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April showers bring delicious PNG YUS coffee

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications
Photos by Ryan Hawk/ Woodland Park Zoo

It's April in Seattle which means weather. Lots of weather. Along with springtime blooms, the earth-soaked scent of petrichor and dancing under rainbows, there is yet another reason to love this season...an excuse to stock up on your favorite PNG YUS coffee!

PNG YUS coffee is now available at both ZooStores and Caffe Vita shops around Seattle!
Photo courtesy of www.caffevita.com.

AROMA: Guava, hazelnut, orange zest
FLAVOR: Honey, sugarcane
BODY: Smooth
CONSERVATION CONNECTION: A+

Caffe Vitta has been partnering with Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) for over four years, and each batch of sustainable coffee tastes better than the last.

Grown in the remote cloud forests of Huon Penensula, Papua New Guinea, the coffee plants thrive under native shade and the care of farmers who are proud to support local conservation.
The coffee you buy can help save wildlife. The people of Papua New Guinea’s YUS region pledged 180,000 acres of their own land to help save endangered tree kangaroos. The shade-grown coffee they grow sustainably—in the very forests they protect—is not only delicious, but is part of an internationally renowned, award winning conservation program. 



With Earth Day coming up on April 22, look to TKCP as a reminder that sometimes the simplest solution is the most sustainable. When WPZ's senior conservation scientist, Lisa Dabek started looking at ways to save habitat for endangered tree kangaroos 20 years ago, she began by talking to the people who live and work in the area. 

Dr. Dabek explains, "In PNG, more than 90% of the land is owned by indigenous clans. Land cannot be bought or sold; it is passed down from generation to generation. TKCP spent years meeting with the landowners and communities, building trust and a mutual understanding of wildlife conservation. The landowners in YUS chose to pledge portions of their clan lands to create the YUS Conservation Area so that future generations can depend upon their natural resources and carry on their cultural traditions. One of the greatest assets for protecting species and habitat is the leadership of local communities in managing resources sustainably." 

Although the program is complex, the basic idea is all about community. By “ensuring sustainable health and prosperity for the living YUS landscape, biodiversity, people and culture,” the mission of TKCP has been very successful. Drink coffee = save tree kangaroos.




Wild Matschie's tree kangaroo in Papua New Guinea.
There's nothing more Seattle than coffee, rain and conservation. We're all about protecting rain forest habitat and the creatures who love it as much as we do, which is why it just makes sense that we're also passionate about cheering on Papua New Guinea’s first national conservation area. 


A familiar scene 6,700 miles away in Papua New Guinea's cloud forests.
Dr Dabek reminds us, "If we do not focus on community-based conservation and sustainable living, we will not succeed in conserving endangered species. Conservation is ultimately about people!"

Right now, you can directly support conservation in YUS by buying YUS Conservation Coffee at both ZooStores and through Caffe Vita! The new batch of medium roast PNG YUS is totally ready for your vacuum pot, pour over or drip. It's delicious any way.

You can also visit zoo.org/treekangaroo to learn about other ways to get involved. 

Every visit to the zoo is a vote for conservation.



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