[MPWG] Fwd: Aveda and the Estée Lauder Companies Support Conservation of Candelilla in Mexico

De Angelis, Patricia patricia_deangelis at fws.gov
Mon Jun 27 16:38:10 CDT 2016


This news from the American Herbal Products Association may be of interest.
"Candelilla," *Euphorbia antisyphilitica *- is also native to the US, but
is not commercially harvested here. Read on...


*From:* AHPA-ERB Foundation [mailto:
newsletter at americanherbalproductsassociation.ccsend.com] *On Behalf Of
*AHPA-ERB
Foundation
*Sent:* Monday, May 16, 2016 12:10 PM
*Subject:* Aveda and the Estée Lauder Companies Support Conservation of
Candelilla in Mexico


May 16, 2016



*Aveda and the Estée Lauder Companies Support *

*Conservation of Candelilla in Mexico*



The American Herbal Products Association Foundation for Education and
Research on Botanicals (AHPA ERB Foundation) announced today that a grant
of $10,000 USD has been donated to CONABIO, the national agency responsible
for Biodiversity Information and the CITES Scientific Authority in Mexico.
The grant was generously provided by the Estée Lauder Companies/Aveda
Corporation and was made in support of CONABIO's ongoing efforts to provide
reliable information to support conservation and sustainable use for the
candelilla plant (*Euphorbia antisyphilitica*).



This succulent plant is native to several states in northern and central
Mexico and to small areas of New Mexico and Texas in the United States.
Commercial production and export of candelilla wax from this plant takes
place only in Mexico. The wax is primarily used as an ingredient in
cosmetic products, and has uses in foods, pharmaceutical products, and wood
finishes, among others. The candelilla plant was included in the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) under Appendix II in 1975 due to levels of harvesting that had
significantly reduced its native populations during the 1940's. Currently,
harvest of wild populations in Mexico and international trade is regulated
by a permit system, and native areas in the U.S. are protected under the
National Park system.



The CONABIO candelilla conservation and sustainable use project is
initially focused on the plant populations in Coahuila (the state that
produces more than 80% of the candelilla wax exported by Mexico) and
consists of the following activities:

   - Conducting surveys on the history of harvest of candelilla in the
   defined harvest areas;
   - Compiling data (inventory) on the number of plants and measuring plant
   heights and diameters for representative samples; and
   - Documenting the environmental conditions and characteristics of the
   site (geoposition, conservation level, associated species, environmental
   characterization, etc.)

Collection of this information will enable estimations of the distribution,
abundance and population structure of candelilla in the study area, as well
as projections of the available biomass as an indicator of the amount of
wax that can be obtained. According to Gabriela Lopez, Coordinator of the
Mexican CITES Scientific Authority (CONABIO), "results of the data
collection will also be useful in determining the current conservation
status and estimations for sustainable harvest of the candelilla plant.
This information will also support the development of guidelines for the
management and harvest of candelilla populations, as well as information to
strengthen the harvest authorization processes." CONABIO intends to launch
similar conservation projects in other Mexican states that harvest
candelilla, once the initial pilot project in Coahuila is well-advanced.



"The AHPA ERB Foundation is grateful for the generous support of the Estée
Lauder Companies and Aveda in making this donation toward CONABIO's
conservation efforts," added Beth Lambert, Chair of the AHPA ERB Foundation
board of directors.



American Herbal Products Association, 8630 Fenton St., Suite 918, Silver
Spring, MD 20910
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