[MPWG] Fw: NWFP-Digest-L No. 9/05
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Thu Aug 25 15:53:08 CDT 2005
Below is the entire table of contents and urls for the latest FAO Non-Wood
Forest Products newsletter. Also included are the summaries for items
pertaining specifically to North American medicinal plant issues (as marked
by an asterisk - *).
Note: The urls are not hyperlinked - you will have to cut and paste them
into your web browser.
Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA 22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>
----- Forwarded by Patricia De Angelis/ARL/R9/FWS/DOI on 08/25/2005 02:09
PM -----
NWFP-Digest-L
No. 9/05
Welcome to FAO’s NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all
aspects of non-wood forest products. A special thank you to all those who
have shared information.
Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's NWFP home page:
www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en
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IN THIS ISSUE:
PRODUCTS
1. Agarwood: Chip off the golden block
2. Bamboo T-shirts
3. Bamboo flowering in India – risks and opportunities
4. Bushmeat: Game park wildlife at risk as farmers turn
poacher
5. Cork: Wine company abandons cork stoppers
6. Devil’s claw: Moves to protect it from German patents
7. Ferns: Arsenic-eating fern holds hope for tainted soils
8. Ginseng export restrictions toughened in the United
States
9. Ginseng export regulations pose problems for industry
10. Gum Arabic: Nigeria to boost gum arabic supplies (Embedded
image moved to file: pic16519.gif)
11. Lac: Shellac may combat skin disorders
12. Medicinal plants: Mappia foetida in India
13. Medicinal plants: Operation Inventory in India
14. Moringa: The ultimate multipurpose tree
15. Shea butter: Japanese organization to help find market for
Ghana's shea butter
COUNTRY INFORMATION
16. Armenia: Deforestation plans ditched
17. Benin: The limits of cotton
18. Brazil's Kayapó Tribe protecting biodiversity
19. Canada: The Healing Taiga*
20. Finland: Forest berries find their way to cosmetics
21. India: Kerala Assembly passes Bill to promote tree growth
22. India: Plant extinction threatens traditional medicine
systems
23. India: Proposal for bamboo industry
24. Indonesia: Disaster for upland forests of Indonesian Borneo?
25. Madagascar's unique forest under threat
26. Malawi: Is honey Malawi's hidden treasure?
27. Malaysia: Camphor forest gazetted for educational use
28. Malaysia: Rare find in newly gazetted forest
29. Philippines: Promote use of indigenous materials
30. United States: Alaska woods hold potential for new drugs*
31. Vanuatu: Planting seeds in sandalwood harvest season
NEWS
32. Biodiversity oils: processing and packaging of natural
ingredients
33. Biopiracy: Amazon nations gear up to fight biopiracy*
34. Biopiracy: Women against biopiracy, in Africa
35. Curbing Bio-piracy*
36. Coral Cay Conservation Society
37. Forests' recreational value is scaled back
38. "Lesson Learned"
39. New Amazon project targets water, forests, wildlife
40. PhytoTrade Africa: Adding Life to Trade
41. Training opportunities in Kenya
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
42. Forestry Officer (Participatory Forestry), FAO
EVENTS
43. A Future Beneath the Trees
44. Buy BC Wild Conference
45. Shop The Wild Tradeshow
46. Intergovernmental Meeting on Great Apes and first Council
Meeting of the Great Apes Survival Project
47. International Bamboo Inventory Training Workshop
48. Cameroon Ethnobotany Network (CEN), Second International
symposium: Plants to cure humans and the environment
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
49. Shea Workshop Proceedings
50. Wild edible fungi
51. One Planet, Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment
52. Other publications of interest
53. Web sites and e-zines
REQUESTS
54. Request for information: African ethnomedicine in treatment
of malaria
MISCELLANEOUS
55. Forest coverage rate exceeds 12 percent in west China
56. More biodiversity at Chernobyl
57. Polluting now to save trees in the future
BACK TO TOP
PRODUCTS
1. Agarwood: Chip off the golden block
Source: Malaysia Star – Malaysia, 9 August 2005
For full story, please see:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/8/9/lifefocus/11596733&sec=lifefocus
2. Bamboo T-shirts
Source: I-Newswire.com (press release), USA
For full story, please see: http://i-newswire.com/pr39548.html
3. Bamboo flowering in India – risks and opportunities
Source: Business Standard / New Delhi August 12, 2005
For full story, please see:
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu5&leftindx=5&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=197149
Related stories: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200507211048.htm
and http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050709/asp/northeast/story_4966764.asp
4. Bushmeat: Game park wildlife at risk as farmers turn poacher
Source: Telegraph.co.uk - London, England, UK, 15 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/15/wkenya15.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/07/15/ixworld.html
5. Cork: Wine company abandons cork stoppers
Source: Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA, 8 August
2005
For full story, please see:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050808006089&newsLang=en
6. Devil’s claw: Moves to protect it from German patents
Source: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone), 4 August 2005
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200508040513.html
7. Ferns: Arsenic-eating fern holds hope for tainted soils
Source: Environmental News Network, 21 June 2005 CFRC Weekly Summary
6/30/05
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/today.html?id=8014
8. Ginseng export restrictions toughened in the United States
Source: RedNova.com - Dallas, TX, USA, 12 August 2005
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a notice this month that it is
increasing the age limit for ginseng roots eligible for export from five
years to 10 years this season. The five-year age restriction, put in place
in 1999, was the first ever on ginseng exports.
The change applies to Virginia and 18 other states. It is meant
to halt the rapid disappearance -- caused by overharvesting -- of wild
ginseng on private land and in national parks and forests. The age
restriction also applies to ginseng grown under simulated wild conditions
unless the grower obtains an exemption from the agency.
Virginia's ginseng hunting season begins Monday and runs
through 31 December. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services has asked the federal agency to delay the new rule until hunters
and buyers and sellers of ginseng can be notified. It has not received a
reply to that request.
Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a slow-growing, long-lived
perennial herb. The age of ginseng can be determined in two ways: by
counting the scars on the plant's underground stem caused by the yearly
loss of its above-ground stem or by counting the number of above-ground
compound leaves, also known as "prongs." Plants with three prongs are 5
years old and those with four prongs are 10 years old.
The primary market for ginseng is overseas. Most of the dried
root goes to east Asia, where it has been prized for centuries for
medicinal properties. Ginseng is taken as a sexual stimulant and as a cure
for impotence, fatigue and a variety of other ills.
Hunting ginseng to generate extra cash -- at least $250 a pound
-- has long been a practice among some residents of the Appalachian
Mountains, who sometimes refer to the herb as "sang."
Virginia is one of the largest exporters of ginseng in the nation and along
with West Virginia accounts for roughly 18 percent of the 60,000-pound
annual national harvest, although reporting varies among agencies.
In the past three years, the state agriculture department
certified 4,000, 5,000, and 3,600 pounds of ginseng for export at an annual
value approaching $1 million.
Virginia, like the other states affected by the new rule, has
state laws governing the harvest. Virginia, however, is one of only three
states that do not require hunters to plant ginseng seeds in the spot where
they dig a plant.
For full story, please see:
www.rednova.com/news/technology/205491/ginseng_export_restrictions_toughened/
9. Ginseng export regulations pose problems for industry
Source: NutraIngredients-usa.com - Montpellier, France, 8 August 2005
(Embedded image moved to file: pic31556.gif)
New regulations on the export of wild ginseng root aim to help preserve the
plant from extinction but could cause problems for the herbals industry, at
least over the next five years.
In its 2005 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora) finding, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has
determined that wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) root must be at
least ten years old (double the previous minimum age of five years) and
have four ‘prongs’ or leaves before it can be legally exported from the US.
Although most states allow for the harvesting of ginseng at
five years, the new restriction, which is effective for the 2005 harvest,
effectively overrules them as any roots younger than 10 years will not be
able to be sold for export.
Over the next five years, there is likely to be considerably
less wild ginseng available for export, until the plants’ maturity catches
up with the regulation.
“We now have a situation where wild ginseng that can be legally
collected at five years old throughout its range will not be able to be
sold to its primary market, which is in Asia,” said Tony Hayes, of Ridge
Runner Trading Company.
Ginseng takes between four and five years to reach maturity and
start producing seeds, but becomes more fruitful with age. The life span of
a plant is around 30 years.
According to Nature Serve Explorer, wild ginseng has “declined
considerably” in the US since European settlement, and populations are
“critically imperilled” in Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska.
It says that irresponsible digging of roots is the single most threatening
factor for the species’ survival.
Annual exports of wild plants are estimated to be in the region
of 125 million and the main market is China.
Between 85 and 90 percent of ginseng exports come from
cultivated sources, which are excluded from the FWS restriction.
“It is unfortunate that a decision of this importance has to
happen behind closed doors, as the cart has gotten before the horse, at
least for the 2005 harvest,” said Hayes. Michael McGuffin, president of the
American Herbal Products Association agreed: “It must be acknowledged that
the current system does not allow our input in the decision-making process,
which makes it very difficult to make good business plans if wild ginseng
is important to your company.”
A statement published on the website of Sylvan Botanicals said
that the announcement of the regulation so close to the harvesting season
could do more harm to the wild populations than so-called wildcrafters
could do in decades. It predicts that the next step will be the outright
ban on the harvesting of wild ginseng. Sylvan Botanicals is a proponent of
wild simulated ginseng which, along with woods grown ginseng, will be
assessed on a case-by-case basis if applicants can document the origin of
their roots.
For full story, please see:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=61787-ginseng-export-regulations
10. Gum Arabic: Nigeria to boost gum arabic supplies (Embedded image
moved to file: pic22798.gif)
Source: Food Navigator – France, 22 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=61437-jigawa-state-to
11. Lac: Shellac may combat skin disorders
Source: Japan Corporate News (press release), Tokyo, Japan, 8 August 2005
For full story, please see: www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=10639
12. Medicinal plants: Mappia foetida in India
Source: Indian Express - New Delhi, India, 3 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=73734
13. Medicinal plants: Operation Inventory in India
Source: Ahmedabad Newsline - Ahmedabad, India. 17 July 2005
For full story, please see:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=140103
14. Moringa: The ultimate multipurpose tree
Source: Agana Pacific Daily News - Agana, Guam, 31 July 2005
The ultimate multipurpose tree: the versatile moringa, or malungai, plant
abounds in nutrients and vitamins.
The concept of using multipurpose trees has gained popularity
in recent years -- and no discussion of multipurpose trees would be fitting
without focusing on moringa.
Moringa is most commonly called malungai or marungai on Guam. Although the
plant has been grown here for many years, other countries have selected
superior varieties that have been unavailable to Guam gardeners until
recently.
The University of Guam is holding a workshop on Aug. 6 to
discuss this amazing tree. Plants of two very popular varieties, called
PKM-1 and PKM-2, will be available for distribution. These varieties were
developed in India to boost commercial production of moringa products.
One measure of the versatility and usefulness of a tree is the
number of names it has been given. "Although moringa originated in India,
it is now grown in so many countries and used for so many purposes that the
number of names it has acquired may seem endless," says Dr. Martin Price,
executive director of Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, or
ECHO, a 25-year-old non-profit organization in Ft. Myers, Fla. (USA).
One of the more common international names for this plant is
"horseradish tree," due to the flavour of the roots.
Perhaps the most endearing name attributed to this tree is
"Mother's Best Friend." According to Price at ECHO, this name arises
primarily from the nutritional value of the fresh or dry leaves. Widely
consumed to increase protein, calcium and iron in the diet, moringa leaves
are also packed with vitamins A, B and C. Recent research has revealed that
moringa leaf powder may contain seven times the vitamin C content of
oranges, four times the vitamin A content of carrots, and three times the
potassium content of bananas. When added as a supplement for a child's
diet, only 25 grams of this leaf powder reportedly supplies all of the
calcium and vitamin A daily needs, about half of the protein and potassium
daily needs, and about three-fourths of the iron daily needs.
Moringa's value for human nutrition is not restricted to its
leaves. Flowers are cooked and used in many dishes, and seeds are boiled,
sautéed, or fried before consumption.
This plant, also called "drumstick tree," comes from the
nutritional value of the plant's fruits or pods. These pods are long and
slender, and look like drumsticks. The immature green pods are probably the
most esteemed and widely used of all the tree parts. Most countries
throughout Asia have traditional dishes utilizing these pods.
Other uses flourish
Several other uses of this versatile tree deserve mention. According to
Price, moringa seeds are the source of a fine oil called Ben or Behen oil,
an oil prized for many years because of its culinary uses, its burn quality
of illuminating without smoke, and its lubricating capabilities for very
small workings, such as those in watches.
"Crushed moringa seeds are also used to clarify muddy water,"
says Price. Moringa seeds are so effective in clarifying water that recent
research has focused on identifying if any unique chemicals are responsible
for this trait. Indeed, research in Germany indicates there are several
unique proteins in the seeds that are able to bind with the suspended
solids in turbid water.
No discussion about this tree would be complete without
mentioning its medicinal value. In India's traditional medicinal practices,
every part of the plant has been used since ancient times for prevention of
various diseases or to treat assorted ailments.
Growing moringa
Moringa is easily propagated, easily established, and requires little to no
attention to keep the tree thriving and growing well. In fact, stem growth
of up to 10 feet or more in one year is not uncommon. Highly managed
moringa plantations in India receive fertilizer and water, but outside of
India, these trees are rarely fertilized or irrigated. According to Price,
pruning a tree after harvest season is effective for promoting side
branches, increasing subsequent pod production and simplifying harvesting
due to the smaller tree size.
Perhaps the most beneficial development in moringa production
has been the selection of improved varieties. Two such varieties originated
in India and have been used in intensive production systems to produce pods
by treating the plants as annual plants. These varieties will produce fruit
in as little as six months from planting. They are rigorously managed for
one year, and then are removed to make room for a new batch of moringa
seedlings. Thus, they never reach the age to become a tree. One of these
selections is called PKM-2, selected for heavy production and particularly
long, fleshy pods. Another, called PKM-1, was selected because pruning
allows the tree to be restrained to a bushy growth habit. "I have been
wanting to find this trait in a moringa variety for a long time," says
Price. "A few of the limbs even grow almost horizontal after pruning."
(Written by Thomas Marler, professor with the College of Natural and
Applied Sciences, University of Guam.)
For full story, please see:
www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/LIFESTYLE/507310314/1024/NEWS01
15. Shea butter: Japanese organization to help find market for
Ghana's shea butter
Source: GhanaWeb - Accra, Ghana, 4 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=85058
COUNTRY INFORMATION
16. Armenia: Deforestation plans ditched
Source: Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 7 July 2005 (in CENN, 14 July
2005 Daily Digest)
No link provided.
17. Benin: The limits of cotton
Source: Leif Brottem, CADTM.org - Liège, France, 18 July 2005
For full story, please see: www.cadtm.org/article.php3?id_article=1553
18. Brazil's Kayapó Tribe protecting biodiversity
Source: Lance Belville, Gringoes.com - Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 2005
For more information on the Kayapó and other issues of Amazon biodiversity,
see the website www.ConBio.org or send an email to info at conversavacao.org
For full story, please see:
http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=857
19. Canada: The Healing Taiga
Source: Taiga News, Issue 50, Spring 2005
Rose and Ric Richardson are a Metis couple living and working in
Sakatchewan. At their business, they promote the pride and dignity of Metis
people and work on ensuring that cultural knowledge is shared with their
own people and others. They work with traditional medicines found in the
northern boreal forest and teach some uses of these in the ‘Medicine Walk’
part of their eco-tourism business.
They also lobby the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada to
promote sustainable practices in the use of the resources of the boreal
forest, as well as to gain support for aboriginal eco-tourism. They believe
eco-tourism can help to preserve the traditional knowledge of native
people, as well as provide an economic basis from which they can offer
opportunities based on the sustainable use of natural forests.
Rose has a degree in education, which helps in developing
programmes for sharing knowledge of plant identification and use. They have
spoken about traditional medicines at the University of Saskatchewan and
are the co-ordinators of the ‘Medicines’ Venue’ of the International
Gathering of Traditional Healing and Medicines, which is held annually at
the Nekaneet First Nation in south-western Saskatchewan. They have also
made numerous presentations around Saskatchewan promoting the knowledge and
use of traditional ways of health and healing, including teaching about the
recognition, use and importance of sustainability of plants used for
medicines.
For more information, please contact:
Rose and Ric Richardson
http://www.culturalnative.com/
For full story, please see:
www.taigarescue.org/index.php?view=taiga_news&tn_ID=1035
20. Finland: Forest berries find their way to cosmetics
Source: forest-fi, 22 August 2005
For full story, please see:
www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/tiedotteetlookup/CA7D686338A05F40C2257065003ECCF3
21. India: Kerala Assembly passes Bill to promote tree growth
Source: NewKerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, 22 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=8280
22. India: Plant extinction threatens traditional medicine systems
Source: Business Standard – India, 30 June 2005
For full story, please see:
www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=193039
23. India: Proposal for bamboo industry
Source: Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta,India, 13 July 2005
For full story, please see:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050714/asp/jamshedpur/story_4987976.asp
24. Indonesia: Disaster for upland forests of Indonesian Borneo?
Source: WWF: Environmental News, 12 August, 2005
For full story, please see:
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news.cfm?uNewsID=22371
25. Madagascar's unique forest under threat
Source: The Observer, 7 August 2005
For full story, please see:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1544101,00.html
Related story: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=10345&channel=0
26. Malawi: Is honey Malawi's hidden treasure?
Source: The Chronicle Newspaper (Lilongwe), 30 June 2005
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200507010190.html
27. Malaysia: Camphor forest gazetted for educational use
Source: New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia, 13 July 2005
For full story, please see:
www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/20050714075500/Article/indexb_html
28. Malaysia: Rare find in newly gazetted forest
Source: New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia, 7 August 2005
For full story, please see:
www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20050808083355/Article/indexb_html
29. Philippines: Promote use of indigenous materials
Source: Sun Star – Philippines, July 20, 2005
For full story, please see:
www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2005/07/20/oped/mark.allen.c..sison.html
30. United States: Alaska woods hold potential for new drugs
Source: Ned Rozell, Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 7 August 2005
Saplings of the Alaska paper birch tree produce a sticky resin on new
branches that discourages snowshoe hares from eating them. Some scientists
think that such chemical defences might be useful drugs and a new natural
resource for Alaskans to tap.
Tom Clausen and John Bryant think so highly of birch trees' promise that
they took a 600-mile journey up and down the Porcupine River early this
summer to clip birch twigs from different locations. The researchers
compared twigs from Circle all the way up to Old Crow in the Yukon
Territory. They found that new twigs of birch were more heavily encrusted
with resin nodules the farther north they went. "As we went upriver, the
trees got gooier and gooier," said Clausen, the chairman of the University
of Alaska Fairbanks' department of chemistry and biochemistry.
In the late 1970s, Bryant, a UAF professor emeritus who now
lives in Wyoming, noticed that Alaska birches seemed to protect themselves
from hares by producing resinous glands on saplings and stems growing close
to the ground. Current UAF provost and chemist Paul Reichardt determined
that the stems of birch saplings are stubbled with tiny beads of
papyriferic acid, a sweet compound with a bitter aftertaste.
Twigs growing higher on mature trees don't have the glands.
"When a tree gets knocked down, the tops are like candy for
hares," Clausen said. The papyriferic acid on sapling twigs causes snowshoe
hares to pass more sodium with their urine. This loss of sodium indicates
birch defences, such as papyriferic acid, which are potential hypertension
drugs, Bryant said.
"Papyriferic acid and other substances are clearly affecting
hares, and things that affect mammals are of interest as potential drugs,"
Clausen said. Medical researchers first derived aspirin, for example, from
a chemical extracted from willows, and the cancer drug Taxol originated in
Pacific yew trees.
The north has a bumper crop of birch and other trees and shrubs
that seem to be loaded with papyriferic acid and other potentially valuable
chemicals. Bryant has sampled trees from Connecticut to Galena, and the
northern ones are the richest. "In Connecticut, trees contain no
papyriferic acid; Old Crow trees have 50 percent," Bryant said. "That's a
huge difference."
On their recent trip to the village of Old Crow and beyond,
Clausen and Bryant found a striking relationship between forest fires,
snowshoe hares and resinous birch. The extreme forest fires of the North --
an area the size of Vermont burned in Alaska in 2004 -- could be a reason
why it's such a storehouse for papyriferic acid and other natural
chemicals.
"Fire yields hare habitat, which yields hares, which yields
hares eating plants, which yields juvenile plants evolving a chemical
defence against hares," Bryant said.
Since the birches with the highest concentrations of the
chemical are between Fort Yukon and northwest Canada, Bryant sees potential
for villagers to start a new industry of harvesting young birch and other
woody plants. This sort of small industry is already under way in
Minnesota, where researchers from the University of Duluth have joined a
biotech company to harvest birch bark for betulin, a chemical effective as
a herpes and skin cancer drug and as a component of cosmetics.
"If one wants to look for drugs, it makes sense to look at
plant-mammal interactions," Bryant said, "and the strongest plant/mammal
interaction is between hares and the trees and shrubs of northern Alaska
and northern Canada." "There's tons of this stuff right outside our door,"
Clausen said.
For full story, please see: www.adn.com/life/story/6791708p-6681125c.html
31. Vanuatu: Planting seeds in sandalwood harvest season
Source: Vanuatu Online - Port Vila, Vanuatu, 25 July 2005
For full story, please see:
http://www.news.vu/en/business/Agriculture/050725-Vanuatu-sandalwood-harvest-season.shtml
NEWS
32. Biodiversity oils: processing and packaging of natural
ingredients
Source: Cosmetics Design - Montpellier, France, 19 July 2005
For full story, please see:
http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=61392-biodiversity-oils-a
33. Biopiracy: Amazon nations gear up to fight biopiracy
Source: Inter Press Service News Agency, 4 July (IPS) (in BIO-IPR, 17.7.05)
Around 500 products based on plants native to Peru are registered in patent
offices in the United States, Europe and Japan, but many of them may have
been produced by breaking Peruvian laws on access to biodiversity and
traditional knowledge.
This complaint was voiced by Santiago Roca, the president of
Peru's National Institute for the Defence of Competition and the Protection
of Intellectual Property, at the first meeting of intellectual property
officials from the eight Amazon basin countries.
These hundreds of products were derived from just seven native
plants from Peru, Roca told IPS at the Jun. 30-Jul. 1 meeting in Rio de
Janeiro, in which officials from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador,
Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela took part.
The statistics on the number of products based on native
Peruvian plants came from a study by a commission set up by the Peruvian
government to examine patent registries in Europe, Japan and the United
States.
The report, which was completed in January, laid the groundwork
for verifying whether the applications for patents were legal. Roca said
authorities from his country will now investigate whether patent
applications infringed Peruvian legislation on access to genetic resources,
which requires prior consent from and compensation for the indigenous
communities that possess the traditional knowledge used in developing the
products. Peru's ”regime for protection of indigenous peoples' knowledge
related to biological diversity”, which was adopted in 2002, regulates
these questions in Peru, and orders remuneration in exchange for access to
traditional knowledge, which goes into a fund to be distributed to the
communities involved, he explained.
Of the 500 products, two or three cases of proven legal
infractions will be selected, to demand the revocation of the patents, and
”the success of this first step will set a precedent” that will pave the
way for a broad offensive against biopiracy, said Roca.
Biopiracy is defined as biological theft, or the unauthorised
and uncompensated collection of indigenous plants, animals, microorganisms,
genes or traditional communities' knowledge on biological resources by
corporations that patent them for their own use.
Countries with great biological diversity like those of the
Amazon jungle must protect that wealth and the knowledge about it held by
traditional indigenous peoples, just as industrialised nations apply
pressure around the world to fight the piracy of their products, like
software, films and albums, Roca argued.
The meeting of intellectual property officials, which was
sponsored by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO), was a first
step towards the sharing and exchange of information on biopiracy,
cooperation and international negotiations on patents. Achieving effective
recognition of ”collective rights” requires an effort by all countries,
because national laws generally only protect the copyright and intellectual
property rights of individuals or companies, not of the communities that
developed the knowledge in the first place, said ACTO secretary-general
Rosalía Arteaga.
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