forested areas now home to a broad range of wildlife. HSI’s program aims to reactivate cacao in a sustainable manner that will positively affect the environment and the wildlife living on cacao farms/forests and improve livelihoods for the producers. Additionally, these efforts are fueled by the increase in demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly produced cacao for niche markets (e.g. organic, bird-friendly, Rainforest Alliance certifications). 

HSI’s program is unique in the region for its focus on wildlife and habitat conservation. HSI’s trainings for the cacao program include sessions on how to conduct fauna and flora inventories. These inventories are a necessary component for most environmentally-friendly certifications. By demonstrating the monetary value of maintaining these inventories, HSI hopes to ensure a healthy habitat for the wildlife of the region for years to come.