[MPWG] Fw: NWFP-Digest-L No. 1/06
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Tue Mar 7 09:12:05 CST 2006
This issue of NWFP is jam-packed with interesting info!
I'm forwarding only the summaries for items having to do with medicinals,
NTFPs , and issues that have arisen during discussions on the listserve
(such as land management practices and sustainable economic development
based on plant resources). These are marked with a double asterisk in the
table of contents.
There are many interesting references to new publications near the end of
the newsletter - many having to do with native plant resources and some
coming from members of MPWG!
Note: None of the links are active - you will have to cut and paste them
into your search engine.
-Patricia
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NWFP-Digest-L
No. 1/06
Welcome to FAO’s NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all
aspects of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be
found on FAO's NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en
We received over 630 replies to our on-line survey. A summary of the
results will be published in the next issue of Non-wood News. We would
like to say a special “thank you” to all those who participated.
==============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
NEWS
1. Dragon's blood trees come to city
2. **Fair trade in wild natural resources can lift
millions out of poverty**
3. ** Indigenous heritage: sustainable development and
preservation of the Amazon**
4. **Neglected and underutilised plant species**
5. Primates harvest bee nests in Ugandan reserve
6. **Short course – Inventory (including inventory of
non-timber resources)**
7. **Smithsonian Institution MAB Program's Professional
Training Courses 2006**
8. TREES 2006-2007 International Training Courses and
Study Tours
9. **Trees for Life: New online journal explores
medicinal plants and traditional medicine**
10. **Volunteers for Africa / ECODECO Partnership **
PRODUCTS
11. Bamboo reforestation project underway in Eastern Cuba
12. Bamboo as alternative to timber in Ghana
13. Bamboo art
14. Bamboo in NE Nepal
15. Lac: Bigger, better goals for lac production in India
16. **Mauritia flexuosa: Certified buriti oil in Brazil **
17. **Mushrooms: World's first mushroom cosmetic line
developed**
18. Sandalwood: Vanuatu Sandalwood competes with Indian
product
19. **Seabuckthorn: Indian wine major diversifies into
Himalayan berry products**
COUNTRY INFORMATION
20. **Brazil: Plants and traditional knowledge are the basic
input for phyto-therapeuticals**
21. **Brazil: The forest becomes a source of income**
22. Bolivia: New Partnership to Launch Small Grants Program
in Bolivia
23. China’s first non-profit Botanic Garden
24. China adds 62 forest parks
25. **France: Les multiples valeurs de la forêt française**
26. **India: Assam hunts for links to market non-timber
products**
27. **India: cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants**
28. Indonesia: Calls for rattan export ban
29. **Nepal: Promoting Non-Timber Forest Products**
30. Papua New Guinea: Illegal loggers clearing PNG's forests
31. United Kingdom: Forests earmarked for new crofts
32. **Zambia: Honey production**
REQUESTS
33. **Request for small grant to develop Field Guide on NWFP
(Medicinal Plants)**
34. **Request for ideas: new name for ForestAction Nepal**
International EVENTS
35. **Introducing Community Forestry: Innovative ideas,
practices and methodologies**
36. **8th Asian Apicultural Association Conference. Honey for
Healthy Humans**
37. Poverty alleviation through bamboo-based development:
policies, strategies, and stakeholders
38. **International Conference on the Roles of Forests in
Rural Development and Environmental Sustainability**
39. **The Future for Wild Harvests in Scotland**
40. **Cultural heritage and sustainable forest management:
the role of traditional knowledge**
41. **IX Congress of the Latin American Botanical Society (IX
Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica). **
42. **Study tour on community-based forest cottage industries
**
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
43. **Commercialization of non-timber forest products –
factors influencing success**
44. **Other publications of interest**
45. **Web sites and e-zines**
MISCELLANEOUS
46. New fund to connect African ecologists
BACK TO TOP
NEWS
2. Fair trade in wild natural resources can lift millions out of
poverty
Source: UN News Centre, 28 February 2006
With half the world’s 1.2 billion poor depending for their livelihoods on
harvesting wild natural resources, ranging from cocoa and rubber to oils
and spices, in a trade valued at $4.7 billion annually, the United Nations
environmental agency today released a blueprint for a fair deal to lift
them out of poverty.
A key recommendation of the report by the UN Environment
Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), is that aid
should be targeted at developing the business skills of rural communities
to help them avoid exploitation by entrepreneurs and other middle men in
the trade of non-timber forest products (NTFP).
“There is no doubt that if provided with the right kind of
support, trading forest products can genuinely provide a route out of
poverty,” (UNEP-WCMC) project coordinator Elaine Marshall said of the
report: Commercialization of non-timber forest products: factors
influencing success (CEPFOR).
The study identifies how commercial development NTFPs can
enable rural communities to escape poverty without irreversibly damaging
the environment. It examines 19 different case studies in Mexico and
Bolivia, involving products ranging from wild mushrooms and palm fibres to
incense and the agave-based traditional beverage, Mezcal, looking at why
some commercialization initiatives succeed while others do not.
In many areas these products provide the only source of
income, and communities are dependent on them for survival.
Entrepreneurs often provide a link between producers and the
market place and play a critical role in determining whether trade is fair
to producers or not. CEPFOR found that they play a number of positive
roles, including identifying markets, providing business contacts,
advancing capital and providing training to producers.
But the inequitable distribution of power along the market
chain was widely seen by producers as a major factor limiting
commercialization success, with relatively few entrepreneurs resulting in
lack of competition. Many communities are entirely dependent on one or a
few entrepreneurs for bringing their products to market, which can result
in exploitation and unfair trade.
Hence the need to develop the business skills of these
communities as well as to support socially-minded entrepreneurs and create
producer organizations providing opportunities to share information and
contacts. This can greatly strengthen the ability to negotiate favourable
deals and command a higher price for products.
CEPFOR also calls for training and education to prevent the
widespread scourge of over-harvesting.
NTFPs include a wide range of commercial products traded
internationally, including nuts, seeds, fibres, resins, fruits, oils and
spices, used for foods, crafts and medicines, among many other uses.
For full story, please see:
www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17645&Cr=&Cr1=
3. Indigenous heritage: sustainable development and preservation
of the Amazon
Source: Agencia Brasil, 17 February 2006
A study developed by the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the
Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) indicates that 74% of the 260 indigenous areas
analyzed presented less deforestation levels than those areas around the
reservations.
The entity’s general coordinator, Jecinaldo Cabral, explains
that it is part of the indigenous heritage to practice sustainable
development and to preserve the forest, which is very different from what
happens with large-scale agricultural activities. In his opinion, one of
the reasons that development projects in the Amazon end up destroying the
forest is the lack of planning and dialogue with those affected.
Cabral said that they intend to present to the Minister of
Environment, Marina Silva, the study "Diagnostic of Threatened Indigenous
Land in the Amazon." They also want to present the data to the National
Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI), National Institute of Colonization and
Agrarian Reform (INCRA), Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable
Natural Resources (IBAMA), as well as to private companies that operate in
the region.
For full story, please see:
http://internacional.radiobras.gov.br/ingles/materia_i_2004.php?materia=256505&q=1&editoria
=
4. Neglected and underutilised plant species
From: Dr Hannah Jaenicke, ICUC, Sri Lanka, h.jaenicke at cgiar.org
An outline of a framework for research and development on neglected and
underutilised plant species has been prepared by the International Centre
for Underutilised Crops (ICUC), the Global Facilitation Unit for
Underutilized Species (GFU) and the International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute’s office for Central and West Asia and North Africa
(IPGRI-CWANA) to stimulate a discussion and consultation with colleagues
around the world. The objective is to reach a common framework that can
help us all in guiding our activities, avoiding duplication, fostering
collaboration and identifying important gaps.
Following this wide-spread electronic consultation, small
groups of experts will meet in Asia (March 2006) and Africa (May 2006) to
incorporate your contributions and develop a text which will then be
circulated again widely for further inputs. We are aware that as in any
such consultation not everyone will have a chance to provide input at this
early stage but we intend this framework to remain flexible and dynamic in
the future. Please feel free to circulate this message to your colleagues
whom we might not have reached.
We hope that at the end of this year not only a written
document will be developed, but that this consultation process will also
help foster collaboration and a stronger support network for people
working to promote and improve neglected and underutilised plant species.
Your input, however small or large, on any part of this draft
is very welcome and extremely important! In particular we would like to
ask for your input in the following sections:
Section 2
What challenges do you perceive on a global and regional scale?
Section 3
What activities are you/your institute involved in?
Section 4
Where do you see your/your institute’s future priorities?
In what time frame?
Section 5
How can this framework be made operational?
Do different partners (NARS, IARCs, NGOs etc.) have different roles – if
so what are they in your opinion/experience?
What resource mobilization strategy would you suggest?
With many thanks for your input. All inputs will be
acknowledged in the final document.
Please send your response to: Ms Sushilla Rajamanie,
Administrative Officer, ICUC, P. O. Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka, email:
s.rajamanie at cgiar.org.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Hannah Jaenicke
Director, ICUC
P.O.Box 2075
Colombo
Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-11-2787404 ext. 3307
Fax: +94-11-2786854
email: h.jaenicke at cgiar.org
Visit our new website: www.icuc-iwmi.org
6. Short course – Inventory (including inventory of non-timber
resources)
From: Gyde Lund, H. Gyde Lund [gyde at comcast.net]
How to design and direct a large area or national inventory - a short
course.
3-5 October 2006.
Portland, Oregon, USA.
The short course promises to be different than most. This workshop is
intended for those responsible for designing, overseeing or implementing
resource inventories on timberlands and who have information needs beyond
timber (although timber will also be covered as a frequent example). It is
designed for company situations as well as government groups that conduct
inventories over a large area.
Why you should take this course - You will learn the things your
mensuration professor never told you and you were too naïve to ask. This
hands-on short course will use lectures, question and answer sessions and
other techniques to help you develop the information and techniques
applicable to your job.
What we hope you will learn: What’s the difference between a large area
and a national level inventory? How to determine your information needs
(vs. wants). How to determine your inventory needs (vs. wants). How to
identify potential partners and sources of funds. How to plan your
inventory. What are your major design options. How to make use of local
talent and keep technology within reach. How to make use of practical
experience, impartial and helpful observations, as well as past
information in inventory design and implementation. How to use statistical
sampling techniques, and remote sensing to achieve an acceptable level of
risk at an acceptable cost. How to account for other resources. How to
define measurements and how to handle those you cannot define. How to
verify or audit inventory results and field work. How to work with time
lines and tight budgets. How to express and determine what is an
acceptable level of risk. How to use the resulting data effectively. Plus
how to deal with any related specific inventory problems you may have.
For more information, please contact:
Michele at +1- (888) 722-9416 or +1-(503) 226-4562 or
michele at westernforestry.org. Western Forestry and Conservation
Association, 4033 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221, USA.
See: www.westernforestry.org/largeinventory/largeinventory.htm
7. Smithsonian Institution MAB Program's Professional Training
Courses 2006
From: Melissa Bellman [BellmanM at si.edu]
The Smithsonian Institution's Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity
Program (MAB) is offering two professional training courses for
international scientists, resource managers, graduate students and
educators. Both courses will be held in Front Royal, Virginia, USA at the
National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center.
The Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring course will take
place May 14 - June 3, 2006. The cost is $3,250 and topics include
monitoring techniques for vegetation, mammals and arthropods, as well as
an introduction to project planning, GIS, and statistics.
The Smithsonian Environmental Leadership course will take
place September 17 – 29, 2006. The cost is $2,750 and topics include
foundation skills for the environmental leader, determining mission and
vision, negotiation and conflict resolution strategies, and impactful
environmental communication.
The cost for both courses includes tuition, course materials,
lodging and meals, and local transportation.
For more information, please contact Melissa Bellman at bellmanm at si.edu or
look online at www.si.edu/simab
9. Trees for Life: New online journal explores medicinal plants
and traditional medicine
Source: PR Web (press release), 8 February 2005
A new online scientific journal focused on traditional knowledge and
scientific studies of beneficial plants has been launched this month,
announced Balbir Mathur, president of the non-profit Trees for Life.
Trees for Life Journal: A forum on beneficial trees and plants
will be a free, open access electronic forum, to bring together
international articles about traditional medicine, small-scale field
studies and scientific evidence regarding natural remedies and medicinal
plants that could benefit humanity. The journal is available online at
www.tfljournal.org.
“Our journal aims to bridge the gap between grassroots
knowledge and scientific research,” Mathur said. “By publishing formal and
informal studies on medicinal plants and trees and the resulting herbal
remedies, we hope to advance the use of these vital resources worldwide.”
Trees for Life is a non-profit organization that helps plant
fruit trees in developing countries as a low-cost, self-renewing food
source. The movement’s philosophy of “education, health and environment”
will be evident in Trees for Life Journal, which aims to expand global
knowledge about the medical and nutritional value of plants in order to
educate citizens of third world countries.
The idea for the journal was born from traditional claims
about the nutritional, medicinal and other beneficial properties of the
tree Moringa oleifera. Every part of the tree is edible or used as
traditional medicine, from the leaves to the bark to the seeds. It grows
wild in poor soil and provides vitamins desperately lacking in diets of
impoverished people. Trees for Life recognized the need for a forum to
publish and discuss scientific studies and communal knowledge of this
tree, in order to promote its cultivation in the developing world. The
inaugural issue of the journal includes a review of the medical evidence
for Moringa’s potential.
For more information about the Trees for Life organization, visit
www.treesforlife.org or contact Jeffrey Faus, Trees for Life, 3006 W. St.
Louis, Wichita, KS 67203-5129, USA;
For full story, please see:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/2/prweb343049.htm
10. Volunteers for Africa / ECODECO Partnership
Source: Peak to Peak, February 2006
This partnership brings together two East African organizations that are
safeguarding the well-being of local people in the area of sustainable
development, conservation and poverty eradication. Volunteers for Africa
works with local communities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, while ECODECO
is a conservation and ecotourism non-profit organization in Kenya.
For more information, please contact:
Kunga Nicholas; e-mail: volunteersafrica at yahoo.com;
www.volunteerforafrica.org).
PRODUCTS
16. Mauritia flexuosa: Certified buriti oil in Brazil
Source: Amazonia.org.br, 19 January 2006 (in Amazon News, 26.1.06)
The Communitarian Santo Antonio do Abonari is producing and
commercializing a large quantity of oil. "Furthermore, it is certified,”
said Joao Basilio Filho, its president. “We are the only association in
Amazonas state that produces buriti oil with the FSC seal."
The communitarian association was founded in 1988, and since
2002, the Sustainable Buriti Project has perfected the model of community
production.
The project intends to stimulate the productive process and
its environmental certification. With support from its principal
purchaser, Crodamazon and from NGOs, such as Friends of the Earth -
Brazilian Amazonia, the association has promoted training and incentives,
which have facilitated the production increase and FSC certification,
testifying to the sustainable practices of its management and harvesting.
Today, the community has 95 associates, and last year's production reached
6 tons.
The association's production is not restricted to the buriti
oil: breu-branco and pupunha oil are also traditional products. The pataua
and bacaba oils, used for cooking and also by the cosmetic industry, are
also beginning to be produced.
For full story, please see:
http://www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=195951
BACK TO TOP
17. Mushrooms: World's first mushroom cosmetic line developed
Source: Financial Information Service, Novosibirsk, Russia, 14 February
2006
The world's first mushroom cosmetic line has been developed in Koltsovo
Scientific Center. It took specialists of the Research and Production
Company 'Trinity' several years of research to develop the mushroom line
of cosmetics.
By stepping into the mushroom kingdom scientists found a full
spectrum of biologically active substances that our skin needs: proteins,
carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, organic acids, and a rich collection of
vitamins, biotin and folic acid.
As a result, the company developed a line of creams with
fly-agarics extract called 'Mushroom collection,' which has no analogy in
the world.
For full story, please see: http://www.engl.fis.ru/news/?nid=14251
BACK TO TOP
19. Seabuckthorn: Indian wine major diversifies into Himalayan berry
products
Source: NewKerala.com, 18 January 2006
India's wine major Champagne Indage is diversifying into production of a
range of products like jams, cosmetics and medicines using the energy and
nutrient packed Himalayan berry, seabuckthorn. The first product to be
launched by a subsidiary company, Seabuckthorn Indage Limited, will be the
Leh-berry brand of juices using technology developed by the government's
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Though not a new product in the Indian market, the Leh-berry
juice brand and technology have been acquired by the diversified Rs.2
billion ($45 million) turnover Indage Group of Companies for re-launch
under a new brand and packaging.
"We are looking at a business of Rs.5-8 billion in the next
three years through the launch of a range of products using the
seabuckthorn fruit, which is rich in vitamin C and slightly pungent in
taste," said Indage Group president. "We see great potential for growth
using seabuckthorn, considering that it is a Rs.30 billion business in
China. Until DRDO developed the Leh-berry it was being used in India
mostly as firewood."
Defence scientists working in the Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir developed several seabuckthorn-based products as part of efforts
to develop highly nutritious foods based on berries and other plant
species.
The people of Ladakh have for long been aware of the medicinal
properties of the seabuckthorn plant and use its berries, leaves and roots
for food, fodder and firewood. The juice of seabuckthorn is a rich source
of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E and K.
Seabuckthorn Indage now plans to invest about Rs.500 million
on further research and development for its new products, including .jams,
cheese, flavoured tea, cosmetics and medicines for special therapies based
on Chinese remedies and also homeopathy medicines.
The company plans to initially supply 300,000 litres of
Leh-berry juices a year and increase production to 30 million litres
annually through the promotion of contract farming of seabuckthorn on the
lines of grape cultivation.
For full story, please see:
www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=88662
BACK TO TOP
COUNTRY INFORMATION
20. Brazil: Plants and traditional knowledge are the basic input for
phyto-therapeuticals
Source: Amazonia.org.br, 16 February 2006 (in Amazon News, 23.2.06)
The therapeutical potential of herbs from Amazonia often fascinates those
seeking natural remedies and alternatives to enhance their quality of
life. Whether in homeopathy or cosmetics, Nativa da Amazônia (from Macapá,
AP) has managed to be commercially successful in this line of business.
Long before she saw phyto-therapeuticals as an economic
opportunity, the pharmacist Maria Louze Nobre Lamarão worked with plants
and fruits such as andiroba, copahyba, Brazil nut and açai since she was
little, discovering ways of transforming them into cosmetics.
As normally occurs with traditional knowledge, the
therapeutical properties of her products began to become known throughout
the region. However, the increased sales of her homemade products hit a
snag in terms of sanitary control: legislation for medications made it
impossible for her to quickly gain scale and for her products to be resold
without the proper registration.
In 2003, supported by the Brazilian Service to Support Small
and Medium-Sized Businesses (Sebrae), Louze advanced her activities in the
area. As a company, she was part of the Sebrae incubator, preparing her
not only in the procedures to obtain licenses from the National Health
Protection Agency (Anvisa), but also with her business plan, the company
then being registered as "Nativa da Amazônia - Fitocosméticos com Plantas
da Amazônia"
According to her initial registration, Nativa still only sold
on an artisanal scale. Her range of products has already increased, with
a catalogue that includes shampoos, conditioners, soaps and creams made
from traditional açai and copahyba and even from plants such as "amor
crescido" (Portulaca pilosa L), which is said to be second to none in
avoiding hair loss. She is still awaiting the Anvisa registration to
increase scale of her production and already has contacts to sell her
products in other states outside the Amazon.
For full story, please see:
www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=199139
BACK TO TOP
21. Brazil: The forest becomes a source of income
Source: Jornal do Commercio, 12 January 2006 (in Amazon News -19.1.06
The Maués State Forest will be transformed into a source of income for 17
rural communities that inhabit 4 million hectares of land. The production
of bio-diesel for the generation of electrical energy; honey production
from bees without stingers; timber production are some of the projects
that will be implanted in the area.
These activities are included in a larger plan, created by the
Maues municipality, which seeks sustainable development. In partnership
with the Paulo Feitoza Foundation, the Maues municipality is developing a
project for the production of bio-diesel, with coconut as the prime
material.
Created in July 2003, the Maues State Forest Project will
initially benefit 55 families in three communities located within the
state forest. The municipality projects that about 150 families will be
involved in the activities of forestry management of timber exploitation
and other non-timber products, such as essential oils and seeds from the
state forest.
For full story, please see:
http://www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=195297
BACK TO TOP
22. Bolivia: New Partnership to Launch Small Grants Program in
Bolivia
Source: CEPF E-News, February 2006, cepfnews at conservation.org
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has teamed with Fundación
Protección y Uso Sostenible del Medio Ambiente (Fundación PUMA) to launch
a new small grants program that will help communities manage their natural
resources in and around protected areas in the Bolivian part of the
Vilcabamba-Amboró conservation corridor in the Tropical Andes Hotspot.
Fundación PUMA is a non-profit foundation that aims to change
the relationship between human beings and nature so that both are
sustained in a mutually beneficial way. Both Fundación PUMA and CEPF will
contribute $500,000 for the program.
The foundation will administer the $1 million program, which
it hopes to eventually expand to $50 million to make a long-term impact on
biodiversity conservation in the region.
This program will help meet the CEPF strategic direction to
encourage community-based biodiversity conservation and natural resource
management, and would provide benefits beyond the CEPF investment period.
A special review and selection committee will determine
funding ceilings, finalize details regarding future calls for proposals,
and establish schedules and formats for proposal review and decision
making.
The foundation was created as part of a debt-for-nature swap
between the U.S. and Bolivian governments in 2003 that established a $17
million fund to promote activities targeted toward the conservation,
protection, and administration of Bolivia’s natural resources and
biodiversity.
For more information, visit Fundación PUMA’s Web site.
25. France: Les multiples valeurs de la forêt française
Source: Futura Science, 29.1.06
La forêt française s’étend sur 16 millions d’hectares, composés à 64% de
feuillus, et augmente chaque année d’environ 40 000 hectares (+0,3% par an
depuis 1996). On connaît sa valeur marchande à travers le bois qu’elle
fournit à l’industrie (scieries, papeteries, fabricants de mobilier…) ou
qui est utilisé pour le chauffage : celle-ci est estimée à 1,3 milliard
d’euros par an.
La forêt fournit également des plantes aromatiques et
médicinales, des végétaux à vocation décorative (les sapins de Noël, le
houx, le liège), des produits de la cueillette (truffes, champignons), de
l’apiculture ou de la chasse… Mais elle apporte d’autres services,
auxquels il est délicat d’associer une valeur marchande : stockage de
carbone, réserve de biodiversité, protection de la qualité de l’eau,
activités de détente et de loisirs.
La forêt absorbe 12% des émissions françaises de CO2 En
temps normal, le flux annuel de carbone capté par la forêt française est
d’environ 60 millions de tonnes de CO2, soit 12% des émissions françaises.
Si l’on considère qu’une tonne de CO2 séquestrée a la même valeur que le
droit d’émettre cette tonne dans l’atmosphère (qui varie sur le marché des
droits d’émission de 6 à 18 euros/tonne), la valeur de captation du
carbone par la forêt est comprise entre 351 millions et 1 milliard d’euros
par an.
Les Français dépenseraient environ 2 milliards d’euros pour se
rendre en forêt. Chaque ménage français effectue en moyenne 18,6 visites
en forêts par an avec une distance moyenne d’accès de 10,5 km. Pour un
coût kilométrique moyen de 0,24 euro, ce déplacement, rapporté à
l’ensemble des ménages français, représenterait 2 milliards d’euros. Ce
simple calcul de coût de transport fournit un montant effectivement
dépensé qui est forcément inférieur à la valeur attribuée au service
récréatif rendu par la forêt.
Préservation de la biodiversité, protection contre l’érosion
et les avalanches, réduction de la pollution des eaux… la forêt rend
également des services écologiques considérables. Ceux-ci contribuent
aussi à renforcer la valeur patrimoniale de la forêt française, bien
au-delà du bois récolté, et confirment sa multifonctionnalité, à prendre
en compte lors des choix de gestion ou d’aménagement du territoire qui la
concernent.
For full story, please see:
www.futura-sciences.com/news-multiples-valeurs-foret-francaise_8111.php
26. India: Assam hunts for links to market non-timber products
Source: Calcutta Telegraph. 6 February 2006
The Assam forest department is chalking out a roadmap to develop linkages
between joint forest management committees and industrial houses for value
addition and marketing of non-timber forest produce. During a three-day
interactive workshop, representatives of different joint forest management
committees have started deliberations with forest department officials on
various marketable non-timber forest produce.
Chief conservator of forests (social forestry) R.P. Agarwalla
said non-timber forest produce was a huge market and can be a real
money-spinner for improving the livelihood of forest villages provided
proper rules are framed. “Non-timber forest produce is a resource which
can make joint forest management committees sustainable.”
Bamboo can rake in huge profits as it is found in abundance in
forests of the state. Medicinal and aromatic plants, too, can create huge
economic opportunities for the forest villagers.
“Industrial houses will surely come wherever they see profit
and the joint forest management committees should tap the opportunity,”
Agarwalla said. At present, there are around 500 joint forest management
committees in the state.
Chief conservator of forests (territorial), S. Chand, said
there must be enough non-timber forest produce in the forest villages for
it to be harvested. “There is a strong need for standardising the
cultivation techniques and planting material in order to get good value,”
Chand said. Rules will have to be framed in such a manner that the
villagers get a fair share of the returns, which the product earns.
A pilot project by the World Bank-funded Assam Agricultural
Competitiveness Project will empower forest villagers to take decisions
right from planning to finding a market for the forest produce. One of the
important initiatives under the project will be to lay emphasis on the
marketing of forest produce and help find linkages.
For full story, please see:
www.telegraphindia.com/1060207/asp/northeast/story_5811998.asp
27. India: cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants
Source: GreaterKashmir.com (press release). 25 February 2006
Urging for diversification in agriculture on massive scale, Minister for
Agriculture Abdul Aziz Zargar today sought focused attention of the
agriculture scientists and experts to exploit vast natural treasure of
aromatic and medicinal plants in the state. He said switching over to
cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants would besides bringing
economic prosperity help to generate ample employment opportunities in the
state.
The Minister was interacting with President of Aromatic Plants
Growers Association of India (APGAI), who called on him to discuss
measures to tap the vast potential of medicinal, and especially aromatic,
plants for the upliftment of the farming community in the state. The
Minister assured the APGAI President of all possible support and
government assistance in the promotion of medicinal and aromatic plants
and other such cash crops in an organized manner.
For full story, please see:
www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=26_2_2006&ItemID=23&cat=5
29. Nepal: Promoting Non-Timber Forest Products
Source: The Rising Nepal (in FAO INFOSYLVA 2006-2)
Nepal is rich in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in terms of both
variety of production and trading practices. The altitudinal and climatic
variations in different pockets of Nepal have greatly contributed to this
rich variety. More than 7,000 different types of herbs, including more
than 700 types of medicinal herbs, are found in Nepal. About 10-15,000
tons of NTFPs of around 200 varieties are traded each year. Over the last
few decades, the marketing of NTFPs has gained increasing international
recognition. International demand for herbs is said to be worth some US$
420 million.
NTFPs represent an important source of income for the
livelihood of the poor people living in the high mountainous region. There
is ample scope for Nepal to develop this sector on a commercial basis.
Systematic development of this sector would greatly help enhance off-farm
employment opportunities, expanding the present dimension of trade, and
above all, become a source of foreign currency earnings through their
exports. However, the main constraint in the development of this sector is
a lack of a systematic marketing system.
Marketing plays a very significant role in the movement of
products from one place to another. Many factors like quality, quantity,
price, market information and storage govern the marketing system. At
present, the movement or the marketing channel of the NTFPs is very
simple. The products are first collected in the jungle, which are then
brought to the villages by the collectors. From here, the products head
for the nearest road or the local market where wholesale traders buy or
collect the products from the initial collectors. Finally, the wholesalers
take the products to India. There is no organised market of NWFP at both
the retail and wholesale level. Since the product is export-oriented, the
retail market could have been overlapped. But, the absence of a wholesale
market in the chain means there is no transparency in the trading
practices, and this imperfect channel is good for no one. The greatest
sufferers are the real collectors at the grassroots level and the
government, too, in terms of royalty collection.
Despite the immense potential, the supply of NTFPs is
inconsistent, and the quality is also low because of its disorganised and
unsustainable nature of collection. Cultivation of NTFPs could smoothen
out the supply lines, stabilise market prices and reduce the market share
of substitute products, thereby increasing farmers’ incomes.
The NTFPs are marketed internationally, and India is the main
hub for products from Nepal. While the concern for quality is high, the
market is unreliable. The Indian market is speculative and is controlled
by cartels, and prices tend to change over a short period of time.
Companies are used to getting their raw materials at very low prices, and
local collectors are not organised enough to command significant
bargaining power. Their margins are less than 10 percent of the final
price obtained in India. Collective marketing and forest management as
well as the availability of market information would strengthen the
collectors’ bargaining position that could be expected only from an
organised wholesale market.
For sustainable development of this sector, market
transparency is a must that could be grasped only through an efficient
marketing system, and a wholesale market is an indispensable part of this
system.
The present harvesting system is unscientific. High prices and
urgent requests from traders sometimes lead to unacceptable harvesting
methods such as uprooting, which put at risk future production.
Cultivation would reduce the threat of extinction for certain species.
Increased dependency on the NTFPs and benefit for farmers from the NTFPs
would encourage proper management and collection practices. Collective
forest management could reduce premature collection and over-harvesting of
high altitude resources.
Training the farmers to cultivate NTFPs is highly recommended.
With appropriate training and support, farmers will be able to cultivate
NTFPs in a proper way that will support sustainable harvesting.
Finally, with the establishment of a wholesale market in the
country, the real NTFP collector will benefit greatly. The most important
advantage will be the bargaining power. The dominating power of the
middlemen will be eliminated because the market information system
available inside the market yard will bring awareness about the price to
the collectors. Similarly, storage facilities inside the wholesale market
complex will help store the products during the peak harvesting season and
maintain a continuous supply during the slack period. In addition, it will
help maintain the quality of the products besides raising business
profits.
For full story, please see:
www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2006/01/14/editorial/editorial2
32. Zambia: Honey production
Source: CIFOR News Online, No. 39
Zambia's woodlands resonate with two kinds of buzz. First is the hum from
the millions of bees gathering nectar from the surrounding dry forests.
Second is the buzz of excitement among local villagers who see honey
production as a potential source of livelihood.
Zambia’s woodlands cover millions of hectares, with a
significant portion forming part of the larger Miombo Woodland covering
much of central and eastern Africa. They provide an excellent habitat for
bees, which in most seasons deliver a surplus of honey.
The first Zambian written records of bee-hives date back to
1854, when David Livingstone described the log hives used by the Southern
Lunda people on the upper Zambezi in North-Western Province.
According to Guni Mickles–Kokwe, a natural resource scientist
from the Zambia Alliance for People and Environment, “Trade in beeswax
started in the late 1890s when Zambians travelled by foot through Angola
to the Atlantic coast. A hundred years later and the long-distance trade
in honey and bees-wax still provides an important source of livelihood for
many people in rural Zambia. Today organically certified, golden honey and
beeswax find their way from rural homesteads into lucrative markets
throughout the world.”
In North-Western Province some 10,000 beekeepers own about
500,000 hives and produce about 1,000 metric tonnes of honey and at least
100 tonnes of beeswax per year. About half the honey is exported, while
80-100 tonnes are sold on local markets, with the remainder used to brew a
local beer called mbote.
Because most honey and beeswax is exported, it has become an
important source of foreign exchange for Zambia. Exports – mostly to
Europe – remained stable throughout the 1990s, but started increasing
rapidly after 2000 as new companies entered the business.
“Honey and beeswax have become an important source of
livelihood for thousands of people in Zambia. About one third of the
beekeepers’ annual cash income comes from honey and beeswax trade,” said
CIFOR scientist Crispen Marunda.
Marunda and Mickels-Kokwe’s research has found the linkages
between beekeeping and forest management in Zambia to be quite strong.
Because honey and wax are so important to the beekeepers’ daily struggle
against poverty, they are very aware of the need to prevent forest fires.
And the presence of so many bees has increased woodland productivity due
to increased rates of pollination among flowering trees, enhanced plant
regeneration rates and helped maintain high levels of diversity.
On the other side of the coin, the mortality among some tree
species has increased due to beekeepers’ harvesting their fibrous bark to
make beehives.
While the current level of honey and wax production is
improving, Mickels-Kokwe and Marunda believe there is still a lot more
that can be done to ensure production reaches its fullest potential. The
two scientists believe a number of factors are constraining the industry.
“The most pressing need at the moment is to reform the beekeeping policy.
If the right measures are implemented, honey production could increase
from 1,000 to 15,000 metric tonnes a year,” Marunda said.
Hopefully such reforms won’t be far off. In response to a
request by Zambia’s Forestry Department, CIFOR is helping Zambia develop a
beekeeping policy. In 2004, the Swedish International Development Agency
(Sida) funded CIFOR to review Zambia’s beekeeping industry and run
workshops to identify constraints among key beekeeping stakeholders. The
report and the workshops have both provided recommendations that will form
a base for further policy discussion. They have also contributed
significantly to a policy draft now being prepared by the Forestry
Department with assistance from CIFOR.
For full story, please see:
www.cifor.cgiar.org/docs/_ref/publications/newsonline/39/honey.htm
REQUESTS
33. Request for small grant to develop Field Guide on NWFP
(Medicinal Plants)
From: Aziz Khan, azizalicharun at yahoo.com
A small grant is being requested to fund a project for the development of
a field guide on “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Hindukush Himalayan
Region of District Chitral, Northern Pakistan”. The main objectives of
this project are:
· To create awareness and build capacities of the
young generations regarding the importance of conservation and sustainable
management of medicinal and aromatic plants in their natural environment
· To provide a reference field guide to students,
researchers, field workers, plant collectors to identify plants in the
field, their part used as medicine, cultivation & propagation techniques,
conservation issues and mitigation measures.
· Textualize orally transmitted traditional
knowledge of plant use and disseminate the dynamics of traditional
knowledge to the awareness of planners directly or indirectly involved
with biodiversity conservation and management.
· Discover plants that may have possible market
application, beyond the realm of the local, and sustainably foster for the
benefit of local income.
If you are able to help, please contact:
Aziz Ali
Technical Advisor
Karimabad Area Development Organization (KADO)
Chitral, Northern Pakistan
Email: aliaziznrm at yahoo.com
34. Request for ideas: new name for ForestAction Nepal
From: Hemant R Ojha, ForestAction Nepal, H.Ojha at uea.ac.uk
This is a request to those who know about ForestAction Nepal. We are
planning to change the name to include a broader scope of environment and
development, beyond just forestry. While we will continue to work in the
forestry sector, we are planning to expand our working scope to other
related issues in the field of natural resources management, livelihoods,
governance and social transformation. We however seek to retain an
environmental focus.
We are now exploring an attractive name for the organization.
If you have any suggestion for us, please do share with us, as this will
affect our future identity. Many thanks.
EVENTS
Introducing Community Forestry: Innovative ideas, practices and
methodologies
20- 30 March, 2006
Kathmandu, Nepal
Forest Resources Studies and Action Team (ForestAction) Nepal and Regional
Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and Pacific (RECOFTC),
Bangkok, Thailand have collaborated to design a training program that will
identify and analyze key community forestry concepts, practices and
methodologies. The course will utilize the extensive experience of
community forestry in Nepal as a building block to explore the issues, but
further case studies and experiences fro m throughout the region will also
be incorporated into the course to expand the discussions.
The course is designed for development workers and mid-level
managers involved in forestry, agriculture, and NRM both from government
and NGOs.
The application form can be downloaded from
www.forestaction.org or www.recoftc.org.
For more information, please contact:
Bal Krishna Kattel at forestaction at wlink.com.np
or Kiran Paudyal at krp_forestaction at wlink.com.np.
Forest Resources Studies and Action Team
P.O. Box: 1 2207, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: +(977-1) 555 0631
Fax: +(977-1) 555 2924
8th Asian Apicultural Association Conference. Honey for Healthy Humans
20-24 March 2006
Perth, Western Australia
For more information, please contact:
PO Box 441, Nedlands 6909
Western Australia
Facsimile: (+61 8) 9386-3292
Email: honeybee at debretts.com.au
www.beekeepingwestaus.asn.au
International Conference on the Roles of Forests in Rural Development and
Environmental Sustainability
19-21 April 2006
Beijing, China
Forests play an important role in rural poverty reduction, rural
development and environmental sustainability. Rural communities worldwide
have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge and experience on managing and
utilizing forest resources, coexisting with nature harmoniously. They also
have creatively developed and established many technical models that have
produced good practical results. The goals of the conference are to share
and exchange of these experiences and technologies, to promote the
development of relevant disciplines and to enhance more importantly the
sustainable utilization of forest resource.
Topics:
Forest in Developing Rural Economy
· Renewable wood and non-wood products
· Forests and Livelihoods
· Indigenous Agro-forestry
· Forestry Trade and Economy
Social forestry
· Participatory forestry
· Information dissemination and Communication
Technology
· Forestry Policy
Forest environmental services
· Soil and water conservation
· Biodiversity conservation and restoration
· Combating desertification
For more information, please contact:
The Symposium Secretariat:
Contact persons: Ms. Guan Xiuling Ms. Feng Caiyun
Address: the Summer Palace, Beijing 100091, China
Tel: 0086-10-62889819 62889367
Fax: 0086-10-62889817
E-mail: csf_org at forestry.ac.cn
The Future for Wild Harvests in Scotland
10 and 11 May 2006
Beauly, Scotland
This NTFP seminar will bring together land managers, collectors, buyers,
processors, researchers, funders and policy-makers to develop a picture of
the whole sector and discuss what can be done to help the sector develop.
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Hughson, Cluster Support Unit, Scottish Forest Industries
Cluster, Confederation of Forest Industries Ltd, 5 Dublin Street Lane
South, Edinburgh, EH1 3PX, Scotland, UK
Fax: +44-131 538 7222
Email: liz.hughson at confor.org.uk
Cultural heritage and sustainable forest management: the role of
traditional knowledge
Firenze, Italy
8-10 June 2006
This conference is being organized by IUFRO Research Group of Forest and
Woodland History (6.07.00) and IUFRO Task Force on Traditional Forest
Knowledge.
Conference Themes include:
• History of traditional forest knowledge and their landscapes
• Historical context of scientific forestry and traditional forest
knowledge with respect to forest management
• Conservation of traditional knowledge and cultural landscapes
• Planning, management and monitoring methodologies for the conservation
of cultural forest landscapes
• Objectives and actions in European rural and environmental policies to
preserve and support traditional knowledge.
• Good practices for including both traditional and scientific
forest-related knowledge in forestry education, research and forest
management activities in Europe.
• Exchange of information between traditional and formal (scientific)
forest-related knowledge in European forest management.
• Application of traditional forest-related knowledge to forest ecosystem
and biodiversity assessments and management;
• Conflicts regarding TFK in relation to forest science and forest
management, and lessons learned from experiences/case studies from Europe
on ways to avoid/resolve these conflicts.
• Benefits of social and cultural dimensions in SFM by
maintenance/development of the material (wood in architecture, medicinal
plants, traditional practices) and non material aspects (recreation, well
being, health) aspects.
Deadlines
15 March – presentation of the abstracts
31 March– communication of acceptance
15 April – early registration
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Valentina Marinai:
Department of Environmental Forestry Science and Technology
University of Florence – Italy
Via San Bonaventura 13
50145 Firenze
Tel + fax : 00 39 055 30231282
e-mail: info.forest at unifi.it
IX Congress of the Latin American Botanical Society (IX Congreso
Latinoamericano de Botánica).
19-25 June 2006
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
For more information, please contact:
Sonia Lagos-Witte, Jardín Botánico Nacional, Apartado Postal 21-9, Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic
Fax: 001809/3850446
Email: tramilca at codetel.net.do ●
www.botanica-alb.org/index2.html (in Spanish)
Study tour on community-based forest cottage industries
20 June-3 July 2006 (and 19 June-2 July 2007)
Philippines
The study tour aims to provide participants with the necessary exposure to
the different community-based forest cottage industries and related
project sites in the Philippines.
The field visit to selected sites will focus on the following
subjects: Current Strategies of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) and Recent Developments in the Implementation of the
Community-Based Forest Management Program; Small-scale Hand-made Paper
Making; Household-based Wooden Novelty Manufacture; Rattan Craft, Bamboo
Craft, Vine Craft, and other Forest-based Craft Industries; Small to
Medium Scale Furniture Industries; Cottage-based Woodcarving;
Community-based and Medium-scale Industries for Specialized Wood Products;
and Ecotourism.
For more information, please contact:
The Director
Training Center for Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability
(TREES)
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of the Philippines Los Baños
P.O. Box 434, College, Laguna 4031
Philippines
Tel. Nos.:+ (63 49) 536-2736 or 536-2268
Fax. Nos.: + (63 49) 536-3340 or 536-2639
E-mail: trees at laguna.net
www.uplbtrees.ph
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
43. Commercialization of non-timber forest products – factors
influencing success
From: N M Bird, DFID Forestry Research Programme, n.bird at nrint.co.uk
One of DFID’s Forestry Research Programme projects has come to a
successful conclusion with the publication of one of the most
comprehensive studies undertaken on the commercialization of non-timber
forest products (NTFPs) in Mexico and Bolivia. The book will be of
interest to those supporting community-based NTFP commercialization in
Latin America. The report, available in both Spanish and English, can be
viewed at:
http://www.odifpep.org.uk/activities/forests_and_the_poor/s73/index.html.
44. Other publications of interest
From: FAO’s NWFP Programme
Azuma, D.L.; et al. 2005. The western juniper resource of eastern Oregon,
1999. Resour. Bull. PNW-RB-249. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 18p
Bourg, N.A., McShea, W.J., and Gill, D.E. 2005. Putting a cart before the
search: successful habitat prediction for a rare forest herb. Ecology
86(10):2793-2804.
Lynch, Kathryn A. 2006. An Interdisciplinary Curriculum on Nontimber
Forest Products. Portland, Oregon. USA. Institute for Culture and
Ecology. 450 p.
The workbook is an interdisciplinary set of instructional materials that
includes over 100 lesson plans and handouts covering the ecological,
cultural, political and economic importance of NTFPs.
The geographic focus of the workbook is on the United States,
although the exercises can easily be adapted to scale-up to the
international arena or to scale-down to focus on species and issues of
regional or local importance.
The workbook consists of seven modules – each including
detailed lessons plans, activities, evaluation tools, and ready-to-use
teaching aids, such as PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Each module
has a specific disciplinary orientation (history, culture, economics,
ecology, policy) to facilitate easy adoption within those different
disciplines.
The curriculum encourages critical thinking about NTFP issues
and their relationship to overall forest health, sustainability and
biodiversity conservation. This is accomplished through interactive
classroom and field activities. Both theoretical frameworks and research
methods are introduced and there is an emphasis on building effective
communication and collaboration skills. Faculty are encouraged to
integrate individual lesson plans into their existing courses or use the
workbook materials as the foundation for a new course or workshop. In
addition, the Institute for Culture and Ecology is available to facilitate
a set of workshops and courses based on the materials.
This project was funded by the National Commission on Science
for Sustainable Forestry.
For additional information, please visit:
www.ifcae.org/projects/ncssf2/index.html
Lynch, Kathryn A. 2004. Workshop Guide and Proceedings: Harvester
Participation in Inventory and Monitoring of Nontimber Forest Products.
Facilitated by the Institute for Culture and Ecology. Funded by the
National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry. 151p.
http://www.ifcae.org/projects/ncssf1/publications/USNTFPHarvesterIMWorkshop-IFCAE2004.pdf
Marshall, Rushton, Schreckenberg et al. 2006. Practical Tools for
Researching Successful NTFP Commercialization: A Methods Manual.
English and Spanish versions of this document are available at:
www.odifpep.org.uk/activities/forests_and_the_poor/s73/Methods_manual_Eng.pdf
(English)
www.odifpep.org.uk/activities/forests_and_the_poor/s73/Manual_de_metodos_Esp.pdf
(Spanish)
Marshall, E., Schreckenberg, K. and Newton, A.C. (eds) 2006.
Commercialization of Non-timber Forest Products: Factors Influencing
Success. Lessons Learned from Mexico and Bolivia and Policy Implications
for Decision-makers. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge,
UK.
English and Spanish versions of this document are available at:
www.odifpep.org.uk/activities/forests_and_the_poor/s73/Commercialization_of_NTFPs_Eng.pdf
(English)
www.odifpep.org.uk/activities/forests_and_the_poor/s73/Comercializacion_de_PFNM_Esp.pdf
(Spanish)
For more information, please contact: k.schreckenberg at odi.org.uk
McFarlane, Paul; Stevenson, Marc .2004. Proceedings of the Non-Timber
Forest Products and Aboriginal Research Issues Workshop. 21-23 August
2003. Vancouver, BC. 9 p.
http://sfm-1.biology.ualberta.ca/english/research/PDF/en_cfp0405pdwvaapsac.pdf
McLain, Rebecca J.; McFarlane, Erika Mark; Alexander, Susan J. 2005.
Commercial morel harvesters and buyers in western Montana: an exploratory
study of the 2001 harvesting season. Gen. Tech Rep. PNW-GTR-643. Portland,
OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Research Station. 38 p.
This exploratory study examined aspects of the social organization of the
commercial wild morel industry in western Montana during 2001. We talked
with 18 key informants (7 buyers and 11 pickers) and observed social
interactions at one buying station near the Kootenai National Forest and
three buying stations near the Bitterroot National Forest. The key
informant and observational data permitted us to construct a picture of
social interactions at field buying stations, buyer strategies for
attracting pickers, changes in prices over the course of a season, and the
ways in which various participants in the wild morel harvest construct
their livelihoods. In the discussion, we contrast our findings with the
results of a recently published study on NTFP harvesters in the Eastern
United States. We end the report with a discussion of management
implications for managers and scientists.
Order free hardcopies or download for free at
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr643.pdf or www.ifcae.org
McLain, Rebecca J. and Jone, Eric T. 2005. Nontimber forest products
management on national forests in the United States. Gen. Tech. Rep.
PNW-GTR-655. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Pacific Northwest Research Station. 85 p.
This study provides an overview of nontimber forest products (NTFP)
programs on national forests in the United States. We conducted an email
survey in 2003 to obtain data on NTFP management activities on national
forests across the country. Program characteristics examined in the study
included important NTFPs managed on national forests, presence of NTFP
coordinators and law enforcement programs on ranger districts,
incorporation of NTFPs into forest planning documents, presence of NTFP
inventory and monitoring programs, managers’ views on barriers to and
opportunities for including NTFP harvesters in NTFP inventory and
monitoring efforts, and managers’ perceptions of barriers to expanding
commercial NTFP harvesting. The data indicate that the agency is
constructing a foundation for scientific NTFP management. The study
identifies lack of funding and internal administrative capacity as key
barriers to adequate incorporation of NTFPs in Forest Service planning,
inventory, and monitoring.
Download the .pdf at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr655.pdf or
www.ifcae.org.
A printed version can be requested for free be writing to: Publications
Distribution, Pacific Northwest Research Station, PO Box 3890, Portland,
OR 97208-3890, USA.
Sinha, A.; Brault, S. 2005. Assessing sustainability of nontimber forest
product extractions: how fire affects sustainability. Biodivers. Conserv.
14(14):3537-3563.
Subedi, Bhishma P. 2006. Linking Plant-based Enterprises and Local
Communities to Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Himalaya. Adroit
Publishers, New Delhi
People in the mountainous region of Nepal are struggling to survive and
the nearby forest gives them the hope to live. They are able to fetch fuel
and fodder form the rich forest. People know that they are emptying the
forest but don't know they are destroying lives and environment. The
practice results in increased poverty and decreased biodiversity. Can
poverty be alleviated and biodiversity improved? Isn't there any
synergistic way that brings both factors together? How can poverty
alleviation and biodiversity conservation be sustainable? The author
applies different methods and experiments to come up with a practical
solution to the challenges.
The author concludes that enterprise-oriented community forest
management can generate positive outcomes at both conservation and local
livelihood levels. In the light of different approaches being tested and
implemented to resolve conservation problems, the findings challenge the
approaches that set communities aside from the forest resources and keep
forest untouched. The author finds that there are good prospects for
forest based enterprise development on the local, national and
international markets.
The author selected six districts in the mountainous region of
Nepal, which are endowed with rich forest-based biodiversity and suffered
acute poverty, for the study.
Topp-Jørgensen, E., Poulsen, M.K., Lund, J.F., and Massao, J.F. 2005.
Community-based monitoring of natural resource use and forest quality in
montane forests and Miombo woodlands of Tanzania. Biodivers. Conserv.
14(11):2653-2677.
van der Heide, C.M., van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., and van Ierland, E.C. 2005.
Extending Weitzman's economic ranking of biodiversity protection:
combining ecological and genetic considerations. Ecol. Econ.
55(2):218-223.
Wilcove, D.S., and Master, L.L. 2005. How many endangered species are
there in the United States? Front. Ecol. Environ. 3(8):414-420.
45. Web sites and e-zines
From: FAO’s NWFP Programme
Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE)
The Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), a global initiative of
biodiversity conservation organizations, aims to prevent extinctions by
identifying and safeguarding key sites where species are in imminent
danger of disappearing. The goal of the Alliance is to create a front line
of defence against extinction by eliminating threats and restoring habitat
to allow species populations to rebound.
www.zeroextinction.org/
The Rainforest Portal
This new web site is dedicated to the protection of the world's remaining
tropical rainforests and the rights of their inhabitants is launching
today.
www.rainforestportal.org/ .
MISCELLANEOUS
46. New fund to connect African ecologists
Source: SciDev.Net, 19 January 2006
Scientists in Africa and Eastern Europe can now seek support from a new
fund to help them research major challenges, such as climate change,
desertification and biodiversity loss.
The British Ecological Society's (BES) 'capacity building for
ecology fund', launched on 16 January, will develop ecological science in
the two regions by helping create national and regional associations.
"There are botanical and zoological societies in some African
countries, but only a couple of ecological societies," says the society's
science policy manager, Nick Dusic. "The fund is to help African
ecologists fill this gap where they feel it is needed."
The BES says scientific societies play a key role in research
and development by setting professional standards and promoting exchanges
of scientific information. It has committed £500,000 (US$880,000) for the
first five years. This will be used, in part, to bring scientists
together, and to provide administrative support to newly-formed
associations in their first couple of years. Funding would be for a
fixed-term only, and that associations will need to become self-financing
in the long run. The deadline for applications to the first round of
funding is 21 April.
"This is a unique and timely opportunity to build ecological
networks in developing countries that will allow ecologists there to
tackle some of the world's most pressing environmental problems, such as
climate change, soil erosion and invasive species," said BES president
John Lawton.
The BES is the largest society of its kind in Europe, with
more than 5,000 members, mostly university-based researchers.
Full details and an application form for the Building Capacity for Ecology
Fund are available at www.britishecologicalsociety.org/grants/bcef.
For full story, please see:
www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2602&language=1
QUICK TIPS AND INFORMATION FOR NWFP-DIGEST-L
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