[MPWG] Fw: NWFP-Digest-L No. 1/09
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Mon Mar 9 12:05:15 CDT 2009
Forwarding the latest NWFP Digest...
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>
----- Forwarded by Patricia De Angelis/ARL/R9/FWS/DOI on 03/09/2009 01:03
PM -----
"Etherington, Tina (FOIP)" <Tina.Etherington at fao.org>
03/04/2009 12:04 PM
To
nwfp-digest-L at mailserv.fao.org
cc
Subject
NWFP-Digest-L No. 1/09
NWFP-Digest-L
No. 1/09
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 and
also to Adam DeHeer for his help with this issue.
==============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
PRODUCTS
1. Balsam boughs: NTFPs of the Midwest USA
2. Bamboo: Indian artisans weave dreams
3. Bamboo: Indian floor tiles, handicrafts
4. Bamboo planting boosted in Mexico
5. Berry-based natural sweetener "brazzein" to hit the
market in 2009
6. Chambira Palm: Baskets bring a new way of life to
Peruvians
7. Cork Flooring, A Sustainable Choice
8. Frankincense: Sustainable harvesting by Siddhi Tribe
of India
9. Maple Syrup: Tapping trees for that classic Canadian
flavour
10. Medicinal Plants in danger of dying out, according to
conservationists
11. Pandan prop roots found suitable for handicrafts in the
Philippines
12. Pinus sylvestris cones: First FSC Labelled Gin from
Belgium
13. Stevia: The Natural Sweetener
14. Rattan: Conserving Forests
COUNTRY INFORMATION
15. Bolivia: The Importance of plant knowledge
16. Ethiopia: EU Grants 251 Million Euros to Support
Development Programs
17. India: Forest health restored by managing for NTFPs
18. Indonesia: Government team to bolster protection for the
country?s TK
19. Mozambique: Hidden Forest
20. Nepal: Forest Museum in Pokhara
21. Nigeria: Desert Encroaches on Nation at 600 Meters per
Annum
22. Peru: Revised laws 'could promote biopiracy'
23. Peru: Region outlaws biopiracy
24. Tunisia: Jendouba region provides 90% of Tunisia?s cork
production
25. USA: USDA Issues final rule governing NTFPs
NEWS
26. Ecosystem services reveal relations between humans and
nature
27. Non-wood News
28. SEED awards 2009: Call for submissions
EVENTS
29. 19th session of the Committee on Forestry
30. Fourth International Conference on Sustainable
Development and Planning
31. International Expert Workshop on Indigenous Peoples'
Rights, Corporate Accountability and the Extractive Industries
32. Shea 2009: Optimizing the Global Value Chain
33. WFC2009-XIII World Forestry Congress
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
34. Environment Outlook in the Amazonia: GEO Amazonia
35. Other publications of interest
36. Web sites and e-zines
MISCELLANEOUS
37. Illegal clearing behind human and tiger deaths in
Sumatra
38. Mexico: Tree biodiversity improved through traditional
coffee farming
39. New edition of UNESCO?s Atlas of the World's Languages
in Danger
BACK TO TOP
PRODUCTS
1. Balsam boughs: NTFPs of the Midwest USA
Source: University of Minnesota, USA, 8 December, 2008
Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are most everything you find in the
woods that is not timber. Mostly, the term refers to the many products
that enhance and contribute to our lifestyles and our livelihoods. These
products often have strong connections to our respective cultures and
shared history and economy.
NTFPs are the berries and mushrooms we pick to eat; they are
the game that sustains our families. They are the medicines that we gather
and the barks we collect for baskets and crafts. NTFPs are the balsam
boughs and princess pine that, when worked by Minnesota hands, become the
wreaths upon our holiday doors. For some, NTFPs provide affordable outdoor
recreation. For others, they generate a much-needed paycheck. For many of
us, they do both.
Winter months offer prime opportunities for exploring forests
and discovering NTFPs. Frozen soil conditions allow us to stray ?off the
beaten path? in the woods. Winter excursions are memorable and
invigorating but most of all will inspire greater appreciation of forests
and NTFPs.
Each fall, Minnesotans take to the woods to gather boughs to
be clipped and woven into decorative wreaths, swags and garlands. What
used to be a family activity has grown into a multimillion dollar
industry. Minnesota ? in the Midwest USA ? is a national leader in the
seasonal greens industry, shipping wreaths to every state in the nation
and across the globe.
Wreath making provides seasonal employment to people all over
Minnesota and there are many non-profit organizations that use wreath and
garlands sales as a fund raising event. This short and intense seasonal
industry employs thousands of people in Minnesota, and allows many ?home
based businesses? to earn a substantial amount of income.
Approximately 98% of the boughs harvested for wreaths are from
the balsam fir tree, Abies balsamea. In Minnesota, bough harvesting season
begins after hard frosts have ?set? the needles on the branches. Other
species, including northern white cedar (pictured at right) and white
pine, are also gathered to create mixed wreaths.
Boughs harvested properly cause minimal harm to the tree and,
in fact, can lead to more prolific branching for future harvests. Careless
harvesting can quickly deplete and degrade the resource.
To help protect the resource, members of the wreath making
industry, harvesters and land managers formed the Balsam Bough Partnership
in 1996. The partnership promotes sustainable harvesting practices of the
bough resources and strategies that complement other forest management
practices. The partnership meets periodically to review seasonal needs,
compliance on legislation and review permits. The Balsam Bough Partnership
has also developed educational materials for harvesters and advocates
sustainable harvesting practices.
For full story, please see:
http://myminnesotawoods.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/ntfp-overview/
BACK TO TOP
2. Bamboo: Indian artisans weave dreams
Source: The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, 6 January, 2009
Jamshedpur. A career in bamboo craft would help several artisans realise
their dreams. Take Ban Bihari Mahali for instance. He is a bamboo artisan
who earns between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month if he works everyday but
now he hopes to turn this figure to Rs 3,000. His dreams have taken shape
after the state government decided to open 25 bamboo processing training
centres this month.
The project aims to help the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe get professional training in the art. ?The three-month long training
would give an opportunity to the artisans and help them develop their
skill. It will also teach them how to market their products.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 3 crore in the first year.
Initially, 450 artisans in groups of 20 would be allotted a shed for the
training programme. The artisans would be taught measurement, free-hand
drawing, treatment and preservation of bamboo, mat weaving and furniture
making for export.
Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Ichagarh, Chandil and Dumaria will house
these training centres in collaboration with Guwahati-based Cane and
Bamboo Technology Centre. ?We have selected these districts after the
Institute of Forest Productivity, Ranchi, claimed that raw material
(bamboo) was easily available in these places. Bamboo artisans, who earn
between Rs 40 and Rs 50 per day, will now be able to earn more,? said
Dhirendra Kumar, the special secretary with state department of
industries.
The artisans will also be provided a platform through
Jharcraft, a corporation for development of handlooms, handicraft, under
the department of industries, in the initial months.
For full story, please see:
www.telegraphindia.com/1090106/jsp/jharkhand/story_10349232.jsp
BACK TO TOP
3. Bamboo: Indian floor tiles, handicrafts
Source: Press Trust of India in Business Standard, India, 20 February 2009
Bamboo, which grows in abundance in Tripura, is now ready for value
addition and commercial utilization with technology provided by China's
Nanjing Forestry University.
The Bamboo Engineering Research Centre (BERC) at the Nanjing University
has concluded after extensive research that the bamboo varieties found in
the state could be used in making floor tiles, building materials and
handicraft.
The state's Forest Minister Jitendra Chowdhury said the
government had signed a memorandum of understanding with the BERC through
the Tripura Forest Development and Plantation Corporation (TFDPC) in 2007
for transfer of technology. The TFDPC had last year sent a consignment of
two varieties of bamboo available only in Tripura -- Muli and Mirtinga --
to the university for research.
The minister said that the BERC had recently sent some samples
of finished building materials with recommendations that the bamboo types
available in Tripura had huge opportunity of export. Chowdhury, who had
led an Indian delegation in 2007 to seek technical assistance from the
BERC, said efforts were being made to use the grass in making organic
fertilizer and bamboo fibres for manufacturing pulp.
The TFDPC has already decided to establish a bamboo-based
factory at Nagicherra industrial estate here, with the Japan Bank of
International Cooperation providing financial assistance.
"The initiative has been taken to exploit the potential of
bamboos in the state," deputy manager of TFDPC Madhumita Som said adding
the JBIC would provide a financial assistance of Rs one crore to promote
NTFPs. She said the factory would produce handicraft items and material
for decorating houses. The TFDPC has initiated a training programme for
artisans to run the proposed factory. There is a growing demand for
bamboo-made products as people have shown interest in different commercial
exhibitions in the country.
Abdul Matlub Ahmed, president of Indo-Bangladesh Chamber of
Commerce and Industries and an industrialist himself, announced that he
would relocate his Rs 200 crore pulp and paper mill from Sylhat to Tripura
as bamboo is available here in plenty.
For full story, please see:
www.business-standard.com/india/news/bamboo-floor-tiles-handicraft-in-offing/12/29/55409/on
BACK TO TOP
4. Bamboo planting boosted in Mexico
Source: Xinhua, China, 5 January 2009
MEXICO CITY. The Mexican government and the United Nations have signed an
agreement to boost bamboo planting in the country, its National Forest
Commission (Conafor) said Sunday.
Some US$715,000 will be used to establish the Center of Bamboo
Technology Development in the east state of Veracruz in part of the
country's productive reforestation strategy.
The Center will be the fourth largest in the world, after
China, India and Cuba, it said. Bamboo produced in Veracruz will be sent
to the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia through the Panama
Canal.
The project will improve the livelihood of the peasants in the
mountainous area of the Huatusco municipality in Veracruz and help them
recover the lost forest land.
For full story, please see:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/05/content_10605146.htm
BACK TO TOP
5. Berry-based natural sweetener "brazzein" to hit the market in
2009
Source: Natural News, USA, 22 December 2008
We've all heard about stevia, agave nectar, brown rice syrup and other
natural sweeteners, but now a new sweetener derived from a West African
berry has been successfully synthesized in a form compatible with mass
production, and the company Natur Research Ingredients expects to make it
commercially available between late 2008 and mid-2009.
The sweetener brazzein, to be marketed under the brand name
Cweet, is a protein derived from the berry of the west African plant oubli
(Pentadiplandra brazzeana Baillon). It has long been used as a food source
by both humans and animals (particularly apes) in the region, and was
first synthesized into a sugar alternative in 1994 by researchers from the
University of Wisconsin at Madison (USA).
Because brazzein is anywhere from 500 to 2,000 times as sweet
as sugar by weight, the small amounts needed to sweeten food do not add
any significant caloric content (stevia, by comparison, is approximately
300 times as sweet as sugar). Unlike many sugar alternatives, brazzein is
said to have no aftertaste, and can even reduce the aftertaste of other
non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame or stevia when mixed with them.
Brazzein's sweet flavour also sets in slower and lasts longer than other
sweeteners.
Brazzein is also soluble in water and stable at high
temperatures and a wide range of acidities. For example, it can persist at
980C (2080F) for up to two hours. According to Natur, this makes the
products suitable for all forms of cooking, including baking, and as a
beverage sweetener. Because brazzein is a protein and not a carbohydrate,
it does not affect blood sugar and is safe for diabetics.
Natur acquired the sole rights to manufacture and distribute
brazzein from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which holds a number
of patents on the sweetener and the processes used to manufacture it.
Although the university has sought ways to commercialize the sweetener
since the 1990s, all such prior attempts have failed. According to Natur,
a researcher from the university recently discovered an entirely new
process that is suitable for mass production.
Because the University of Wisconsin used an artificial process
to extract the brazzein sweetener from oubli berries, it was able to
obtain patents over the sweetener itself. No credit was given or payment
made to the indigenous Africans who had used the sweetener for centuries,
drawing accusations that the university had engaged in "biopiracy,"
stealing ancestral knowledge for private profit. The university retains
several patents over the ingredient brazzein.
In a reversal of the university's claim that brazzein is an
invented ingredient, Natur says that its sweetener is natural. It has not
yet disclosed information regarding the process used to extract the
sweetener or any synthetic ingredients that might be used.
"We are using the fruit as a source material for this
ingredient," said Loren Miles, Natur's chief executive officer. "Within
three to six months we should be ready to publicly announce further
details, but we can disclose this information now to interested parties
through a confidentiality agreement."
The next step for Natur is to scale-up production and submit
an application to the FDA for "generally recognized as safe" status. Natur
says that it expects to receive approval at about the same time it is
carrying out consumer tests. But the FDA's GRAS approval is not
guaranteed: The FDA is known for denying GRAS status to natural sweeteners
(like stevia, which was finally approved only days ago) in order to
protect the profits of artificial chemical sweeteners like aspartame.
For full story, please see: www.naturalnews.com/025140.html
BACK TO TOP
6. Chambira Palm: Baskets bring a new way of life to Peruvians
Source: The New York Times, USA, 19 January, 2009
San Antonio de Pintuyacu, Peru. Women in this remote Amazon village can
weave fibers from the branch of the chambira palm tree into practically
anything they need ? fishing nets, hammocks, purses, skirts and dental
floss.
But for the last year they have put their hopes in baskets,
weaving hundreds to build inventory for export to the United States. Their
first international buyers are the San Diego Natural History Museum and
San Diego Zoo, and they plan to sell to other museums and home décor
purveyors.
The circuitous route these baskets have taken from the jungle
to American store shelves started with a bird watcher?s passion for
natural habitats, passed through a regional government whose policies have
become increasingly more conservationist, and, supporters say, should end
with better lives for the weavers and their communities.
The enterprise is one of many ventures here in the Amazon
aimed at ?productive conservation,? which advocates say will save the rain
forest by transforming it into a renewable economic resource for local
people ? just as some ecotourism lodges and other ventures in places like
Africa and Southeast Asia have tried to do.
The greatest challenge has been convincing residents of the
communities along the river, who until now largely supported themselves by
chopping down palm branches and fishing, that conservation is in their
best interest.
The government of Loreto, Peru?s densely forested and least
populous region, organized the basket project, which is financed by grants
from two nonprofit groups, Nature and Culture International and the Moore
Foundation.
?Having the government take such a role in a market-based
approach is quite novel,? Amy Rosenthal, deputy director for projects at
the Amazon Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that works in
southern Peru and northern Bolivia, said when told of the program.
But the program in Peru is not without challengers. Iván
Vásquez, president of the Loreto region, said he had made some enemies for
supporting conservation in a region where fishing and logging have been
the primary sources of revenue for decades and where oil and gas are seen
as the next frontiers.
The changes in Loreto may correspond to a broader shift in
Peru?s attitude toward conservation. Last spring, motivated by the signing
of a free-trade agreement with the United States, the country set up an
environment ministry, which has already started to focus on deforestation.
For full story, please see:
www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/business/worldbusiness/20peru.html?scp=4&sq=deforestation&st=cse
BACK TO TOP
7. Cork Flooring, A Sustainable Choice
Source: Mother Earth News, USA, 9 December 2008
Soft like suede, cork has the insulating qualities and resiliency of
carpet; the easy-to-clean surface of wood or tile; plus luxurious appeal
from its earthy colours and rich visual texture. Made from tree bark, it?s
also a natural and renewable resource, so it?s environmentally friendly,
right?
The answer is yes, but with a footnote.
Cork has a multitude of green characteristics. The material is
acquired by stripping most of the outer bark from the cork oak tree. This
regular harvesting does the tree no harm, and the bark grows back, to be
stripped again every nine years. The trees live for 200 years or so, and
the forests, called Montados, are highly prized and passed down through
generations of families in the cork-producing business.
Even cork processing is relatively straightforward: The cork
sheets or pieces are cured, boiled and pressed. Scraps are collected for
reuse, so almost nothing is wasted.
Yet for those of us in North America trying to be more
eco-friendly, cork has a notable drawback: It comes from Europe. Forests
of Quercus suber, the one oak species that produces cork, grow in the
Mediterranean, primarily in Portugal. Fuel consumption from shipping cork
adds to the embodied energy in every cork flooring product. Although the
trees have been successfully grown in California, they haven?t produced
the corky bark, likely from a subtle difference in the ecosystem.
The dilemma of long-distance shipping, however, is
counter-balanced by the truly urgent need to preserve cork oak forests.
Nora Berrahmouni, Mediterranean forest unit director at the environmental
nonprofit World Wildlife Federation (WWF), says that cork forest
ecosystems are endangered by increasing population growth and forest
clearing. With the loss of viable Montados, ?there could be
intensification in forest fires, a loss of irreplaceable biodiversity and
an accelerated desertification process,? she says.
?The cork forest loss is coming from the decline of the global
cork market,? Berrahmouni says, explaining that conventional wine corks
are being replaced by aluminium screw tops and petroleum-dependent plastic
stoppers. The decreased demand for cork has devalued the forests, leading
to sales ? even abandonment ? of the once-priceless land. Cork
products such as flooring, on the other hand, will keep Montados intact
and support a sustainable form of agri-forestry, Berrahmouni says. ?We
encourage consumers to buy cork flooring materials.?
According to ReCORK America, a cork stopper recycling project
sponsored by Amorim, the world?s largest producer of cork bottle stoppers,
there are approximately 13 billion corks sold into the market each year.
Almost all of them end up in the trash ? a sad fact because corks can
easily be recycled into flooring and other commercial products.
For full story, please see:
www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/Benefits-Cork-Flooring.aspx
BACK TO TOP
8. Frankincense: Sustainable harvesting by Siddhi Tribe of India
Source: Deccan Herald, India, 30 December, 2008
The people of Malenad have to constantly keep in touch with nature for
their livelihood. And they are heavily dependent on forest produce rather
than agriculture.
Five-year-old Krishna Siddhi can extract frankincense with
dexterity but has no clue about the alphabet. And typically so because
those living in the Malnad region have to constantly keep in touch with
nature for their livelihood. Though illiterate, they are accomplished in
other ways.
The siddhis are a tribe that live in Shirasgaon village,
situated 40 kms away from Sirsi taluk in Uttara Kannada district. Out of
the 30 families living in the village, as many as 16 families belong to
the siddhi tribe. People here rely more on forest produce for their
livelihood, because there is not much scope for agriculture here. The
village itself is situated in the midst of thick forests. Shirasgaon
residents rely on NTFPs such as Canarium strictum (raladoopa), Ailanthus
triphysa (halamaddi doopa or frankincense), apiary, Garcinia gummi-gutta
(uppage), Garcinia indica (murugalu), Myristica dactyloides (rampatre),
cinnamon and the like.
This is that time of the year (between November and January)
when frankincense is collected. However, because of indiscriminate
collection across the Malenad region, many rare species are on the verge
of extinction. Canarium strictum is one of them. According to experts,
Canarium strictum is found only in the forests of Shirasgaon in Sirsi
taluk and in the forests of Siddapur taluk. Germination is the key problem
for the species.
But residents of Shirasgaon are different from other pickers
of minor forest products as they know the significance of each tree and
they look after trees as one would protect one?s own child.
They collect frankincense without causing any damage to trees.
Canarium strictum is a product in greater demand in the market than
Ailanthus triphysa, thanks to its fragrance. Each family of Shirasgaon
collects nearly 10kgs of frankincense every season. But marketing is a
crucial problem. People here face similar problems when it comes to other
forest products, such as kokum and cinnamon. But, kokum juice has seen
some profits in the market.
Janaki, a member of Shridevi Self-Help Group, says the SHG
made a profit of Rs4,000 for collecting nearly one quintal of kokum juice
during the previous year. The SHG members have also been trained in mat
knitting.
Shirasgaon residents have also developed a nursery of rare
plants such as Artocarpus hirsitus (hebbalasu), Artocarpus lakoocha
(vate), Ochrocarpus longifolius (surige) and 15 other species.
Prakruti Association, an NGO, has been encouraging their
activity by providing good price to their products and by providing dryers
for drying the peels of Garcinia gummi-gutta and the like. The dryer has
helped them save much wood for drying. Prabhakar Gouda, one of the NTFP
collectors, says that contractors who had got the tenders collect the NTFP
from people.
But some of the collectors do not have knowledge of proper
collection and tend to damage the tree while collecting frankincense.
Thanks to their lack of knowledge, the tree dies before two-three periods
of collection are completed.
Can Shirasgaon villagers be eye-openers to those who destroy
forests indiscriminately? The answer is yes, indeed. Residents of
Shirasgaon village have set an example to the world on the importance of
protecting forests.
For full story, please see:
www.deccanherald.com/Content/Dec302008/spectrum20081229109470.asp
BACK TO TOP
9. Maple Syrup: Tapping trees for that classic Canadian flavour
Source: Canada.com, Canada 23 February 2009
It has been sweet success for a new breed of sapsuckers who introduced the
maple syrup industry to Vancouver Island seven years ago.
Ladysmith's Gary Backlund and five others in the Master
Woodland Manager program at Vancouver Island University decided to create
a West Coast maple syrup industry in 2002. More than 85% of the world's
maple syrup is produced in Canada and is most commonly made in the eastern
provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In 2007, more
than 40,600 tonnes of Canadian syrup, valued at $231 million, was sold to
45 different countries.
While the Vancouver Island production is a drop in the bucket
compared to the Eastern industry. Backlund and his fellow sapsuckers
produced 3,000 litres of sap in their first season. Last year, more than
60,000 litres of sap was collected from bigleaf maples all over Vancouver
Island.
Backlund and his daughter Katherine don't measure their
success in how much money they make from their maple syrup hobby.
While the production is low-cost, it is time consuming. "We
get about $1 for every litre of sap or $75 for every litre of syrup, which
when you take in consideration the amount of labour it takes to get that,
it's not very much," said Katherine. "For us it's really a hobby more than
a business." The family enjoys sharing their knowledge, but don't expect
to pursue commercial success.
Commercial success was on the mind of Bram Lucieer of Campbell
River, one of the original six island sap seekers. He didn't make syrup.
Instead, he produced a rare maple wine. Lucieer's ambition to sell his
award-winning maple wine in the national and international market was
corked when he ran into the arduous commercial regulations.
It is a huge disappointment since he is confident that he
tapped into something that has the potential to make a large profit with
hardly any overhead.
"The raw material is virtually free for the taking. The
commercial profit would be huge. It's not like maple syrup where the
reduction rate is about 40 (litres of sap) to one (litre of syrup). One
litre of sap makes one litre of wine," said Lucieer from his Campbell
River home.
Lucieer says would be willing to share his trade secrets to
help others take West Coast maple wine to the next level.
A plantation of bigleaf maples would be the first step in
making a profitable maple wine or maple syrup company.
For full story, please see:
www.canada.com/Sweet+maple+syrup+success/1319629/story.html
BACK TO TOP
10. Medicinal plants in danger of dying out, according to
conservationists
Source: Telegraph.co.uk, UK, 7 January 2009
Plantlife, the conservation charity, point out that traditional medicine
is the primary source of health care for more people worldwide than
western medicine ? often because it is the only affordable treatment
available. For example plants in east Africa are used to treat malaria and
opportunistic infections caused by HIV Aids.
However around 15,000 species are under threat from pollution,
over-harvesting and habitat loss, including Himalayan Yew, known as a
source of anti-cancer drugs. The decimation of the plants is not only
leading to a loss of traditional knowledge but could prevent a
breakthrough in treating conditions like migraines, fever and even cancer.
Plantlife have compiled a report on the best way to protect
plants for the future, following a three-year study of projects around the
world involving medicinal plants. Projects included developing medicinal
first aid kits in Uganda, establishing China's first ever community nature
reserve for wild medicinal plants and promoting the cultivation of
medicinal plants by local farmers in Nepal.
Alan Hamilton, the author of the report, said protecting
medicinal plants is not only important for human health but for the
surrounding ecosystem.
He said: "Focusing on medicinal plants has the potential to be
a major motivating force behind nature conservation. Improving health,
earning an income and maintaining cultural traditions are important to us
all ? wherever we live ? and all three are involved in motivating people
to conserve medicinal plants, and thus the habitats where they grow."
For full story, please see:
www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/4162311/Medicinal-plants-in-danger-of-dying-out-according-to-conservationists.html
BACK TO TOP
11. Pandan prop roots found suitable for handicrafts in the
Philippines
Source: Philippine Information Agency, Philippines, 4 December 2008
Tacloban City. Gone are the days when pandan?s use is limited to giving
distinct aroma to rice, curry dishes and desserts and sweet beverages.
Pandan prop roots may now be used by handicraft producers, a
result of a study of the DOST-Forest Products Research and Development
Institute.
A report from FPRDI research specialist Arlene G. Torres
showed that researcher Simplicia B. Katigbak found of the 40 pandanus
species in the Philippines, those with specialized prop roots can be
tapped as an alternative material for handicrafts. These species are
sabotan, Pandanus alasas and Pandanus pangdan which are widely distributed
in the country. Ms. Katigbak said that the material was also pliable and
could be easily woven.
This is good news considering that the Philippines is one of
the world?s leaders in the handicraft production, with exports averaging
US$ 676,832,244M in 2001-2002. Philippine handicrafts are chiefly made
from non-timber raw materials such as rattan, bamboo abaca, buri, woody
vines and pandan.
Pandan is popular due to its varied uses. Its leaves are woven
into mats, hats and bags and baskets. Its prominent aerial or prop roots
are made into thread, rope for fishing lines, and tying and plating
material for chairs. If moderately harvested, the use of prop roots for
handicrafts will not affect the plant?s growth, Ms. Katigbak assured.
Pandan is a tropical erect green plant with fan-shaped sprays
of long narrow bladelike leaves and woody aerial roots. The leaves are
used in Asian cooking to add a distinct aroma to rice, curry dishes and
desserts and sweet beverages.
Pandan trees provide materials for housing, clothing and
textiles, food, medication, decorations, fishing, religious uses and
manufacture of handicrafts, among which are the mats which are handwoven
from the dried leaves.
It is also said to have flavonoids which are believed to have
a variety of healthy properties including antiviral, anti-allergen,
antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Interestingly, the leaves of the plant have been known to
repel cockroaches.
For full story, please see: www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p081204.htm&no=47
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12. Pinus sylvestris cones: First FSC Labelled Gin from Belgium
Source: Forest Stewardship Council, 19 January 2009
The first FSC labelled gin was launched in the Belgium market in December
2008. Made from the green pine cones of Pinus sylvestris, a common tree in
the Flemish region, the launch of this gin also marks the first FSC
certified NTFP originating from Belgium.
Known as Dennenknopje, ?little pine cone? in Dutch, the gin is
made from cones that are collected from the FSC certified Domeinbos
Pijnven forest. Owned by the Flemish government, it is managed as part of
a larger FSC Group that has been certified since 2006. Certification to
FSC?s Principles and Criteria for responsible forest management ensures
that the natural forest complexity is maintained and social issues are
considered, while securing long term supplies of forest products.
Distilleerderij Leukenheide is the family owned company
responsible for producing the gin. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest
traditional gin distillery in the region. The company achieved FSC chain
of custody certification in May 2008, facilitating completion of the
supply chain from Domeinbos Pijnven forest by processing the gin and
labelling the bottle with the FSC label.
The eye-catching FSC labelled gin brings promotion of FSC in
the country and strengthened local identity to this relatively forest rich
region. It also demonstrates that responsible management of forests can
bring new and interesting opportunities, not only for recreational
purposes, but also within the economic perspective of responsible forest
product harvesting.
For full story, please see:
www.fsc.org/news.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=88&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=84&cHash=041e1da5e1
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13. Stevia: The Natural Sweetener
Source: BCLocalNews.com, Canada, 21 February 2009
Stevia rebuadiana, a natural herb native to Paraguay and Brazil, has been
used for centuries to sweeten drinks and eaten as a simple sweet snack.
Its common form, a white powder extracted from the leaves of the plant, is
rated to be 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.
At present, it can be found in natural health-food stores and
in the natural-food section of some grocery stores as a dietary
supplement, in powder and liquid form. It has a slight liquorice taste and
an interesting after-taste for those who aren?t used to sugar.
Stevia is delicious in almost any recipe using fruit or dairy
products, but does present a bit of a challenge when used for baking since
it lacks sugar?s abilities to add texture, caramelize, enhance the
browning process and feed the fermentation of yeast. On the other hand,
high temperatures do not affect its sweetening properties and can be used
to sweeten coffee or tea.
There is a lot of talk about stevia right now, whether it?s
safe and why it can?t be easily found in every grocery store. While it?s
true that stevia makes up around 40 per cent of Japan?s sweetener
consumption, used in various products including soy sauce, sweet pickles
and their diet pops, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
Health Canada have been reluctant to approve it as a food additive or
dietary sweetener due to government policy and safety concerns.
However, as of mid-December 2008, food industry leaders have
convinced the FDA that rebiana or reb A, which is extracted from stevia,
is safe to add to food and beverages and it will likely appear on store
shelves everywhere.
Arizona-based Wisdom Natural Brands was the first to start
marketing packets of its powdered SweetLeaf. Cargill, working with
Coca-Cola, followed with Truvia. And PepsiCo, with Whole Earth Sweetener
Co., has developed a new line of beverages sweetened with a stevia product
called PureVia.
Soon, you will see stevia in pretty much every food product
you can imagine.
There are a number of published safety studies available that
supports the safety of stevia and claims it may improve health.
Research also indicates it can significantly lower blood
pressure among people with mild hypertension.
However, not everyone is convinced of stevia?s safety.
Normally the FDA requires major food ingredients, like this one will be,
to be tested over the long term. There are also some studies on rats that
suggest high doses could potentially cause infertility and a possibility
it may be a carcinogen. Whether the FDA should have required more testing
before approving stevia products is a concern for many people.
The bottom line is, given the long history of safe use of
stevia in other countries, it is likely safe to use in moderation.
However, know that research is limited and it is not
recommended any woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding use stevia, nor is
it recommended for children.
For full story, please see: www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/40030353.html
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14. Rattan: Conserving Forests
Source: World Wildlife Fund, 20 February 2009
Establishing a Sustainable Production System of Rattan Products in
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam will be launched on 5 March in Hanoi, Vietnam.
This project forms the second phase of WWF?s Sustainable Rattan Harvesting
and Production Programme, which aims to give communities, government and
industry an economic reason to conserve forests.
This Programme, funded by the European Commission, IKEA and
DEG (German Society for Development), aims to deliver measurable
improvement in the sectors environmental performance.
By the project end, at least 40% of all targeted small and
medium enterprises in the supply chain will be actively engaged in a
cleaner production of rattan products. Meanwhile, 15% of targeted
processing enterprises will be providing sustainable products to Europe
and other markets.
Implementation of this approach will optimize supply chain
management through less wastage. Cleaner production techniques and
technologies at the pre-processing village level will reduce pollution and
mitigate negative impacts on workers and the local environment.
Eco-related product standards and labelling will also be
incorporated into the supply chain, by introducing credible certification.
This will provide incentives for sustainable rattan primary production and
will deliver increasing socio-economic benefits to rattan harvesting
communities.
Demand from international environmentally and socially
responsible retailers and end consumers will be used as a lever to create
the necessary incentives to successfully introduce these improvements.
For full story, please see:
www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/greatermekong/?157164/Conserving-Forests-with-Rattan
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COUNTRY INFORMATION
15. Bolivia: The Importance of plant knowledge
Source: RedBolivia Internacional, Bolivia, January 2009
How important is traditional plant knowledge in the Amazon? According to a
recent study among the Tsimane' in Amazonian Bolivia, each standard
deviation of maternal ethnobotanical knowledge increases the likelihood of
good child health by more than fifty percent. And the study raises the
question: What will be the cost ? to the Tsimane' and other indigenous
peoples ? if such ethnobotanical knowledge is lost?
The Tsimane' number about 8,000 people who live in about 100
villages along the Maniqui River and the interior of the Pilon Lajas
region of the Bolivian Amazon. Tsimane' villages are small, with an
average of about 24 households linked by kinship and marriage. At the time
of the study, no household had electricity or running water, and half the
villages were inaccessible by road. The Tsimane' have traditionally lived
by slash-and-burn agriculture, gathering, hunting, and fishing. However,
since the 1970s, their territory has been encroached on by colonist
farmers, logging firms, cattle ranchers, and oil companies. The Tsimane'
now increasingly interact with the market economy through the sale of
goods and wage labour, primarily on cattle ranches, logging camps, and
farms.
Such integration into the market economy brings about changes
in occupation, preferences, social organization, and health and
nutritional status. The Tsimane' are now starting to merge into a culture
that places no value on their indigenous knowledge, especially their
ethnobotanical knowledge. Under this pressure, traditional knowledge of
medicinal plants is starting to disappear, with little to take its place.
Too often, as here, the global market holds out the offer of western
medicine without providing the means to gain access to it.
Thomas McDade and William Leonard from Northwestern University
set out to learn what impact the loss of traditional plant knowledge might
have on the health of children. To do this, they assessed the health of
330 Tsimane' children, aged from two to ten years old, and tested their
mothers and fathers on both their knowledge of local plants and their
skills at using them. Local ethnobotanical knowledge was quantified using
five measures ? agreement with local experts on plant uses; botanical
knowledge; skills in using plants; total number of plants used; and
diversity of plants used. Child health was measured using three variables
? concentration of C-reactive protein, a marker of infectious burden;
skinfold thickness, a measure of fat stores; and stature, used to
calculate height-for-age scores, an indicator of nutritional and health
status.
The results were striking. For each measure of health, mothers
with higher levels of plant knowledge and use had healthier children,
independent of potentially confounding variables related to education,
market participation, and acculturation.
The Tsimane' ethnomedical tradition may play a particularly
important part in protecting health because effective commercial medicines
are expensive and difficult for the Tsimane' to procure. If remedies
derived from local plants are effective in preventing or treating illness,
this would contribute not only to lower levels of inflammation but also to
improved linear growth and body fat stores by reducing allocations of
energy to fuelling immunity and fighting infection.
Strikingly, although the authors infer a direct association
between maternal plant knowledge and child health, it may be that this
association is mediated by the children themselves. Tsimane' children
spend much of their time away from parental supervision, playing and
foraging in small peer groups, and the authors report seeing older
children use medicinal plants both for themselves and for younger
children. It may be that plant knowledge ? like so much other cultural
knowledge ? is passed, not from adults to children, but rather from older
children to younger children. In the preservation of plant knowledge lies
the destiny of the people.
For full story, please see:
www.redbolivia.com/news-in-english/columnists/747-bolivia-singing-to-the-plants-shamanism-and-the-medicine-path.html
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16. Ethiopia: EU grants 251 Million Euros to Support Development
Programs
Source: The Africa Monitor in AllAfrica.com, Ethiopia, 30 January 2009
Addis Abeba. Ethiopia signed a multi sect oral grant agreement on Thursday
amounting to 251 million Euros(equivalent to two billion 663 million
Ethiopian Birr) with the European Commission to assist its development
endeavours in the road sector, productive safety net programs and forest
management, including a technical assistance to support implementation of
its development strategy.
The lion's share of the grant 200 hundred million Euros (2
billion birr) to be disbursed over a three year period as of mid-2009 will
support Ethiopia's road sector development programs.
A further 42 million Euros (546 million birr) will support the
Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) in Ethiopia. According to the
commission, this will be used to assist on a yearly basis more than eight
million chronically food insecure individuals which constitute some of the
poorest and most vulnerable members of the population living in 286 food
insecure woredas across the country.
The 6 million Euros (78 million birr) grant will be used for
the sustainable management of Ethiopia's forests in order to improve food
security, strengthen the rural economy and reduce environmental
degradation. It will also be used to improve forest condition and forest
based Livelihoods through building the capacity of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development and community to scale-up and mainstream
Participatory Forest Management and NTFP development.
The remaining three million euro (39 million birr) in
technical assistance agreement will help the government implement its
development strategy and will be implemented through the support of sound
development programs financed from the European Development Fund and to
foster a more coherent and informed approach to development and trade
issues.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200901300272.html
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17. India: Forest health restored by managing for NTFPs
Source: MeriNews.com, India, 8 January 2009
This is a success story of a small tribal village called Karadakatha in
Boudh district of Orissa, India. The village has 24 Houses with around 200
people and all are involved in forest protection. The entire village is
inhabited by the Kondha Tribe.
Up to 2001 the entire village used to depend on their
livelihood from selling firewood collected from the forest and gradually
they found that there was an acute shortage of it and forest resources
were severely depleted. This drastic change in forest ecosystem forced the
villagers to shift their livelihood from firewood to NTFP and in a
sustainable manner.
In 2001 a group of 10 women formed a SHG in the name of the
local deity and named it Ghumura SHG. After they started protecting the
forest, the forest which was completely denuded is now again dense and
filled with various tree species and able to attract wildlife giving a
complete shape to the entire forest ecosystem. Their initiative has
influenced the neighbouring villages to protect the forest and save the
forest from timber mafias. They are not only protecting the forest but
also the Sadal Ganda Nal a stream passing through their forest. They
prevent the contractor from collecting sand and stone from the Nal.
Presently around 375 acres of forest is now directly protected by the
group and because of this community monitoring other adjoining forest
areas are also being protected.
They are now earning their livelihoods with NTFPs, by making
Siali leaf plate, collecting Mahula, Bidanga, Siali Lai (a type of rope)
and Binding Kendu leaf. Each member used to earn Rupees 1800 from Kendu
leaf, Rupees 500 from Mahula per year. In addition to this they are
getting Rupees 20 for a bundle of Siali Lai and making of Siali lai is
preferred by male members. They are able to earn their complete livelihood
from forest and some allied activities. In the last three years none of
the villagers has worked in NREGS programme which is designed to ensure
100 days work for every adult in a village under different local
developmental works.
The women?s will power and commitment are increasing
tremendously after various successful incidents in preventing the timber
mafias and contractors from collecting wood and sand. Now they are
planning to make the forest richer by planting other species that can
enhance their livelihood and want to set as an example for other villages.
For their contribution they have been awarded by the forest department
with Prakruti Mitra along with a cash prize of Rupees 10,000. The united
effort in protecting the forest has been extended to other areas like
PanchatiRaj, Health, Education and other governance issues and the people
are able to raise their voice against corruption and irregularities with
appropriate authorities for necessary action.
For full story, please see: www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=155054
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18. Indonesia: Government team to bolster protection for the
country?s TK
Source: The Jakarta Globe, Indonesia, 22 January, 2009
A team of officials from several ministries has redoubled efforts to
protect the country?s heritage and curb intellectual property
infringement. The group plans to strengthen four existing intellectual
property laws and draw up two new bills.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Andi Mattalatta said on
Thursday that existing laws covered copyrights, patents, brands and
industrial design, while the new bills were aimed at protecting
traditional knowledge and heritage, and local food products.
?We plan to improve these laws in keeping with an
international treaty on intellectual property rights,? Mattalatta said,
adding that the move could encourage Indonesian inventors to develop more
products.
Ragil Yoga Edi, a researcher on intellectual property from the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences. or LIPI, said on Thursday that 80
percent of applications for Indonesian patents were from foreign
companies.
For full story, please see: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/article/7223.html
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19. Mozambique: Hidden Forest
Source: The Guardian Weekly, UK, 20 February, 2009
Using Google Earth to create an ecological map of the Mozambique
highlands, conservationist Julian Bayliss accidentally discovered what is
now thought to be the largest piece of mid-altitude rainforest in southern
Africa. The canopies of Mount Mabu have so far yielded five new species of
butterfly and two species of snake. He describes how it came about
The discovery of 7,000 hectares of virgin rainforest in
northern Mozambique has caused huge excitement in the scientific
community. ?It's extremely rare in this day and age to make such
discoveries, especially in Africa, and to be the first biologist to enter
such a huge area of untouched rainforest ? well, it's a dream come true
for a field-based conservationist such as myself, and to be the one who
discovered it is incredible,? says Bayliss.
For full story, please see:
www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=958&catID=4
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20. Nepal: Forest Museum in Pokhara
Source: Kantipur Daily, Nepal, 6 December 2008
The forest products museum has been established in the premises of
Institute of Forestry here.
The museum, which targets students, researchers and tourists,
showcases various timber and non-timber products.
The museum has included altogether 700 timber and non-timbers
products, including 85 species of plant, timber and bamboo, 150 herbs and
wildlife leather. According to Professor Dr. Abhaya Kumar Das of Institute
of Forestry, Pokhara, the inception of the museum will help undertake
intensive study and research about various species of tree, herbs, and
plant grown in different climates, altitudes and places.
For full story, please see: www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=167133
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21. Nigeria: Desert encroaches on nation at 600 meters per annum
Source: ForestPolicyResearch.org, January 26, 2009
Current statistics by the Federal Ministry of Environment shows that
Nigeria loses about 600m of its arable land mass yearly to desert
encroachment. A statement issued yesterday by Special Assistant to the
Minister of Environment, Mr Rotimi Ajayi, noted that the Minister, Mr John
Odey, was worried by the state of things and charged the people to
cultivate non-timber forest trees to combat desertification in the
Northern belt of Nigeria
He said that there was need to change Nigerian?s attitude
towards the forest, which could only be done by integrating the needs of
the masses into the forest development plans. ?We need to work towards a
policy on alternative energy use by Nigerians. We need to emphasise on
NTFPs. This is the only way we can make our forest management
sustainable.?
?We should also embark on campaigns for the people to start
planting fuelwood for their domestic use, in order to conserve our forest
reserves. Once this is done, we would be able to have sustainable forest
management system in place,? he said.
For full story, please see:
http://forestpolicyresearch.org/2009/01/27/nigeria-desert-encroaches-on-nation-at-600-meters-per-annum/
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22. Peru: Revised laws 'could promote biopiracy'
Source: SciDev.Net Weekly Update (16-22 February 2009)
[LIMA] Modifications to intellectual property laws that the Peruvian
government "rushed through" to enable the go-ahead of a free trade
agreement (FTA) between Peru and the United States could facilitate
biopiracy and hamper Peru's position as a protector of traditional
knowledge, say experts.
Changes to intellectual property rights, environment and
labour laws were sent to congress last month (8 January) and passed
without debate before their enactment on 14 January ? giving George Bush
time to finalise the agreement before he left office.
The rush stemmed from fears that new US president Barack Obama
would object to the treaty, which entered into force on 1 February.
But experts have warned that the changes have resulted in
flexibility in certain regulations, leaving them open to broad legal
interpretation, which could facilitate genetic resource patenting by other
countries.
Decision 148 of the regulations of the Andean Community of
Nations (CAN) ? of which Peru is a member ? states that "biological
material existing in nature or those which can be isolated, including
genome or germplasm of any natural living being, cannot be the subject of
a patent".
The Peruvian amendment says biological material "in whole or
in part" cannot be considered an invention ? but there is no explicit
mention of genes or germplasm.
This ambiguity could benefit large corporations seeking to
patent genes for genetically modified organisms, Manuel Ruiz from the
Peruvian Society for Environmental Law, told SciDev.Net.
Rules protecting indigenous knowledge related to biological
resources have also been changed. CAN stipulates the presentation of a
'certificate of origin' before patenting ? proving access has been
officially authorised. But the amendment merely requires the filing of a
licence ? which can be issued by lesser authorities. Additionally, failure
to use the licence will incur only a penalty, rather than cancellation of
the patent as the CAN mandate stipulates.
Ruiz says the changes are a "step back" in progress made so
far. "This measure will cause biopiracy ? allowing any person or company
to patent our resources or knowledge only by filing a license contract."
Government officials accept that the modifications increase flexibility,
but say they do not facilitate biopiracy or violate the CAN regulations.
"The changes of the law do not allow the patenting of genes,
because the amendment reiterates that the biological material existing in
nature, either in whole or in part, is not an invention," Manuel Sigüeñas,
from the governmental National Institute for Agrarian Innovation, told
SciDev.Net.
The amendments were enacted on the same day the regional
government of Cusco approved a law against biopiracy and protection of
indigenous knowledge (see below article).
Other government officials admitted that the law "could pose a
certain threat to Peruvian biodiversity". Several officials said the
National Commission on Prevention of Biopiracy are due to meet to discuss
concerns.
For full story, please see:
www.scidev.net/en/news/revised-laws-could-promote-biopiracy-in-peru.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=en_news
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23. Peru: Region outlaws biopiracy
Source: SciDev.Net Weekly Update (19-25 January 2009)
[LIMA] A region of Peru is claiming to be the first in the world to enact
a law outlawing biopiracy and protecting indigenous knowledge at a
regional level. Cusco ? in the Peruvian Andes ? has outlawed the
plundering of native species for commercial gain, including patenting
resources or the genes they contain.
Corporations or scientists must now seek permission from, and
potentially share benefits with, the local people whose traditions have
protected the species for centuries. Indigenous communities can now
implement ways to protect local resources, including creating registers of
biodiversity and protocols for granting access to it.
"I know of no other local or regional laws similar to this one
that brings a legal framework for access to the genetic resources and
traditional knowledge and practices ? I think this is a significant
precedent," said Michel Pimbert of the London-based International
Institute for Environment and Development.
Local scientists and activists believe the law's value lies in
the fact that for the first time a regional government will be empowered
to challenge its national government on biopiracy.
But while the law is an important precedent, it could come
into conflict with national laws regarding the recording of indigenous
knowledge, said María Scurrah, a Peruvian scientist specializing in
farmer's rights.
The National Institute for the Protection of the Consumer and
Intellectual Property has created a National Register of Indigenous
Knowledge. But the Cusco law says that native communities of the region
will make their own records and share them only according to certain
rules.
"I believe that ancient knowledge should be kept by the
community and be brought to a national registry to ensure payment to each
community for each variety and species registered," said Scurrah. "That is
the only way to pay for each community to be the guardian of
biodiversity."
Pimbert said that the most significant aspect of the law is
that it shows progress can be made at a regional level, rather than
working through "central governments that have become increasingly distant
and unaccountable to citizens in many countries throughout the world".
For full story, please see:
www.scidev.net/en/news/peruvian-region-outlaws-biopiracy.html
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24. Tunisia: Jendouba region provides 90% of Tunisia?s cork
production
Source: Tunisia Online News in AllAfrica.com, Tunisia, 21 February 2009
Tunis. With some 70,000 quintals produced each year ? about 90% of
Tunisia's overall cork production ? the governorate of Jendouba is the
country's main provider of cork. The region (Kroumiria and Mogod heights)
which is known for its vast expanses of cork oak forest (45,000 hectares)
also boasts one of the best ecosystem protection plans in the
Mediterranean region.
The cork sector in Jendouba employs some 4800 people and
provides some 150,000 work days per year. Most of the harvested cork is
processed at the Tabarka cork factory in northern Tunisia.
90 % of Tunisia's cork production is exported to several
European countries, and especially Portugal. Apart from being used in
bottles, cork is also used in shoe manufacturing, decoration, furniture,
isolation and even in the sector of airspace. It is also traditionally
used in the making of impact and sound insulation plates.
It usually takes a cycle of ten years for a 35 old cork oak to
regenerate its precious skin, whence the need to set up an effective
conservation system.
Cork exports account for 50% Tunisia's total forestry
production; the rest is provided by wood, fodder, essential oils, as well
as a wide variety of mushrooms.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200902230788.html
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25. USA: USDA Issues final rule governing NTFPs
Source: USDA, 9 January 2009
The Department of Agriculture is issuing a final rule governing the
disposal of special forest products and forest botanical products from
National Forest System land. The final rule was published in the Federal
Register on 29 December 2008; the directives will become effective 28
January 2009.
Special forest products are products collected from National
Forest System lands and include but are not limited to, mosses, fungi
(including mushrooms), bryophytes, liverworts, roots, bulbs, berries,
seeds, wildflowers, forbs, sedges, grasses, nuts, ferns, tree sap, boughs,
bark cones, burls, transplants, pine straw, Christmas trees, firewood,
posts and poles, shingle and shake bolts, mine props, rails, vegas, bow
staves, and fence material.
Forest botanical products are naturally occurring and a subset
of special forest products but exclude timber products such as, but not
limited to, Christmas trees, firewood, and fence materials.
These regulations will allow the Forest Service to better
manage its special forest products program:
· through commercial harvest and sale
· through free use, and
· implements a pilot program to charge, collect, and
retain fees for forest botanical products, pursuant to the pilot program
law under PL 108-108, Title III, Section 335, 117 Stat. 1312 (16 U.S.C.
528 Note).
The rule addresses fees, bidding, sustainability, and other
issues with commercial harvest and sale of special forest products and
forest botanical products. The new rule reflects existing procedures and
practices.
In the past, the Forest Service has used its timber sale
regulations and certain parts of the Forest Service Manual and Handbook to
sell special forest products. Public demand for both timber and non-timber
special forest products has increased. Current regulations do not
adequately address selling NTFPs. Given the growing demand and the need to
ensure sustainability, the Forest Service feels that it is impractical to
continue to rely on timber sale regulations for special forest products.
Therefore, the agency has developed regulations that specifically apply to
special forest products.
Historically, the Forest Service has granted limited free use
of special forest products to individuals and Tribes with treaty and other
reserved rights. In addition to honouring the treaty and reserved rights
retained by Tribes, the Forest Service is committed to meeting their trust
responsibilities with Tribes. This rule continues to recognize these
rights and responsibilities. It allows for and encourages the use of
memorandums of understanding and memorandums of agreement with regional
and local Forest Service offices to maintain traditional cultural
practices and culturally important places.
Traditional gatherers who may not be members of
federally-recognized Tribes will have full access to special forest
products as they have in the past. Permits will be required, however.
The rule establishes a pilot program for disposing of forest
botanical products from National Forest System lands. The Forest Service?s
treatment of forest botanical products and special forest products differ
only in the segregation of fees and different ?personal use? and ?free
use? practices. The pilot program allows limited free use of forest
botanical products and establishes a ?personal use harvest level? for each
product. If an individual?s gathering is below the ?personal harvest use
levels,? they don?t have to pay fees.
For full story, please see:
www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/090109/02National%20News/special.html
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NEWS
26. Ecosystem Services Reveal Relations Between Humans and Nature
Source: Forest.fi website, 30 January 2009
Ecosystem service is a term that describes the services provided by nature
to humans. No blueberries without the pollination service by bees, for
example.
?The term ecosystem service is a relative newcomer in the
environmental debate,? says Mr. Arto Naskali, researcher at the Finnish
Forest Research Institute. People are used to thinking about the natural
resources produced by ecosystems, such as timber, grain and fruit, but
less about ecosystems themselves.
Traditionally, environmental protection removes areas from
use. However, protection of this kind is not enough. Nowadays
environmental protection is discussed in relation to the sustainable use
of natural resources, and this creates new terms. Ecosystem service is one
such.
The term ecosystem service is used to describe processes in
nature which humans benefit from in some way. Currently ecosystem services
are divided into production, regulation, cultural and maintenance
services.
Scenery is an ecosystem service
Of the four categories, production services are the most
familiar. They are the products that often have markets: timber, maize,
bananas and cotton, for example. Cultural ecosystem services include
scenery and sacred places in nature, or the spiritual values associated
with nature in general.
Maintenance and regulation services are somewhat similar to
each other. Photosynthesis is an example of a maintenance service: it
produces oxygen for breathing.
All the services mentioned above are familiar to us. Naskali
says that it is the regulation services that bring about new thinking.
When people want to intensify some production service, they go out to
create good conditions for it. At the same time, however, the regulation
services will be intervened with. Here, as elsewhere, a gain in some
aspect means a loss in another.
A good example of regulation services is the pollinating
insects: without them there would not be many foodstuffs. In North America
the bee populations have collapsed, and people have ended up raising bees
and freeing them into nature.
Essential services, often for free
A good Finnish example of a regulation service involves the
elk population. Society wants to keep the elk population high, but must
regulate its size, as nature?s regulators, large carnivores, are rare in
Finland.
Humans have chosen their own safety over the regulation
service provided by large carnivore populations. A free ecosystem service
has been replaced by a service provided by humans, against a payment.
It is inherent to ecosystem services that they are often free,
Naskali says. Still, they also often function as inputs in processes
important to humans. This brings us to an important characteristic of the
term ecosystem service: the term is anthropocentric; in other words, it
looks at nature from a human viewpoint. This is why it does not please
those who speak of the absolute value of nature itself or see humans as
actors separated from the nature.
Recognition makes a service valuable
It is in the nature of ecosystem services that once they are
recognised by humans, they gain a value. It becomes possible to consider
whether humans could produce the service in question and what it would
cost. At the same time it can be seen whether the service is part of a
production process.
Trading in recreational and natural values are good examples
of recently recognised services, markets for which are emerging. As a
result, the landowner is paid for maintaining a particular service. Again,
the matter is looked at from the human viewpoint. This can be a problem to
some: people can earn money for conserving nature as it is.
A mechanism which guarantees general access to several
ecosystem services is already in use in Finland: everyman?s rights.
For society, this is a free-of-charge method of maintaining
people?s wellbeing through ecosystem services. The sequestration of carbon
in trees is also an ecosystem service. It is a local service with a global
significance.
Tool for policy discussions
Naskali thinks it is important that ecosystem services are
recognised. After that, it is for the policy-makers to decide what to do
with the information, what choices and trade-offs to opt for, and what
steering mechanisms to create.
Should developing countries receive a compensation for
maintaining their forests for carbon sequestration to assist in mitigating
the climate change?
When ecosystem services first became a topic of discussion,
some opposed using the term. Service is an economic term and some people
felt it had no use in ecological debate.
On the other hand, at the same time that an ecosystem service
is defined, it is easy to define who benefits and who suffers from its
being maintained. This means that problems considered as having been
solved might re-enter the debate.
?Still, criticism is necessary, for that?s how science
progresses in democratic societies. And you can?t say that there exists a
consensus on how the term should be defined.?
For full story, please see:
www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/fa89b3360d6db5b2c22573a6005059ec/149448ef8712c05ac225754e002c7357?OpenDocument
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27. Non-wood News
From: FAO?s NWFP Programme
FAO's NWFP programme has just published the latest issue of Non-Wood News
(no. 18), our annual bulletin covering all aspects of NWFP. Special
Features in this issue cover ?Boreal forests? and ?Wildlife?.
This issue will shortly be available (in both html and pdf)
from our NWFP home page:
http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/newsle-e.stm
Copies are being sent to everybody on our mailing list. If you
are not on our list and would like to receive a hard copy, please send an
Email to: non-wood-news at fao.org
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28. SEED awards 2009: Call for submissions
Source: Seed Initiative
Do you have an entrepreneurial and innovative idea that is locally-driven
and has great potential to contribute to sustainable development in
countries with developing or transition economies?
Do you need support to help grow your business or project?
If you meet SEED?s eligibility criteria, you could apply now
for the 2009 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship in sustainable development.
Award Winners receive a comprehensive package of tailor-made support
services, worth up to $40,000, to help their venture to become established
and to increase their impact. This includes access to relevant expertise
and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks,
developing business plans and identifying sources of finance.
The deadline for applications is 16th March 2009. Application
forms can be filled in online or downloaded from the SEED Initiative
website at www.seedinit.org.
For full story, please see:
www.seedinit.org/mainpages2/awards/what/index.php
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EVENTS
19th session of the Committee on Forestry ? World Forest Week:
16?20 March, 2009,
Rome, Italy
For more information, please contact:
Mr Doug Kneeland,
Secretary COFO 2009
Forestry Department
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome
Italy
Fax +39 06 570 52151
e-mail COFO2009 at fao.org
www.fao.org/forestry/cofo/en/
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Fourth International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning
13-15 May 2009
Cyprus
Wessex Institute of Technology
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton SO40 7AA, UK
Contact email/website: wit at wessex.ac.uk
www2.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/sustainable-development-2009.html
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International Expert Workshop on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, Corporate
Accountability and the Extractive Industries
27-29 March 2009
Mandaluyong City, Metro-Manila, Philippines
The International Expert Group Workshop will be organized by Tebtebba
Foundation in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues. The workshop will provide the opportunity for dialogue
among participants with the aim of improving the situation of indigenous
peoples in relation to extractive industries. The EGM will be attended by
invited indigenous experts and UNPFII members, and observers at expert
level from the UN system and other-governmental agencies, academic
institutions, NGOs, States and extractive industries.
For more information, please contact:
Raymond de Chavez
Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples International Centre for Policy Research and
Education)
1 Roman Ayson Road, Baguio City, Philippines, 2600
Telephone: 63-74-4447703;
Fax No.: 63-74-4439459
Email: raymond at tebtebba.org
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Shea 2009: Optimizing the Global Value Chain
Second International Shea Conference
25-27 March 2009,
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Between 2004 and 2008 the shea industry has effectively doubled. How will
we continue that growth while addressing key challenges?
Firms from more than 12 African countries will join experts,
international buyers and regional service providers to explore fundamental
and cutting-edge issues in the shea industry.
Topics to be discussed include: Environmental and social
issues; Production sales; Product quality and management of shea
parklands; Impact of cultivation of biofuel crops; Consumer trends;
Quality standards and regulation; and Value of an industry alliance.
For more information, please contact:
Vanessa Adams (Director) or Dr Peter Lovett (Shea Butter Technical
Advisor)
West Africa Trade Hub, 4th Street, Kuku Hill, Osu, Accra, Ghana.
E-mail: plovett at watradehub.com
www.watradehub.com; www.globalshea.org/
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WFC2009-XIII World Forestry Congress
18-25 October 2009
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The deadline for Side Events proposals submission has been extended to 31
March 2009
For more information, please contact:
Mr Olman Serrano (Associate Secretary General) or Francesca Felicani
Robles (Legal Consultant-Assistant)
XIII World Forestry Congress
FAO Forestry Department,
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.
Fax: +39-0657055137;
www.wfc2009.org/
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LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
34. Environment Outlook in the Amazonia: GEO Amazonia
Source: UNEP, 18 February, 2009
The report, Environment Outlook in the Amazonia: GEO Amazonia, uncovers a
revealing panorama of accelerated ecosystem transformation and a marked
environmental degradation in this vast region of the South American humid
tropics - shared by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru,
Suriname and Venezuela - which is also the planet's most extensive forest
zone. The study, prepared by the eight Amazonian countries, with the
support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Amazon
Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), is a new publication in UNEP's
series of integrated environmental assessments, also known as GEO (Global
Environment Outlook) reports, and on which more than 150 experts,
researchers, academics and scientists in the countries of the assessed
region participated.
During the preparation of this report, the principal
stakeholders from the eight Amazonian countries met to discuss the future
outlook of the regional environment. They reached a consensus, clearly
expressed in the text: "Our Amazonia is changing at an accelerated rate
with very profound modifications in its ecosystems".
After more than two years of analysis, the experts affirm that
a joint action of the Amazonian governments in the following areas could
enable the region to face the challenges ( of the changing environment ):
construction of an integrated environmental vision for Amazonia, and
definition of a role of the region in national development; harmonization
of environmental policies on regionally relevant themes; design and
application of instruments for integrated environmental management;
regional strategies that allow sustainable utilization of Amazonian
ecosystems; insertion of risk management in the public agenda;
strengthening of Amazonian environmental institutions; increased effort on
environmental information production and dissemination in the region;
promotion of studies and the economic value of Amazonian environmental
services; and designing of a monitoring and evaluation system of policies,
programmes and projects.
So far, the effort of the Amazonian countries concerning the
management of environmental problems has primarily been reflected in
progress related to the development of national instruments for planning
and management of Amazonia.
In essence, the publication points out that the growing
environmental degradation in the Amazonia can be seen by the advance of
deforestation, the loss of biodiversity, and localized climate change
impacts.
The way in which economic activities, infrastructure
construction, and the establishment of human settlements are changing
Amazonian land use has resulted in an accelerated transformation of the
region's ecosystems. By 2005, accumulated deforestation in Amazonia was
857,666 km2, reducing the region's vegetation cover by approximately 17
per cent. This is equal to two-thirds of Peruvian or 94% of Venezuelan
territory.
The loss of biodiversity is expressed in an increased number
of endangered species. GEO Amazonia, however, points out that, while local
information is available on the different countries' biodiversity, there
are no statistics or any general cartography available showing the updated
information about this problem for the whole region.
The report has seven chapters covering: Amazonia: territory,
society and economy over time; Dynamics in Amazonia; Amazonia today; The
footprints of environmental degradation; Responses by stakeholders to the
Amazonian environmental situation; The future of Amazonia; and Conclusions
and proposals for action.
For full story, please see:
www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=562&ArticleID=6088&l=en
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35. Other publications of interest
From: FAO?s NWFP Programme
Ariyanti, N., Bos, M., Kartawinata, K., Tjitrosoedirdjo, S., Guhardja, E.,
and Gradstein, S. 2008. Bryophytes on tree trunks in natural forests,
selectively logged forests and cacao agroforests in Central Sulawesi,
Indonesia. Biol. Conserv. 141(10):2516-2527.
Aubin, I., Messier, C., and Bouchard, A. 2008. Can plantations develop
understory biological and physical attributes of naturally regenerated
forests? Biol. Conserv. 141(10):2461-2476.
Blomley, T., Pfliegner, K, Isango, J., Zahabu, E., Ahrends, A. and
Burgess, N.D. 2008. Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Towards an objective
assessment of the Impact of Participatory Forest Management on Forest
Condition in Tanzania. Oryx. vol. 42, no. 3, pp 380-391.
Bryan Bachner. 2008. Intellectual Property Rights and China: The
Modernization of Traditional Knowledge.Eleven Publications. ISBN
978-90-77596-62-3
This book examines the application of intellectual property rights to
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Conventional legal thinking describes
authentic TCM as a common heritage that is owned by no one. Its genetic
resources, therefore, should be freely available for pharmaceutical
research. According to the author this interpretation overlooks any rights
that could accrue to the authentic inventors of TCM and, by classifying
TCM as common property, disregards the value to be gained through the
conservation (and consequent sustainable use) of TCMs genetic resources.
The author claims that the recognition of custodial rights over
traditional knowledge will provide incentives to developing countries
(including China) to conserve, cultivate, and provide access, for the sake
of pharmaceutical research, to valuable genetic resources. The aim of this
book is to analyze the patent law that regulates TCM and suggest how it
may be improved so as, on the one hand, to ensure that pharmaceutical
firms have sufficient incentives to continue to research and develop TCM
while, on the other hand, to recognize the value of the authentic
traditional contributions.
Chwedorzewska, K., Galera, H., and Kosinski, I. 2008. Plantations of
Convallaria majalis L. as a threat to the natural stands of the species:
genetic variability of the cultivated plants and natural populations.
Biol. Conserv. 141(10):2619-2624.
Elliott, K.J., and Swank, W.T. 2008. Long-term changes in forest
composition and diversity following early logging (1919-1923) and the
decline of American chestnut (Castanea dentata). Plant Ecol.
197(2):155-172.
Hamilton, A.C. (editor). 2008. Medicinal plants in conservation and
development: case studies and lessons learnt. Plantlife International,
Salisbury, UK.
Holck, M.H. 2008. Participatory forest monitoring: an assessment of the
accuracy of simple cost-effective methods. Biodivers. Conserv.
17(8):2023-2036.
Jha, Shalene and Christopher W. Dick. 2008. Shade coffee farms promote
genetic diversity of native trees. Current Biology. 18(24), R1126-R1128
Kambewa, Patrick and Henry Utila. 2008. Malawi?s green gold: Challenges
and opportunities for small and medium forest enterprises in reducing
poverty. International Institute for Environment and Development.
Newton, A. C., E. Marshall, K. Schreckenberg, D. Golicher, D. W. te Velde,
F. Edouard, and E. Arancibia. 2006. Use of a Bayesian belief network to
predict the impacts of commercializing non-timber forest products on
livelihoods. Ecology and Society 11(2): 24. [online] URL:
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art24/
Nhancale, B. A., S. E. Mananze, N. F. Dista, I. Nhantumbo, D. J. Macqueen.
2009. Small and medium forest enterprises in Mozambique. International
Institute for Environment and Development.
Philpott, S.M., Bichier, P., Rice, R.A., and Greenberg, R. 2008.
Biodiversity conservation, yield, and alternative products in coffee
agroecosystems in Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodivers. Conserv. 17(8):1805-1820.
Robbins, Paul; Emery, Marla; Rice, Jennifer L. 2008. Gathering in
Thoreau's backyard: nontimber forest product harvesting as practice. Area.
40(2): 265-277.
Senthilkumar, N.; Barthakur, N. D.; Rao, M. L. 2008. Bioprospecting with
reference to medicinal insects and tribes in India: an overview. Indian
Forester. 134: 12, 1575-1591.
Tribes of North-East India have been using several insect based
traditional drugs to cure several diseases. Over 500 species of insects
are used as medicine to cure common ailments to complicated ailments in
the North-East from time immemorial. Some valuable information regarding
traditional medicinal uses of common insects by folk doctors has been
summarized.
Sunderlin, William D.; Hatcher, Jeffrey and Liddle, Megan. 2008. From
Exclusion to Ownership? Challenges and Opportunities in Advancing Forest
Tenure Reform. Rights and Resources Initiative.
Who owns the world?s forests? When Andy White and Alejandra Martin posed
and answered this question in their 2002 report by the same name, they
found that 77 percent of forests worldwide were administered by
governments. The good news was that the forested area owned and designated
for use by local communities and indigenous peoples was rising.
This year, William Sunderlin and colleagues updated the
numbers in their report, From Exclusion to Ownership? Challenges and
Opportunities in Advancing Forest Tenure Reform. Their findings are
sobering for those who hoped to see an upsurge in community control over
forests. Sunderlin found that only a few of the 30 most forested countries
in the tropics had made significant changes in forest tenure since the
2002 study. Most are in Latin America.
Brazil alone is responsible for much of the global progress,
with an increase of 56 percent in the forest area designated for use or
owned by communities and indigenous peoples. Peru and Bolivia recorded
significant increases. Columbia also posted a small increase. In Africa,
communities made small gains in Tanzania, Sudan and Cameroon. But Zambia
and the countries of the Congo Basin registered virtually no change at
all. In Asia, India added more than five million hectares to the forested
area designated for use by communities and indigenous peoples. Indonesia
recorded no gains.
Even in the few countries that have reformed forest tenure,
the granting of rights has not guaranteed their realization. In Peru, for
example, the government has allocated forested areas for oil, gas and
mining exploration in violation of indigenous land titles in the Amazon.
In Brazil, the government has failed to prevent illegal incursions into
extractive reserves by loggers, ranchers and miners. Even when there?s a
will to recognize rights, there?s not necessarily a way: meaningful tenure
reform requires administrative capacity, expertise and financial resources
to demarcate and enforce community rights.
Are there any reasons for optimism? Sunderlin says yes.
Countries ranging from Angola to Venezuela have made changes in law and
policy to facilitate recognition of indigenous, customary and community
rights to forest lands. These recent developments could set the stage for
accelerated tenure transitions in the near future. In addition, rising
interest in Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)
will put a new premium on clarifying forest-related property rights.
But unless the pace of change is quickened and extended to
more countries, it could take decades to shift the global balance of
forest ownership from governments to rural people. Translating rights on
paper into control over what happens on the ground is an equally daunting
challenge, and one that will depend on sustained commitment from potential
beneficiaries, governments, and the international community.
www.rightsandresources.org/documents/files/doc_736.pdf
Uezu, A., Beyer, D.D., and Metzger, J.P. 2008. Can agroforest woodlots
work as stepping stones for birds in the Atlantic forest region?
Biodivers. Conserv. 17(8):1907-1922.
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36. Web sites and e-zines
From: FAO?s NWFP Programme
New interactive database on indicators of sustainable forest management in
Europe
The Timber and Forestry programme of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) and FAO announced the release of a new
web-based resource tool designed by the international community to enable
researchers, policymakers, practitioners and the general public to access
data on Europe?s forests. The database is a comprehensive research tool
based on the report State of Europe?s Forests 2007, and includes data
which have so far not been published.
These data are presented alongside other statistical data from
different parts of the UNECE work programme. The UNECE/FAO Timber Section
encourages the international community to take advantage of this resource,
and to make suggestions for further improvement.
http://w3.unece.org/pxweb/Dialog/
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MISCELLANEOUS
37. Illegal clearing behind human and tiger deaths in Sumatra
Source: WWF in ENN, 25 February 2009
Jakarta, Indonesia? In the wake of the deaths of six people from tiger
attacks in Sumatra?s Jambi Province in less than a month, conservationists
are calling for an urgent crackdown on the clearing of natural forest in
the province as a matter of public safety.
Tigers killed three illegal loggers over the weekend in Jambi,
according to government officials. Three people were killed earlier in the
same central Sumatran province. Three juvenile tigers were killed by
villagers this month in neighbouring Riau Province, apparently after
straying into a village in search of food. And in an unrelated incident,
two Riau farmers were hospitalized after being attacked by a tiger last
weekend.
There is rampant clearing of forests by individuals and
corporations in the region for palm oil plantations and pulpwood
plantations. This forest loss is one of the leading drivers of human-tiger
conflict in the region. About 12 million hectares of Sumatran forest has
been cleared in the past 22 years, a loss of nearly 50 percent
island-wide. The incidents in Riau occurred in the Kerumutan forest block,
a site where many forest fires have been set in the last two months, as
well as the location of many plantation developments threatening tiger
forests.
Jambi Province is the site of the only two ?global priority??
tiger conservation landscapes in Sumatra, as identified by a group of
leading tiger scientists in 2005. There are estimated to be fewer than 400
Sumatran tigers left in the wild.
WWF is working with officials and communities in both
provinces on ways to reduce the conflict and has deployed field staff to
the site of the Riau killings to investigate the incidents.
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/top_stories/article/39375
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38. Mexico: Tree biodiversity improved through traditional coffee
farming
Source: SciDev.Net Weekly Update (19-25 January 2009)
[MEXICO CITY] Traditional coffee farms are hotspots for native trees and
could be vital reservoirs for forest regeneration, a study has found.
Small-scale farmers usually grow their coffee under tree
canopies. Their product ?shade-grown coffee ? is already promoted as
ecological because their farms harbour native birds, bats and other
creatures.
But new research conducted in southeast Mexico has revealed
that the surrounding trees themselves are unexpectedly genetically diverse
? more so than clusters of the same trees in neighbouring forest. The
farms may therefore be important corridors of genetic diversity as forests
become increasingly fragmented.
Shalene Jha and Christopher Dick of the University of
Michigan, United States, studied genetic samples taken from Miconia
affinis trees growing in a network of coffee farms and forest fragments.
Typical of coffee farms in Chaipas state, the three farms in
the study were clear-cut and burned in the late 1930s and immediately
replanted with coffee bushes and canopy trees. Since then Miconia has been
allowed to invade because it protects against soil erosion.
Jha found that the Miconia trees in the coffee plantations
came from a wider variety of parent trees than those in clusters in nearby
forest.
This could be explained by seed dispersal: in forests, seeds
are spread by small, forest-dwelling birds, whereas on farms they are
spread by larger, wider-ranging birds.
"If seeds are not dispersed, they will remain clumped together
under the mother tree, and this will make them easy targets for
predators," said Jha. "Without seed dispersal, gene flow will be limited,
and this can result in future plant inbreeding."
A concern in agricultural areas is that increasingly
fragmented landscapes isolate native plant populations, eventually leading
to lower genetic diversity. But this study shows that shade coffee farms,
by being hospitable to birds, support widespread dispersal of native
trees, in effect connecting patches of surrounding forest.
The research has implications for the recent trend of rustic
coffee farms moving from shade-grown to sun-intensive operations where
farmers cut down canopy trees and level out the fields so it is easier to
get machines in, said Jha.
"It's more essential than ever to pay attention to the
ecological benefits shade coffee farms provide."
The study was published in Current Biology last month (23
December).
For full story, please see:
www.scidev.net/en/news/traditional-coffee-farms-improve-tree-biodiversity.html
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39. New edition of UNESCO?s Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Source: portal.unesco.org, February 02, 2009
UNESCO launched the electronic version of the new edition of its Atlas of
the World's Languages in Danger on 19 February. This interactive digital
tool provides updated data about approximately 2,500 endangered languages
around the world and can be continually supplemented, corrected and
updated, thanks to contributions from its users.
The Atlas enables searches according to several criteria, and
ranks the 2,500 endangered languages that are listed according to five
different levels of vitality: unsafe, definitely endangered, severely
endangered, critically endangered and extinct.
Some of the data are especially worrying: out of the
approximately 6,000 existing languages in the world, more than 200 have
become extinct during the last three generations, 538 are critically
endangered, 502 severely endangered, 632 definitely endangered and 607
unsafe.
For example, the Atlas states that 199 languages have fewer
than ten speakers and 178 others have 10 to 50. Among the languages that
have recently become extinct, it mentions Manx (Isle of Man), which died
out in 1974 when Ned Maddrell fell forever silent, Aasax (Tanzania), which
disappeared in 1976, Ubykh (Turkey) in 1992 with the demise of Tevfik
Esenç, and Eyak (Alaska, United States of America), in 2008 with the death
of Marie Smith Jones.
As UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura stressed, ?The
death of a language leads to the disappearance of many forms of intangible
cultural heritage, especially the invaluable heritage of traditions and
oral expressions of the community that spoke it ? from poems and legends
to proverbs and jokes. The loss of languages is also detrimental to
humanity?s grasp of biodiversity, as they transmit much knowledge about
the nature and the universe.?
For full story, please see:
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44605&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
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