[MPWG] Fw: NWFP-Digest-L No. 6/08
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Thu Sep 25 10:33:01 CDT 2008
Following is the full table of contents and selected medicinal plant
articles from the current issue of the FAO NWFP-Digest-L. The full issue
of this and previous Digests are available on the newly revamped website:
www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en
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 110
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>
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AM -----
"Etherington, Tina (FOIP)" <Tina.Etherington at fao.org>
08/21/2008 08:20 AM
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Subject
NWFP-Digest-L No. 6/08
NWFP-Digest-L
No. 6/08
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.
You can take part in contributing to the continued success of this
newsletter by sharing with the NWFP community any news that you may have
regarding research, events, publications and projects. Kindly send such
information to NWFP-Digest-L at mailserv.fao.org:We also appreciate any
comments or feedback.
A special thank you to all those who have sent me links to information.
==============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
PRODUCTS
1. Artemesia annua: Clinton unveils deal to cut malaria
drug prices
2. Bamboo is the latest natural material to be used in
eco-friendly building
3. Bamboo can play a deep role in saving the globe:
scientist
4. Bamboo: Ethiopia to export chopsticks
5. Berries: Heatwave spells Swedish berry shortage
6. Ginseng: Wet weather forcing early ginseng harvest
7. Medicinal plants: Frankincense provides relief to
arthritis sufferers
8. Medicinal plants: Orangutans concoct plant-based
soothing balm
9. Moringa oleifera in the Philippines: Malunggay
planting in Santiago intensified
10. Palms: Environmental services of the aguajales and the
opportunities for a global business for the Loreto Region, Peru
11. Seabuckthorn: Cosmetic giants run into a Himalayan
challenge
12. Stevia: PepsiCo to sell stevia sweetened drink in Peru
13. Truffles: The Libyan Truffle, fruit of the Desert
14. Truffles: This summer's a washout - but it's perfect for
lucrative truffles (UK)
COUNTRY INFORMATION
15. Australia: TFS reports higher profit on increased sales
of sandalwood
16. Australia: Truffle industry set for rapid growth
17. Bangladesh: Protect indigenous people to save forests
18. Brazil launches rainforest fund
19. Canada: Making money from more than trees
20. Canada: Food products foraged from B.C.'s forests need to
be showcased
21. Colombia's Cofan still fighting for survival
22. Costa Rica: Científicos "domestican" hongos silvestres en
Costa Rica
23. Costa Rica: Non-profit organization El Puente/The Bridge
24. Ghana: Local shea butter industry to be enhanced
25. Ghana: Bushmeat hunting worth $350 million annually in
Ghana
26. India: KFD neglecting its duty towards tribals of Western
Ghats
27. Philippines: NegOcc farmers urged to go into cocoon
production
28. Saudia Arabia: Kingdom to develop biodiversity strategy
29. Senegal: Le karité, l?or des femmes
30. South Africa: African medicine under the spotlight
31. Suriname: an innovative conservation group is working
with indigenous tribes
32. Uganda: Honey production to increase
33. United States: Tribes object to fighting fire in sacred
places
34. Vietnam: Animals released to wild to boost ecotourism
35. Vietnam illegal wildlife trade eats away at biodiversity:
reports
NEWS
36. A Brazilian's shrine to bromeliads may one day save the
plants
37. Bugs lead drug-hunters to medicinal treasure
38. Congo Basin passes 1 million ha milestone in swing to
sustainable forestry
39. Mountain centre launches traditional resources portal
REQUESTS
40. Request for financing for NWFP in Canada
EVENTS
41. European Forest Institute Annual Conference. Focus on the
adaptation of forest landscape to environmental changes
42. European Forest Week
43. International Congress on Provoking Change: Strategies to
promote forest users in the Amazon
44. IUFRO Conference on Gender and Forestry. Gender issues in
natural resources management ?perception and experiences in different
parts of the world
45. 9th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the
Environment: Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World
LITERATURE REVIEW
46. Other publications of interest
MISCELLANEOUS
47. Bee Checklist Buzzes Online
48. 'Mother Lode' Of Gorillas Found In Congo Forests
PRODUCTS
1. Artemesia annua: Clinton unveils deal to cut malaria drug
prices
Source Reuters in SciDev.Net Weekly Update (4-10 August 2008)
NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton unveiled
a deal on Thursday with six Chinese and Indian companies to cut a key
malaria drug price by a third and slash the price volatility of a vital
ingredient by 70 percent.
Artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACT drugs, are
recommended by the World Health Organization because of growing resistance
to older treatments such as chloroquine.
But the supply of artemisinin, a plant extract long used in
Chinese medicine that takes up to 14 months to produce, has been volatile,
with prices ranging from $150 to $1 100/kg in the past four years.
"We have reached agreement with the suppliers at every level
of the production chain from the extraction of the raw ingredient to the
manufacturer of the final drug to allow for sustained and lower pricing,"
Clinton told a news conference.
The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has struck deals
with India's Cipla Ltd <CIPL.BO> and IPCA Laboratories Ltd <IPCA.BO>,
which both manufacture ACT drugs, India's Calyx and Mangalam Drugs, which
turn the plant extract into an active pharmaceutical ingredient, and
China's Holleypharm and PIDI Standard, which grow the plants.
The lower prices will be available to the 69 countries in
Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean who make up the foundation's
purchasing consortium.
For full story, please see:
www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N16394534.htm
6. Ginseng: Wet weather forcing early ginseng harvest
Source: Tillsonburg News, Ontario, Canada, 15 August 2008
Wet weather this summer has forced many ginseng farmers into an early
harvest. Growers are racing to salvage what they can now that root rot and
berry blight have become a problem.
Shade and straw on third-and fourth-year fields has been
removed on some farms in preparation for an early harvest. Under normal
conditions, mature root is dug in October and then only in its fourth
year.
?It?s the worst I?ve ever seen,? said Alex Keresturi of
Burford, who started his first crop in 1987. ?It?s very much a losing
battle this year. It doesn?t matter how much chemical we use because of
all the storms.?
Phytophthora root rot is the major threat because the fungus
spreads rapidly in saturated soil. Ginseng root should have the
consistency and colour of fresh parsnips when it comes out of the ground.
Root rot moves quickly once it is established and turns ginseng root to
mush.
Red berries at the top of the ginseng plant develop purple
discolourations in the presence of botrytis head blight. The berries,
which are harvested for seed, develop a grey, fuzzy appearance as the
fungus matures.
Fungicides are available to control these conditions. The
chemical of choice locally is Maestro 80 DF. Maestro 80 DF is not
registered for use in Canada. However, the Pest Management Regulatory
Agency has approved an emergency permit which expires in December.
Sean Westerveld, a ginseng and medicinal herb specialist with
the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, says it is difficult to fight root
rot when the soil is continuously saturated.
Under ideal conditions, ginseng will receive light rain or dew
over night and dry, warm conditions by day with low humidity.
A handful of growers are preparing to harvest early. Doug
Bradley, chair of the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association, said that
number will climb in the weeks ahead. Discoloured foliage in mature
patches, he said, is a sign that many gardens are infected.
Most of the Ontario ginseng crop is sold in Asia, where it is
used in tea, food and as a traditional folk medicine.
For full story, please see:
www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1157206
BACK TO TOP
7. Medicinal plants: Frankincense provides relief to arthritis
sufferers
Source: EurekAlert (press release), USA, 29 July 2008
An enriched extract of the 'Indian Frankincense' herb Boswellia serrata
has been proven to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Research
published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research
& Therapy has shown that patients taking the herbal remedy showed
significant improvement in as little as seven days.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis; it
commonly affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips, along
with the hands, wrists, feet and spine. The symptoms include pain,
stiffness and limited movement. This randomised, double-blinded,
placebo-controlled trial of 70 patients will be of great interest to
sufferers, especially those who don't get adequate relief from existing
treatments.
The study was led by Siba Raychaudhuri, a faculty member of
the University of California, Davis, in the United States. According to
Raychaudhuri, "The high incidence of adverse affects associated with
currently available medications has created great interest in the search
for an effective and safe alternative treatment". The extract the authors
used was enriched with 30% AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid),
which is thought to be the most active ingredient in the plant.
Raychaudhuri said, "AKBA has anti-inflammatory properties, and we have
shown that B. serrata enriched with AKBA can be an effective treatment for
osteoarthritis of the knee". This is a proprietary product developed by
Laila Nutraceuticals.
B. serrata has been used for thousands of years in the Indian
system of traditional medicine known as 'Ayurveda'. This study is the
first to prove that an enriched extract of the plant can be used as a
successful treatment.
The same authors have previously tested the safety of their
remedy in animal experiments. They say that, "In this study, the compound
was shown to have no major adverse effects in our osteoarthritis patients.
It is safe for human consumption and even for long-term use".
For full story, please see:
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/bc-fpr072808.php
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8. Medicinal plants: Orangutans concoct plant-based soothing balm
Source: Register, England, 28 July 2008
Indonesian wild orangutans have demonstrated a certain degree of medicinal
savvy by deploying naturally-occurring anti-inflammatory drugs to "treat
aches and pains", as the New Scientist puts it.
Four of the Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) were spotted
by Cambridge University primatologist Helen Morrogh-Bernard in the
Sabangau Peat Swamp Forest in Central Kalimantan preparing a "soothing
balm".
Back in 2005, Morrogh-Bernard watched as an adult female
picked a handful of leaves from a plant, chewed them, and used saliva to
produce a green-white lather. She then "scooped up some of the lather with
her right hand and applied it up and down the back of her left arm, from
the base of the shoulder to the wrist, just as a person would apply
sunscreen". Morrogh-Bernard noted: "She was concentrating on her arm only
and was methodical in the way she was applying the soapy foam. I knew this
must be some form of self-medication."
The orangutan finally ditched the leaves, which allowed
Morrogh-Bernard to identify them as belonging to the genus Commelina.
Significantly, orangutans don't eat these plants as part of their normal
diet, and local indigenous people are also aware of their
anti-inflammatory properties.
Morrogh-Bernard has since clocked three other orangutans using
their home-brew balm, saying it "links apes and humans directly". While
she said the former "may not have learnt how to apply the
anti-inflammatory ointment from local people", the opposite may be true.
Morrogh-Bernard's findings are published in the International
Journal of Primatology. ®
For full story, please see:
www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/28/orangutan_balm/
11. Seabuckthorn: Cosmetic giants run into a Himalayan challenge
Source: Economic Times, India, 1 August 2008
Ahmedabad: A dozen women are busy plucking seabuckthorn berries in
Leh-Ladakh and Kargil for supplying them to their local Nundum Cooperative
Society (NCS). The society will further their produce to All-India
Aromatic Plants Growers Association (AIAPGA).
By supplying such special fruits with medicinal values, these
women will earn Rs 85-90/kg, higher than what they were getting earlier.
?Our members have started earning more than 50% by growing such plants,?
says Mohammed Zaffar, president, NCS, which has 40 members. And the buck
doesn?t stop here. In fact, it starts from here. In a way, the hill people
of India are coming together to take on foreign FMCG biggies such as
Amway, K-Link, DXN and Tenzxi, who have been dominating the Indian
cosmetics market, by launching a slew of herbal cosmetic products.
The 6,000-member-strong AIAPGA, including herbal society, will
launch herbal products under its common brand across the country by next
week through self-marketing. And it is confident of outdoing the foreign
competition. ?We will break them completely. Our prices are quite nominal
than these biggies and high in quality,? says AIAPGA president and Kangra
Herb Society director Randhir Singh Guleria.
The growers are expected to get more than 40% margins on their
produce once the mechanism falls in place. The association has got patent
approval for launching 35 products initially, and a few more will join
after approval. What?s more, the Rs 300-crore industry is confident of
touching the Rs 1,000-crore mark in the next five years with their
in-house business model.
Until now, the Indian consumer didn?t have the right choice of
organised herbal-care products. ?This will wipe out the existing cosmetic
players and create a new market for us,? says Mr Guleria.
Right from planting till the packaging, branding and marketing
of the final product, the association has strategically built an in-house
model for its members. This model will be more cost-effective than the one
followed by foreign biggies, they claim. Interestingly, the growers will
get returns as per their subscription period with the association.
That means the longer the period, the higher the margins. ?Our
40-hectare land was a complete wastage as we didn?t know how to utilise
it. Now, we have decided to supply medicinal plants for two years,? says
Dharamshala-based grower Manish Mahajan.
A large number of growers come from regions like Leh, Kargil,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and areas covered under the Himalayan range.
For full story, please see:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Cons_Products/Cosmetic_giants_run_into_a_Himalayan_challenge/articleshow/3312164.cms
COUNTRY INFORMATION
15. Australia: TFS reports higher profit on increased sales of
sandalwood
Source: The West Australian, Australia, 14th August 2008
Perth-based Indian sandalwood grower TFS Corporation has announced a 44
per cent increase in net profit to $27.6 million, which the firm
attributed to a substantial increase in sales of its managed investment
schemes. TFS, which recorded a net profit of $19.2 million in 2006-2007,
said the increased sales had driven revenue up 52 per cent to $68.4
million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
by 46 per cent to $42.1 million.
Company chairman Frank Wilson said the firm's higher MIS sales
had bucked the wider trend away from the schemes, thanks to higher demand
for sandalwood, a broader distribution base and the tax deductibility of
forestry schemes. ?In addition, we have continued to build the necessary
infrastructure at our plantation operations in the Kununurra region of WA
and have strengthened our land bank,? he said.
?Plantings during the year doubled to approximately 600
hectares, and we are well placed to service a further significant increase
to accommodate the level of MIS sales achieved in the 2008 financial year
and those anticipated in future periods.?
TFS announced last month that it would acquire Albany-based
essential oils business Mount Romance Australia for $28.6 million, in a
move Mr Wilson said would represent an accelerated realisation of the
firm's vertical integration aspirations.
The company will pursue agreements with international
fragrance companies in 2008-2009, such as the oil supply arrangement
signed with UK-based Lush Cosmetics, as well as increasing its focus on
research and development.
For full story, please see:
www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=3&ContentID=91342
21. Colombia's Cofan still fighting for survival
Source: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 22 July 2008
Bogota, Colombia -- Although he is only 21, Camilo Yoge has seen his
indigenous tribe lose its culture, territory and traditions. Yoge, a
member of the Cofan tribe, has seen farmers, ranchers and oilmen invade
his ancestral lands to plant illegal coca crops, raise cattle and search
for oil. He has seen many young Cofan take to wearing Western-style
clothes, listening to popular music and abandoning their native language
for Spanish. "We're losing out traditional dress, our environment,"
lamented Yoge, who is studying to become a taita, or shaman. "We are no
longer free in our own territory."
To help the Cofan, who number only about 2,600 people between
Colombia and Ecuador, preserve their traditions, the Colombian government
last month created the Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal Plants Sanctuary to
protect the plants the Cofan depend on for medicinal and spiritual
purposes. Officials in Colombia say the reserve is the only national park
in the world created for that reason.
"Sustainable use will permit us to preserve the natural
resources," said National Parks Director Julia Miranda Londoño.
The idea for the reserve came after Cofan leaders met in 2003
with the national organization of indigenous shaman to search for an
unpopulated region they could use to preserve their medicinal plants. They
took the proposal to national park authorities, who spent several years
mapping out a 25,000-acre reserve.
The Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal Plants Sanctuary, whose name
means "our territory" in the Cofan language, ranges in elevation from
2,300 feet to nearly 10,000 feet above sea level in the southwestern
departments of Nariño and Putumayo - about a two-hour drive from Cofan
territory, where much of the vegetation has been destroyed by farmers,
ranchers and oilmen.
With few options available for earning money, park officials
say many Cofan have resorted to harvesting coca leaf, the base ingredient
for cocaine, further eroding their traditions. Even traditional palm
fronds, which are now hard to find, have been replaced by tin when
building roofs for their homes.
"We live from nature, that's where our energy comes from,"
said Louis Octavio Criollo, 39, a Cofan who is also training to become a
taita. "But when (the forest) is cut down, all of that is lost."
Aside from spiritual value, the new park's elevation range has
abundant biodiversity, parks officials say, including about 400 bird
varieties, numerous reptiles, and such rare species as chameleons, jaguars
and Andean spectacled bears. Cofan elders have also identified nearly 100
plant species used for medicinal and religious purposes.
Two of the most important plants are yoco (Paullinia yoco), a
vine used against fatigue and as a laxative and to prevent malaria, and
yagé, a mildly hallucinogenic vine used in traditional rites, which has
become popular with outsiders who often harvest the plant for sale. Other
plants are used to treat inflammations, kidney ailments and rheumatism.
Indigenous Colombians, who belong to dozens of different ethnic groups,
make up about 2 percent of the nation's population of 45 million. Like the
Cofan, many have suffered the impact of disease, deforestation, and
violence from the nation's more than 4-decade-old civil war.
Lilliana Madrigal, vice president of programs for the Amazon
Conservation Team, based in Virginia, which helped plan the new park,
predicts that the reserve will inspire the creation of protected areas in
other nations. In fact, Colombian park officials say they are already
planning to convert a 2.9-million-acre indigenous reserve into a national
park to protect areas important to the creation myths of several
indigenous groups living there. Luciano Mutumbajoy, a member of the nearby
Inga indigenous people and a leader of Colombia's traditional medical
practitioners, helped create the yet-to-be named park. "If our medicine is
finished, the life and existence of the indigenous people will end," he
said.
For full story, please see:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/08/MNUK11GCV8.DTL
BACK TO TOP
22. Costa Rica: Científicos "domestican" hongos silvestres en Costa
Rica
Source: Univisión, USA, 5 August 2008
Científicos costarricenses trabajan en la "domesticación" de varias
especies de hongos silvestres comestibles, para que puedan ser producidos
comercialmente y se aproveche su potencial alimenticio y medicinal.
El proyecto está a cargo de un grupo de biólogos del Instituto
Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), una entidad privada sin fines de lucro
que se dedica al estudio de las especies vegetales y animales de Costa
Rica y que promueve su uso sostenible.
Los investigadores han estudiado parte de las 125 especies de
hongos silvestres clasificadas en el país y hasta el momento han
identificado cuatro con un importante potencial de domesticación.
Milagro Mata, directora de la Unidad de Hongos del INBio,
explicó que se trata de las variedades conocidas científicamente como "
Pycnoporus sanguineus", "Ganoderma australe", "Lectinum monticola" y "
Lentinula aciculospora".
Dos de las especies son setas y otras dos "orejas de palo",
como se conocen popularmente, las cuales reúnen particulares beneficios
alimenticios, como un alto porcentaje de proteína, fibra y aminoácidos
entre sus componentes.
Tras la identificación de estas especies, el INBio concentrará
ahora sus esfuerzos en la construcción de un laboratorio para la
reproducción experimental de los hongos, a fin de establecer los métodos
más apropiados para su producción comercial, dijo Mata.
La investigación forma parte de un proyecto financiado por la
entidad internacional Fundecooperación, en el cual participan también
Bután (Asia) y Benin (Africa), el cual está dotado con un presupuesto de
un millón de dólares.
Según Mata, el consumo de hongos ha crecido aceleradamente en
el mundo en los últimos años y Costa Rica podría sacar provecho económico
de su potencial.
El INBio espera poder capacitar y eventualmente financiar el
inicio de operaciones a agricultores que quieran explotar comercialmente
este producto, explicó la bióloga.
For full story, please see:
www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/noticias/7559155.html
30. South Africa: African medicine under the spotlight
Source: Independent Online, South Africa, 8 August 2008
South Africa's biodiversity and indigenous knowledge is being highlighted
at the inaugural Indigenous Knowledge Systems Expo at the Transvaal
Museum. Delegates were told on Thursday of the value of these systems and
what the government is doing to protect them.
Organised by the Department of Science and Technology in
collaboration with national government departments as key stakeholders,
the expo runs until Saturday and has as its motto: "Indigenous ways of
knowing, works".
Department spokesperson Mava Scot emphasised the importance of
indigenous knowledge. "This knowledge is valuable not only to those who
depend on it in their daily lives, but to modern industries as well. Many
widely used products such as plant-based medicines and cosmetics are
derived from knowledge systems of South Africa's indigenous communities.
"This makes South Africa an attractive venture for companies
seeking novel compounds for application in the medical, agricultural,
horticultural or environmental fields," he said.
Dr Maureen Wolfson of the South African National Biodiversity
Institute (Sanbi) addressed the workshop on "the contribution of
indigenous knowledge to bioprospecting of indigenous biological
resources". Her presentation examined indigenous knowledge in plant use
for medicinal purposes.
The importance of biodiversity as well as its financial value
were other aspects contained in her presentation. Wolfson said about 80
percent of South Africans consulted about 200 000 traditional healers and
about 700 plant species were traded a year.
Delegates were told indigenous knowledge systems could make a
significant contribution to sustainable development.
For full story, please see:
www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20080808060902459C682919
BACK TO TOP
NEWS
37. Bugs lead drug-hunters to medicinal treasure
Source: New Scientist, UK, 12 August 2008
If you're looking for medicinal plants in the jungle, then let the insects
guide you. A study has shown for the first time that brightly-coloured
bugs like to sit on medicinally-active plants.
Todd Capson, an entomologist at the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute in Panama, hopes the findings will accelerate drug
discovery efforts and improve measures to safeguard rainforests.
Bioprospectors searching for medicinally-active plants in a
rainforest face a problem of needle-in-haystack proportions. Plants do not
advertise the fact that they contain potential medicines. The insects that
feed on them, on the other hand, do. Insects ingest bio-active chemicals
from the plants and advertise the fact that this makes them poisonous to
predators with their flashy colours.
Plants which look like many others may nevertheless contain
active chemicals that can be used to fight parasites, viruses and even
cancer. Artemisinin, for instance, is a powerful anti-malarial drug
extracted from a Chinese plant, while vincristine, based on a compound
extracted from rosy periwinkle, is used to treat leukaemia.
A popular way of finding new drugs based on natural compounds
is to study the plants used in traditional medicines. Capson and
colleagues thought that there might be a way of accelerating the search,
by also looking for plants that seem to be valued by non-human species.
Many tropical insects carry toxins to protect themselves from
predators. In fact, in the early days of drug discovery, researchers tried
collecting insects in order to extract their active compounds. "Good luck
collecting 100 kg of insects," says Capson.
However, the insects often do not synthesise the toxins
themselves. Instead, many eat toxic plants and concentrating the poisons.
As a result, the search for new drugs inspired by natural compounds now
focuses on plants rather than insects.
Conveniently, many insects signal that they are poisonous to
predators with flashy colours ? often bold reds and yellows.
"If you're poisonous, it's to your advantage to advertise that
to your predators," says Capson. But to him, the bright colours tell an
entirely different tale. "What it's telling us is: 'You should go ahead
and sample the plant I'm eating to search for pharmaceutical compounds',"
he says.
Capson's team decided to test their theory in the forests of
Panama. They chose 10 plants which they knew contained medicinal
compounds, and 10 non-medicinal plants which looked very similar to them.
In four national parks, they searched for the plants in their natural
environment and recorded the number of bright insects on their leaves as
they went.
The team regularly found brightly-coloured bugs on nine of the
10 active plants, but on just four of the 10 inactive plants. On average,
each poisonous plant had 1.9 bright bugs on its leaves, while innocuous
plants had just 0.5. "This is the first time that anyone has proven that
brightly-coloured insects associate with active plants more than they do
with inactive plants," says Capson.
Using brightly-coloured insects as flags does not mean that
every plant scientists collected would contain a new medicine. Once a
potentially medicinal plant has been identified, it can take many years to
extract the active compound and turn it into a useful drug. Nevertheless,
it could focus pharmaceutical searches.
"One could go into the field and scan wild insect
populations," says team-member Julie Helson of the University of Toronto
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. "This would still be labour-intensive, but
would hopefully increase your hit rate in comparison to randomly
collecting plants."
For Capson, there is another advantage to the method ? that of
saving the insect sentinels from extinction.
Capson himself is not planning on testing his method further
by collecting unknown plants that have bright bugs on them and testing
their toxicity. That, he says, is what he hopes his colleagues who are
searching for new drugs will do. The relay baton is ready to be passed.
Journal reference: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, DOI:
10.1890/070189
For full story, please see:
www.newscientist.com/article/dn14521-bugs-lead-drughunters-to-medicinal-treasure.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=env1_head_Bugs%20lead%20drug-hunters%20to%20medicinal%20treasure
39. Mountain centre launches traditional resources portal
Source: SciDev.Net Weekly Update (4-10 August 2008)
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
announces the launching of a web portal on ?Access and Benefit Sharing
from Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge?. Accessible
at http://www.icimod.org/abs/, the portal contains information about
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms and processes being carried
out as well as the development and implementation of ABS regimes in
countries of the Himalayan region. The portal provides links related to
the subject and aims to serve as a regional clearing house mechanism on
ABS. Through this facility, ICIMOD hopes to encourage, enable, and
support learning and foster multi-stakeholder discussions and sharing of
the ongoing debates and dialogues at international, regional, and national
levels on the subject.
In simple terms, access and benefit sharing means that one
person or entity (the user) obtains biological or genetic resources and or
knowledge from another person, entity, or country (the provider) in
exchange for benefits. The CBD aims to achieve the fair and equitable
sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources and
associated traditional knowledge by facilitating access through prior
informed consent of the provider. Article 15 of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) provides a framework for the implementation of
ABS. All the countries in the Himalayan region are party to the Convention
and are implementing ABS regimes.
Implementing the framework in practical and legal terms is
complex and has raised concerns amongst stakeholders. The portal thus aims
to raise awareness as well as provide a platform for sharing and
discussing various options in dealing with ABS issues.
ICIMOD, a regional intergovernmental organisation based in
Kathmandu, Nepal, recently launched the portal as part of a project to
promote ABS in the eastern Himalayan countries. The Centre has been
working with 13 partners in four Eastern Himalayan countries - Nepal,
India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan ? in seven project sites since 2005, to
promote the ABS process. Plans are underway to expand the project?s
coverage over the long term to the entire Himalayan region, which covers
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and
Pakistan ? ICIMOD?s regional member countries.
Supported by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ)
and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the
programme reaches out to marginalised groups from grassroots-based
mountain women, Dalits, indigenous peoples (Janajatis and ethnic
minorities), to policy and decision makers to raise awareness and build
the capacity of local institutions and individuals belonging to these
groups. The aim is to implement sustainable ABS regimes. Through this
programme which is part of a broader Biodiversity Conservation and
Management Programme, ICIMOD aims to develop the competence of partner
organisations by supporting activities such as capacity building,
documenting and evaluating traditional knowledge, assisting in developing
regulatory instruments, and a variety of information sharing platforms.
The capacity of stakeholders and partners in the government and NGOs is
being enhanced who are imparting knowledge and skills related to ABS
mechanism among the indigenous people and marginalized communities.
Through this process, the ABS mechanism is gradually internalised among
the communities as an opportunity for poverty reduction and biodiversity
conservation.
The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, and more specifically
the Eastern Himalayas, is one of 34 global biodiversity hotspots ? a
treasure house of genetic biodiversity and natural resources managed with
rich base of traditional knowledge and skills. These resources provide the
basis for building livelihoods for mountain communities.
ICIMOD believes that local communities and stakeholders can
protect and manage their genetic resources and biological diversity. This
will only be possible if the people who take care of the resources also
get benefits from them and get full support from the local and national
governments, civil society organisations and the international community.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli
Regional Coordinator, ABS ? EH
Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Environmental Change and Ecosystem Services, ICIMOD
Email: koli at icimod.org
For full story, please see:
www.icimod.org/home/news/news.content.php?nid=87
LITERATURE REVIEW
McLain, Rebecca J., Alexander, Susan J., Jones, Eric T. 2008.
Incorporating Understanding of Informal Economic Activity in Natural
Resource and Economic Development Policy. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-755.
Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific
Northwest Research Station. 53p.
This report synthesizes the literature on the role of informal economic
activity in the United States postindustrial economy. Informal economic
activity is expanding in the United States and is likely to continue in
the foreseeable future. The formal and informal economic sectors are
inextricably intertwined, with individuals and households combining
elements of both sectors to construct their livelihoods. Although the
informal economy is often thought of as the domain of economically
marginal individuals and households, virtually everyone participates in
the informal economy to some extent. However, the literature highlights
how factors such as social status and household position in the formal
economy affect whether participation in informal economic activity is
exploitative or empowering. The nontimber forest products sector serves
as a case study of why it is important to consider informal economic
activity when developing natural resource and economic development policy.
We recommend steps policymakers can take to identify and encourage
positive aspects of the informal economic activity. We also highlight
several areas of research to improve understandings of the role of
informal economic activity in postindustrial societies.
TO RECEIVE (free)
Request a printed version by completing an order form at:
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/order.shtml or calling 503.808.2138 (U.S.).
Make sure you specify the General Technical Report Number (GTR-755), the
complete title, the authors and year, and your mailing address.
A digital version in PDF format can be downloaded from
www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/30182. The direct download link is:
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr680.pdf (1mg - allow time to load in your
browser).
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