The benefits of shea butter are plenty, but the future of this valuable oil may not be as smooth. The shea tree’s surrounding habitat is steadily being stripped of diversely flowering trees and shrubs, impacting pollinators and diminishing yields. This loss of habitat also lowers numbers of insect-hungry migratory birds. A new BirdLife project, funded by the Darwin Initiative, aims to help crack this tough nut. Education, replanting, research, and collaboration with Industry form part of a pilot project aiming to soften the rough areas of Burkina Faso’s shea butter production.