non-wood - Food and Agriculture Organization

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

3 Guest article% Participatory enterprise models for

NWFP development

5 Special features% NWFP use and markets in the

Amazonian subregion of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela• Consumo y comercio de los

PFNM en la Subregión Amazónica• Bolivia: Jipi japa (Carludovica

palmata)• Brazil: certified Brazil nut oil• Brazil: bamboo project • Colombia: Los PFNM y los bosques

plantados• Ecuador: Small-scale bamboo

production• Ecuador: palm fibre (Aphandra

natalia) • Perù: Camu camu fruit exports• Peruvian Brazil nut collectors• República Bolivariana de Venezuela

y sus PFNM % Can NWFPs help in achieving the

Millennium Development Goals?• Eradicate extreme poverty and

hunger (Goal 1) • Promote gender equality and

empower women (Goal 3) • Reduce child mortality (Goal 4) • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and

other diseases (Goal 6) • Ensure environmental

sustainability (Goal 7) • Develop a global partnership for

development (Goal 8) • Conclusions and future steps

The editorial for this issue has been written by Dr Wulf Killmann, Director of theForest Products and Industries Division.

More and more information is being made available in the media on all aspects ofnon-wood forest products. Scientific journals, newspapers, e-zines and Web sitescover their economic value, marketing instruments used, traditional knowledgeof their use, the variety of product uses, and biodiversity issues in general. It is,consequently, becoming a real – but exciting – challenge to select the mostpertinent news and views from the variety of NWFP articles from all across theglobe in order to give you, our readers, a clear idea of trends and research fromthe world of NWFPs.

We believe that this increasing global attention is reflecting the growingrelevance of both the social and economic importance of NWFPs, as can be seen,for example, from their use in economically important global markets such as thecosmetics and pharmaceutical industries; their value and role in sustainable forestmanagement; and their essential contribution to the lives of forest-dependentcommunities as sources of food security and health care.

In this issue of Non-Wood News we have covered a broad spectrum of thesefacets: from their use in securing livelihood opportunities (e.g. economic benefitsfrom bamboo projects and sale of camu camu) to the role of specific products ineveryday lives (e.g. Artemesia annua and its use in the fight against malaria; chiclein the chewing gum industry) and the potential risks to traditional knowledge andbenefit-sharing through biopiracy. We have also highlighted how NWFPs arehelping women – and consequently the well-being of their children – to benefitthrough various livelihood-building small-scale initiatives in Latin America (pineproducts in Honduras), Africa (shea butter in Burkina Faso), Asia (weaving bambooin the Lao People’s Democratic Republic) and the Near East (medicinal plants inIsrael). We have also highlighted the 2009 International Year of Natural Fibres, anarea where NWFPs can have an important input, particularly at the local level. Thetwo special features in this issue provide coverage of NWFP use and markets inthe Amazonian subregion, and a brief on whether NWFPs can help countries toachieve their MDGs.

Starting with this issue, Non-Wood News is including a new feature: a guestarticle. This will be written/authored by a senior scientist and an acknowledgedexpert in his/her field. The first guest author is Dr Cherukat Chandrasekharan – thefounder of both FAO’s NWFP Programme and Non-Wood News – whose article onparticipatory enterprise models for NWFP development seeks to open a debateon this important subject. We look forward to receiving your comments on hisarticle.

NON-WOOD NEWSis compiled and coordinated by Tina Etherington, Forest Products Service of the FAO Forest Products and IndustriesDivision. For this issue, editing support was provided by Sandra Rivero; language editing by Roberta Mitchelland Deliana Fanego; design, graphics and desktop publishing by Claudia Tonini.

Non-Wood News is open to contributions by readers. Contributions are welcomed in English, French andSpanish and may be edited to fit the appropriate size and focus of the bulletin.If you have any material that could be included in the next issue of Non-Wood News for the benefit of otherreaders, kindly send it, before 15 October 2007, to: NON-WOOD NEWS – FOIPFAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, ItalyE-mail: [email protected]/forestry/nwfp/nonwood.htm

FAO home page: www.fao.orgAll Internet links cited were checked on 28 May 2007. Articles express the views of their authors, not necessarilythose of FAO. Authors may be contacted directly for their reference sources. The designations employed and thepresentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part ofthe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal status of any country,territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

An information bullet in on Non-Wood Forest Productsnon-woodnon-wood 15ISSN

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13 News and Notes% Biodiversity and the diets and health

of forest dwellers % Bioprospecting/benefit sharing or

biopiracy?• Brazil regains açaí trademark from

Japan • Es hora de registrar los

conocimientos tradicionales deBolivia para enfrentar a labiopiratería

• Hands off our genes, say Pacificislanders

• China moves to protect traditionalknowledge

• Peru creates online biodiversityregister

% Birch distillate helps in controlling agricultural weeds and pests

% Chewing gum • Chewing gum market • Chewing gum timeline• Chicle: how gum works

% Entrepreneurs don't grow on trees% Female entrepreneurs in the NWFP

world• Israel's Bedouin women turn

desert plants into skin remedies• Jagriti• Using knowledge handed down

from generations to producecommercial products

• Shea butter sales change Africanwomen’s plight

% History of forestry as it developed inCentral Europe

% Man finds way to grow famed Frenchtruffle

% Mangrove forests, sea algae andcorals help to combat tsunamis

% Medicinal uses of NWFPs• Medicinal products from forests• Aussie bee honey – an antibiotic in

the United Kingdom• Boswellia serrata extract scores

well in COX-2 comparison• Cinnamon may help fight against

Type 2 diabetes• Research into medicinal value of

fungi• Tree bark molecule may combat

malaria• Rain forest bark could destroy rare

child cancer% Non-profit organizations and NGOs

• Centre for Indian BambooResource and Technology (CIBART)

• Fundación Zoobreviven, Ecuador• The Finnish Nature-based

Entrepreneurship Association% NTFP curriculum development% NWFP certification% Oleoresins add flavour to food% Partenariat pour les forêts du Bassin

du Congo% Rain Forest Silk Cooperative % Synergistic superfruit: sea buckthorn% Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) and

its risks% “Voices from the forest” % Weavers use dyes of wild flowers to

colour handspun cloth

25 Products and Markets% Bamboo, Bee products, Brazil nuts,

Forest insects, Ginseng, Medicinalplants and herbs, Moss, Papermulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera),Pine products, Rattan, Wildlife andYacón

43 Country Compass% Angola, Armenia, Belize, Botswana,

Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria,Cameroon, Chile, China, Cuba,Democratic Republic of the Congo,Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guyana, India,Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran,Jamaica, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria,Paraguay, the Philippines, Romania,Russian Federation, Saint Lucia,Sierra Leone, the Sudan, Uganda,United Arab Emirates, UnitedKingdom, United Republic of

Tanzania, United States of America,Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.

62 Econook% Global report cites progress in

slowing forest losses% Borneo conservation deal signed% Countdown 2010% Reserva de la biósfera unirá parques

nacionales de Chile y Argentina% Establishment of a national park in

French Guiana will also enhanceprotection in Brazilian Amazonia

% New fund to conserve the CongoBasin

% Scientists count Africa's ecologicalriches

64 International Action% FAO, International Year of Forests,

International Year of Natural Fibres,The Union for Ethical BioTrade(UEBT)

68 Recent Events

69 Forthcoming Events

72 Publications of Interest

78 Web Sites

79 Readers’ Response

Non-Wood News 15 is also full of your contributions – we would like to thank themany contributors who have provided insights into NWFPs from countries as diverseas India, Scotland, Cameroon and Saint Lucia. We would also like to thank the manyauthors who have permitted us to use extracts from their work (on subjects such asmedicinal mushrooms, collectible insects and NWFPs of the Pacific Islands), as wellas all the readers who have contacted us with comments and suggestions.

There have been a number of personnel changes affecting our NWFP Programmein the last six months. Mr Hikojiro Katsuhisa has returned to his home country afterthree years as Chief of our Forest Products Service. We have also said “arrivederci”to Sven Walter, who worked with the NWFP Programme here in Rome, before takingon the role of Technical Adviser of a regional NWFP project based in Cameroon andwho has now taken up a new position at the International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD). On the other hand, we have seen the return of our NWFP Officer,Paul Vantomme, after a two-year secondment to ITTO in Japan.

Finally, it is our hope that you will find reflected in this issue of Non-Wood News thesheer variety of NWFPs, the new ideas in the field of NWFP research and the enthusiasmin identifying suitable ways to improve people’s lives through the help of NWFPs.

Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are goodsof biological origin other than wood, derivedfrom forests, other wooded land and treesoutside forests. Non-timber forest products(NTFPs), another term frequently used tocover this vast array of animal and plantproducts, also includes small wood andfuelwood. However, these two terms are usedsynonymously throughout this bulletin. Otherterms, such as “minor”, “secondary” or“speciality” forest products, are sometimesused to keep original names and/or titles.

NON-WOOD NEWS No. 15 July 2007

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of adequate market orientation andinadequate value addition.

This is changing in some cases: NWFPshave re-emerged from relative obscurity,and their development has gained somemomentum.

Occurrence in all types of (primary andsecondary) forests; amenability fordomestication and cultivation; a role inconserving biodiversity; an ability to meetincreasing demand for organic productsand green consumerism; an ability tosustain the chemical treasure in plants; acapacity to support poverty reduction; andimprove livelihoods are attributesfavouring awareness about NWFPs andtheir re-emergence.

A bright outlook for NWFPs hinges onaddressing entrenched institutional blindspots, with emphasis on research,technology transfer, skill developments,improved information, flexible creditservices and, above all, people’sparticipation.

Innovative enterprise models NWFP-based enterprises can take usefullessons from other sectors whereshortcomings have spurred the emergenceof new innovative institutional models,such as autonomous enterprises thatbreak free of sluggish bureaucraticoperational styles. Some have beenlaunched by governments while othershave been undertaken with the support ofnon-governmental organizations anddonors. A few have been self-initiated.They are characterized by functional andfinancial autonomy. These mechanismsinclude commodity boards, autonomouscommissions, public-private partnerships,company-community collaborations, fairtrade networks, self-help groups andcooperatives.

PARTICIPATORYENTERPRISE MODELSFOR NWFPDEVELOPMENT

Attributes of NWFPsNWFPs are an important natural resourcethat influenced the early progress ofhuman society. They are among the earliesttraded products, and earliest of those to bedomesticated, leading to agriculturalrevolution. For most of recorded history,people have valued the forests not so muchfor timber, but for NWFPs.

As industrial revolution followedagricultural revolution, colonial influenceexpanded in various parts of the world andcheap synthetic substitutes becameavailable, NWFPs lost their primacy andtimber came into prominence. NWFPswere collectively categorized as minorforest products (MFPs). Arborealabundance gave way to ecologicaldegradation, a result of excessive loggingand improper land use changes, and so thenatural resources of NWFPs also sufferedrelative depletion.

For millions of forest-dependentindigenous and poor people, NWFPsremained a major source of subsistence.The value of this subsistence has beenestimated at about US$120 billion, globally.However, in this role, several NWFPs weremainly of local importance.

Some experts suggest that the future offorestry will depend more and more onNWFPs, because of their special attributesand environmental friendliness. Theseassertions, nevertheless, are not matchedby institutional changes that ensureeffective action.

Nature of institutionsWith economic development linked moreand more to markets and trade, activitieshave been categorized into sectors for thepurposes of management and control.

The overall objective of an institutionalsystem for specific sectors is to facilitatedevelopment within the framework ofdefined policies. It covers instruments (inthe form of laws, rules and regulations) fortranslating policy into action, andorganizational arrangements for effectiveimplementation of policy instruments.Organizations of a sector can be broadlycategorized as governance organizations(carrying out authority functions) andenterprise organizations (carrying outdevelopment functions).

Governance organizations are essentialfor providing policy guidance, enforcinginstruments and facilitating sectoraldevelopment. Enterprise organizations areof various types – public, private, non-governmental, participatory, cooperative,collaborative, etc. – to suit the situationand achieve goals. By nature and purpose,enterprises should be flexible and result-oriented and vested with full autonomy.Authority/governance, in contrast, focusesmainly on ensuring rule of law in businessdealings and tends to be process-oriented.

Experience has shown that wheregovernment agencies such as forestdepartments implement both enterpriseand authority functions, they tend tobecome inefficient and corrupt and bedestructive of people’s resources. Thesefunctions could be more effectively carriedout, if they were to be separated.

Blind spotsThere are no institutional systems andorganizational arrangements specificallydesigned for NWFPs. Relegated to minorstatus, NWFPs are treated as incidentalappendages to timber-based forestry. Inmost forest policies, NWFPs get, at best, amention in passing. Rules and regulationsdeveloped for wood products are applied toNWFPs, often inappropriately. The existinginstitutional system in most cases hasconsistently failed to achieve thedevelopment potentials of NWFPs. Interms of strengthened and innovativeinstitutions for NWFPs, there are only fewreplicable initiatives that can serve asmodels.

Apart from the institutional anomaliesand deficiencies, other importantweaknesses affecting NWFPs include lack

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A few NWFP-based participatoryenterprises have emerged in the recentpast in different parts of the world. Theirnature and structure vary: most are small,self-help entities, such as localassociations and village cooperatives. Theyare often based on specific products (suchas cardamom, mushroom, sea buckthorn,bamboo products, shea butter), and mostlyinvolved in cooperative marketing. Othersare medium enterprises formed intocooperative corporations/companiesinvolved in production/processing andmarketing of one or more products.

Company-farmer/artisan collaborationis a form of participatory arrangement.Examples include farmers supplyingmedicinal plants to indigenous drugcompanies and large rattan-ware unitsserving as a nucleus for collecting andmarketing of production from smallproducers in a locality.

By forming into hierarchic, multitieredsystems, participatory ventures canbecome progressively efficient andpowerful. One such case, exclusivelycovering NWFPs, is the Minor ForestProduce Cooperative Federation of MadhyaPradesh state in India. Following a three-tier pyramidal structure, it is responsiblefor resource management, harvesting,trading and development of NWFPs.

The system of Village ForestryAssociations (VFAs) and ForestryCooperatives of the Republic of Koreacovers the whole country and deals withboth wood and NWFPs. The system of VFAsstarted with government support in theearly 1970s, comprising a hierarchy offorestry associations. The system wasfurther strengthened in the 1980s byconverting the VFAs into self-propellingcooperatives of homogenous membership.

As can be noted, waves of changes aresweeping over and altering the overallsociopolitical environment of forestry (andNWFPs). Interacting factors drive thesechanges. There has been a transition to anopen society, democratic and decentralizedinstitutions and a market economy. Andnew and larger markets have opened.Strategies for integrated development ofNWFPs need adequate institutionalunderpinning with broad-based, willing andorganized participation.

The issue needs debate In closing, it is underlined that the intentionof this short note is not to suggestguidelines for NWFP institutions, but only

to incite meaningful debate in that regard.(Contributed by: CherukatChandrasekharan, F1, Althara Nagar,Trivandrum – 695 010, India; e-mail: [email protected])(Mr Chandrasekharan was the founder ofFAO’s NWFP Programme and the editor ofNon-Wood News until his retirement in1995. How appropriate, therefore, that heshould inaugurate a new feature of Non-Wood News: our “Guest article”.) �

Innovations in developing countries tendto be participatory/cooperative orpartnership models. These help increasemarketing strength, enhance bargainingpower, eliminate intermediaries, enableprofessional management, conserveresources, empower people and improveviability of the enterprise.

The successful Anand Milk MarketingUnion Limited (AMUL) model for milkproduction/processing and marketing in theGujarat state of India is considered byexperts as appropriate for NWFPdevelopment, ensuring participation ofstakeholders at all operational levels.

AMUL was started in 1946 to stopexploitation of milk producers at the handsof intermediaries. It began with two villagesocieties and 247 litres of milk. It expandedand grew into the Gujarat Cooperative MilkMarketing Federation by 1973. Followingthe AMUL model, today, there are 22 state-level federations in India, with 176 districtunions, over 100 000 village societies andsome 11 million members involved inproduction and marketing of a largenumber of milk products. The maincharacteristics of the AMUL model areprofessional management and leadership,in-house research, non-acceptance ofsubsidies, avoidance of external influenceand member centrality.

The AMUL concept has been extended tosugar, fish, fibre and other consumableproducts that are produced in largequantities, involving significant numbers ofpeople. Many NWFPs, particularlybiodiesels, mulch, medicinal plants,bamboo, rattan, resins and essential oilsare involved.

The bottom line for effective participationis popular sovereignty and decentralization,which will facilitate people to acquire thefreedom and capability to decide ondevelopment initiatives and the power tocarry out these decisions.

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NWFP USE AND MARKETSIN THE AMAZONIANSUBREGION OF BOLIVIA,BRAZIL, COLOMBIA,ECUADOR, PERU AND THEBOLIVARIAN REPUBLICOF VENEZUELA

Consumo y comercio de los ProductosForestales no Madereros (PFNM) en laSubregión AmazónicaDe acuerdo al Informe de la SubregiónAmazónica preparado por la FAO, losproductos forestales no madereros (PFNM)son de gran importancia a escala social yeconómica para las poblaciones de estospaíses (Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador,Perú y Venezuela). En el citado estudio seevalúa que en los próximos añosaumentará el interés sobre los mismosincluso a escala industrial.

Los PFNM que verificarán un mayorincremento en la producción serán elcaucho (Hevea Brasiliensis) y la yerba mate(Ilex paraguarensis). La producción decaucho en la subregión viene creciendo enla última década, principalmente a causadel incremento en la producción del Brasil(también se elabora en Bolivia, Colombia yPerú). Sin embargo se percibe unacompetencia por parte de la ofertaproveniente de las plantaciones en Malasiapor los substitutos sintéticos. La yerbamate es una de las bebidas más popularesconsumidas en el sur y sudeste del Brasil;proviene principalmente de los bosquesnaturales de los estados del sur (Paraná,Santa Catarina y Rio Grande do Sul) y en eloeste del Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul.

Los productos comestibles másimportantes para esta subregión entérminos de cantidades son las castañas yel palmito. Estos continuarán a medianoplazo, participando a baja escala en elcomercio internacional; la producción delpalmito se concentra principalmente en elBrasil, Bolivia y el Ecuador. Los hongossilvestres en el Ecuador, el achiote (Bixaorellana) en Venezuela y la canangucha(Mauritia flexuosa) en Colombia. Tambiénel aceite de copaíba (Copaifera spp.), la uñade gato (Uncaria tormentosa), el bambú(Guadua spp., Chusquea spp.) mantendránsu importancia. Estímulosgubernamentales a las exportacionespodrían impactar el comercio de estosproductos creándose nichos de mercado ycanales que estimulen su mercadeo.

La producción de castaña de Pará(Bertholletia excelsa), viene sufriendo

variaciones a lo largo de los últimos años. Enla última década se ha verificado unadisminución en la producción en esta región,a excepción del Brasil y Bolivia. La mayorparte de la producción del Brasil se consumeinternamente (aproximadamente el 70%) y el30% restante se comercializainternacionalmente. Se calcula que en 2002las exportaciones han sido deaproximadamente 10 000 toneladas mientrasque el consumo interno alcanzó las 20 000toneladas. En Bolivia su comercialización seefectúa de dos modos con cáscara odeshidratada, y se exporta en su mayoría. Suconsumo interno es bajo mientras que laexportación se ha incrementadosignificativamente en los últimos años.Algunas publicaciones presentan el Brasilcomo el principal exportador mundial. Otrasfuentes mencionan que Bolivia es el principalexportador de este producto y el Perú seencuentra en el tercer lugar.

En el Ecuador, los hongos silvestres(Boletus spp.) asociados a las plantacionesde pino, constituyen un importante PFNM anivel nacional. Su aprovechamientocomenzó en la década de los ochenta; suprocesamiento industrial (secado,fraccionado, empaquetado) inició en 1991.

El achiote (Bixa orellana) constituye otroimportante PFNM para Venezuela: se usacomo colorante en comidas, se cultiva enhuertos caseros y en plantaciones, ytambién se industrializa. Sin embargo, noexisten datos de la producción.

Las algarrobas, frutos del Prosopis pallida,es un alimento bastante importante en elPerú, aún si se trata de pequeñas cantidades,es importante como alimento para el ganadoy la producción de algarrobita (café dealgarrobo). El bosque seco de la costa nortede este país es el hábitat natural de estaespecie (más de 1,3 millones de ha). La talade este árbol está actualmente en veda, peroexiste una gran presión social sobre elmismo, lo que genera con mucha frecuenciasu tala ilegal para producir leña y carbón. Deacuerdo al INRENA (Instituto Nacional deRecursos Naturales), la producción total seestima en 2 millones de toneladas anuales. El60% lo consume el ganado, el 20% secomercializa en agroindustria para produciralgarrobita y el 20% restante se pierde.

Son muy numerosas las plantasmedicinales obtenidas en los bosques de lasubregión amazónica. Entre las másimportantes se encuentran: la uña de gato(Uncaria tormentosa) y el aceite de copaíba(Copaifera multijuga o Copaiferalangsdorffii). Del tronco de cinchona

(Cinchona pubescencs), especie que creceen Bolivia y en Colombia, se extrae comomateria prima una droga contra la malaria(quinino). También en Colombia, la palmacanangucha (Mauritia flexuosa), de cuyaplanta se extrae el aceite de almacanangucha o moriche, se exporta. Losdatos disponibles para este país señalanexportaciones de alrededor de 110 000 toneladas de aceite de palma en1999, de las cuales 93 000 se vendieron encrudo y el restante como fracciones oincorporadas en productos procesados. Elvalor de las exportaciones se estima en 58 millones de dólares.

En Colombia y Venezuela, la palmachiqui–chiqui (Leopoldina piassaba) esusada para utensilios, artesanía y comomaterial de construcción. Otro PFNM es elbambú (Guadua spp.), ampliamenteutilizado en la construcción civil, en lafabricación de muebles y para artesaníasen el Ecuador, Colombia y Venezuela. En elEcuador, el uso de este producto se haincrementado, según datos de la Guíanacional de artesanía. Se han individuado19 talleres artesanales que elaboranjuguetes y otros productos en lasprovincias de Azuay y Esmeraldas. En laregión de la costa ecuatoriana, el principalconsumidor de estos productos es laconstrucción civil.

Otros importantes PFNM son las resinasobtenidas de las plantaciones de pino(Pinus spp.). Los principales paísesproductores de estos productos sonVenezuela y el Brasil. En la década de losnoventa Venezuela producía 7 000 toneladas de resina cruda de Pinuscaribaea. A mediados de esa década, elBrasil producía aproximadamente de 60 a65 000 toneladas.

El estudio menciona la dificultad deanalizar el comercio de los PFNM y sustendencias a causa de la escasadisponibilidad de la información estadísticapresentada de manera sistemática. Si seconsidera aisladamente el Brasil, lastendencias de los mismos definen lassiguientes perspectivas para el año 2020:

• en lo que concierne al caucho, seespera un crecimiento importante delas importaciones, puesto que elconsumo interno crecerá debido alaumento de la demanda del mismo porparte de la industria automotriz y elpaís aún no será autosuficiente; secalcula que para el año 2020 lasimportaciones de caucho podríanalcanzar las 250 000 toneladas. La

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producción provendrá principalmentede áreas naturales de la región norte.Las demás regiones contemplanbásicamente valores de producción decaucho natural a partir de áreasplantadas.

• las exportaciones de yerba matetambién aumentarán debido alincremento de la demanda de losmercados de los países vecinos, seprevé que en 2020 cerca de 55 000 toneladas serán orientadas almercado internacional. Se presume unaumento en la demanda de esteproducto, a causa principalmente, desu precio competitivo con relación aotras infusiones de uso similar.

En síntesis, en esta subregión elmercado de los PFNM se vienedesarrollando desde hace muchos años aescala informal. Sin embargo se hamanifestado interés por parte de losactores relacionado con los mismos paísescomo Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador y Perúdonde se están implementando Iniciativasde Biocomercio (UNCTAD), medianteprogramas nacionales y además existenherramientas que se proyectan a nivelregional. Se han conformado grupos detrabajo y estructuras específicas paraestablecer estrategias de implementación,tales como las Directrices Mundiales deConservación de Plantas Medicinales(OMS/UICN/WWF/TRAFFIC) y el Estándarde Recolección Silvestre Sostenible dePlantas Medicinales y Aromáticas deBfN/UICN/ WWF/TRAFFIC (ISSC-MAP,siglas en inglés), ampliamente consultadosy en fase de implementación inicial.También se puede mencionar el Ecuador,como país que ha manifestado gran interésen esta área a escala internacional,hospedando la sede para América Latinade la UICN (Unión Mundial para laNaturaleza), y la oficina Regional paraLatinoamérica y el Caribe del INBAR (RedInternacional del Bambú y Ratán), ambasentidades se encuentran ampliamenterelacionadas con los PFNM, promoviendoprogramas de desarrollo sostenible de lasespecies que suministran estos productos,facilitando el intercambio y la difusión deinformación y tecnologías sobre lasmismas. Fuente: Informe de la subregión amazónicaESFAL/SR/1; disponible electrónicamente:http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/j7353s/j7353s00.htm. Aportado por Sandra Inés Rivero,Consultora, Departamento Forestal, FAO,[email protected]

PARA MAYOR INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LOSESTUDIOS Y POR COPIAS DE LOS MISMOSDIRIGIRSE A: Olman Serrano, Oficial forestal superiorServicio de Productos Forestales,Departamento Forestal, FAO, Viale delle Termedi Caracalla, Roma 00153, Italia Correo electrónico: [email protected]

Bolivia takes its hat off to Jipi japa(Carludovica palmata)Jipi japa (Carludovica palmata), a palm-likespecies that grows wild in tropical andsubtropical forests in Central and SouthAmerica, has woven itself deep into theeveryday lives of Bolivian villages. A widearray of goods is produced from its fine,white fibres – including the famousPanama hat.

The Panama hat originated in Ecuador.Jesuit missionaries introduced the weavingtechniques used to make hats and basketsinto Bolivia in 1908. Over time, the artisansexpanded their skills in processing andhandling jipi japa fibres to include themanufacturing of wallets, decorativefigures, purses and various utensils forkitchens and tables.

Today jipi japa handicrafts aremanufactured by indigenous people in thelowland communities of northeast Bolivia.These remote communities are developingstronger relationships with the outsideworld as their manufacturing of jipi japahandicrafts expands. As a result, someartisans are forming collectives to assistthe commercialization process.

Jipi japa plants grow in humid tropicaland subtropical forests, but they can alsobe found growing wild in agricultural fields,on communal lands, along the banks ofrivers and in ravines. Jipi japa is generally

harvested from wild stocks. The species israrely cultivated in Bolivia as villagers havehad limited success because of the lowsurvival rates of the plants; however,Ecuadorians have managed to establishproductive plantations.

In some cases, jipi japa harvesters,mainly men, carry out the weaving. In othercases they sell the fibres to artisans whoproduce the various handicrafts. Most ofthese are sold within Bolivia, although theartisan association in Chapare, inCochabamba, has been exploring theexport market. It is difficult to estimate thetotal value of jipi japa production since theraw material is incorporated in manydifferent products, which arecommercialized in various ways. At thehousehold level, jipi japa may representanywhere between 15 and 80 percent of thetotal family income. The influencing factorsinclude the distance to market, the numberof people in the family involved in the jipijapa trade and whether or not they belongto one of the associations.

There are two main negative factorsaffecting the production of jipi japahandicrafts: i) in some areas, jipi japashoots are being harvested more quicklythan the plants can regenerate, reducingBolivia’s wild populations of the plant.Almost half of the original Bolivian jipi japapopulation has already disappeared, largelyas a result of changing land use patterns;ii) new associations are being set up withgovernment or foreign support. Building upthe capacity to promote the production ofjipi japa handicrafts without ensuring thereis an adequate consumer demand resultsin a saturated market and lower prices forharvesters and processors.

These factors need to be taken intoaccount to ensure that jipi japa populationscan survive in Bolivia and continue toprovide benefits for the harvesters andweavers who work with this palm-like plant.(Source: Case study on Jipi japa fibre,handicrafts, by Erik Arancibia and FaustoLópez [in Riches of the forest: fruits,remedies and handicrafts in Latin America,eds C. López, P. Shanley and A.C. Fantini].)

Carludovica palmata

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Brazil: Baù indigenous land makes its firstsale of certified Brazil nut oilThe Baú Indigenous Land enterprise hasjust made its first sale of ForestStewardship Council (FSC) labelled Brazilnut oil. Members of the Kayapó tribeclosed a deal with the vegetable oilprocessing company, Beraca, immediatelyafter receiving FSC label and IBD (organic)certification

Beraca provides processed rawmaterials to the cosmetics industry, andpurchased the entire certified productionof the Kayapó, some 750 litres. Beracadirector, João Matos, said that for forestproducts to become increasinglyincorporated into the cosmetics andhygiene industry in general, in addition tothe high quality of raw material, there hasto be a guarantee of constant supply. Onthis point, the management plan requiredfor FSC certification includes planning toenable continuous production.

The Kayapó invited business people tocontact them so that, together, they mightconduct prospecting as to the economicfeasibility of other potential raw materialsfor the industry. (Source: Amazonia.org.br,15 December 2006.)

Brazil: bamboo project in the Vale do AltoRio das Velhas regionThe Centro de ecología humana (Centre ofHuman Ecology) seeks to establish asustainable development project for the Valedo Alto Rio das Velhas region in Brazil byusing bamboo to decontaminate the river.This project will be executed in themunicipalities of Jaboticatubas and LagoaSanta in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and willpropose developing sustainable usemethodologies in adjacent areas. The projectwill serve as a model for other regions.

Project objectives include introducingbamboo as a decontaminator in order toprotect rivers of the state of Minas Gerais,and promoting bamboo as a sustainableproduct of high value for architecture,engineering and furniture construction.(Source: Eco-Index Monthly Update,February 2007.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Sonia Araujo Penna and Antonio ErnestoGomes Carneiro, Project Directors,Centro de Ecología Humana, Rua Prof. Antonio Aleixo, 330/1102,30180150 –Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]; www.fazendadasminhocas.com.br

Colombia: los PFNM y los bosquesplantados para su producciónDe acuerdo al Informe Nacional deColombia se presentan dos casos dondeplantaciones forestales con manejoespecial producen tanto madera comoresina (y mediante un proceso industrialse elabora colofonia).

En el primer caso se puede mencionaruna plantación de 8 000 ha de pino caribe(Pinus Caribaea) con fines de resinación yproducción de 500 toneladas/año decolofonia, oferta que está siendoconsumida totalmente por el mercadonacional.

El segundo caso trata de plantacionesde Hevea Brasiliensis para la producciónde caucho, 5 000 ha en producción y 5 000ha en crecimiento.

A pesar de que muchos otros PFNMllegan al mercado, es difícil encontrarinformación sobre valores de producción aescala nacional, localización y prácticas demanejo del bosque para lograr unaprovechamiento sostenible de losmismos. Se sabe, sin embargo, que aescala social y en el comercio local,especialmente para las regiones conpoblaciones autóctonas que viven cerca albosque, estos productos son de gran valor.Las perspectivas, basadas en la inclusiónde estos productos dentro del PlanNacional de Desarrollo Forestal para sertrabajados dentro del Subprograma deManejo y Aprovechamiento del BosqueNatural, indican que para el año 2020, estesector estará más estructurado y definido.Fuente: Informe Nacional de ColombiaESFAL/N/8, disponible electrónicamente:www.fao.org/docrep/007/j4192s/j4192s00.htm

Ecuador: making a difference for small-scale bamboo producersLike most small-scale farmers in Ecuador,Jhony Moreno relies on diversity – shouldone crop fail there is always something tofall back on. Traditionally that has meantcattle, some annual crops, coffee, cacaoand bananas. But, with the help of theInternational Network for Bamboo andRattan (INBAR), he has started growingGuadua angustifolia bamboo to producesplit canes and bamboo, which nowprovide a secure income for his family (andlocal workers who depend upon him), asthe figures below show.

After his initial training through INBAR,Mr Moreno went on to develop his ownimproved production techniques, sharinghis knowledge with other farmers. He nowmarkets his own bamboo products and hasearned enough in the last 18 months tobuild a house. His farm has become acentre for demonstrations, trainingworkshops and exchange opportunitiesbetween farmers and bamboo experts. Hehas also begun to advise othercommunities on managing their ownbamboo stands to produce split canes.(Source: In partnership for a better world– strategy to the year 2015. 2006. Beijing,China, INBAR.)

Ecuador: palm fibre (Aphandra natalia) –its management and benefits In the 1970s, the weak agriculture-basedfamily economy that affected the region ofSevilla de Oro motivated the migration ofmany families to the Ecuadorian Amazon,to a small village called Chinimbimi, wherethey bought land with the idea ofestablishing cattle farms. As most of thefarms still had a high percentage ofprimary forest, one of the first activities togenerate a cash income was the extractionof the valuable timber as part of theprocess of clearing the forest to establishpastures.

Farmers then started to extract andmanage the non-timber forest resource,palm fibre, produced from the leaves ofAphandra natalia, a native palm of the

US$ Total Net per year costs profit

Bamboo 2 241 1 542 699Milk 1 971 1 971 0Maize 263 309 -46Cassava 341 603 392Bananas 383 392 -9

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El origen de los productos es diverso,pero la tendencia que domina es larecolección en bosques naturales,matorrales, árboles y arbustos aislados,vegetación aledaña a cauces de ríos ylagunas, y en menor grado, bosquesplantados y otras áreas dedicadas a laproducción forestal. Los productoselaborados también son muy diversos,destacándose la cestería, tejidos, figurasreligiosas e históricas, bateas, tazas,platos, arreglos florales, tallas en madera,útiles de trabajo, juguetes e instrumentosmusicales. La información sobre especiesusadas en la elaboración de las artesaníases bastante escasa, pero los trabajosrealizados indican que se utiliza una ampliagama de vegetales que comprende árboles,arbustos, gramíneas, palmas bejucos ylianas.

En Venezuela el uso del bambú y el deespecies similares, es poco difundido, peroen los últimos años el encarecimiento delos costos de fabricación de muebles conmaderas tradicionales, ha popularizado eluso de estas especies. La Guadua (Guaduaspp.) y Guafa (especie de la familia deBambuseae) está en el orden de 564 940unidades y 124 550 unidades por año,respectivamente.

También se menciona la producción desustancias aromáticas, provenientes deplantaciones de sarrapia (Dipteryx odorata)establecidas con el objeto de aprovechar elfruto para la extracción de cumarina, lacual es una materia prima fundamentalpara la industria de la perfumería. Lascomunidades campesinas de la ReservaForestal El Caura desarrollaronplantaciones de esta especie con unasuperficie y antigüedad no registradas. Seestima que son varios miles de hectáreasplantadas hace unos 70 años. El mercadode la cumarina está dominado portransacciones internacionales donde esfundamental garantizar una calidad y flujoconstantes. Al no cumplir estascondiciones, los productores de El Cauradejaron de ser competitivos, además, lacumarina actualmente tiene competidoresde origen industrial. Además este recursopuede ser aprovechable de manerasostenida, existe experiencia, tradición y lamadera se puede usar en la construcciónnaval, durmientes de ferrocarril yebanistería de alta calidad.Fuente: Informe Nacional de VenezuelaESFAL/N/12, disponible electrónicamente:http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/j5484s/j5484s07.htm#P1490_62004

forests originally exploited for its timber. Itwas known that in a nearby village, palmfibre was flown out to Guayaquil to makebrooms. When the palm fibre was valued asa resource that could be produced in thelong term (production starts after tenyears), the owners of the farms started tomanage the palm, sowing seeds to increaseits density on the farms to ensurecontinuous production of the fibre in thefuture. Farmers also left palms that hadgrown from natural regeneration whenclearing the understorey of the forest.

Over the years the farmers established aproduction system including pasturelandcombined with a few dispersed trees ofnon-commercial value and palms that areleft standing and managed by cutting two tofour leaves to harvest their fibre whileleaving at least five leaves to guarantee thesurvival and next production cycle of fibreafter six months.

Currently, within 0.5 km from the centreof Chinimbimi, where the palm is mainlyconcentrated, 16 colonist family farmersown an average of 40 ha. For them, theextraction of palm fibre is a continuoussource of cash income (on average eachfamily receives a monthly net income ofUS$482 from the sale of approximately 14quintals of fibre). This level of production isobtained by harvesting about 700 palms permonth from an area of around 1.5 ha,employing local labour from the village.

The low cost of the initial investment interms of input and labour required tomaintain the palm and the continuousproduction of the fibre are determiningfactors in converting the palm into a pillarof the family economy for the majority ofthe inhabitants of Chinimbimi over the past20 years, relegating cattle to second place.(Source: ForLive Highlights, 3, February2007.)

Peru: Camu camu fruit exports increasedby 134.5 percentPeruvian exports of the camu camu fruit(Myrciaria dubia), which is marketed as ahealth food, increased by 134.5 percent in2006. Exports totalled US$2.126 million,compared with US$906.585 in 2005.

The product is for sale mostly inprocessed forms, creating added value.The most important market for the fruitfrom the Amazon jungle was Japan, with80 percent of the total, followed by theUnited States of America (12 percent), theNetherlands (4 percent), Canada (1percent) and Hong Kong (1 percent).

Demand for the product is largely aresult of its high vitamin C content, whichis 50 times more than that of oranges.

In 2007 exports of US$3 million areexpected. (Source: FreshPlaza, theNetherlands, 2 March 2007.)

Peruvian Brazil nut collectors take controlof their futureIn Peru, recent laws have required thatanyone harvesting and selling Brazil nutsmust obtain a Non-Timber Forest ProductConcession Contract. To obtain aconcession, Brazil nut collectors mustdevelop and comply with a forestmanagement plan, which regulates theharvest, collection and transport of thenuts.

In Madre de Dios, 335 families saw anopportunity in these new laws to takecontrol of their future. They requested titlesto their land so that they could obtainconcessions. The families then groupedthemselves into associations, according tothe size of the concession plot sought. Nowthey sell Brazil nuts directly to exportersand are no longer dependent on the pricesthat local brokers offer. (Source: Fieldguide to the future. Four ways forcommunities to think ahead. 2006. K. Evanset al. (www.asb.cgiar.org/ma/scenarios/))

La República Bolivariana de Venezuela ysus PFNMEn los últimos años en varias zonas de estepaís, según el Informe Nacional deVenezuela, se ha observado un marcadodesarrollo en la elaboración de productosprovenientes del bosque, tal es el caso de lautilización de madera de pequeñasdimensiones y de los PFNM como hojas,frutos, semillas, lianas, bejucos, fibras yhierbas, entre otros, para la producción deartesanías. Esto constituye una fuente deingresos de importancia local, así comotambién una fuente generadora de empleos.

Myrciaria dubia

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CAN NWFPS HELP IN ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUMDEVELOPMENT GOALS?

The United Nations MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) are commonobjectives that provide a framework tomeet the basic needs and rights of millionsof people in the developing world. There areeight goals with 18 targets and over 40indicators that help to monitor and achievethe goals.

In 2000, the Millennium Declaration wasagreed upon by world leaders to aim toachieve the MDGs by 2015. The objective ofthis policy brief is to explore whether it ispossible for forest resources, particularlynon-wood forest products (NWFPs), to helpto achieve the MDGs.

There are over 3.4 billion ha of forests onwhich 1.6 billion people in the developingworld depend directly or indirectly on forest

resources. Ironically, NWFPs have beenconsidered to be minor products comparedwith other forest resources. However, it willbe shown that NWFPs can play a significantrole in contributing to achieving the goals,although there are challenges. This policybrief will ultimately advocate a synergisticapproach to achieving the goals whereseveral goals are combined into one effort.Investing in NWFPs through carefulplanning may help to achieve several goalssimultaneously.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger(Goal 1) The target of this goal is to halve theproportion of people who earn less than adollar a day. Selling forest products isknown to reduce extreme levels of poverty.It has been estimated that 12.9 millionpeople are employed in the industrialforestry sector and twice as many in theinformal forestry sector, suggesting thatforest products could help to achieve thisgoal. Although NWFPs are not usually themain source of income for harvesters, theyplay a crucial role in preventing worseningpoverty by creating safety nets. This roleshould not be underestimated. Especiallyin times of need, harvesting NWFPs stillremains a popular option for many poorforest-dependent people because itrequires low levels of skill and there arefew barriers to entry into the subsector. It isalso a relatively easy source of income forthose without access to capital or credit toinvest in other more lucrative income-earning opportunities. Moreover, NWFPscan be safety nets during seasonalshortfalls and emergency periods.Nevertheless, before investing in NWFPs itis important to be aware of the challengesthat they bring, which may create povertytraps.

There are three reasons why NWFPsmay be poverty traps rather than safetynets and may be considered to have anti-poor elements. The first regards theeconomics of NWFPs, which generally elicitlow returns since the density of availableNWFPs is low, thus meaning that one hasto travel far to collect a handful of certainNWFPs, making harvesting costs high andreturns low. Second, access to markets isminimal, either because of poorinfrastructure or because markets are toofar away, preventing the sale of what hasbeen collected. Third, harvesters mayreceive a very small portion of returnsbecause of exploitive market chains and

lack of access to market information sincethey tend to live in remote areas. The poorare more likely to suffer from such negativescenarios, but NWFPs can mean thedifference between life and death wheneradicating hunger is concerned, which isthe second part of this goal.

Currently 852 million people suffer fromhunger because of poverty and lack ofaccess to food. It is clear that NWFPs alonecannot prevent millions from being hungry.However, in times of emergencies andseasonal shortfalls of agriculturalproducts, NWFPs can be a source of foodsecurity and offer an alternative means ofpreventing hunger, in addition to being asupplementary source of food. NWFPssuch as bushmeat, leaves, wild flowers,fruits, wild roots and tubers can providerich sources of energy, which are especiallyimportant in preventing hunger andreducing vulnerability.

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ONLINE ATLAS OF THE MILLENNIUMDEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS)

The World Bank has launched a Website (http://devdata.worldbank.org/atlas-mdg/) that translates data onsome of the world’s developmentchallenges into maps designed for a layaudience. The maps are derived fromthe Bank’s World DevelopmentIndicators database, and depictprogress towards meeting the MDGs.(Source: Earth Negotiations Bulletin, 19April 2007.)

Food security and nutrition can besustained by many wild plants andanimals, which often play a critical rolefor the poorest groups, particularlyduring times of drought or foodinsecurity. The South AfricanMillennium Ecosystem Assessmentestimates, for example, that the valueof day-to-day wild resourceconsumption is around US$800 millionper annum.(Source: IIED Briefing Paper, Dilys Roe,Ivan Bond, 2007. www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=11070IIED)

Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Goal 2. Achieve universal primary education Goal 3.Promote gender equality and

empower women Goal 4.Reduce child mortality Goal 5.Improve maternal health Goal 6.Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other

diseases Goal 7.Ensure environmental sustainability Goal 8.Develop a global partnership for

development (Source: www.undp.org/mdga)

The Millennium Development Goals



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Promote gender equality and empowerwomen (Goal 3) This goal aims to target elimination ofgender disparity in primary and secondaryeducation. Monitoring the goal includesmeasuring the ratio of girls to boys indifferent levels of education and the share ofwomen in wage employment in non-agricultural sectors. The target could beexpanded to include promotingempowerment of women by measuring theiraccess to harvesting NWFPs and the level offinancial empowerment they can achieve.

Many women are involved in harvestingNWFPs for commercial purposes,especially because of the low entrythresholds. NWFPs can be collected nearwomen’s homes so that they can combinemaking a small but significant incomewhile managing their householdresponsibilities. Women are also involved inorganized small enterprises where incomethat they earn is often reinvested for familyneeds such as food, clothing and schooling.It is the commercial aspects of NWFPs thatcould help women become more financiallyempowered and diversify the sources ofhousehold income, leading to indirectimpacts on education. (See pages 16-18 for information on femaleentrepreneurs.)

Reduce child mortality (Goal 4) Currently 11 million children under the ageof five die every year. NWFPs in terms offorest food are sources of rich nutrients thatcan act as a means of reducing illness andmortality among children. They can provideessential nutrients, especially for those whoare poor and live in remote areas, away fromalternative sources of food.

Although the contribution of forest foodsto the household diet varies depending onthe context, NWFPs such as stems, rootsand tubers can provide starch to the diet. Forinstance, forest foods such as the oil-richseeds of Geoffroea decorticans and theprotein-rich leaves of baobab can helpreduce protein-energy malnutrition that canlead to reduced growth and susceptibility toinfection. Vitamin A deficiency, which cancause death, can be prevented through theleaves of Pterocarpus sp. and bee larvae.Iron deficiency, which particularly affectswomen and children, can be preventedthrough eating wild animals or insects, suchas tree ants, as well as mushrooms. Niacindeficiency, which can cause diarrhoea thatcan lead to death among children, can beprevented through forest fruits and leaves of

niacin-rich Adansonia digitata and seeds ofParkia sp. NWFPs act as safety nets invulnerable times and could help to preventchild mortality by not only being a source offood, but also by preventing malnutritionand strengthening the body’s defencesystem to some extent.

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and otherdiseases (Goal 6) Medicinal plants have been used forcenturies to treat illnesses. Many peoplestill rely on them for health care, especiallyin rural areas where access to clinics isdifficult. The World Health Organizationstates that globally 80 percent of peoplestill depend on medicinal plants for healthcare. Although the efficacy of somemedicinal plants is yet to be proved, somehave demonstrated high concentrations ofchemicals that are needed for moderndrugs, as well as high concentrations of

vitamins and minerals needed to improvehuman immunity to diseases.

One of the targets of this goal is to haltand reverse the incidence of malaria, whichwill be monitored by death rates resultingfrom malaria and the proportion of thepopulation in malaria-prone areas usingmalaria treatment. More than 50 percent ofthe world’s population is exposed to malaria,which kills 1.1 to 2.7 million people per year,mostly women and children. Yet medicinalplants can help to cure these debilitatingdiseases. Today, antimalarial research isfocused on the medicinal plant Artemisiaannua L., which could be three times moreeffective than quinine. (See page 31 for moreinformation on Artemesia annua.)

Finding the cure for HIV/AIDS, however,is an ongoing process. The target inrelation to this goal is to halt and reversethe spread of HIV/AIDS by monitoring theHIV prevalence among pregnant womenand the ratio of AIDS orphans who attendschool. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 25million people are affected with HIV, it hasbeen predicted that more and more willbecome further dependent on forestresources, such as NWFPs for food andincome, as agricultural productivitydecreases and poverty increases as aresult of poor health. Dependency onmedicinal plants to cure the side effects ofHIV/AIDS will also increase the potential tocure HIV/AIDS through medicinal plantsthat are still being researched.

In addition to HIV/AIDS and malaria, thereare other diseases that can potentially becured by medicinal plants. For example, 1.6million deaths result from unclean waterand 3 900 children die every day frompreventable waterborne diseases. Thesediseases could be treated by the seeds ofMoringa sp., which can clarify turbid water,resulting in a 98–99 percent elimination ofindicator bacteria. Moringa is a low-costwater treatment technology that helps todecrease exposure to waterborne diseasesand is a form of safe drinking-water.

The fruits of Balanites aegyptiaca andSwartzia madagascarensis containsaponins that kill snails that carrywaterborne fleas. NWFPs such as Moringa,Balanites aegyptiaca and S.madagascarensis can help target Goal 7,which calls for access to safe and improveddrinking-water.

Finally, tuberculosis, which kills 2 millionpeople every year, of which 12 percent arerelated to HIV-positive cases, could betreated with the medicinal plant Hyposis sp.

MORINGA TO ASSIST MALNOURISHEDCHILDREN IN GHANAThe Adventist Development and ReliefAgency (ADRA) Ghana, is embarking ona programme to assist 5 000malnourished children in 58 communitiesin the central region to improve theirhealth conditions. ADRA is assisting thecommunities to grow the Moringaoleifera plant, which has been found tocontain high nutritious and medicinalproperties and it has appealed to thecommunities to use it in the preparationof their food. According to ADRA'sWinneba area Field Project Officer, the12-month programme would covermalnourished children between the agesof six and 59 months. (Source: JoyOnline, Ghana, 12 March 2007.)

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Ensure environmental sustainability (Goal 7) This goal relates to the protection of theresource base, without which it may not bepossible to reach the other goals throughthe use of NWFPs. The goal suggests theneed to integrate principles of sustainabledevelopment into country policies andreverse the loss of natural resources.There are several indicators for the goaland target but the most pertinent one in

relation to NWFPs is the proportion of landcovered by forests and the ratio of areaprotected to maintain biological diversity.

Many NWFPs are found in forested areasand therefore forest resources should beharvested in a sustainable manner. Theenvironmental impact of extracting NWFPsis dependent on the species, the partsharvested and the relationship betweenplants and animals in an ecosystem. Forestand biodiversity sustainability can beensured through conducting resourceinventories. Growth and yield models canalso help to determine sustainableharvesting levels. Such biometrics arenecessary to help maintain species, avoidoverharvesting and plan and prioritizeharvesting of NWFPs.

Environmental sustainability is also linkedwith economic and social sustainability. Asudden demand for a product and thepromise of short-term gains and poorenvironmental information could lead to theextinction of certain species. Therefore,before supplying species to meet marketdemand and ensure their sustainability,subsector market analysis could be used.For instance, a market analysis anddevelopment plan could be used to assesswhat potential customers want to buy andthen decide how to proceed to producing,processing, promoting and distributing theproduct. It is a good tool to assess potentialbeneficiaries, partners, human resources,physical infrastructure and communicationnetworks in order that producers andconsumers can benefit from NWFPs throughan efficient and ecologically less harmfulway of marketing such resources. Variouseconomic analyses can also be conductedbefore deciding to harvest NWFPs such asprofit, cost and revenue analysis.

Environmental sustainability is alsodependent upon the relationship betweendifferent actors with different interests.Various social impact assessments canhelp determine not only what resources areused by whom, but also how people relateto one another that suggest how economicbenefits are distributed among households,for instance. Understanding land tenure,for example, can help determine who areable to benefit from what types ofresources and, thereby, assessment of thetype and extent to which a resource can beextracted. The relationship between peopleand resources serves as a window tounderstanding environmentalsustainability. Social impact assessmentscould be carried out in the form of baseline

studies to obtain information on thecondition of the setting with more detailedstudies analysing issues of well-being,equity and risks involved in using NWFPs.

Develop a global partnership fordevelopment (Goal 8) One of the targets of this goal is to developan open, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory trading system that includesaspects of good governance, developmentand poverty reduction. The second target,which relates to addressing special needsto least developed countries that takes intoaccount tariff and quota-free access forleast developed countries’ exports, is alsoapplicable, especially since NWFPs faceboth tariff and non-tariff barriers ininternational markets. Tariffs, safetyregulations, quotas and technicalstandards are the most common barriersplaced on the south by the north. However,developing countries of the south alsoimpose barriers, such as tariffs that arefour times higher than those in developedcountries, which restrict export trade inorder to raise revenue for the government.

There are also various internationaltrade agreements that could imposerestrictions and also promote opportunitiessuch as the World Trade Organization. Withregard to non-tariff measures, speciesprotection and health and safetyregulations can be imposed. For instance,the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species (CITES) of Wild Faunaand Flora regulates the trade of threatenedplants and animals. The Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) focuses onbiodiversity conservation while promotingsharing of benefits from the use of geneticresources. In order to ensure health andsafety regulations, phytosanitaryregulations are placed on exportingcountries. And finally, bans and boycottscan also play a restrictive role.

THE ROLE OF MORINGA OLEIFERA INREACHING THE MDGS IN NIGERIA

A water filter, which uses the local plantMoringa oleifera, has been developedby the non-governmental organization(NGO) Rural Africa Water DevelopmentProject (RAWDP) to help purify waterfor domestic use in several communities(both rural and urban) in the Nigerdelta area of Nigeria. Moringa oleifera,which grows widely in several parts ofthe country, is known in the Yorubalanguage as ewe ile; gawara in Fulani;baga-ruwar maka in Hausa; while theIbos call it odudu oyibo.

The project involves the productionof sand water filters and the use ofnatural coagulative properties in thepowdered seeds of the Moringaoleifera tree to purify water for use bypoor households. The ProjectCoordinator of RAWDP believes thatthe filter technology developed by theorganization is key to achieving thewater MDGs in Nigeria. He says, “Wehave about 63 million Nigerianswithout access to clean water”. Hebelieves that the Nigerian Governmentshould encourage the massivecultivation of Moringa trees by allhouseholds and the empowerment ofpeople to produce the Mor SandsWater Filters. “Everybody should planta Moringa tree in their compound, sothat when it grows, its fruits can beused to filter unclean water.”

The Moringa tree can be plantedanywhere, it grows wild and has thebenefit of stopping erosion. It hasfibrous roots and leaves an antibioticeffect on the soil. Its bark and rootsalso have medicinal properties. (Source:This Day, Nigeria, 10 April 2007.)

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Conclusions and future steps The MDGs that have been addressed areinextricably linked. There is more to gainfrom synergistic efforts to achieve thegoals so that they are not treatedindividually and competitively. Therefore,the most important policyrecommendation is to develop cross-sectoral policies. For instance, developingthe harvesting and processing of a majorNWFP not only has the potential to helpharvesters move away from a poverty trapsituation (Goal 1), but also to increaseincomes from a product with a strong localand international market. If efforts aremade to improve an NWFP throughbuilding global partnerships (Goal 7),incomes could potentially rise whileensuring environmental sustainability(Goal 8) through certification programmes.Secure resource access could allowchildren to have nutritious edible NWFPsto prevent hunger and disease (Goals 1 and4). If women could gain access to income-earning opportunities (Goal 3), they wouldbe able not only to escape from extremepoverty (Goal 1) but also to reinvest theirincomes and, for example, send theirchildren to school (Goal 2) and improve thefamily diet to lower child mortality (Goal 4).Finally, in order to combat diseases suchas malaria and HIV/AIDS, a sustainableresource base is needed because NWFPs,such as medicinal plants, could be asource of direct or indirect treatment,especially if their efficacy is proven. Inaddition to protecting the resource base(Goal 7), it is crucial to invest in women’sincome-earning opportunities to preventincreasing poverty and hunger (Goals 1and 3), especially if the women’s husbandsare ill or have died from HIV/AIDS, thuseliminating the possibility of earning anincome.

A cross-sectoral policy approach willhelp target several goals at the same time.With this approach, certain goals may havegreater impact than others through theuse of NWFPs. Using NWFPs to helpachieve the MDGs should be prioritized asfollows.

• Eradicating poverty will have a positiveimpact on the other goals. Byconducting market research andconnecting local and internationalmarkets, marginal groups, particularlywomen, could have access to income-earning opportunities. Findingresources to sell would be extremelybeneficial as incomes could bereinvested into other goals such aseducation and better access tonutrition and health.

• Another objective to be prioritized formultiple goals to be achieved is thefinancial empowerment of women. Iffinancial resources and marketingskills were to be transferred to womenas a form of empowerment, povertyand hunger would decrease sincestudies have shown that women tendto reinvest their income to improvetheir families’ living standards throughbetter nutrition and education,especially targeting children. Investingin women would also decrease theimpact on families who lose their malebreadwinner to illnesses such asHIV/AIDS.

• The third objective, of equalimportance to the above, isenvironmental sustainability. If naturalresources are destroyed, none of theother goals can be achieved throughNWFPs. Ensuring environmentalsustainability involves obtainingbiometric information to determine towhat extent an NWFP can be harvested

and in what manner. However,environmental sustainability must alsobe linked with economic and socialsustainability.

There is a great deal of potential inusing NWFPs to target almost all theMDGs. By using a cross-sectoral policyapproach, it is more likely that many goalswill be achieved simultaneously, ifcarefully planned.

Achieving the MDGs through NWFPs willbe a challenge, but not an impossible one. (Source: Policy brief researched andwritten by M. Chaudhury while working asa volunteer with FAO’s NWFP Programme.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr Moushumi Chaudhury, PO Box 6012, Gulshan Post Office, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.E-mail: [email protected];www.millenniumindicators.un.org �

MDG no. Goal Positive NWFP/MDG links

1 Eradicate extreme poverty Safety nets to prevent extremeand hunger poverty and hunger

3 Promote gender equality Financial empowerment of womenand empower women

4 Reduce child mortality Nutritional intake from edible NWFPs

6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and Medicinal plants could be cures;other diseases NWFPs could be easy and fast sources of

nutrition and income

7 Ensure environmental sustainability Possible to assess sustainability

8 Develop a global partnership Development of internationalfor development NWFP market

Links between non-wood forest products and Millennium Development Goals

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BIODIVERSITY AND THEDIETS AND HEALTH OFFOREST DWELLERS

Most societies recognize that food,medicine and health are interrelated. Foodis typically associated with cultural identityand social well-being. Indigenous peoples’foods form part of rich knowledge systems.Traditional food systems typically draw onlocal biodiversity and are based on localproduction and management of land andspecific environments.

Ethnobiological literature documentsthe historical and current importance of anarray of resources consumed bycommunities living in and around theworld’s forests. It also demonstrates therichness of the traditional knowledge ofindigenous and local communities relatedto the gathering and hunting of plant andanimal foods and the medicinal value offorest species. From a wide range ofecosystems, some 7 000 of the earth’splant species have been documented asgathered or grown for food, and thousandsmore have medicinal properties.

From a nutritional perspective, forestenvironments offer ample sources ofanimal (vertebrate and invertebrate)protein and fat, complemented by plant-derived carbohydrates from fruits andtubers and they provide diverse options forobtaining a balance of essential vitaminsand minerals from leafy vegetables, fruits,nuts and other plant parts. Although manyforest types have scant wild sources ofcarbohydrates, this lack can be overcome

through forest-based agriculturalproduction of cereals (such as maize), rootsand tubers (such as cassava and yams) orbananas. Similarly, traditional cultivationsystems drawing on agrobiodiversity canmake adequate food available in spite ofpotential intermittent and seasonalshortages of many forest foods. Thus forestfood resources can provide a valuablesafety net when there is a shortage of foodcrops. Undoubtedly forest biodiversity isthe basis of nutritional sufficiency for somepopulations. Forest products such as thefruits of Mauritia vinifera and otherBrazilian palms rich in provitamin A (beta-carotene and other carotenoids), arerecognized as exceptional nutrient sources.However, the nutrient composition of mostwild species and minor crops has beenpoorly studied.

Links between food and health areincreasingly understood in terms of thefunctional benefits provided byphytochemicals, including numerouscarotenoids and phenolics, apart from theirvalue as essential nutrients. Stimulants ofimmunity and antioxidant, glycaemic andlipidaemic agents can moderatecommunicable and non-communicablediseases such as diabetes, cancer andcardiovascular illness. Guava, for example,is rich in the antioxidant lycopene, whichhas recognized anticancer properties.Many nuts have a high content of specificoils such as omega-3 fatty acids (walnuts)and mono-unsaturated fatty acids(almonds, macadamias, pistachios,hazelnuts) that reduce the risk ofcardiovascular and other diseases. Argannuts (Argania spinosa) from thesouthwestern part of Morocco offer similarbenefits, but many forest species withcommercial potential have not beencharacterized for their specific fatty acidcomposition. The leaves of many forestspecies are rich sources of xanthophyllsthat contribute to optimal eye function.Examples include leaves of Gnetum spp.and Adansonia digitata (baobab), which arewidely eaten in sub-Saharan Africa, andCnidoscolus acontifolius, which is locallyimportant as a vegetable in CentralAmerica.

While these kinds of functionalproperties of foods are seldom recognizedby local communities without the benefit ofscientific analyses, people often attributevalue in treating or preventing disease toparticular foods. Indeed the distinctionbetween food and medicine that

characterizes scientific perspectivesstands in contrast with traditional conceptsof health that recognize the therapeuticand sustaining values of food moreholistically.

The widespread use of roots, barks andother forest plant parts as medicinesappears to offer public health benefits, butthese are difficult to validate scientifically.Ethnobotanical studies in tropical forestareas typically document knowledge ofhundreds of species within localcommunities and the widespread use ofplants in primary health care. Much of therecorded data on the use of medicinalplants are anecdotal and idiosyncratic, andtheir specific contribution to the health ofindividuals cannot be effectively evaluatedwithout controlled investigations.Ethnopharmacological research, includingclinical studies, demonstrates the efficacyof many traditional remedies while failingto substantiate the pharmacological valueof many others. Long-term epidemiologicalstudies would be needed to confirm thecontribution of specific remedies,phytomedicines or foods to the health ofpopulations. Even these remain inadequateto measure the efficacy and contributionsof traditional healing practices to physicaland mental health.

Nonetheless, for forest-based societiesthat draw on traditional knowledge formost of their subsistence needs, the use ofa diversity of resources can be expected tocontribute to health. Although manytraditional subsistence systems depend onone or more staples such as cassava, sago,rice or maize, these diets are kept diverseand balanced through small butcomplementary amounts of animal-sourcefoods including birds, fish, insects andmolluscs, as well as sauces, condiments,snacks and beverages obtained fromplants. (Source: Unasylva, 57(224): 34–36.)

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“Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs)consist of goods of biological originother than wood, derived from forests,other wooded land and trees outsideforests.”«Les produits forestiers non ligneuxsont des biens d’origine biologiqueautres que le bois, dérivés des forêts,des autres terres boisées, et des arbreshors forêts.»«Productos forestales no madererosson los bienes de origen biológicodistintos de la madera derivados de losbosques, de otras tierras boscosas y delos árboles fuera de los bosques.»

(FAO’s working definition)

Adansonia digitata



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BIOPROSPECTING/BENEFIT SHARING OR BIOPIRACY?

Brazil regains açaí trademark from Japan Açaí once again belongs to Brazil. Thistypical fruit from Amazonia was registeredin Japan in 2003 as a trademark of the K.K.Eyela Corporation. Early this month, theGenetic Heritage Department of theMinistry of the Environment stated that theaçaí trademark had been cancelled byorder of the Japan Patent Office, the agencyresponsible for trademarks in Japan. Thedecision is not final – the company still has30 days in which it can file an appeal. If thecompany fails to counterclaim thetrademark, the case is closed.

The Government has produced a long listof 3 000 scientific names of plants ofBrazilian biodiversity, together with theircommon names, which swells the list to 5 000 names, and has distributed it totrademark registrars throughout the worldin order to prevent another case like thisone appearing. (Source: O Estado de SãoPaulo, 21 February 2007.)

Es hora de registrar los conocimientostradicionales de Bolivia para enfrentar a la biopiratería El Servicio Nacional de PropiedadIntelectual (SENAPI) se ha propuestosistematizar y registrar los conocimientostradicionales, las expresiones del folklore,los ritos y rituales e inclusive la artesaníaboliviana con el fin de proteger estosaportes históricos de las comunidadesindígenas que corren el riesgo defragmentarse, desaparecer o hastasucumbir ante la biopiratería.

En su milenaria convivencia con sushábitats, los pueblos indígenas y campesinoshan ido desarrollado experienciassostenibles de manejo de los recursosnaturales, y sobre todo han aprendido a darvarios usos a las especies de animales yvegetales. Los conocimientos tradicionalesestán estrechamente vinculados a la nociónde territorio.

El consultor de la Organización Mundialde Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) JavierCorro fue contratado por el SENAPI pararealizar un diagnóstico sobre la protecciónde este tipo de conocimientos en Boliviacon el objetivo de crear, a mediano y largoplazo, una Unidad de Registro deConocimientos Tradicionales.

Se trata de una titánica labor tomandoen cuenta que en Bolivia habitan más de 30

grupos étnicos, los cuales poseenidentidades culturales diversas y variasformas de relación con el territorio y labiodiversidad. En términos biológicos,Bolivia es un país megadiverso.Existenmás de 14 mil especies catalogadas sólo enplantas vasculares, es decir plantassuperiores y no se sabe cuántas de éstasplantas tienen relación cultural conpoblaciones humanas. Fuente: Bolpress, La Paz, 27 de febrero2007.

Hands off our genes, say Pacific islanders Pacific islanders are demanding the powerto restrict patenting of their human, plantand animal genes, even if they run foul ofinternational patent laws. A new bookdocuments 16 “acrimonious” encountersbetween scientific researchers andindigenous communities and calls forPacific states to take a united approach togaining control over such patents in theregion.

The book, Pacific genes and life patents,is published by the internationalindigenous activist group Call of the Earthand the United Nations University in Tokyo.Coeditor of the book, Aroha Mead of theVictoria University of Wellington in NewZealand, says that lack of regulation andknowledge about the latest genetictechnologies and intellectual patent lawhas made the region a major target forcommercial gene hunters. The book says amajor problem is that communitiesinvolved in research often do not giveinformed consent.

Scientific research and patenting mayoffend deeply held cultural values, sayscoeditor Dr Steven Ratuva, of the Universityof the South Pacific in Fiji. He says thatpatents on genes in medicinal plantsconflict with the traditional view that theseplants are common property, available for

all. While fair compensation for exploitingindigenous knowledge can be important,there are other issues at stake, saysRatuva. “It's not only a matter of money,”he says. “There are certain aspects of theculture which a lot of communities thinkcannot be bought or sold.” He says thatrecognition of local people's world viewmust be part of the process in working outany patent or bioprospecting agreements.

Pacific genes and life patents can bedownloaded from: www.earthcall.org/en/publications/index.html (Source: ABCScience Online, 20 March 2007.)

China moves to protect traditionalknowledge Legislators in southwest China's Guizhouprovince are mulling a regulation aimed atprotecting property rights for traditionalknowledge, especially that relating tobiological resources.

For centuries the Miao ethnic group insouthwestern China extracted herbalremedies to combat colds, coughs andpneumonia from a type of grass calledguanyin cao. But their failure to patent theirtraditional knowledge has seen themdeprived of the chance to profit from it, saidAn Shouhai, vice-head of the Guizhouprovincial bureau of intellectual propertyrights. The case of the Miao is an example ofbiopiracy, said An. A foreign company pre-empted the Miao by patenting the remediesderived from guanyin cao and is now makinga fortune from it.

The forthcoming regulation is an effort tofight against biopiracy. China currently hasno laws and regulations to protect traditionalknowledge or species such as guanyin cao.(Source: Xinhua [China], 3 March 2007.)

Peru creates online biodiversity register Peru has created an online system with fullpublic access to regulate biodiversityresearch. The measure should ensurePeru's authority over its native geneticheritage, according to a press release fromthe National Institute of Natural Resources(INRENA), which will run the system.

INRENA is already working onimplementing the system, which should becompletely operational in two months. Itincludes a database showing in real time thenational and international research beingdone with genetic resources native to Peru.

The system will include a register ofresearchers who have applied for a permitto work in protected sites, forests andwildlife habitats. Both local and

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international researchers will be asked toprovide a research proposal and a letter ofauthority from their supporting institution.If the application is accepted, a permit willbe automatically issued within two weeks.INRENA will work with the relevantauthorities to decide what information willbe requested from researchers. Thissystem will enable the tracking of scientificcollection activities both inside and outsideprotected areas. And by centralizinginformation about research on geneticresources, it should also allow authoritiesto prioritize proposed research.

Brazil announced a similar systemearlier this month. (Source: SciDev.Net, 22March 2007.)

BIRCH DISTILLATE HELPS IN CONTROLLINGAGRICULTURAL WEEDSAND PESTS

MTT Agrifood Research Finland is studyingthe possibilities of distillate made of birchin controlling agricultural weeds and pests.

Originally birch distillate was a by-product in charcoal production. The firstidea of using the distillate in controllingpests was found in national traditions. ForCharcoal Finland, birch distillate is nolonger only a by-product but is a very goodproduct for preventing the smell ofcompost. Moreover, painting a paddockfence with birch distillate stops horses fromgnawing the fence. Farmers who havetrouble with elks have found it useful tomoisten wood pellets with birch distillateand hang them from the branches of trees.However, it is not possible to claim publiclythat elks or other animals can be controlledwith birch distillate, because its actualcomposition is not known. This is what MTTAgrifood Research Finland plans to discover.

The amount of birch distillate producedin connection with charcoal production isnot negligible: 1 000 litres of distillate from20 m3 of birch used. MTT AgrifoodResearch Finland is working on the bestways of using birch distillate. Judging bythe tests it has made, both in greenhousesand on open fields, birch distillate has awide scope. It destroys weeds found withcarrots with no detriment to the carrot. Italso repels pests, such as molluscs,gastropods and snails.

There are almost no negative effectsfound in birch distillate. Living organisms inthe soil are not harmed by it, but instead

may actually benefit in one way or another.The chemical alternatives of birch distillateare much more harmful, for example, forwater insects and plants, as well as forfish. It is harmless for humans.

It will take about three years to analysethe composition of birch distillate and toregister it as a pesticide will take a fewmore years. Only after registration can it bemarketed as a pesticide. (Source: HannesMäntyranta, forest.fi, 10 January 2007.)

CHEWING GUM

Chewing gum marketGum is big business – and it is gettingbigger. The global chewing and bubble gummarket is now worth around UK£10 billion,according to Cadbury Schweppes’s directorof global gum.

It is growing at 8 percent per year –double the rate of the sweets market andsignificantly higher than chocolate’s 5 percent. In most countries, sales aresurging, driven by gum’s popularity as apreferable alternative to high-caloriesnacks and cigarettes, as well as improvedgum recipes and packaging.

That is why Cadbury, which entered thegum business after buying Adams, theAmerican confectionery group, for £2.7 billion in 2003, is so keen to expand itschewing gum activities. This month itentered the United Kingdom with thelaunch of Trident, taking the fight toWrigley, the market leader. (Source: TimesOnline, 2 April 2007.)

Chewing gum timelineThe ancient Greeks chewed mastiche – achewing gum made from the resin of themastic tree. The ancient Mayans chewedchicle which is the sap from the sapodillatree. North American Indians chewed thesap from spruce trees and passed the habitalong to the settlers. Early American

settlers made a chewing gum from sprucesap and beeswax. In 1848, John B. Curtis made and sold thefirst commercial chewing gum called theState of Maine Pure Spruce Gum. In 1850,Curtis started selling flavoured paraffingums that became more popular thanspruce gums. On 28 December 1869,William Finley Semple became the firstperson to patent a chewing gum – USpatent no. 98 304.

In 1871, Thomas Adams patented amachine for the manufacture of gum. In 1880,John Colgan invented a way to make chewinggum taste better for a longer period of timewhile being chewed. By 1888, an Adams'chewing gum called Tutti-Frutti became thefirst to be sold in a vending machine. (Source:http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/a/gum.htm)

Chicle: how gum works Americans spend something like US$2billion a year on gum. The averageAmerican munches more than a pound(0.45 kg) of it every year.

The original chewing gum is a naturalproduct. It is made from a rubberycompound called chicle that comes fromthe sapodilla tree. A cut into its barkproduces a rubbery sap, which is the basefor natural chewing gum. In the same waythat one could chew on a rubber band allday long without it disappearing, you canchew on chicle all day long. Chicle is anatural rubber.

In the late 1800s, people discovered thatyou can flavour chicle. You take a chunk ofchicle, heat it up a bit to melt it, and thenstart mixing sugar and flavours into it.

The only problem with chicle is thatthere is not enough of it to go around. Thereare not nearly enough sapodilla trees to

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It is quite difficult to imagine that chewinggum is one of the oldest types of sweet inthe world. Archaeologists have actuallyfound evidence that prehistoric men andwomen used to chew on tree resinbecause of its flavour. This was more thana thousand years ago. It was alsodiscovered that many cultures chewed onsome form of gum. The ancient Greekscalled tree resin mastiche and chewed itto clean their teeth and freshen theirbreath. (Source: Business Portal 24 [pressrelease], 30 March 2007.)

Chewing gum in prehistoric times



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supply the world with gum base. Today justabout every piece of chewing gum on themarket contains an artificial gum baseinstead of chicle. The gum base is just likeany other plastic or synthetic rubber in usetoday. The goal is to create a tasteless,artificial rubber that has the same kind oftemperature profile and consistency asnatural chicle. (Source: HowStuffWorks.com [in Belleville News-Democrat, UnitedStates of America], 27 March 2007.)

ENTREPRENEURS DON'T GROW ON TREES

Entrepreneurs don't grow on trees – butwith a little help from FAO, poor familiesaround the world are starting their ownsmall forest businesses.

An innovative new approach from FAO ishelping poor people around the world to turntrees into cash income, without felling trees.“It's not just timber companies that benefitfrom forests – about 1.6 billion peopleworldwide depend on them for all or part oftheir livelihoods,” says Sophie Grouwels ofFAO's Forestry Department. “And they oftendo so in ways that don't always involvecutting down trees, but through harvestingof renewable, non-wood forest products.”

Fruits, nuts, herbs and spices, resins,gums, fibres – all these non-wood forestproducts provide poor families around theworld with food, nutrition and income.Indeed, some 80 percent of the populationof developing countries use such productsin one way or another to meet health andnutritional needs.

“We believe that people could do evenmore with these renewable resources inorder to fight hunger and poverty,” saysGrouwels. “Perhaps there are moreefficient ways to harvest them. Maybe theycould be processed into a product that sellsfor more in local markets, or evenmarketed overseas.”

That is why FAO's Forestry Departmentestablished its Community-based Tree andForest Enterprise Development (CBED)Programme with funding from theNorwegian Government. The project helpspoor communities set up and sustain smallbusinesses while giving them incentives tomanage and protect their resource basebetter, allowing them to tap the wealth ofnearby forest resources without depletingthem.

In CBED projects, FAO teams up withgovernment extension agents and NGOs to

work with forest communities and learn howthey are making use of available forestproducts. Using a participatory learningprocess, detailed surveys of local forestresources are conducted, studies of localand regional markets are undertaken andnew product, manufacturing and marketingopportunities are identified. At the sametime, the communities draw upmanagement plans for the sustainable useof the targeted natural resources anddevelop business plans for pilot enterprises,which run from harvesting, production andprocessing to marketing.

FAO recently collaborated with theGovernment of the Lao People's DemocraticRepublic to implement a CBED project inthat country, where 41 percent of thenational territory is covered by forests and 80percent of the population live in rural areas.Six pilot projects were established in thepoorest part of the country, where annualhousehold incomes average from US$200 to$800. The project’s results so far have beenextremely encouraging. In Ban Lack village,where a grassroots cooperative was alreadyengaged in manufacturing rattan table andchair sets, project participants learned newdesigns and bettered their productiontechniques in order to improve productquality and lower production costs. Now theyare earning 20 percent more on each set thatthey sell, and are earning more thanks to anew roadside sales point. A group of womenin the nearby Ban Nathong village haveidentified a new market for mushrooms,established a growing house, madeconnections with retailers and boosted theirmonthly incomes by US$108.

All in all, ten community-level businessesemploying 239 people were established.Increases in the incomes of participatinghouseholds ranged from US$5 to $70 permonth – 15 to 50 percent more than theywere making before. At the same time, smallvillage development funds were establishedusing the profits as a way to provide localswith access to the credit needed to createnew or scale-up existing operations.Grouwels hopes that these ten pilot projectswill be the inspiration for many more.

Helping forest communities to helpthemselves is only part of the solution,according to Grouwels. Governments need tomake a more explicit link betweenantipoverty efforts, forest resourcemanagement and economic developmentprogrammes. This is why FAO's CBEDproject brings national and local officials intothe process early on, to educate them and

provide them with the awareness andknowledge needed to continue providingcommunities with the necessary support.Once pilot projects have been established,FAO meets with policy-makers and plannersto talk about larger structural and legalbottlenecks that inhibit small-scale forestenterprise development, with a view toeffecting reforms.(Source: FAO Newsroom, 13 February 2007.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Sophie Grouwels, Forestry Officer, Community-based Enterprise Development (CBED), Forest Policy Service, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome,Italy. Fax: (39) 06 570 55514; e-mail: [email protected];www.fao.org/forestry/site/35689/en

FEMALEENTREPRENEURS IN THE NWFP WORLD

Israel's Bedouin women turn desertplants into skin remediesThe Bedouin town of Tel Sheva in the Negevdesert was founded in 1968 as part of agovernment project to settle Bedouins inpermanent communities. Unemploymentamong the town's 30 000 inhabitants isrunning high and there is little urban orindustrial infrastructure. So why has thissettlement been attracting so manyvisitors? The reason is a new project to helpBedouin women turn native plants andflowers into skin remedies.

Set up two years ago, Asala DesertNature is nearing its commercial launch,with a range of unique skin care productsbased on traditional Bedouin herbal lore,due to reach the Israeli market in the nextfour to six months. Sales to Europe willbegin hopefully next year.

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The Asala project was founded when thelocal community centre in Tel Shevaapproached the Center for Jewish-ArabEconomic Development (CJAED), a non-profit organization founded in 1988 topromote economic cooperation betweenIsrael's Jews and Arabs, with the idea ofsetting up a training programme for womenusing desert plants found in the Negev.

The CJAED's Women's EmpowermentUnit trained women from scratch, teachingthem everything they might need to know inorder to run a successful business in thefield. To learn more about the plants andtheir role in Bedouin life, the womeninterviewed their mothers, grandmothersand other elderly female relatives. Tostrengthen this folk knowledge, the womenalso underwent a training programme inmedicinal plants.

Though the group plans eventually tocreate a line of medicinal, nutritional andskin care products, they decided to focus atfirst on skin care. “If you live in the Negevdesert, the conditions are very harsh onyour skin and you have to look after it,”explains Kiram Baloum, the director of theWomen's Unit. “That's their niche.”

Originally the women of Asala planned tobuild their own laboratory, but theydiscovered it was going to be too expensive.Instead they contacted Hlavin, aninternational cosmetics manufacturer andexporter, which agreed to let Asala use itslaboratories in Ra'anana. Hlavin carried outa feasibility study of its own, which showeda promising market for Asala products inEurope.

The goal now is for the women to growthe plants and condense them into aformula of either olive oil or alcohol. Hlavinwill take these formulas and turn them intoa range of products that Asala will thenmarket under its own name.

Most of the women involved in theproject are married with children and allhave the support of their husbands.(Source: Israel 21C, 19 February 2007.)

JagritiJagriti is a community-based women'sorganization in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh,India. It consists of over 900 poor hill womenorganized into savings and credit groups.One of the areas of activity and interest isvalue addition to the fruits of wild apricot,peach and walnut. The organization is nowmaking cold pressed oil from the kernels ofthese wild species. The women membersare engaged in this process and are

to NWFPs. (Contributed by: MamtaChandar, Director, Jagriti, # 341, Ward 12,Shishamati, Kullu 175101, HP, India.Tel./fax: 91-1902-226537. E-mail: [email protected];[email protected];www.jagritikullu.org)

Using knowledge handed down fromgenerations to produce commercialproductsKnowledge and skills handed down fromgeneration to generation have found a newlease of life in the production of marketablegoods to provide much-needed cash for localproducers.

During the Committee on Forestry(COFO), which took place at FAOheadquarters from 13 to 16 March 2007, FAOdistributed folders and other materialsmade by villagers in the Lao People'sDemocratic Republic and Guatemala usinglocal handicrafts.

Weaving bamboo to produce mats is atraditional knowledge in the Lao People'sDemocratic Republic, handed down fromgeneration to generation by women. It is avaluable tangible national heritage that thegovernment is making efforts to preserve.

Tapping into this knowledge, FAO askedthe villagers of Ban Lak 62 to producefolders for COFO made of bamboo sheets.The initiative is part of an FAO projectlaunched in 2004 to help local communitiesdevelop businesses and market theirproducts to obtain greater profit forartisans themselves. ThongdeuaneKeomany, who has studied bamboohandicrafts for more than ten years, taughtthe women in the village of Ban Lak 62 thebasics of bamboo weaving – a tradition thatwas in danger of being lost. She thenhelped the women to produce not onlysimple items but also more complexproducts of a quality that would be goodenough to meet international marketrequirements.

At the same time, FAO has helped thewomen to establish links with national andregional markets to buy the products. Theresult has been that the weavers have beenable to increase their incomes from 40 to 50percent. Another positive outcome is that thevillagers have started to pay more attentionto how they manage bamboo as a valuablenatural resource on a sustainable basis.

Symbolically, a woven mat is synonymousto a “council” in pre-Columbian Mayaculture, where dignitaries discussed publicmatters while squatting on a woven mat.

AFRICAN WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT FUND

The African Women's DevelopmentFund (AWDF) funds local, national,subregional and regional organizationsin Africa working towards women'sempowerment. It is an institutionalcapacity-building and programmedevelopment fund, which aims to helpbuild a culture of learning andpartnerships within the Africanwomen's movement. In addition toawarding grants, the AWDF attemptsto strengthen the organizationalcapacities of its grantees. It funds workin five thematic areas: women's humanrights; political participation; peacebuilding; health and reproductiverights; and HIV/AIDS economicempowerment. The AWDF gives grantsin three cycles every year. Applicationscan be sent in at any time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE

CONTACT:

The African Women's Development Fund,

25 Yiyiwa Street, Abelenkpe, PMB CT 89,

Cantonments, Accra, Ghana. Fax: + 233 21

782502; e-mail: [email protected] or

[email protected]; www.awdf.org

encouraged to plant these trees in theirmarginal lands with a view to boostingproduction of wild or semi-wild fruits.

In addition, the organization is growingnurseries of medicinal plants that arethreatened in the wild, such as Picrorhizakurrooa, Dioscorea deltoidea, aconites andvalerians of two species.

We feel that women's economicsituations can be vastly improved throughsystematic conservation and value addition

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Similarly, FAO involved a local village inGuatemala in the production of cords forbuilding passes for participants attendingCOFO using local skills, with the help ofMaya Republic, a local NGO.

Hand weaving, using waist looms, is atraditional practice of Mayan women inGuatemala. Originally, this was done tocreate fine traditional cloth. However, thebeauty, high quality of the textile andtourism have helped to diversify and openmarkets for products made using thisancient technique. For the production of thecords, 80 women from the village of SanAntonio Aguacalientes worked in their sparetime. The colours used to make the cordscame from natural ingredients found in thewoods: green and blue were extracted fromtree bark, fruits, leaves and herbs; and red,orange and brown were extracted from aninsect that lives in a local cactus.

Beyond their use at this internationalcommittee meeting, the cords are beingmarketed as a new product introduced tothe local market to enhance further thepreservation and use of Mayan traditionalknowledge and culture. (Source: FAOForestry Newsroom, 5 March 2007.)

Shea butter sales change African women’splightLittle do buyers of cosmetics containingshea butter realize that sales of this age-old beauty-boosting nut are helping legionsof African women to feed their children andsend them to school.

Off a dirt track in the shanty town ofGounghin, on the edge of the capital ofBurkina Faso, Evelyne Kabole and HonorineIlboudo haul heavy buckets of water andknead shea paste in large plastic basins.Both are widows with six mouths to feed.They belong to the Songtaab-YalgreAssociation, which in the language of thelocal Mossi people means “help each other”.

Set up in 1990 to teach women to readand write, the association is now dedicatedto shea butter production. It has 1 174members, 60 of whom live in Gounghin andthe others in villages outside the capitalOuagadougou.

Shea butter, commonly known as karité,derives from a fruit that grows on the sheanut tree (Butyrospermum parkii) found onlyin Africa’s dry Sahel belt from Cape Verde toChad. The tall sacred trees scattered aroundvillages cannot be planted. They grow alone,bearing fruit only after 25 years and thenonly once every three seasons, but theirlifespan is about two hundred years.

For as long as anyone can remember,African women have been using buttermade from the seed found inside the sheanut for cooking, healing and moisturizingskin and hair. Rich in vitamins A, E and F,all antiwrinkle, moisturizing and skinregeneration agents, the seed alsocontains latex, which is good for skinelasticity, as well as steroids for musclesand it protects against the sun.

Promoted by cosmetics brands such asL’Oréal, the Body Shop and L’Occitane, thepopularity of shea butter products hasincreased considerably over the years, withNigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso as the topproducers. For Burkina Faso, shea butter isthe second export item after cotton.

“Women in villages across the countryharvest the nuts,” Kassoum Soudre, thefinance officer for the country’s ProjectKarité, said. “We try to organize them ingroups, provide them with equipment orcredits and help them improve production.”

In the Ghounghin women’s self-helpcooperative, the nuts, once shaken off thetrees and dried in the sun, are pounded inelectric grinders to separate the seedsfrom the shells. They are then ground into apaste. Bent in two, women workers beatthe paste by hand for 20 minutes until itbecomes butter. Once separated, it isheated, filtered, cooled and either sold asbutter or made into soaps and creams.

Most of the work is done by hand; profitsare shared and the association is run by thewomen themselves. With no intermediariesinvolved, domestic and foreign salescomply with fair trade conditions.

The initiative is in line with the tenetsupheld on International Women’s Day,celebrated each year on 8 March. Indeveloping countries the day has focusednotably on empowering women to take partin the economic as well as the political lifeof their countries. (Source: The Peninsulaonline, Qatar, 7 March 2007.) (See page 36for information on female entrepreneurs inHonduras.)

HISTORY OF FORESTRY AS IT DEVELOPED INCENTRAL EUROPE

For the first time, FAO has displayed ahistorical collection of rare forestry booksdating back to the eighteenth century thatprovide a snapshot in time of the state offorest research as it first developed inCentral Europe and evolved through thebeginning of the twentieth century.

Acquired from the International Center ofSilviculture (CIS), the first permanentinternational forestry organization founded inBerlin in 1939, the collection is the first everattempt to document worldwide allpublications related to forestry by scientists.The goal of the library was to establishannual updated bibliographies of forest-related literature from European countries.

With a considerable number of valuablebooks, mostly in German, dating back to theeighteenth century, the collection offers aunique glimpse into the beginnings offorestry as a science as it first developed inCentral Europe.

The collection is also special in that itsurvived the Second World War. Scientistsmade arduous efforts to protect it from thewar by asking extraterritorial rights for thelibrary and the protection of the Swedishembassy. In 1944, with the assistance of thecentre’s Secretary General, scientiststhemselves drove and moved the books inlorries at their own risk, from Berlin toSalzburg. When fighting seemed imminent inSalzburg in 1945, the scientists moved thebooks again to a castle, a mine and some toRamsau in Austria, to keep them protected.Most of the collection therefore remainedintact throughout the war. Eventually in 1951,at the end of the war, the collection wastransferred to the FAO premises in Rome,which succeeded the CIS.

The collection is significant for itshistorical and scientific value. It includesbooks authored by renowned scientists whoestablished forestry as a science, such asHumboldt, Brehm, Cotta, Hartig, Pfeil,Pressler and Brandis. It also covers botany,zoology, silviculture, growth and yield, andforest engineering.

“No other such collection exists in anyother library worldwide,” said ElizabethJohann, an expert in forestry history, whoreviewed and assessed the collection andorganized the exhibit. “It demonstrates thatsustainable forest management dates backto the eighteenth century and thatinternational collaboration within the

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scientific community continued even in timesof war and national disagreements.” (Source:FAO Forestry Newsroom, 5 March 2007.)

MAN FINDS WAY TO GROWFAMED FRENCH TRUFFLE

The legendary French Périgord truffle(Tuber melanosporum) has found its way toEast Tennessee (United States of America),the first in the state. Thomas Michaels, abotanist with a Ph.D. and a plant pathologist,has figured out how to grow the famed fungiin the tree root system of hazel nut and oaktrees. He has harvested his first crop.Knoxville chefs were his first customers,paying about $800 per pound (0.45 kg),which is cheap considering the worldmarket price is more than $2 000 per pound.

The Perigord truffle, also known as theBlack Diamond, is hard to grow, requiringthe right soil, climate and tree root forcolonizing. T. melanosporum varies in sizefrom a pea to a chicken egg. It will only growin loose, humid, sun-drenched soil andneeds cool wet nights, where its mycelium(tiny hair-like filaments) nestle and findnourishment in tree roots.

Michaels says his harvesting season(January to end February) has just ended. ByMarch, the odd-looking, knobbly, coal-blackmushrooms have faded and are in their treeroot homes.

The smelly but celestial-tasting fungiwere once prevalent in southern France andwere harvested in tonnes. Today, the yield isdown to 10–50 tonnes per year worldwide.

Michaels planted his trees in 2000,starting with plants that were about 16inches (40.6 cm) tall. The hazel nuts are now10–12 feet (approximately 3–3.6 m) tall, andthe soil around them bubbles with birth.According to Michaels, a good orchard canproduce maybe 50 pounds (22.7 kg) per acre(0.4 ha). A normal yield, he says, is 10–20pounds (approximately 4.5– 9.0 kg) per acre.(Source: Knoxville News Sentinel [UnitedStates of America], 25 March 2007.)

MANGROVE FORESTS,SEA ALGAE AND CORALS HELP TOCOMBAT TSUNAMIS

All the coastal regions in the Pacific,Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal arevulnerable to a tsunami disaster.Mangroves (the vegetation found in and

along the coast) function as a naturalshield in lowering the intensity of sea tides,as well as providing a variety of economicuses. Sea algae and coral reefs also play animportant role in averting the severity ofnatural disasters. These mangroves, seaalgae and coral reefs are valuable non-timber forest resources (NTFRs) occurringalong the seashore.

Mangrove forests have a symbioticrelationship with all creatures. Mangroveplant species have multiple economic usesand based on these the tree species yieldvery useful industrial timber, wood fuel andcharcoal of high calorific value. Most of thetree and shrub species are also sources ofNTFRs, such as edible fruits and leaves,indigenous medicines, tannin, seed fattyoils, thatching materials and sedgesfencing material, fibres from palms andgrasses, honey, fodder and manure. Inaddition to these uses and the fact that theycan provide protective walls against tidalwaves, they act as another conservationmechanism for ecological balance.

It is therefore essential to conservethese NTFRs. A list of plant species thatoccur naturally in and around the sea isavailable from the author to help scientiststo propagate them sustainably, manageand harvest NTFRs for the uses givenabove, avoid their extinction throughscientific and environmentally soundharvesting practices and replenish thedwindling resources to obtain multipleuses. (Contributed by: Ms Alka Shiva,President and Managing Director, Centre of Minor Forest Products (COMFORPTS),HIG – 2, No. 8, Indirapuram, GMS Road, PO Majra, Dehra Dun – 248 171, India. E-mail : [email protected];http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MinorForestProducts)

MEDICINAL USES OF NWFPS

Medicinal products from forestsMany forest plants and animals producepoisons, fungicides, antibiotics and otherbiologically active compounds as defencemechanisms, and many of these havemedicinal uses. Compounds that havecommon medicinal uses such as cola nuts,caffeine, chocolate, chilli peppers andcocaine are found in forest areas. Manywestern pharmaceutical products derivefrom tropical forest species, e.g. quininefrom Cinchona spp.; cancer-treating drugs

from rosy periwinkle (Catharanthusroseus); treatments for enlarged prostateglands from Prunus africana; forskolin,which has a variety of medicinal uses, fromthe root of Coleus forskohlii; medicines fortreating diabetes from Dioscoreadumetorum and Harungana vismia; andseveral medicines based on leaves of thesucculents of the Mesembryanthemaceaefamily. Some of these products are nowsynthesized, but others are still collectedfrom the wild. The economic value oftraditional medicines is considerable, withreports that the bark of Prunus africanaalone is worth US$220 million annually forthe pharmaceutical industry.

Traditional health care systems arebased on significant local knowledge ofmedicinal plants in all major tropical areas.These systems are important, particularlywhere formal health care services areabsent. The market for traditionalmedicines is large and expanding, andmuch of it is in the hands of women,particularly that involving lesscommercially valuable medicinal plants.There is also growing scientific evidence ofthe efficacy of some of these widely usedtraditional remedies.

At the same time, medicinal plants arethreatened globally. Some of the threatsinclude slow growth patterns of desirablespecies, loss of traditional mechanismsthat contributed to sustainable use andcompeting uses of the same species, intandem with growing commercializationand global markets. Certification ofmedicinal plants and better forestmanagement techniques offer two possiblepartial solutions.

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Pharmaceutical companies havesometimes been charged with reapingunacceptably large benefits from forestpeoples’ knowledge, given the widespreadpoverty in forested areas. Attempts toestablish collaboration between thepharmaceutical industry and localcommunities in bioprospecting have hadmixed results. (Source: Unasylva, 57[224]: 7.)

Aussie bee honey – an antibiotic in theUnited KingdomA British hospital is using honey fromAustralian bees to combat superbugMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcusaureus (MRSA), a bacteria that is resistantto conventional antibiotics. The JamesCook University Hospital in Middlesbroughhas been using honey from a colony of beesonly found in Queensland to clean infectedwounds, along with dressings that containgum extracted from seaweed. The honeyseals the injury and the seaweed extractdraws and absorbs the harmful bacteria.(Source: Ninemsn [Australia], 27 February2007.)

Boswellia serrata extract scores well inCOX-2 comparisonBoswellia serrata extract performed as wellas a selective COX-2 inhibitor in a controlledclinical study to assess its effect on relievingosteoarthritis pain, researchers report in theFebruary issue of the Indian Journal ofPharmacology, 39(1): 27-29.

Boswellia serrata has a long history ofuse in Ayurvedic medicine, popular in India,and its gum resin is reputed to have anti-infiammatory, antiarthritic and analgesicproperties. (Source: NutraIngredients-usa.com [France], 20 March 2007.)

Cinnamon may help fight against Type 2diabetesResearch studies have shown thatcinnamon has been linked to lower bloodsugar and total cholesterol levels. Theresearch has focused on people with Type 2diabetes. The main ingredient in cinnamonthat helps people with this diabetes isproanthocyanidin. “For people who haveType 2 diabetes, insulin doesn't seem to begetting enough sugar into the cells and thisis where cinnamon comes in. Cinnamonhelps the cells absorb more sugar,” saidRobert Cullen, assistant professor of foodnutrition and dietetics in Family andConsumer Sciences, who has beenmonitoring research studies such as thesefor many years.

Two types of cinnamon are used in food:Cinnamomum verum, which is used inmany sweet baked goods andCinnamomum cassia, which is a strongerspice used in foods. There is no clearanswer to which cinnamon can help fighthigh blood sugar levels, cholesterol, Type 2diabetes or even heart disease. There is notrue answer if cinnamon at all can helpwith these problems, but Cullen says thingslook promising. (Source: Daily Vidette[Illinois, United States of America], 7 March2007.)

Research into medicinal value of fungiScientists at the University of WesternSydney, Australia, are working to seewhether the medicinal fungi Ganodermalucidum can reduce high blood pressure,glucose and cholesterol. When coupled withinsulin resistance, these conditions bringabout metabolic syndrome, a precursor toType 2 diabetes which affects an increasingnumber of Australians. Also known as reishi,G. lucidum has been used as a cure for awide range of diseases for 2 000 years.

Cultivation has increased over the last30 years, and preliminary animal andhuman pilot studies seem to suggest that itcan have a positive effect on blood sugarlevels, cholesterol levels and blood fats.

The mushroom – an inedible fungitypically the size of a bread and butter plate– contains about 200 active chemicalcompounds, but researchers believe that agroup called the polysaccharides are themost effective. Traditional users believe itis most potent when taken in combinationwith another medicinal mushroom calledCordyceps sinensis.

The researchers will put this theory tothe test when they enlist 170 people withmetabolic syndrome symptoms for a four-month trial. Participants will have eithercapsules of powdered reishi alone, acombination of the two mushrooms, or aplacebo capsule.

If successful, this could become the firstsingle treatment for the metabolicsyndrome. (Source: The Age [Australia], 7 February 2007.) (See page 60 forinformation on medicinal fungi in Alaska.)

Tree bark molecule may combat malariaA compound derived from tree bark haspotential as a preventive treatment formalaria, according to a study published in thejournal PLoS Medicine. The treatmenttargets the early stages of malaria infection,which would make it difficult for the parasiteto develop the kind of drug resistance thathampers conventional malaria treatmentprogrammes.

Scientists have isolated a new molecule,tazopsine, from bark collected inMadagascar's eastern rain forest. They foundthat N-cyclopentyl-tazopsine, a less toxiccompound derived from the molecule, waseffective against early liver-stage malariaparasites in animal tests. However, thecompound is ineffective once infection hasreached the red blood cells.

Tazopsine comes from the stem bark ofthe plant Strychnopsis thouarsii and is thesole ingredient in a traditional tea used as atreatment for malaria infection. The authorsof the study hope that variants of tazopsine-related molecules can be tested to find one oflow toxicity, suitable for clinical trials.

A resurgence of malaria since the 1980s,combined with a shortage of conventionaldrugs, has forced many Madagascans to relyon medicines from more than 200 plants tofight the disease. This has triggered scientificinterest, as Madagascar's long isolation fromneighbouring countries has resulted in aunique mix of plants and animals.

Tests on chimpanzees are due to beginthis year in Gabon, while tests on Rhesusmonkeys will be carried out in Thailandbefore the end of the year. (Source: PLoSMedicine, 2 January 2007 [in SciDev.NetWeekly Update].)

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Rain forest bark could destroy rare childcancerThe bark of a rain forest tree could destroya rare childhood cancer, scientists havefound.

The South American Lapacho coloradocontains a natural plant product thatshrinks eye tumours by causing cancerouscells to die. Laboratory tests show that thecompound, called beta-lapachone, worksat low doses, making it an ideal treatmentfor child patients with retinoblastoma, amalignant tumour of the retina.

The uncommon disease accounts forabout 3 percent of cancers in children andremains fatal in the developing worldalthough it is one of the most curablecancers in developed countries. But oneproblem that exists with the traditionalapproach of radiotherapy is the associationof long-term ill health and even death insome cases.

Researchers at California University inthe United States of America found thatbeta-lapachone was effective in inhibitingthe growth and spread of retinoblastomacells and actively induced their destruction.Their findings, published in the medicaljournal Eye, are consistent with those fromstudies of the effect of the product in otherhuman cancers, including breast, colon andlung tumours.

L. colorado or red lapacho, so calledbecause of its scarlet flowers, grows in thewarmer parts of South America such asBrazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay andBolivia. It was commonly used by themedicine people of the Indian tribes longbefore the advent of the Spanish in the NewWorld. The natives use the wood to makebows for archery. (Source: national news inLife Style Extra [United Kingdom], 16March 2007.)

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONS AND NGOS

Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource andTechnology (CIBART)CIBART is a non-profit networkedorganization dedicated to the development ofthe bamboo sector in India. Its establishmentwas facilitated by INBAR (the InternationalNetwork for Bamboo and Rattan).

CIBART serves as a catalyst for thebamboo industry in India, undertakingvarious collaborative livelihooddevelopment projects. It brings together

state and district level bambooorganizations and enterprises in afederating mode. It also provides projectdevelopment and implementation,technical consultancy and turnkey serviceson all aspects of bamboo sectordevelopment in collaboration with itspartners.

CIBART’s main area of focus is toachieve livelihood development, ecologicalsecurity and economic developmentthrough the sustainable use of bamboo andrattan. Its primary focus is to benefit poorrural communities.

Currently, CIBART has four community-owned organizations in the states ofTripura, Manipur, Maharashtra (Konkanarea) and Himachal Pradesh that are notfor profit companies. Within each state, thelocal organizations set up by CIBART haveextension linkages in each village, backedup by field technical resource centres at thesubdistrict level. (Contributed by: ManuMayank, Chief Executive Officer, I-4,Jangpura – B, New Delhi – 110014, India.Fax: +91-11-24374802; www.cibart.org.)

Fundación Zoobreviven, EcuadorFundación Zoobreviven is a privateEcuadorian, non-profit organizationcreated in 1997 and recognized by theEcuadorian Ministry for the Environment.

Its objective is to conserve thebiodiversity of Ecuador through responsibleuse of natural resources, scientificresearch, environmental education,wildlife, plant and tree conservation anddevelopment of economic alternatives forlocal communities.

Three reserves are managed in northernEcuador, including the 2 500-ha Alto ChocoReserve and the nearby 7 500-ha ChontalReserve, both in the Choco bioregion. Thework is to preserve these importantenvironments through wildlife, plant and

tree conservation, community education,environmental management, volunteerprojects, community ecotourism andscientific research on the flora and fauna ofthe region.

In addition to managing the three reserves,the foundation is currently developingmanagement plans for the areas surroundingall three cloud forest reserves, reforestingAlto Choco and conducting environmentaleducation in the surrounding communities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Fundación Zoobreviven, 6 de Diciembre N32-36y Whymper, Quito, Ecuador, South America.E-mail: [email protected];www.zoobreviven.org/

The Finnish Nature-basedEntrepreneurship AssociationThe Finnish Nature-basedEntrepreneurshipAssociation wasfounded in 2001. It is a non-governmentalnationalorganization formedby entrepreneurs and developmentorganizations. The association collectstogether actors in nature-basedentrepreneurship for cross-sectoralcooperation (nature tourism, handicraftsand food products) in order to integrateentrepreneurship, education, developmentactivities and research in the sector. Thereare approximately 300 entrepreneurs and100 expert organizations in the sector atthe moment.

One of the main interests of theassociation has been to increase theecologically friendly business culture, sincethe sustainable use of nature is one of themain values and marketing arguments inthe sector. The association has been apartner in several project activities, bothnational and international. All of itsactivities are based on close cooperationbetween entrepreneurs and other actors.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Katri Kranni (chair of the association), TheFinnish Nature-based EntrepreneurshipAssociation, Kampusranta 9 60320, Seinäjoki,Finland. Fax: +358 (0)6 421 3301; e-mail: [email protected];www.luontoyrittaja.net. (See page 15 of Non-WoodNews 14 for more information on nature-basedentrepreneurship.)

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up. India has an advantage in its proximity tospice farms, with Kochi the hub of oleoresinactivity, according to Synthite IndustryChemicals, which accounts for nearly half ofthe Indian oleoresin and spice oil extractexports.

In the last fiscal year, India exported 6 225tonnes of oleoresins and spice oils, worthRs500 crore. According to spice boardfigures, within threequarters of this period, 5 010 tonnes worth Rs402 crore wereshipped out and the industry is sure toimprove even more.

High costs in the West have forced theindustry there to outsource from India andflavour houses across the globe look to thecountry to source their products. Theindustry’s major breakthrough came in themid-1980s with the development ofoleoresin paprika, followed by oleoresinchilli. The list of oleoresins from spicesincludes turmeric, celery, ginger, nutmeg,mace, cumin, fennel, mustard, garlic,coriander, cassia/cinnamon, clove andMediterranean herbs such as rosemary.

Some products such as light pepperberries, not available in India, have forcedthe industry to import from Viet Nam. Whileearlier Sri Lanka was the main source forthe pepper, the shift to Viet Nam was due tothe price advantage.

Vanilla is the latest entrant to the industrywith the development of a nature-identicalvanillin oleoresin. Oleoresins fromcassia/cinnamon are being consumed by thebeverage industry and mustard oleoresin isanother item that is making big inroads intothe global market.

The process of isolating the activeprinciple has helped in the manufacture oflutin from marigold flowers as a colouringagent. (Source: Financial Express [India], 25February 2007.)

NTFP CURRICULUMDEVELOPMENT

Dr Eric T. Jones of the Institute for Cultureand Ecology (IFCAE) is offering an onlinecourse on non-timber forest productsculture and management through OregonState University (United States of America).The course is geared to upper divisionstudents as well as professionalsinterested in training on NTFPs.International participants are encouraged.The course is taught twice a year in thespring and autumn. In addition to readings,videos, and engaging online discussionsparticipants conduct a project identifyingNTFPs in their local community. Results ofthese projects will be made availablethrough the IFCAE Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Eric T. Jones, Institute for Culture and Ecology,PO Box 6688, Portland, Oregon 97228-6688,United States of America. E-mail: [email protected]; www.ifcae.org/projects/osuntfpcourse/index.html

NWFP CERTIFICATION

The harvest ofNWFPs plays animportant role in the sustainablemanagement ofcommunityagriculture andforest resourcesworldwide. NWFPspresent many new challenges andopportunities in certification because oftheir wide range of management practicesand difficulties in monitoring harvest andprocessing.

The PEFC Council (Programme for theEndorsement of Forest Certificationschemes) issued a technical document withspecifications for the origin for the purposesof the PEFC label and declarations forNWFPs. This document is Appendix 8 to thestandard that rules the traceability ofcertified products, from forest to the market(Annex 4 to PEFC Council TechnicalDocument). The document is normativewhen the organization establishes a chain ofcustody for the certification of NWFPs inorder to use the PEFC logo and/ordeclarations on NWFPs. The appendix wasapproved by the PEFC Council GeneralAssembly on 27 October 2006.

At the moment, given the fact that NWFPshave only been able to be PEFC certifiedsince November 2006, there are very fewexamples among the PEFC accreditedschemes, even though the potential is high.These examples include:

• Cork – certified in Spain and Portugal• Essential oil – certified in Italy • Honey, chestnut and berries: soon to be

certified in a certified Italian forest• Truffles and mushrooms: soon to be

certified in already certified forests ofItaly, France and Spain

• Animal meat – there are plans for this tobe certified in Italy and Spain (andpossibly other countries) where thereare hunting plans and fenced forests

PEFC's aim is to ensure that the world'sforests are managed sustainably and thattheir functions are protected for presentand future generations.

PEFC certified timber, non-wood andpaper products are an independentlyverified assurance to consumers andcompanies that they are buying forestproducts from sustainably managedforests. By choosing PEFC, buyers can helpcombat illegal logging.

PEFC's role as an independent, non-profit NGO is to secure that the same highstandards are applied by all its endorsedcertification systems globally and thus byforest managers, paper and timbercompanies and their external certifiers.(Contributed by: Antonio Brunori, PEFCCouncil ASBL, 2ème étage, 17 Rue desGirondins, Merl-Hollerich, L – 1626Luxembourg. Fax: +352 26 25 92 58; e-mail:[email protected]; www.pefc.org) (See page 52for information on NWFP certification inNepal.)

OLEORESINS ADDFLAVOUR TO FOOD

From mere extraction, the Rs500 croreoleoresin industry has now gone beyonddiversifying into nutraceuticals andcosmaceuticals to enter the dietarysupplement area, becoming a producer offood ingredients in savoury and sweetflavour items. The industry is now turninginto a one-stop food and flavour solution.

India accounts for 70 percent of worldoleoresin production with competition fromChina, the United States of America, SriLanka, South Africa and Latin Americancountries. Brazil, India and China are themarket leaders, with South Africa catching

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PARTENARIAT POUR LES FORÊTS DU BASSINDU CONGO

Le Partenariat pour les forêts du Bassin duCongo (PFBC) est une associationregroupant une trentaine d’organisationsgouvernementales et nongouvernementales. Il a été créé enseptembre 2002, lors du Sommet mondialsur le développement durable(Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud).

Le PFBC a pour objectifs d'améliorer lacommunication entre ses membres et lacoordination entre leurs projets,programmes et politiques afin depromouvoir une gestion durable des forêtsdu Bassin du Congo et d'améliorer laqualité de vie des habitants de la région.(Contribution de: Christophe Besacier,Conseiller régional forêt environnementAfrique centrale, Ministère français desaffaires etrangères, Gabon; courriel:[email protected];[email protected]; www.cbfp.org)

RAIN FOREST SILKCOOPERATIVE

The Rain Forest Silk CooperativeTM is anewly organized consortium of fourproducers of wild silk products on fourcontinents: India, Indonesia, Madagascarand Namibia. It produces high-quality silktextiles, yarns and decorative objects fromwild silk cocoons. Each member of thecooperative uses a unique species of silkmoth to make the products.

The cooperative’s products come fromimpoverished rural farmers, and primarilywomen. Its long-term goal is to providenew means of income generation whileimplementing enterprises that focus onmaintaining native forests instead ofcutting them down.

Current members of the cooperativeinclude: Appropriate Technology India(atindia); the Royal Silk Project ofIndonesia; the Kalahari Wild Silk, Namibia;the Ny Tanintsika silk project inMadagascar; and Conservation throughPoverty Alleviation International (CPALI).The Rain Forest Silk Cooperative is amember of the Fair Trade Federation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: The Rain Forest Silk Cooperative, 221 LincolnRoad, Lincoln, MA 01773, United States of America.www.rainforestsilk.org/index.html

SYNERGISTICSUPERFRUIT: SEA BUCKTHORN

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.),named a “superfruit” for its robustnutritional properties, is poised to outrunmany other functional foods. It has recentlybeen rated second of ten potentialsuperfruits, based upon four criteriaincluding nutrient density and potential fordisease impact (www.berrydoctor.com).

In studying the superfood and superfruitphenomena, nutritional science isrecognizing that nature is capable ofproviding, in such varied single foods aswheatgrass juice, garlic, blueberries andnow sea buckthorn, a foodborneinoculation against ill-health thatlaboratories cannot match.

While the nourishing and healingproperties of sea buckthorn are relativelynew to the West, they have been wellknown in the East for hundreds of years.

Almost the entire plant is suitable forconsumption and topical application. Thefruit pulp, rich in such antioxidants asvitamins C and E, beta-carotene andnumerous flavonoids (complementarymicronutrients that work in concert withmore familiar vitamins), plus the rare andvaluable palmitoleic acid (known to supportwound healing and cell health), can bepressed for juice, freeze dried andpackaged as a supplement, andincorporated into topical skin preparations.The fruit oil can be extracted separatelyand taken internally or externally.

Oil from the seeds is high in several fattyacids, including omegas 3 and 6 in a critical1:1 ratio; applied topically, the seed oil

heals radiation burns, reduces scarring,heals or improves psoriasis and a host ofother skin conditions and, taken internally,has been proved to improve heart healthand gastrointestinal disorders.

The leaves, high in vitamins, minerals,proteins and other natural anti-inflammatory compounds, can be dried fortea, powdered as an ingredient in soaps andcreams, and steeped to make a soothingrinse for irritated skin. Studies are ongoingto determine the healing and nutritivepossibilities of sea buckthorn bark.

All told, this superfruit, known to easeand soften scar tissue and arteriosclerosis,reduce inflammation and cell death andreverse burn damage, has over 191 knownbioactive compounds for topical andinternal applications.

While Asia and Europe have used seabuckthorn commercially for severaldecades, the industry is new in NorthAmerica. The health and supplementindustries are just starting to pay attention(and draw attention) to this plant. (Source:Press release, SBT Sea buckthornInternational Inc., 16 April 2007.)

TEA TREE OIL (MELALEUCAALTERNIFOLIA) AND ITSRISKS

Tea tree oil, an ingredient found in manybeauty products, has been named unsafeby the European Union (EU) and could bebanned after research discovered that itmay cause skin irritation and reduce theeffectiveness of antibiotics.

Regular usage of tea tree oil, which issometimes used undiluted to help get rid ofspots, acne and insect bites, could increasethe user's risk of contracting superbuginfections such as methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), accordingto research claims. Tea tree oil makesthese infections more resistant toantibiotics. In addition, the EU has warnedagainst using tea tree oil undiluted, as evensmall doses can cause skin rashes.However, it has said that beauty productssuch as shampoo, which use the oil inminute quantities, are safe.

The EU said it may ban the oil from beingused in the undiluted form later this year ifmanufacturers fail to convince EUscientists that it is safe for human use.(Source: Pharmaceutical Business Review[United States of America], 19 February2007.)

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“VOICES FROM THE FOREST”

A recent film available from the NTFPExchange Programme “Voices from theforest –balancing forest use andconservation in Southeast Asia” providesintroductory material to the lesser-knowngroup of NTFPs, stressing the interrelationsof land rights, traditional management ofresources and marketing of these variousforest-derived products.

The film captures the stories ofindigenous peoples living in or near tropicalforests in Southeast Asia, and theirdependence on NTFPs for their survival.Through their voices as well as of some oftheir supporters, we can share in theirdreams and aspirations, together with theirfears as the rapidly changing world posesnew challenges to their indigenouslifestyles.

We are offered a rare insight into:• the nomadic Penan people’s reliance on

sago palm in the face of threats from alarge logging company (Malaysia);

• traditional and sustainable harvesting,production and marketing of wild honeyin Danau Sentarum (Indonesia);

• the Ikalahan tribe’s struggle to protecttheir traditional forest by transformingfruits of the forest into jams and jelliesfor the high-end niche market (thePhilippines);

• the Higaonon tribe’s indigenous fabric,the hinabol, tied to traditionalmanagement of abaca (manila hemp)and the fast-disappearing art of hinabolweaving (the Philippines); and

• the crucial market links provided by theUpland Marketing Foundation and theCustomMade Crafts Center, and theirtireless efforts at aiding localcommunities to develop marketablehandicrafts and food products.

(Produced by: Riak Bumi, Telapak and theNTFP Exchange Programme for South andSoutheast Asia, 2005. DVD [43 minutes].Available in English and Khmer.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Ms Aloisa Zamora-Santos, InformationManagement Officer, Non-Timber ForestProducts Exchange Programme for South and Southeast Asia, 92-A Masikap Extension,Barangay Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, the Philippines. Fax: +63 2 4262757; e-mail: [email protected]; www.ntfp.org(See page 26 for information on another DVDfrom the NTFP Exchange Programme.)

WEAVERS USE DYESOF WILD FLOWERS TOCOLOUR HANDSPUNCLOTH

The palash flower (Butea monosperma),known as the “flame of the forest”,remained unnoticed until Orissa’s Sonepurdistrict farmers discovered its commercialvalue: locals found these flowers with theirred petals to be an ideal source to preparedye for colouring fabrics.

Sambalpuri saris from western Orissa,bed sheets and mats dyed with the coloursof palash flowers have become extremelypopular and are in great demand.

In Birmaharajpur, Orissa, people collectthese odourless flowers that grow inabundance in the countryside and earntheir livelihoods by selling them toweavers. Children also help in flowercollecting. “Palash blossoms in the chaitra(spring season). We give them to theweavers and get two to five rupees per kg,”said one flower collector.

The flowers are dried (since palash is aseasonal flower it is dried for use all yearround) and the colours are extracted to dyecotton, silk cloths and natural fibres;

synthetic fibres do not respond well to thedye.

Jharna, a producer of natural colours,said that saris and other fabrics coloured inpalash-based dyes are not only lasting andgood-looking but also safe to use.

Although the process of preparing dyefrom palash is quite lengthy, the weavers ofSambalpuri textiles in the Sonepur districtnow use it as it is more economicalcompared with chemical dyes.

The palash tree has many uses. Thedried flowers are used as a diuretic. Thegum obtained from the tree contains tanninand is used in the treatment of diarrhoea.Locals say that the seeds have dewormingproperties. The wood of the tree is soft anddurable and is used for making boats.According to one local, “All the parts of thistree are useful. Its seeds, flowers and eventhe stems have medicinal value. If only thiswas better known, then we could conserveit and grow more to make it a tradingcommodity to sell to other states.” (Source:DailyIndia.com [United States of America],28 March 2007.) �

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VOICES FROM THE FORESTNEWSLETTER

Voices from the forest is the bulletin ofthe NTFP Exchange Programme forSouth and Southeast Asia. Nowpublished twice yearly, it highlightsactivities and pressing issues related toNTFPs in the region. It is available inprint and online from:http://ntfp.org/sub.php?gosub=info-vftf&iid=

He that plants trees loves othersbesides himself.

English proverb

P R O D U C T S A N D M A R K E T S


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BAMBOO

Botanists Identify new species of NorthAmerican bambooTwo Iowa State University botanists and theircolleague at the University of North Carolinahave discovered a new species of NorthAmerican bamboo in the hills of Appalachia.It is the third known native species of thehardy grass. The other two were discoveredmore than 200 years ago.

Lynn Clark, Iowa State professor ofecology, evolution and organismal biology,and Ph.D. student Jimmy Triplett studybamboo diversity and evolution. They firstheard about “hill cane” from a botanist at theUniversity of North Carolina. Although theplant was known to the people in the area, itsdistinctiveness was not recognized.

Hill cane differs from the other two nativeNorth American bamboo species –commonlyknown as switch cane and river cane – in animportant way. It drops its leaves in autumn.“That's why it was recognized locally as beingdifferent,” Clark said. “It's pretty uncommonfor bamboos to drop their leaves.”

Clark should know. She's aninternationally recognized bamboo expert.She had previously discovered 74 newspecies of bamboo. Her 75th speciesdiscovery has been named Arundinariaappalachiana.

There are 1 400 known species of bamboo.Of these, about 900 are tropical and 500 aretemperate. The bamboos of North Americaare found in the eastern and southeasternUnited States, from New Jersey south toFlorida and west to Texas. Giant cane(Arundinaria gigantea) occurs in low woodsand along riverbanks. Switch cane(Arundinaria tecta) is found in non-alluvialswamps, moist pine areas, live oak woodsand along sandy margins of streams. “TheUnited States’ native bamboo has been a veryimportant plant ecologically,” says Clark.“And there's recent interest in using it forrevegetation projects because it is native andhas been used for habitat by so manydifferent animals, especially birds.”

Clark and Triplett began looking at theNorth American bamboos as part of a largercollaboration with botanists worldwide todevelop an evolutionary family tree ofbamboo species. They are using modern DNAsequencing technologies together withtraditional plant taxonomy, which involveobservation and description of a plant's form,anatomy, ecology and other characteristics.(Source: Iowa State University [in ScienceDaily], 13 March 2007.)

Bamboo riceHard-pressed tribals in Kerala's Wayanaddistict (India) are making a bountifulharvest of bamboo rice, a forest producemuch in demand for its medicinal value andas an ingredient in ethnic cuisine.

With large stretches of the blossomingplant shedding its paddy-like seeds, tribalfamilies gather in bamboo groves withbrooms, baskets and sacks to collect therice, which was a little supplementaryincome this year. A local Scheduled TribeCooperative Society is buying bamboo rice,brought mostly by the Paniya and Naikatribes in the Noolpuzha range of theWayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

The gruel made of bamboo rice mixedwith herbs is prescribed for arthritis andrheumatic complaints in indigenousmedicine. The tribal cuisine has severaldelicacies made of bamboo rice and wildhoney, with which the rural poor survived intimes of famine.

Grown in groves, bamboo has a lifespanof 12 to 36 years. The plants blossom onlyonce in their life time and perish aftershedding rice, leaving it for new shoots tocome up from the stump. Local botanistssay that the types of bamboo mostly foundin Wayanad are Bambusa andDendrocalamus strictus, but several othervarieties also grow in the area.

A family can collect 20 to 30 kg ofbamboo rice a day. The cooperative buys itfor Rs10/kg, but private buyers offer higherprices. The rice is winnowed, husked andpacked by the cooperative before beingsold.

Bamboo blossoming also attracts touristsas vast areas of dark and shady forest turnaglow with yellowish flowers. (Source: TheHindu [India], 25 February 2007.)

Hong Kong skyscrapers made of bamboo Hong Kong's skyscrapers proudly dot itsshores, giving the island its glossy, modernimage. Yet the structures, which are beingbuilt higher and faster every day, owe theiridentities to one of the oldest constructionmaterials in history – bamboo.

Advances in engineering andconstruction have not been able to outdatebamboo, a tried and successful materialused to construct buildings in China formore than a thousand years. Light andcheap bamboo, mostly from southernChina, helps Hong Kong's builders sheatheentire buildings in a matter of weeks and isconstantly in high demand. (Source:NDTV.com [India], 23 February 2007.)

BEE PRODUCTS

New study of Spanish varieties of honeyAccording to a new study of Spanishvarieties, honeydew honey has even higherlevels of disease-fighting antioxidants thanthe honey that bees make from nectar.

But all honey, regardless of its origins, isgood for you, experts say. In recent years,honey has gained a reputation as a healthfood, especially in the light of researchsuggesting that it has germ-fightingpowers and is high in antioxidants andchemicals that appear to block certaintypes of cell damage caused by moleculescalled free radicals.

In 2004, researchers in the United Statesof America found that antioxidant levelsrose in people who ate between four andten tablespoons of honey per day,depending on their weight. It was not clearat the time, however, which varieties ofhoney harboured the most antioxidants.

In the new study, researchers looked at36 varieties of Spanish honey in two groups,clover honey, made by bees from the nectarof flower blossoms and honeydew honey,made by bees from a sweet, stickysubstance secreted by insects such asaphids that live off plants. Honeydew honeyis only produced in a few parts of the worldand is considered a delicacy in certainregions.

The researchers performed tests on thehoneys and reported their findings in theFebruary issue of the Journal of theScience of Food and Agriculture. Accordingto the results, honeydew honeys had higherlevels of antioxidants in general. Theresearchers also report that Spanishhoneydew honeys tend to be darker andmore acidic than clover varieties.

Study coauthor Rosa Ana Perez, aresearcher with the Instituto Madrileño de

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Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario yAlimentario in Madrid, said honeydewhoney from outside of Spain should alsoshow similar signs of higher levels ofantioxidants. Honeydew honey is relativelyrare in the United States.

Perez said, however, that honey is not amiracle food: “I don't think that a foodstuffon its own could allow the improvement ofthe health of anyone, or even prevent somedisease.” (Source: HealthDay News,Washington Post [United States ofAmerica], 22 February 2007.)

Rare New Zealand honey leads to sweetimporting business The buzz about manuka honey has to dowith its health benefits, not its flavourfulproperties in recipes. The antibacterial-rich honey is produced by bees during thefew weeks a year that New Zealand‘smanuka bushes are in bloom and is toutedas a remedy for everything from skinconditions to digestive disorders.

Known in parts of Europe, New Zealandand Australia, the product is virtuallyunknown in the United States of America,but Fiona Nelson wants to change all that.In October, Nelson opened WedderspoonOrganic, an importing company that isbringing the honey to the country. Shecurrently imports and sells two products.Both are stamped with the NationalOrganic Program of the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA).

Manuka Honey Active 16+ is equivalentto 16 percent antiseptic solution, accordingto a testing method developed by theUniversity of Waikato in New Zealand.People take a spoonful of active manukahoney for such gastrointestinal disordersas acid reflux, oesophagus ulcer,heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcerand irritable bowel syndrome. It is alsotouted for external use for wound care,burns, diabetic leg and foot ulcers,bedsores and post-operative scar healing.

Nelson said the honey has no expiry datebecause it is organic and does not needrefrigeration. Unlike processed honeybought for cooking, it does not crystallize.

The other product, Autumn ForestHoneydew Honey, is derived from the sap ofbeech trees. It was named by the Maoris,the indigenous people of New Zealand, forthe golden colour of the beech sap in themorning light. Honeydew honey containscomplex sugars in greater levels thanaverage floral honeys. It is more readilyavailable than manuka honey but, unlike

manuka honey, honeydew honey can beused in cooking or dribbled on pancakes orfruit. (Source: Pottstown Mercury [UnitedStates of America], 5 February 2007.)

PROPOLIS

Propolis is the sticky glue used byhoney bees. It is usually coloured darkbrown, although it may also be yellow,green, grey or red. Plants are literallyrooted to the spot where they grow.This means that threatened by anenemy, they cannot get away. Theytherefore protect themselves withchemical defence systems, whichinclude toxins, bitter tastes andstinging repellents. Tender budsprovide tasty snacks for insects unlessdefended, and plants often protecttheir buds with sticky gums. When atree is wounded it secretes resinaround the wound as the first stage ofthe healing process.

People have great benefit fromthese powerful plant chemicals andmany medicines and drugs are derivedfrom the plants. Propolis is antibiotic –it has been proved to kill bacteria andthere are many claims for its medicinalproperties.

A bee collects propolis by biting offscraps of plant resin with its mandiblesand packs them into the corbiculae(pollen baskets) on its hind legs. Eachof these can carry about 10 mg ofpropolis. Because of its stickiness,gathering propolis is a slow business: itcan take an hour to fill both baskets.Back at the hive, unloading can takeanother hour. Propolis is only collectedwhen the temperature is above 18°C.Bees use propolis in a variety of ways,such as keeping their homes dry, cosyand hygienic.

It is not possible to define propolisany more than it is possible to definehoney – it all depends on what isavailable for the bees. In general,propolis consists of resins, waxes,volatile oils and pollen, as well asvitamins, minerals and plant chemicalssuch as flavonoids. The problem forpeople marketing propoliscommercially is to obtain astandardized product.

Depending on quality, the worldprice of propolis is currently aroundUS$50/kg.(Source: Bees for Development, March2007.)

PROFITING FROMHONEY BEES

This engaging film looks into thetraditional and sustainable honeyharvesting methods of the communitiesliving around Danau Sentarum in WestKalimantan, Indonesia, one of SoutheastAsia's largest wetlands.

The communities harvest honey fromwild honey bees (Apis dorsata) from thecolonies that make the wetlands theirhome. Harvesting up to 25 tonnes ofhoney yearly, forest honey is asignificant source of income.

The traditional tikung method iswidely used for honey harvesting in thearea. Since there are few tall trees,people facilitate conducive nestingconditions for the bees by attachingrafters or tikung to trees. A tikung takesabout an hour to prepare and a familycan have tens, or even hundreds ofthem, whose ownership is passed onfrom generation to generation.

Also described is the periau, ortraditional regulations for the use andmanagement of forest honey.

The film aims to underscore howsupporting traditional methods ofmanagement are highly effective inensuring the sustainability of honey inthe area. (Produced by: Riak Bumi,Telapak and NTFP Exchange Programmefor South and Southeast Asia, 2005. DVD[25 minutes]. In Bahasa Indonesia withEnglish subtitles.)


CONTACT:

Ms Aloisa Zamora-Santos, Information

Management Officer, Non-Timber Forest

Products Exchange Programme for South

and Southeast Asia, 92-A Masikap

Extension, Barangay Central, Diliman,

Quezon City 1101, the Philippines.

Fax: +63 2 4262757; e-mail:

[email protected]; www.ntfp.org.

(See page 24 for information on another

DVD produced by the Programme.)



27

Beekeepers in Australia enjoy massivehoney harvestTasmanian beekeepers have reaped amassive honey harvest from the state'snative leatherwood trees. The trees, whichmainly grow in the state's western rainforests, produce a unique flavoured honeyfor export and domestic markets. Yieldsthis year are expected to be 30 to 40percent above average. Beekeepers believethe exceptionally warm February weatherhas made the difference. (Source: ABCOnline [Australia], 8 March 2007.)

BRAZIL NUTS

Brazil nuts' path to preservationHelp is at hand for the Amazon rain forestand Brazil's poverty-stricken rural people,courtesy of the country's famous native nut.

Brazil nuts are a valuable food sourcewith a huge market in Europe and NorthAmerica: up to 7 000 tonnes of unshellednuts and 20 000 tonnes of shelled nuts areshipped every year. And because the treesthat supply the nuts grow wild, they offer away for communities to make a living fromthe forest without destroying it, somethingthat is now being put to use in the country.

“This is a real financial resource forcommunities,” says Dr Rafael Salomao, whoworks at the Museu Goeldi, one of the mostimportant centres for the study of theAmazon. “A tree which is over 400 years oldcan provide for generations and generations.”

Brazil nuts are considered to be one ofthe most valuable products to be harvestedfrom undisturbed rain forests. The nuts,known to Brazilians as Castanha do para,grow uniquely in the Amazon basin. Theyare hazardous to collect: each hard outershell weighs over 1 kg. However, they offeran alternative to the way that many areas ofBrazil are trying to develop, by clearing theforest to create areas suitable for grazingcattle or growing products such as soya.

For many years, this has meant thedestruction of Brazil nut trees, even afterthey became officially protected. Butforests are burned to clear the land and theBrazil nut tree is very sensitive to fire. Afterthree years, the trees are dead. What isworse for Brazil nut collectors is that oncethe trees have been destroyed, there islittle chance of getting them back.Attempts to replace them have been largelyunsuccessful. Saplings will not grow inshade and they take up to 15 years to beginproducing nuts.

However, at the end of 2006, thegovernor of the large state of Paraannounced a protected reserve of 16.4million ha of forest, with the aim of creatinga huge conservation corridor through thenorthern Amazon. And in the state overPara's northern border, Amapa, smallcommunities are taking the Brazil nut togenerate income from the rain forestwithout destroying it. “We needed to createorganizations in the region in order tostrengthen local production,” said Ajamada Silva Mendes, from the Amapa statedepartment of industry, commerce andminerals. “So the government gave someincentives to create cooperatives, togetherwith the communities.”

Brazil nut gatherers and their familiesare now able to maintain decentlivelihoods. And small-scale factories havebeen set up to produce Brazil nut biscuitsand oil, broadening the range of productsavailable for export, meaning that there is abetter way for people to obtain a fair pricefor their valuable resource.

But there are further problems.Subsidized production in Bolivia ischallenging Brazil's dominance in themarket. And when, in 2004, the EuropeanUnion found that Brazil nuts with shells onhad traces of aflatoxins, which can causeliver cancer, strong regulations were put inplace regarding the nuts. While theAmerican limit on aflatoxin levels in Brazilnuts is 15 parts per billion, the Europeanlimit is just four parts per billion. This hasdamaged Brazil nut exporters. (Source:BBC News, 28 January 2007.)

Modelling Brazil nut subsidies andincentivesOver the last decade, settlers have movedto Brazil’s western Acre state and putsignificant pressure on the Amazon forests.Most settlers are clearing land for cattlepasture. However, half of the farm familiesmaintain part of their farm as forest inorder to harvest Brazil nuts. Some policy-makers have suggested subsidizing Brazilnuts to provide incentives to maintain moreforest cover.

ASB (alternatives to slash and burn)researchers used a specially developedbioeconomic model that explored theinteractions of labour, capital and landallocation over a 25-year period undervarious market and price scenarios. Whenthey doubled the price of Brazil nuts in themodel, they found that the deforestationrate would not decrease. In fact, they

projected that subsidies would potentiallyexacerbate deforestation because farmerswould earn more cash from the Brazil nutsand then reinvest it by clearing forest forthe more lucrative activity of cattle raising.(Source: Field guide to the future. Fourways for communities to think ahead. 2006.K. Evans et al.; www.asb.cgiar.org/ma/scenarios/)

Brazil nuts as an alternative energysourceA study conducted by the NationalResearch Institute of Amazonia (INPA)demonstrated that waste material fromBrazil nuts can be used by industry andcommerce. The material can be used togenerate energy both in its natural state aswell as in the form of subproducts, forexample, charcoal, charcoal bricks (piecesof small charcoal compressed into blocks),tar (bio-oil) and gases.

The study, a result of the project, “Brazilnut fruit: potential use as a source of rawmaterial for energy grid in the State ofAmazonas”, was prepared by INPAtechnician, Paulo Roberto Guedes Moura,with guidance provided by the CoordinatingOffice for Forest Products Research(CPPF/INPA).

The study showed that this wastematerial has potential for use as firewoodin thermal plants, boilers, pottery works,etc. In the form of a subproduct (charcoaland bricks), the waste can be used by thesteel industry in making pig (raw) iron.

Moura clarified that during hiscomparative analyses of basic density ofthe waste material with other timberspecies, Brazil nut acts as if it were densewood. In his opinion, the tar is especiallyinteresting as it is a sort of wood-basedbio-oil to generate energy, or for cookingsince it adds taste to smoked products.Additionally, the oil can be used in thecomposition of paving materials and toincrease the durability of wood products. “It

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is highly valuable on the consumermarket,” he stressed.

The study was conducted to show thatvalue can be added to waste material thatwould otherwise be discarded. Moura saidthat there will be a lack of raw material tosupply industry and commerce, as in 2004alone, the state of Amazonas producedsome 9 000 tonnes of Brazil nuts. Thiswould generate roughly 18 000 tonnes ofwaste material. (Source: Jornal da Ciência,24 January 2007 [in Amazon News].) (Seepage 7 for information on certified Brazilnut oil.)

FOREST INSECTS

Eating worms and protecting parksIn an effort to ensure that mopane worms(Imbrassia belina), in the UukwaluudhiConservancy of Namibia are notoverharvested but utilized in a sustainablemanner, the Uukwaluudhi TraditionalAuthority (UTA) has set up regulationsgoverning the harvesting of these worms intheir forests.

Before people start harvesting mopaneworms, says Veikko Iishila, the Headman ofLikokola district in the Uukwaluudhi area, ameeting is held to inform the people thatthe worms are mature and can beharvested. Each harvester has to havewritten permission from the UTA or fromother relevant authorities at a fee. Mopaneharvesting time is usually from March toApril. This helps to make sure that forestsare not overharvested and that immatureworms are not collected.

Iishila said money levied from mopanecollectors is put into the UTA under thechairmanship of King Taapopi and is usedto solve community problems.

Mopane worms are large caterpillarsthat feed on the leaves of the mopane treein southern Africa. They are high in fat andprotein, have a gritty texture and a slightlymeaty taste when fried; they areconsidered a delicacy by many people inNamibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and SouthAfrica.

The Uukwaluudhi Conservancy wasestablished through the Community-BasedNatural Resource Managementprogramme of the Ministry of Environmentand Tourism, which enables people tomanage and benefit from the naturalresources in their environment in asustainable way. (Source: The Namibian, 15February 2007.)

Collectible forest insectsThere are basically three reasons whypeople collect insects: for subsistence, forprofessional purposes or purely as arecreational hobby. Although collecting isoccasionally broad-based, it is most oftenfocused on specific groups of insects soughtfor their utilitarian, scientific, ornamentalor other benefits.

The collectorsSubsistence. Some traditional cultures inAfrica and elsewhere depend onhunting/gathering to some extent, includingthe collecting of insects and their productsfor food, medicinal purposes, as a source ofarrow poison, as fish and bird bait, andoccasionally for ornamentation (jewellery,textiles).Professional. The two distinct categories ofindividuals who make a living collectinginsects are professional entomologists (whostudy insects for scientific reasons) andcommercial collectors (who collect or breedinsects on behalf of others or who act asintermediaries in the trade of live or deadinsects and their products). Live insectexhibits (butterfly houses or insect zoos) area relatively new but dynamic development inthe commercialization of insects.Amateur. Insect hobbyists come in threevarieties: the aestheticist, the naturalist andthe trophy hunter. Most entomologicalhobbyists are attracted to insects for theirornamental qualities, while some aspire toowning the biggest, most bizarre or rarestspecimens available. Some collectors arewilling to pay thousands of dollars for certainoutstanding specimens. In Japan, forinstance, where some long-living beetles arevery popular as pets, one trophy stag beetlesold for US$20 000 in the mid-1990s.

The collectedGiven the fact that the more conspicuousspecies of insects tend to be welldocumented, contemporary scientificcollectors are often focused on obscuretaxonomic groups of small but species-richgroups that may be useful as bioindicators.

Amateur collectors, however, still seekspecimens that are large or beautiful interms of colour, shape, texture or otherthings, with the highest prices going forthose specimens that are rare and in mintcondition. The dead stock insect trade aloneruns into tens of millions of dollars annually.

The humid tropics of Southeast Asia andSouth America are generally the mostspecies-rich areas and thus the mostsignificant suppliers of collectible insects inthe world. However, the United Republic ofTanzania not only has many indifferentgenera of insects, but also some specificallyor largely African representatives, includingsome of extraordinary size and beauty. Aselsewhere in the tropics, the more humidparts and mountains may be the mostrewarding areas in terms of collectibles, butthe drier woodlands and semi-deserts alsoyield some remarkable specimens.

Amateur collectors everywhere are moststrongly attracted to Lepidoptera andColeoptera, but several other orders includehighly sought-after specimens. (Source:Springer/Kluwer Academic Publishers,Forest Entomology in East Africa: ForestInsects of Tanzania. 2006. Chapter 9, Forest-based insect industries. H.G. Schabel. (Withkind permission of Springer Science andBusiness Media.).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Prof. H. Schabel, 7976 Co I, Custer, WI 54423,United States of America. E-mail: [email protected] (See page 59 for information on insect-basedindustries in the United Republic of Tanzania.)

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Kroto ant larvae and pupae: the bird fooddelicacy “Kroto” is the Javanese name given to acombination of larvae and pupae from theAsian weaver ant (mainly Oecophyllasmaragdina). This mixture is well known toIndonesian bird lovers and local fishers, withthe ant larvae being popular as a fishing baitand also as a dietary supplement to improvethe performance of songbirds. Bird fancierstreat their favourite pets with the protein-and vitamin-rich kroto when preparing themto challenge other birds in singingcompetitions.

Weaver ants are found from India toAustralia and throughout the Indonesianarchipelago, within a wide range of habitatsincluding coastal areas, secondary forestsand plantations. They are well known forbeing aggressive predators and for building

nests in trees. The ants can invade almostany type of tree but tend to prefer fruit trees,such as the jackfruit or mango. A givencolony may occupy various nests in a singletree or even several trees. Located in one ofthe highest nests is the queen, whose eggsare distributed to the other colony sitesnearby. Weaver ants’ nests are among themost complex of ant nests, with theOecophylla species using the well developedsilk glands of their larvae to weave togethera nest of living leaves – hence their name.

Throughout the year, kroto is harvestedand sold on the islands of Java and Sumatra.Collecting kroto is a solitary job, whichbegins with the identification of host trees.During the dry season, the resource is lessabundant but during the wet season therice-like smaller larvae are more common,of a better quality and more highly valued.

Because demand and competition for krotohave increased in recent years, some areasare being overharvested and as a resultcollectors are finding fewer larvae. To filltheir baskets they work on a much shorterrotation of host trees, which in turn affectsthe ability of the ant populations to recover.With less intense harvesting, the antsnormally rebuild and recoup quite quickly.

As kroto can only be kept fresh for twodays, traders often transport boxes into thecity on a daily basis. Because of increaseddemand and economic necessity, localtraders may take 10–30 kg a day to themarket. They also take some dried kroto,which is produced by collectors and can bekept for six months, but it sells at half theprice of fresh supplies.

The rapid deterioration of the freshproduce and the need for immediatetransport represent the biggest hurdles inmarketing kroto. During the high season,traders pay collectors US$1.20–1.40 per kgand then sell to merchants at US$1.60–1.70per kg, leaving little profit after transportcosts. The Jakarta markets sell around 100kg of kroto a day at US$3.50–5.00 per kg,making the merchants the mainbeneficiaries in the kroto trade. To makemore money, some collectors sell their dailyharvests directly to small retailers, who areoften willing to pay more for fresh kroto.

For many collectors, kroto represents animportant or principal source of income andis regarded as one of the few ways that poorpeople can earn money from a freeresource. Collectors use the money forsubsistence needs or to save for hardertimes. Farmers often collect the resource aswell, as a way of earning some extra moneyin between the two rice harvesting seasons.(Source: Case study on “Kroto, ant larvaeand pupae”, by Nicolas Césard and IrdezAzhar [in Riches of the forest: food, spices,crafts and resins of Asia, eds C. López and P.Shanley].)(Please see page 44 for information on snailfarming in Cameroon.)

COLLECTIBLES: BUTTERFLY RANCHINGIN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The ranching for collectibles started inPapua New Guinea, a country thatconsiders insects a “national resource”and in its constitution specifies insectconservation as a national objective. In1966, seven rare and magnificentbirdwing butterflies, Ornithoptera spp.(Papilionidae), were declared protectedand a year later the world’s largestbutterfly, O. alexandrae Roth, wasproclaimed legally endangered. In 1968,a law banned the taking of any of theseven species of birdwings threatenedwith extinction. With these steps, PapuaNew Guinea tried to stop unscrupulousbioprospectors who had opportunisticallyexploited the country’s spectacular insectfauna with little if any benefit for therightful owners of these resources.

In the meantime, most of theformerly threatened birdwings andother spectacular and sought-afterinsects of Papua New Guinea havebecome available through legal trade.This was made possibly by theestablishment of several wildlifemanagement areas, the development ofbutterfly ranching for export as part ofthe country’s rural developmentprogramme and involvement of anInsect Farming and Trading Agency(IFTA), which has assured quality control

and themarketing ofthe insectsproduced since1974.

In 1995, over 800 villagers in PapuaNew Guinea supplied stock to IFTA,whose staff fills orders from collectorsworldwide (especially Japan, Germanyand the United States of America),while the profits (less 25 percent foradministrative costs) return to thevillagers.

At present, a pair of a certain speciesof Ornithoptera, such as O. priamus andO. goliath supremus f. titan, may beworth up to $300, but some collectorshave paid thousands for outstandingspecimens.

Serious butterfly ranchers in PapuaNew Guinea can earn US$2 500–5 000per year in a country where the percapita income is around US$50/year.Villagers that earn revenue from insectsare said to have shown a strongtendency to conserve forests,demonstrating the potential of suchenterprises to foster ecologicallysensitive economic development.(Source: Springer/Kluwer AcademicPublishers, Forest Entomology in EastAfrica: Forest Insects of Tanzania. 2006.Chapter 9, Forest-based insect industries.H.G. Schabel. (With kind permission ofSpringer Science and Business Media.).

Lac – CorrigendumThe authors of the article “Cultivation of NTFPs

as the best measure of poverty eradication of

poor tribal cultivators – A case study of lac

cultivation” printed on pages 28–29 of Non-

Wood News 14 should have read: Dr S.P.

Bhardwaj (Principal Scientist) and Dr S.D.

Sharma (Director), Indian Agricultural Statistics

Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India.



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GINSENG

Ginseng genome library established inChinaAfter years of study, Liu Shuying and herteam at the Institute of Applied Chemistryunder the Chinese Academy of Scienceshave established the first ginseng genomelibrary in China. Including holographicmaterial and genetic data, this library isanother step forward in the modernizationof traditional Chinese medicine.

Jilin province in northeast Chinacurrently produces 80 percent of allginseng in China and 60 percent of ginsengavailable on the world market. (Source:People's Daily Online, 15 March 2007.)

A note on ginseng termsWild ginseng refers to the plant as it growsin its native forest, with no help frompeople. Wild ginseng commands thehighest price and is limited to the plant’snative range. American ginseng (Panaxquinquefolius) is found in the mountainseast of the Mississippi River, although itdoes grow in patches as far west asNebraska. Wild Asian ginseng (Panaxginseng) is found only in northeasternChina, the Republic of Korea, theDemocratic Republic of Korea and parts ofSiberia.

Other ginseng relatives are Panaxnotoginseng, found in China as “san chi” or“tien chi” ginseng; Panax japonicum, orJapanese ginseng found only in Japan; andPanax trifolium, known as dwarf ginseng.There is a less documented basis for theseplants than for the main two ginsengspecies, and they are not nearly sovaluable. Eleutherococcus senticosus,sometimes called Siberian ginseng, is not atrue ginseng, but a relative in the sameplant family; it has almost no ginsenosides(the active chemical compounds in the

Panax species), and labelling rules nowprohibit it from being marketed under thename “ginseng”.

Cultivated ginseng is the farm-grownversion, which requires shade arbours,chemical pesticides and fungicides, andintense labour. For generations it wasprimarily cultivated in Wisconsin (UnitedStates of America), but it is now widelygrown in China and on farms around theworld.

Simulated-wild ginseng is a fairly new,middle category (although expertsmaintain than thousands of years ago,Koreans grew simulated-wild ginseng inforests).

Promoted as an ecologically sustainablealternative to cultivated ginseng,simulated-wild plants grow from seedssown by people in forest conditions thatmimic the habitat of wild ginseng.Simulated-wild ginseng is mainly limited toareas where ginseng also grows wild – inthe United States of America, in forestseast of the Mississippi River – and it israised with no or very few chemicals andlittle tilling. Markets in Asia have been slowto acknowledge this as a separatecategory; simulated-wild roots are easilymistaken for wild roots and command ahigher price than cultivated ones. (Source:Ginseng, the divine root. The curioushistory of the plant that captivated theworld, by David A. Taylor.)(Please see page 77 for more informationon this book.)

MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HERBS

Medicinal and aromatic plants: the wayout of poverty?About 20 000 tonnes of medicinal andaromatic plants (MAPs) worth US$18–20million are traded every year in Nepalalone, and about 90 percent are harvestedin an uncontrolled fashion by landless,resource-poor mountain farmers for whomthe harvest and trade in medicinal plantsconstitute their only form of cash income.The situation is similar in Bangladesh,Bhutan, India and other countries of SouthAsia, and 90 percent of the plants fromNepal are exported to India in raw form.

The greater Himalayan region, in fact,has the comparative advantage of beinghome to many MAPs found only there. Theregion also has various well-developedpractices in traditional medicines

(Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha) based onindigenous knowledge of these plants’medicinal and healing properties.Considering the global trade in MAPs –now a US$60 billion industry and stillgrowing, especially with the increasingdemand worldwide for herbal medicines –the potential of MAPs to provide relief frompoverty in South Asia, where 40 percent ofthe world’s poor reside, is tremendous, if itcan be tapped.

However, issues of sustainableharvesting – the need to balance the push-and-pull factors of commercial demand onthe one hand and conservation of thesevaluable plants and their contribution tobiodiversity on the other; the need forgreater value addition at the communitylevel and for stronger farmer-industrycollaboration to realize this; the need forcommercial cultivation of importantspecies, as well as for more researchabout the plants and more informationincluding market information andstrategies together with a more supportivepolicy in the region must be addressed.

Given the increasing value of MAPs, bothin terms of primary health care and as acritical source of livelihoods and incomefor the rural poor in the region, theInternational Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD) withsupport from the Common Fund forCommodities (CFC), the Netherlands, isimplementing a four-year, US$1.68 millionproject “Medicinal Plants and Herbs:Developing Sustainable Supply Chain andEnhancing Rural Livelihoods in the EasternHimalayas” in three countries, Nepal,Bangladesh and Bhutan, with Indiaproviding technical expertise. ICIMOD’sMedicinal and Aromatic Plants Programmein Asia (MAPPA) is the project’simplementing agency, with FAO’sIntergovernmental Subgroup on TropicalFruits providing a supervisory role.

The project’s overall objective is toconserve natural resources, reduce povertyand improve livelihoods for mountaincommunities of the Himalayan regionthrough the sustainable development andutilization of high-value, low-volumeMAPs.

A three-day inception workshop in Aprillaunched the project. Participants includedrepresentatives from nodal agencies (focalpoint organizations for the project in eachcountry), research and academic institutes,non-governmental organizations (NGOs)and the private sector. During the

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workshop, ICIMOD and experts from Indiashared the latest trends and organicpractices in MAP cultivation andprocessing as well as emerging valuesupply chain practices.

Partners in each country areimplementing the project. In Bangladeshthe nodal agency is the Ministry ofCommerce, with the Bangladesh NeemFoundation and the Development ofBiotechnology and EnvironmentalConservation Centre as implementingpartners. In Bhutan the project will beimplemented by the Ministry ofAgriculture, while the Ministry of Forestsand Soil Conservation is the nodal agencyin Nepal, with the Herbs and Non-TimberForest Products Coordination Committee,Nepal working with partners to implementthe project in western Nepal.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr RBS Rawat, Regional ProgrammeCoordinator, Medicinal and Aromatic PlantsProgramme in Asia (MAPPA), ARID/ICIMOD,International Centre for Integrated MountainDevelopment, ICIMOD, Khumaltar, PO Box 3226,Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail: [email protected]

Artemisia annua: WHO publishesguidelines on cultivating an essentialplant used in antimalaria medicinesThe World Health Organization (WHO) todaypublishes guidelines for the cultivation andcollection of Artemisia annua L., a Chinesetraditional medicinal plant which is thesource of artemisinin, used to produce themost effective medicines for malaria. Theguidelines will contribute to improving thequality of Artemisia annua L. to developartemisinin-based medicines further, andhelp ensure a sustainable supply to meetmarket demand.

Artemisia annua L., used in Chinesetraditional medicine for centuries, is todayconsidered part of the solution wheremalaria has become resistant to othermedicines. Artemisinin-based combinationtherapies (ACTs) have been recommendedby WHO since 2001 in all countries wherefalciparum malaria – the most resistantform of the disease – is endemic. Sincethen, the world market for productscontaining artemisinin derivatives hasgrown rapidly. However, not all artemisininmeets the required standards to producequality medicines, making it all the moreurgent to promote best practices in thecultivation and collection of the rawmaterial used to make the combinationtherapy.

About 40 percent of the world'spopulation is at risk of contracting malariawhich is resistant to other medicines. Ofthe 76 countries needing artemisinin-based treatment today, 69 have adopted theWHO recommendation to use this therapy.

The availability of these treatments stillfalls short of what is needed. Of anestimated 600 million people needing ACTsworldwide, only about 82 million arereceiving the treatment through publicsector distribution systems (whichconstitute 90 percent of antimalarialdistribution in developing countries).

The WHO monograph on goodagricultural and collection practices forArtemisia annua L. provides a detaileddescription of the cultivation and collectiontechniques and measures required for aharvest to meet quality requirements. Theinformation is based on research data andthe practical experience of severalcountries where successful cultivationpractices have led to a high yield of goodquality Artemisia annua L.

The authors of the guidelines cautiongovernments on two fronts. First, theymust ensure that farmers work with

manufacturers to determine the actualmarket demand for the plant. Recentexperience in some countries has shownthat overproduction not only wastes moneyand time, but it can also have a negativeeffect on the plant's future yield. Second,they must ensure the availability of thetechnical skills and expertise needed toextract artemisinin from dried leaves.

The WHO monograph also aims toprovide a model for countries andresearchers to develop furthermonographs on good agricultural andcollection practices for other medicinalplants, and promote the sustainable use ofthe plant as part of the larger aim ofprotecting the wild resources of medicinalplants. (Source: World Health Organization,12 March 2007.)

Global standard set for wild medicinalplant harvesting A new standard to promote sustainablemanagement and trade of wild medicinaland aromatic plants was launched onFriday in Nuremberg at Biofach, the WorldOrganic Trade Fair. The standard is neededto ensure plants used in medicine andcosmetics are not overexploited.

About 15 000 species or 21 percent of allmedicinal and aromatic plant species areat risk, according to the report by theMedicinal Plant Specialist Group of theWorld Conservation Union’s (IUCN) SpeciesSurvival Commission that sets forth thenew standard.

More than 400 000 tonnes of medicinaland aromatic plants are traded every year,and about 80 percent of these species areharvested from the wild.

Almost 70 000 species are involved,many of them in danger of overexploitationor extinction through overharvesting andhabitat loss. In India, for instance, 319medicinal plants are listed as threatenedby IUCN.

In Ecuador, one of the best knownmedical herbs in the world, cascarillaCinchona pubescens – the original sourceof the antimalarial drug quinine – may bethreatened as a result of overexploitation,according to the World Wide Fund forNature (WWF). Today the herb is used totreat a variety of ailments, from upsetstomachs to immune system problems.

In Eastern Europe, unsustainablecollection of the wild herb pheasant's eye,Adonis vernalis, used to treat cardiacailments, has led to declines throughoutthe plant's range, says WWF, and today the

MOUNTAIN MEDICINAL PLANTS

Medicinal plants are one of the mostvaluable resources at high altitudes.For example, 1 748 species from theIndian Himalayas are used for localmedicinal treatment or for trade,involving the pharmaceutical industry.Roughly a third grow in the subalpineor alpine zone. Cultivation of medicinalplants instead of harvesting wildplants, which often causes localextinction of highly priced medicinalspecies, and local processing instead ofexporting raw material, are twostrategies that can ensure thesustainable use of medicinal plants andincrease the incomes of mountaindwellers. (Source: Flyer, InternationalMountain Day 2006, FAO.)



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species is protected from collection inmany countries.

In the United States of America, largequantities of American ginseng, Panaxquinquefolius and goldenseal, Hydrastiscanadensis, are collected in the wild.Although much of the ginseng exported fromthe United States is now cultivated, enoughcollection of the wild plant occurs that tradein the species is now regulated. Both ginsengand goldenseal are listed in Appendix II ofthe Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Flora andFauna, which allows trade in these plantsonly through a permitting system.

About 90 percent of the ginsengexported from the United States each yeargoes to countries in East Asia. The UnitedStates imports hundreds of thousands oftonnes of many different herbs each year tosupport its US$3 billion market.

Following extensive consultation withplant experts and the herbal productsindustry, the International Standard forSustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal andAromatic Plants, ISSC-MAP, was drawn upby the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group. TheGerman Federal Agency for NatureConservation was involved in the consultationtogether with WWF-Germany, and thewildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC,plus industry associations, companies,certifiers and community-based NGOs.

The standard is based on six principles –maintaining medicinal and aromatic plantresources in the wild, preventing negativeenvironmental impacts, legal compliance,respecting customary rights, applyingresponsible management practices andapplying responsible business practices.

Traditional Medicinals, a Californianherbal medicine company, is testing theapplication of the new standard to thecollection of bearberry, a shrub whoseleaves are used to treat the kidney, bladderand urinary tract.

To view the Medicinal Plant SpecialistGroup paper that sets forth the completestandard, please visit:www.floraweb.de/ proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.pdf(Source: Environment News Service [UnitedStates of America], 20 February 2007.)

Assessment of success and failures incultivation, processing and marketing ofmedicinal plants in the Malwa region,Central IndiaDuring the last decade India, particularlyMadhya Pradesh state, has observed a

major boon in cultivating medicinal andaromatic plants (MAPs), which are on highdemand in the international as well as thenational market. The Government, semi-government, NGOs, private industries andeven individuals were largely attractedbecause of the high cost of raw materials ofspecies such as safed musli (Chlorophytumborivillianum), sarpgandha (Rauvolfiaserpentina), lemon grass (Cymbopogonmartinii), stevia (Stevia rebundiana) andcoleus (Coleus forskohlii).

The state and central governmentlaunched a massive campaign to promotelarge-scale cultivation of some 20 to 30species by giving subsidies and loans tofarmers. The basic aim of the campaign is toconserve medicinal plants from the forest,increase rural employment and income andalso increase exports. Because of thedecreasing availability of raw material fromthe forest and the Coleus forskohlii highcosts of planting material and raw products,several companies and progressive farmershave started large-scale cultivation ofhighlighted species. As a result there is ascarcity of planting material, crop suitability,market and proper management.

Therefore, in the last decade or so thearea under medicinal crop cultivation hasgreatly increased because of the attractiveand remunerative market prices in both theinternational and national markets. However,more recently, through lack of marketdemand, low prices, high planting materialand production costs, increasing labourcosts, less local and Industrial consumption,and more production, the market for thesecommercially cultivated medicinal plants hascrashed. As a result, small-scale farmersfailed to sell their produce (wet) in the localmarket: the cost of the raw or wet productdropped considerably and there were nobuyers. Hence, some farmers left thecultivation or sold their produce at bargainprices in the local market.

A recent report examines the variouscauses of success and failures in thecultivation of ashwagandha, safed musli,asaria, coleus and stevia plants in theMalwa region of Madhya Pradesh state. Forseveral reasons, the market for the muchsought after wonder crop safed musli hasdrastically crashed in the last one to twoyears. It has been flooded by the cultivatedmedicinal crop and there were no buyersfor the raw material produced particularlyby small-scale farmers of the region.

The study reveals that because ofmarket saturation (overproduction) of

commercial crops (such as safed musli andashwagandha), increase in labour costs,little enthusiasm for processing and valueaddition techniques and other marketingproblems, farmers are rapidly decreasingthe area under MAP cultivation. The casesof failures in cultivation and marketing ofselected species are more than successfulcases in the study area. This situationneeds special attention from government,traders and the industry.

The survey of the study area clearlyindicates that the cultivation of selectedspecies is not remunerative for smalllandholding farmers. Overall, the false hopesgiven by planting material suppliers,consultants and the industry, along withfarmers’ own mistakes in cultivation andprocessing, have led the small farmers of theMalwa region to start reducing the cultivationarea even further. (Source: extracted fromthe executive summary of a project reportsubmitted to the Indian Institute of ForestManagement (IIFM), Bhopal, MadhyaPradesh, India in October 2006 by Dr ManishMishra and Dr P C Kotwal.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTTHE CONTRIBUTOR:Dr Manish Mishra, Faculty of EcosystemManagement, IIFM, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh, India. Pin: 262003. E-mail: [email protected];www.iifmnmpbmis.org/

MOSS

Masses of mossMoss has been harvested in Scotland, theUnited Kingdom, for thousands of years andstill is, although until recently very little wasknown about it outside harvesting circles. Arecent four-month study investigated mossharvesting in the country, involving contactwith 308 harvesters, traders, landowners,bryologists (moss experts) and informantson the illegal trade. The study comes at a

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time of increasing interest in NTFPs from theForestry Commission Scotland, privatelandowners, community woodland groupsand conservation bodies alike.

Today moss is harvested for use in thefloristry and horticultural trades andrepresents a worldwide commodity (seearticle on moss harvesting in the PacificNorthwest, Non-Wood News 13). InScotland, 70 percent of florists and 60percent of garden centres trade in moss,although the majority of these import theirsupplies from wholesalers in England or theNetherlands, who in turn source most oftheir moss from across the European Union(EU). Given its wet climate, Scotland is home

to a wealth of mosses however and thosegrowing in non-native conifer plantationsoffer opportunities for harvesters, either forpersonal use or commercial sale.

The study found that moss harvestingdoes occur throughout Scotland and on avariety of scales; from large-scalecommercial harvesting enterprises toindividual florists and garden centressupplying their own needs, to individualsharvesting for personal or charitablepurposes. As much illegal harvesting, i.e.without landowner permission, is thought tooccur as legal harvesting. Estimations putthe total value of the harvest and trade ofScottish-grown moss at UK£0.5 million

annually and 125 jobs. Landowners chargingpermit fees make on average very littlemoney from moss harvesting but welcomethe diversification of land activities.

One-third of all landowners contactedhad experience of moss harvesting in theirforests, although large-scale harvesting isconcentrated in the expansive forests in thesouth of the country. Cases of illegal mossharvesting from peat bogs do occur andthese cause concern over the sustainabilityand legality of the practice, thus damagingthe industries’ reputation. However, mostharvesting concentrates on just fourgenera, Pleurozium, Polytrichum,Pseudoscleropodium and Sphagnum, the

MOSS GATHERING IN THE UNITEDSTATES OF AMERICA

The following e-mail exchange of March2007 presents interesting points of view onmoss harvesting guidelines.

Proposal from JeriLynn E. PeckA number of us have been asked to pulltogether some draft guidelines for thecommercial harvest of mosses fordiscussion and distribution among themembers of the International Associationof Bryologists (IAB) at the annual meetingthis summer, with the ultimate intent ofproviding IAB-approved general harvestguidelines. We are just starting to thinkabout this, so I wanted to throw out toanyone who might wish to provide someinput the opportunity to provide someguidance on developing the guidelines!

Specifically, any advice/documents/ Weblinks referring to existing guidelines formoss or similar NTFPs or to the process ofdeveloping workable guidelines wouldhelp ensure that we think abouteverything that we should. (JeriLynn E.Peck, Research Fellow, 207 Forest ResourcesBuilding, Penn State, University Park, PA16802, United States of America;http://silv.cas.psu.edu/jp.htm;www.strengthinperspective.com/JPmoss)

Response/proposal from Eric JonesI suppose the creation of harvestingguidelines could be a positive step towardsmoss conservation, but so often these sortsof efforts seem to do more to disruptharvesting patterns, such as the way inwhich local knowledge about stewarding

the resource is formed. If the end goal ismoss conservation, maybe efforts shouldfirst target the widespread destruction ofmoss habitat that occurs from clearcutlogging, mountain top removal for coal,freeway construction, housingdevelopments, etc. I suspect the impactfrom harvesting is nothing compared withthese other activities.

Harvesters have no power and so anattack on their livelihoods by science willonly push them more underground. Howdo we as scientists and managers protectthe good harvesters that are trying tomake some money while also trying tounderstand and safeguard their mosspatches?

What would be great is to figure out away for a much greater number ofharvesters to be brought into theknowledge-sharing fold. I have yet to seea single scientific study that hasinterviewed and documented thetechniques and tools of harvesters andthen tested them. Instead, what so oftenseems to happen is a harvester gets busted“poaching” moss and the pictures end upin the newspaper. Fear then spreads to allof us, scientists and managers included,that harvesting equals resourcedestruction.

My friend Kurt is just one of many goodpeople out there harvesting who could bea great resource, but there is no way he orother harvesters are going to participatein the process the way things are now. Hedoesn't speak science, doesn't have extratime or money and he resentsmanagement for making him jump

through hoops, but never lifting a fingerto help him the way they do otherstakeholders. However, he might bepersuaded to collect some data if he wereoffered money and training to do so. Thatwould be the sort of positive step thatcould bring people like Kurt into discussionslike these. It would send a message to himthat he is not viewed negatively bymanagement and science, but actually isseen as someone with important skills andknowledge to contribute.

I mean no disrespect to the research youhave done, every little bit helps. However,in reality we have so little information onmoss it seems premature andpresumptuous to create guidelines for howto harvest moss before we really investigatewhat harvesters are doing.

What if we tabled that idea and insteadworked to do the following three things.

• Submitted grants for serious in-depthethnobotantical research on mossharvesting culture, knowledge andtechnology/techniques.

• Developed a strategy for educatingland managers about conservation (e.g.less damage to moss from logging).

• Worked to promote opportunities forharvester involvement in knowledgegeneration, such as data collection.

(Eric T. Jones, Ph.D., EnvironmentalAnthropologist, Institute for Culture andEcology, (501c3), PO Box 6688, Portland,Oregon 97228-6688, United States ofAmerica. E-mail: [email protected];www.ifcae.org)(Minor edits have been made forclarification purposes only.)



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harvested species of which are allconsidered common and widespread. Theknowledge and practice of sustainableharvesting techniques among large-scaleharvesters were also found to be high.Although conifer plantations are subject tocyclical disturbances during fellingoperations and, as such, moss harvestingpales into ecological insignificance,bryologists recommend that places such asstreams, springs and rock outcrops whererare mosses may be found should beavoided during harvesting.

To conclude, market opportunities existfor Scottish-grown moss to replace currentimports from elsewhere in the EU. Despitethe ecological sensitivity demonstrated bymany harvesters, concerns over thesustainability of harvesting must beaddressed in order to build confidence in theindustry. A code of conduct for mossharvesting in Scotland is currently beingdeveloped and is hugely welcomed as a wayto promote this NTFP-based industry, forwhich Scotland has great potential. For a copy of the full report on which thisarticle is based and for more information onthe code of conduct, please visit:www.forestharvest.org.uk(Contributed by: Sam Staddon, Institute ofGeography, University of Edinburgh,Edinburgh EH8 9QP, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected]

Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.)Sphagnum moss has long been used for itsmedicinal properties. The entire plant isantiseptic and a tar extracted from thedecaying moss is particularly valuable asan external treatment for a variety of skindiseases, including eczema and psoriasis.Yet it is the plant’s incredible absorptiveproperties that have made their mark onmodern field medicine. When thoroughlydried, sphagnum is able to absorb 16 timesits weight of water, making it an excellent

wound dressing that is said to have savedthousands of lives during the First WorldWar. It is also used as a potting materialand soil conditioner.

However, sphagnum’s potential as aNTFP should be limited to small-scaledevelopment, as extensive harvesting isleading to the destruction of many naturalbogs, a delicate ecosystem that takescenturies to develop. (Source: Our Life,Medicine Path: Non-Timber ForestProducts of the Boreal. Taiga RescueNetwork fact sheet.)

PAPER MULBERRY(BROUSSONETIAPAPYRIFERA)

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)is native to Japan and Taiwan Province ofChina and is an ancient introduction acrossthe Pacific as far east as Hawai‘i. Althoughthe tree is fertile in its native range, theplants carried into the Pacific were all maleclones, transported and planted asrootstock or stems. Thus, the female plantswith flowers and fruit are absent.

The tree reaches a height of 12 m ormore if allowed to grow, but in practice it isusually harvested at a much shorter heightwhen the stems are about 2.5 cm indiameter and 3–4 m tall. The tree was veryimportant in traditional Polynesian culture,as its bark supplied one of the mostimportant materials in ancient Polynesia,tapa cloth.

Today, the tree has disappeared frommost of its traditional range and iscultivated to any extent only in Tonga, Fijiand Samoa. It is important in these placesbecause it is a major source of handicraftincome in the form of finished tapa cloth.Although it is no longer used in Polynesiafor clothing, in Tonga and Samoa tapa clothis still worn during ceremonial occasionssuch as festivals or dances. It does not lastvery long when worn as everyday clothing.

The tree is grown in plantations andhome gardens on islands where tapa clothis still made. It can tolerate a wide range ofenvironmental extremes and even doeswell in temperate climates (its nativehabitat). Since only the male clones arepresent in Polynesia, the tree has nopotential for becoming invasive.

Uses and productsThe most significant part of the papermulberry is its strong, fibrous bark used in

making the native bark cloth known as tapa.The plant also has other less important uses. Fruit. The sweetish fruits are edible,although where only male clones arepresent, such as in the Pacific Basin, no fruitis formed. Leaf vegetable. In Indonesia, the steamedyoung leaves are eaten. Medicinal. In Hawai‘i, the slimy sap was usedas a laxative and the ash of burnt tapa wasused for treating thrush. In Samoa, aninfusion of the crushed leaves is sometimestaken as a potion for treating stomach painsand ill-defined abdominal pains. The leaf,bark and fruit are used medicinally in VietNam, the Lao People’s Democratic Republicand Cambodia. Animal fodder. The leaves are fed to pigs inViet Nam, the Lao People’s DemocraticRepublic and Cambodia and to silkworms inChina. Fuelwood. After removing the bark for tapa,the stems can be used for kindling. Fibre/clothing. The inner bark has beenused for centuries in Southeast Asia forpaper and textiles. The bark is traditionallyused in Polynesia to make tapa.

The finest and most delicate tapa inPolynesia was made in Hawai‘i. Nowadays,however, tapa making in the Pacific islimited to Tonga and Fiji and, to a lesser

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THE MAKING OF TAPA CLOTH

The bark is stripped from the cut stemsby making a lengthwise incision acrossthe stem and pulling it off intact toobtain a single long strip. The innerbark, or bast, is then separated from theouter bark, and any green matterremaining on the bast is removed usingscrapers; the bast is then washed toremove the slimy sap. The strips arepounded on a wooden anvil using asquare beater made of a hard wood.Two or three of the strips are thenfelted together by the pounding, helpedby the stickiness of the bark. Several ofthe resulting sheets are often poundedtogether in layers to increase thethickness or to cover over thin spots orholes in the individual sheets. A bit ofpaste in the sprinkling water is usuallyused at this point. These white tapas arethen painted or, as in Hawai‘i, printedwith decorative designs.



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extent, Samoa, and the tree and the art arenearly forgotten everywhere else. Tannin/dye. Charcoal from the wood makesone of the best permanent black inks fortapa designs.Rope/cordage/string. The bark fibre can beused to make rough cordage, as can theroots. Ceremonial/religious importance. The barkcloth is used ceremonially in Tonga, Fiji andSamoa. In Hawai‘i, tapa was important inburial wrapping and other funerarycustoms.(Source: extracted from Traditional Treesof Pacific Islands, ed. Craig R. Elevitch.2006. Full text available for downloadingfrom: http://www.traditionaltree.org)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTTHE AUTHORS BELOW: W. Arthur Whistler, Isle Botanica, 2814 KalawaoSt, Honolulu, Hawai’i 96822, United States ofAmerica; http://www.Islebotanica.comand Craig R. Elevitch, Permanent AgricultureResources, PO Box 428, Holualoa, Hawai‘i 96725, United States of America. E-mail: [email protected]

PINE PRODUCTS

Pine resin: turpentine, paints and varnishfrom Cuban treesTurpentine is one of the productsmanufactured from the thick, translucentpine resin extracted from tall coniferouspine trees. Different Pinus species can befound growing naturally in various parts ofthe world, including Europe and Asia.Species such as Pinus radiata are alsogrown within plantations in many countries,given the well-developed market for pineproducts and the versatility of the timber.

In Cuba, Pinus caribaea (known as “malepine”) is used for both its timber and resin.The processed pine wood is used for a widevariety of construction purposes (doors,

windows, boats and furniture). Farmersalso use the unprocessed round woodenpoles for building houses. The resin is usedas an industrial component to makeproducts such as colophony (processedresin) and turpentine, which are in highdemand for the production of paints,varnishes, adhesives and disinfectants.Most of Cuba's pine resin is exported toseveral countries including Mexico, Indiaand Spain. One tonne of crude resin has amarket value of around US$350, tripling invalue once it is distilled.

Pine trees in Cuba have a long history ofuse, stretching from precolonial times up tothe present day. Pinus caribaea is part of thenatural vegetation of Cuba and is distributedmainly across Pinar del Río. This province ishome to approximately 100 000 ha of pinetrees, 70 percent of which are plantationbased. Here, nearly 200 families are activelyinvolved in the collection of pine resin. Atpresent, the average Cuban monthly wage is250 pesos, but resin extractors can earnalmost three times this amount. One tonneof resin fetches around 663 pesos and, onaverage, an extractor can produce 1.5 to 2tonnes per month.

In Cuba, industrial resin processingbegan in the mid-1980s. In the 17 yearsbetween 1985 and 2002, a total of 12 500tonnes was produced – 80 percent of whichwere exported. In the first year ofproduction the output was around 70tonnes, increasing to almost 1 200 in 1989.However, following the country's economiccrisis in 1990, the annual outputplummeted to less than 200 tonnes.

In recent years research efforts havefocused on the processing of resin productsfor export, using nationally developedtechnologies. As a result, production levelshave rapidly risen. In Pinar del Río,approximately 1 200 tonnes of resin havebeen produced per year since 2000 and theforecast is for production to increase toaround 5 000 tonnes per year. Theestablishment of several factories hashelped to boost the volume being processed.

The fluctuations of resin production andthe development of new processingtechnology are part of Cuba's recenteconomic and political history. Through theefforts of its citizens, and throughgovernment support and research, Cubahas managed to make its intensiveagricultural and industrial activities moresustainable both socially andenvironmentally. The pine resin industry isone such example.

Compatible extraction: wood and resinPine trees are ready for resin extractionaround the same time they reach a sufficientdiameter for timber logging – upwards of 20cm. However, the felling of trees generallytakes place two to four years after the resin istapped, to ensure a good harvest of bothproducts: resin and pine logs.

Resin tapping involves producing a centralwound in the trunk, at a height of around 1.6m above the ground, along with additional,small wounds called picas, which pointdownwards in a V-shape. To prepare the treefor tapping, a section of trunk, at a width ofaround 65 cm, is debarked. This is thesurface area that resin will be extracted fromover the next 40 to 44 weeks, using atechnique that allows the tree to continueliving and growing until its timber isharvested.

To stimulate the flow of resin a centralwound is cut, below which a metallic funnel ishung, leading to a collection pot. Connectedto the central wound, several picas are thenmade, each about 5 mm in depth and 10 mmin length. An additional incision is made eachweek to maintain the resin flow. Once theresin channels are accessed, the thick, stickyresin slowly exudes from the trunk for up to25 hours. This is collected and deposited into200 kg tanks or cans, which are transportedto plant processors or export companies. Asingle Pinus caribaea tree can yield about 4kg of resin per year, which is equivalent toaround 2 tonnes of resin per ha. Eachextractor is responsible for a production areaof 6 to 10 ha (containing 2 000 to 5 000 pinetrees) – from which they collect between 15and 30 tonnes of resin annually.

All resin extractors are linked with theState Forestry Company, which establishesthe payment system, and the Cuban ForestCommission keeps them informed about rawmaterial prices, trade conditions and productcommercialization. The presentmanagement of pine trees and resinextraction includes the application ofappropriate technologies and a focus on theconservation of pines – guaranteeing ongoingwood and resin production. The extractorsbenefit through stable employment and theuse of techniques that ensure a high qualityresin. If such conditions are maintained, thisall bodes well for a sustainable future for theindustry. (Source: case study on pine resin, byYnocente Betancourt Figueras and MariaJosefa Villalba Fonte [in Riches of the forest:fruits, remedies and handicrafts in LatinAmerica, eds C. López, P. Shanley and A.C.Fantini].)

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body of research reporting the antidiabeticeffects of the pine bark extract,Pycnogenol.

The product is extracted from the bark ofthe maritime pine that grows on thesouthern coast of France and is currentlyused in over 400 dietary supplements,multivitamins and health products.(Source: NutraIngredients-usa.com[France], 9 February 2007.)

Mujeres elaboran artesanías con acículasde pino en HondurasEl Programa de Cooperación entre la FAO ylos Países Bajos (FNPP, siglas en inglés),brinda una oportunidad a diversos actores,

especialmente a nivel local que participanen la validación del marco jurídico forestaly del PRONAFOR (Programa Nacionalforestal), llevando a cabo procesos localesde carácter piloto de los cuales surjanpropuestas para su mejoramiento ydinámicas participativas para suimplementación. El FNPP, Apoyo a laOperacionalización del Marco JurídicoForestal y del Programa Nacional Forestaltrabaja en Honduras desde enero de 2005en tres áreas pilotos: Villa San Antonio,MAMUCA y Gualaco.

En la comunidad de Protección, Villa deSan Antonio, a unos 50 km al oeste de lacapital, Tegucigalpa, un grupo de mujeresfueron capacitadas para elaborar artesaníascon acículas de pino a través del ProyectoFNPP. La Villa de San Antonio, es unacomunidad forestal, enclavada en un bosquede pino y tiene organizada una cooperativaque se dedica al aprovechamiento de lamadera, a la extracción de resina de pino yademás poseen un pequeño aserradero yuna carpintería, estas labores son realizadaspor los hombres.

Alrededor de 20 mujeres de la comunidadse capacitaron en noviembre pasado paraelaborar artesanías utilizando las hojas depino, las cuales son «cosechadas» despuésque los árboles son derribados paraaprovechar la madera; la capacitación duróun par de semanas, al final de las cuales elingenio humano y la imaginación se ponen aprueba, porque las personas comenzaron aelaborar diferentes objetos, para adorno opara uso práctico de los hogares. Ésta es unaactividad innovadora en la zona y en lasáreas que trabaja el FNPP, utilizandoproductos forestales no madereros, porejemplo las acículas, que durante años sequemaban en la época de incendiosforestales. Esta actividad es realizada pormujeres de todas las edades que han estadosiempre al margen de las actividadesproductivas que genera el bosque. Estaactividad significa ingresos para los hogares.Además, la capacitación para su aprendizajefue realizada por mujeres de otracomunidad, las cuales no formaban parte delproyecto, lo cual evidencia la solidaridadentre grupos de mujeres.

Además de los beneficios indirectos queaportan para la protección del bosque, elbeneficio directo es que los ingresosmonetarios aumentaron sustancialmente enlas familias que se dedican a esta labor, yaque una pieza la pueden vender en alrededorde $15, producto de dos días de trabajo. Éstaes una actividad temporal puesto que el

PINE RESIN PRODUCTION

The following is a reply from FAO’s NWFP Programme to areader in Fiji regarding an inquiry on pine resin production.Regarding general information about pine resin (tappingtechniques, markets, etc.), I am pleased to invite you to browse ouronline publication on pine tapping (Gum naval stores: turpentine androsin from pine resin, www.fao.org/docrep/v6460e/ v6460e00.htm). The techniquesdescribed are still valid, although the market information is a bit outdated. Since itspublication, China has reinforced its dominant place in the global rosin market.

Here is the reply to your two specific questions 1. To collect and export raw pine resin ... which are the best markets for export?First, raw pine resin is not a commodity for international trade. It needs to be

refined locally, from which rosin is an exportable raw material. Investment costs forsetting up a resin refinery are relatively low (see estimate in the above publication).

Please check also the species of pines available for tapping, as not all pine speciesare fully suitable to yield marketable resins (rosin from some pine species commandsmuch higher prices). In addition, please be aware that tapping pines is damaging totheir stems and that the wood from tapped pines sells at lower prices (so there willbe an economic trade-off to be calculated between extra income from tapping pinesversus selling the wood at a lower price).

The best markets to look for from Fiji for the rosin would be China (that cannotget enough of it for its fast-growing chemical industries), but also Japan, theRepublic of Korea or nearby New Zealand and Australia. The rosin market is verycompetitive, so production “costs” would have to be very low in order to be able tosell at a profit.

2. To manufacture resin-based products ... what are the best products, which fetchhigh returns?

Raw pine resin can be refined into (solid) rosin (which is the most common resin-based product and maybe the best suitable product in your case). It is exported inbarrels. Eventually the capture of the volatile substances during the refinery processcan also be envisaged, but this requires substantial higher investment. Rosin is a rawmaterial for the chemical industries (e.g. paint, varnishes, prints, flavours andfragrances).

For Fiji, my suggestion would be to go into the “tourist-curious” type of productsand produce from the rosin an oil-based “aromatherapy type of fragrance substance”sold in small glass flasks to tourists at a high prices. (Please contact us at the address on the first page for a hard copy of the publicationmentioned.)

Pine bark extract shows promise forslowing sugar uptakeExtracts from French maritime pine barkmay inhibit an enzyme linked to glucoseabsorption 190 times more than a syntheticmedication, says new research fromGermany that could offer significantbenefits for diabetics if the results can betranslated from the laboratory to humans.

The results of the new study, publishedonline in the Elsevier journal DiabetesResearch and Clinical Practice(“Oligomeric procyanidins of Frenchmaritime pine bark extract [Pycnogenol]effectively inhibit alpha-glucosidase”, by A.Schafer and P. Hogger), add to a growing



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grupo necesita apoyo en el proceso demercadeo.

A pesar de que Honduras tiene más dedos millones de ha de bosques de pino, sonmuy pocas las comunidades que poseen estaexperiencia de aprovechamiento de lasacículas del pino.

Aportado por Renán Mairena, FNPPHonduras, [email protected]

PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN, DIRIGIRSE A: Agenda Forestal HondureñaCol Palmira, Avenida República del Perú,costado norte del Parque Benito Juárez, casa No. 402, Tegucigalpa, HondurasCorreo electrónico: [email protected]/noticias207.htm

Pine nut harvesting in Mexico Every seven years, hundreds of tonnes ofpiñon nuts are wild harvested in the Sierra.These pink nuts bring the highest value onthe global market – 800 pesos per kg inMexico.

The problem is that thousands ofharvesters from all over Chihuahua descendon the ejidos (communal land) on theeastern foothills of the Sierra, most notablyBalleza, to harvest this natural production.The local people also harvest, but receivenothing from outside harvesters. TheTarahumara and mestizos (people of mixedblood) in the region want to controlproduction and develop value-addedenterprises such as shelling, packaging,and the production of chocolates, sweetsand other products with pine nuts.

Piñon pines produce large quantities ofnuts every seven years. In their shells, thenuts store for years, so a community canstore the harvest and have products on asustainable level for five or six years.Smaller intermittent harvests could alsosustain production during off years.

With support from Sierra MadreAlliance, agronomist Nora Jacques hashelped a group in Ejido Baquiriachi toorganize, evaluate the feasibility of theproject and develop proposals to purchase10 tonnes of nuts from harvesters and to

develop a processing plant. This project willprobably be funded in 2007. (Source: SierraMadre Alliance [SMA] Update, March 2007.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Sierra Madre Alliance, PO Box 40474, Tucson, AZ 85717, United States of America.Fax: 011 52 614 412-0420; e-mail: [email protected];www.sierramadrealliance.org/index.shtml

Pine nut production in the Kozac region ofTurkey Some 27 percent of stone pine (Pinuspinea) forests in Turkey are located in the16 villages of the Kozac region. Theyproduce about 1 000 of the 1 300 tonnes ofthe country’s annual yield of pine nuts, 80percent of which are exported. Of the 18600 ha of stone pines in the area, 16 500 haare on private land, 1 400 ha belong tovillages and 700 ha are private plantationsin state forests.

Rising revenues from pine nuts haveencouraged people to convert vineyards, fruitgardens and degraded coppice lands intostone pine stands. Higher incomes haveallowed them to invest in agriculture,horticulture and animal husbandry, therebydiversifying their economic base as well asthat of the region. Because stone pine forestsmake good grazing lands, integrated landuse became more common. Manurefertilizes the soil and the trees’ large canopyprotects grass from the sun so that it staysgreen longer and develops better. The areasare opened to animals only when trees reacha certain age so that no damage occurs.

Because selling pine nuts has increasedincomes and employment levels, the Kozacregion has experienced significant changesin socio-economic conditions: healthservices and infrastructure have improved,education has increased, etc. These benefitshave created a unity not seen in other partsof the country and fostered the developmentof business cooperatives that not only haveincreased bargaining power but also createdjobs. (Source: extracted from Better forestry,less poverty: a practitioner’s guide. FAOForestry Paper 149. 2006. Rome. ISBN 92-5-105550-5; www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0645e/a0645e00.HTM)

Pine products from boreal forests A large number of pine species are foundthroughout the boreal forest and many ofthese species make a significantcontribution to the local economy, beyondthe obvious harvesting of timber.

For example, turpentine can be obtainedfrom the oleoresins of all pine species,although trees from warmer areas generallygive higher yields, making the process moreeconomically viable. The pitch that can alsobe extracted from these resins can be usedfor waterproofing and as a woodpreservative.

Certain species are also edible and can beused for medicinal purposes. For example, inthe northeastern Russian Federation Pinuspumilla (dwarf Siberian pine) producesedible pine nuts and the inner bark of Pinussylvestris (Scots pine), which ranges acrossnorthern Europe and well into the Russianboreal, has been ground up and used tomake bread in times of famine.

In terms of medicinal uses, Pinussylvestris is also valued for its antisepticproperties and its positive effects on therespiratory system; its essential oil is oftenused in aromatherapy. (Source: Our Life,Medicine Path: Non-Timber Forest Productsof the Boreal. Taiga Rescue Network factsheet.)

RATTAN

Halting the rapid disappearance of theworld’s rattan resourcesUnlike bamboo, which is quite widelycultivated because of its versatility andimportance in trade, most of the rattanpeople use is collected from the wild. But,apart from timber, rattan is now one of themost economically important productsfrom the moist tropical forests of Asia andWest Africa. Overharvesting is becoming aserious threat – both to the survival ofrattan populations and the livelihoods ofthe people who depend on them.

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However, despite their economic andsocial significance, there are hardly anyreliable data on rattan resources. Rattan ispart of the forest undergrowth so it is notpicked up by the remote sensingtechniques used in routine forestinventories. It is, therefore, hard to evaluatethe true state of the world’s rattan

Drying and sometimes sulphurfumigation follow oil curing. Drying isdetermined complete by weight, colour andthe pitch of the sound made when a cane israpped on the ground. Drying is crucial toquality. Sulphur fumigation kills insectlarvae and enhances colour.

Bringing rattan to market is not thoughtto create significant environmental damageor danger to workers. Undesirable canescan cause litter and monetary waste. Caremust be taken in using hand tools andpersonal protective equipment is a wisechoice to protect the respiratory system.

Rattan resources can be renewable.Research is critical to the ecosystem and thepeople who work in the industry. Cultivationefforts have seen small successes butdeforestation threatens rattan’s naturalhabitats. Rattan’s value protects trees fromcutting as it supports families. (Contributedby: Rebecca Arrington, Side Porch Ind., LLC,2705 W. Buno Rd, Milford, Mi 48380, UnitedStates of America; e-mail: [email protected])(Please see page 52 for information onparticipatory rattan management in Nepal.)

WILDLIFE

How wildlife can better contribute tolivelihoods and poverty reductionWild animals historically have been a majorsource of food, clothing, weapons, medicineand rituals, although intensive use isdeclining because wildlife populations aredecreasing. As an important component offorests, the sustainable management ofwildlife requires a range of integratedapproaches if lasting solutions to the supplycrisis in many poor rural areas are to befound (see Box).

RATTAN

Rattans are spiny, climbing palms. Some600 species grow in the tropical forestsof Asia and Africa, with around 50traded commercially. Unlike bamboo,rattan does not regrow rapidly and isseldom sustainably managed.Overexploitation and loss of habitathave led to a dramatic reduction in theresource over the last 50 years.

Rattan is used locally for bridges,netting and baskets. Most is gathered byvillagers and forest dwellers and in someplaces communities have developedadvanced management systems, such asthe rattan gardens in Kalimantan,Indonesia.

Commercially, rattan is mainly usedto make furniture and craft goods forexport. Rattan collection is oftenseparated from manufacture so thepoorest people do not benefit from thevalue of the finished product. Butproducts can be made by small craftindustries to increase local incomessignificantly. For example, collectors inGhana who send rattan poles tocommercial factories earn about US$45per month, while furniture makers canearn up to US$250 per month simplyfrom producing items for local sale.

Product quality and design are twoof the most important factorsinfluencing marketability. Export ofrattan products can make importantcontributions to national incomes.China, Indonesia, Malaysia and thePhilippines exported an estimatedUS$1.68 billion worth of rattan andrattan products in 2004. Some countries,such as Indonesia, have introducedexport controls on rattan poles andsemi-processed rattan with the aim ofprotecting resources and boosting localmanufacturing, but the effects on localand global trade appear to be mixed.

People obtain more than 20 percent oftheir protein from wild meat and fish in62 developing countries. People in theCongo Basin alone consume more than 1 million tonnes of wild meat yearly(equivalent to 4 million cattle), whilepeople in the Amazon Basin consume 67 000 to 164 000 tonnes per year. Wildforest-dwelling animals represent amixed blessing, however, with raids oncrops counterbalancing ease of hunting.(Source: Unasylva, 57(224): 5–6.)

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resources. What we do know is that rattan’sforest habitats are shrinking while demandand extraction rates are increasing.

The International Network for Bambooand Rattan (INBAR) aims to increaseawareness of the threats to rattanresources as a first step in promoting theirsustainable management and use. At thesame time methods of gathering basicinformation should be developed as to howmuch rattan remains and where it is, and toencourage organizations to go out andcollect such information. Sustainablemanagement and harvesting methodsmust also be developed and show how theycan be applied in natural rain and monsoonforests and assist in developing anddemonstrating ways of growing rattan inplantations. (Source: In partnership for abetter world – strategy to the year 2015.2006. INBAR, Beijing, China.)

Rattan: from harvest to marketRattan is a valuable palm family NTFPproviding income for villagers who harvest itfor sale and use it in handicrafts.

From harvest to market, the rattanbusiness is laborious. Villagers harvest onfoot. Using simple hand tools, they scale hugetrees and cut the vines. Skill is required tomake accurate cuts while keeping watch forants and wasps nesting in the spikyprotection of the vine’s outer covering.

Processing soon follows harvest.Methods vary between regions, but one goalis shared: producing smooth, even-coloured, blemish-free, pliable cane.

Oil curing or deglazing consists of placingthe canes in boiling diesel oil solutions.Curing removes moisture, reduces fungalattacks, improves colour and increasespliability.

In some regions workers place canes inmud solutions and heat them over a firebefore rubbing the surface clean. Thismethod is seen in Indonesia, while in PapuaNew Guinea water washing is followed by afine steel and kerosene scrubbing.

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Although gaps in information make itdifficult to determine the extent to whichbushmeat can alleviate poverty and improvelivelihoods, evidence shows that poor peopleobtain a significant portion of their proteinfrom this source, particularly in lean seasons.They also earn income from the sale of anysurplus catch. While hunting wild animals isunlikely to be a major route out of poverty, ifregulated and sustainable it can diversifylivelihood options and provide a steppingstone for landless people to start a smallbusiness or have money to invest elsewhere.

Open access. Despite the value ofbushmeat as a source of high-quality proteinand income, access is not tightly controlled inmost cases. Individuals or entities generallydo not own the resource per se so that localuse or management rights are not welldefined, especially over large areas that

encompass several villages. As a result,hunters generally do not feel a sense ofstewardship, preferring instead to capture asmany animals as possible before othersdeplete the stocks. In addition, the equipmentis simple (bows and arrows, guns and traps),hunting fits in well with the farming cycle interms of labour needs and dried meat is easyto transport to market because it is light.

Illegal harvest and trade. Bushmeat isoften harvested for meat, as well as fortrophies, by using explosives, wire traps andother unlawful methods. Drivers of loggingtrucks then illicitly move the carcasses tourban markets. These activities involvethousands of people and are spread overimmense areas, many of which are remoteand inaccessible. Efforts to regulate huntingand trade with the intention of benefiting poorpeople can have quite the opposite effect.

Given clear indications that current levelsof wildlife harvesting are unsustainable inmany places, finding solutions requiresbuilding national and local capacity,clarifying rights, adopting participatoryapproaches to decision-making, using localknowledge and skills, and integratingbushmeat issues into broader strategies toimprove livelihoods.

Field practitioners can address issuesrelated to the sustainable use of wildlife byfirst learning about the local hunters, thetrade in bushmeat and the links tolivelihoods. On the basis of this information,they can then suggest to village leaders andother authorities ways to maintainsustainable hunting levels. (Source:extracted from Better forestry, less poverty:a practitioner’s guide. FAO Forestry Paper149. 2006. Rome. ISBN 92-5-105550-5;www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0645e/a0645e00.HTM)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr René Czudek, Forestry Officer (Wildlife andProtected Area Management), FOMC, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme diCaracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. Fax: +39 06 57055137; e-mail: [email protected]

Rhinos and elephants targeted by poachersin southern AfricaRhinos and elephants are being increasinglytargeted by poachers for the rhino horn andivory trades, while smaller mammals suchas antelope are being tracked for bushmeat,according to Animal Rights Africa (ARA). Inits Consuming wild life: the illegalexploitation of wild animals in South Africa,Zimbabwe and Zambia report, the groupnotes that the illegal killing of wild animals,using guns, snares, poison or hunting dogs,falls into three categories: traffickers, oftenoperating as part of international criminalnetworks, trade meat, ivory and rhino hornon local and international markets; poorpeople kill game for food and to sell parts assouvenirs or to traditional healers; and,finally, wealthy individuals hunt animals inprotected areas for their trophy value.

While data on the subject are fragmented,figures obtained by ARA show significantamounts of poaching, often targetingreserves. At least 70 rhinos have been killedin South Africa's famous Kruger NationalPark in the past six years. In Zimbabwe, therhino population in three parks has droppedsharply, ARA said, quoting figures from theZimbabwe Conservation Task Force. Thegroup also cited media reports of 28elephants killed in two national parks inZimbabwe since October 2006.

In Zambia, the trade in illegal bushmeatwas seen to be brisk with 12 tonnes of meatseized in the country in 2006.

Several countries, including Zimbabwe,have complained that the ban on elephantproducts proposed by Kenya and Mali willseriously affect hunting. The proposal is tobe discussed at a conference of theConvention on International Trade andEndangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES) in the Netherlands in June.(Source: Monsters and Critics [UnitedKingdom], 2 April 2007.)

Nature & FauneNature & Faune is an internationalbilingual (English and French) publicationof the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Itsaim is to disseminate information(scientific and technical knowledge) andpromote the exchange of experiences onwildlife, protected area management andthe sustainable use and conservation ofnatural resources in Africa.

The current issue deals with the themeof human/wildlife conflicts.

Subscription is free; just send an e-mailto [email protected]. Alternatively, the

CREATING INCENTIVES FORCONSERVATION

The World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) is working with a village on theedge of the rain forest in southeastCameroon to regulate the commercialhunting of bushmeat. With new roadsopened for logging, local hunters andoutside poachers were selling theircatch to passing truck drivers for moremoney than they could earn fromother activities. Collaborative effortswith the Ministry of Environment andForests to stop such trading failedbecause it was impossible to patrol thelarge number of trucks travelling onthe numerous roads.

Given the incentive to keep wildlifeabundant for foreign hunters who paylarge sums of money for trophies, thevillagers and WWF worked out ascheme by which residents hunted onlyfor their own needs in return for thecommunity receiving a portion of thelicence fees that foreigners werecharged. These revenues paid forimprovements such as equipment forschools. The logging concessionaire alsoagreed to improve operations, providejobs for local people and allow them toaccess forest products for their ownconsumption. To help restrict hunting,company trucks bring frozen meat backfrom the cities to feed workers.



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magazine can be downloaded from theNature & Faune Web site at the addressbelow.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Ms Lonneke Bakker, Assistant Editor, Nature &Faune, FAO Regional Office for Africa, ForestryDepartmental Group, PO Box GP 1628, Accra,Ghana. Fax: (+233-21) 7010943; e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]; www.fao.org/world/regional/raf/workprog/forestry/magazine_en.htm

Illegal bushmeat trade growing in theUnited States of AmericaThe illegal import of African bushmeat is agrowing trade. Federal agents areconfiscating thousands of animalsincluding African rats, bats and great apeparts smuggled into the country. Touristsbringing in bushmeat in suitcases are beingcaught at airports at least once a week.Boxloads of illegal cargoes of bushmeathave been discovered. There is a thrivingblack market and the authorities say that itis a dangerous one. Bushmeat is a culturalfood preference for African expatriates inthe United States. But governmentscientists say bushmeat carries potentiallydeadly diseases that have already spreadfrom animals to humans.

University of California, Berkeley WildlifeEcology Professor Justin Brashares sayshealth is not the only issue. He is worriedthat whole species are now in danger ofextinction. “I don't condone it at all,” hesaid, “but many people who are selling it,and eating it, would like to see somelegalized trade. A United States

Department of Agriculture-approvedtrade.” Brashares said his team ofvolunteers have seen markets openlyselling the banned meat. The black marketis especially lucrative in the Bay Area,including San Francisco and San José.

Brashares says anyone who wants it canfind bushmeat. (Source: CBS 5 [SanFrancisco, United States of America], 21March 2007.)

The Neotropical bushmeat crisisThe devastating effects of the bushmeattrade on wild primates in Central and WestAfrica are well recognized. In contrast, thelargely uncontrolled hunting of primates inCentral and South America has receivedlittle attention. As in Africa, theconvergence of large-scale deforestation,increasing commercial hunting and thecapture of live animals have haddevastating effects on Neotropicalprimates and many species may be pushedto the brink of extinction.

Drawing on almost 200 primarilyscientific publications, Going to pot. TheNeotropical bushmeat crisis and its impacton primate populations comprehensivelyreviews the scale of primate use across 22Central and South American countries. Indoing so, the authors demonstrate thatcurrent levels of offtake are unsustainableacross most Neotropical primates' rangeand that effective conservation measuresare urgently required. In at least 16 of the22 Neotropical nations examined, huntingfor bushmeat poses a critical threat toprimate populations. There is a paucity ofdata for the remaining five countries(Argentina, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaraguaand Uruguay). However, this does of coursenot imply a paucity of problems. Onecountry, Chile, does not have any primatesat all.

Approximately eight million people inSouth America regularly consume

bushmeat as a source of protein. Asignificant portion of bushmeat fromtropical forests consists of primates. Whilelocal farmers and subsistence hunters areconsumers and increasingly traders,wealthier households also consumeconsiderable amounts of bushmeat.

Rural populations in the BrazilianAmazon alone are estimated to consumebetween 2.2 and 5.4 million primates peryear. Because of their slow reproductiverate and low population densities manyprimate species cannot sustain thisimmense offtake. Hunting of large andmedium-sized Neotropical primates occursat a rate that poses an extreme threat totheir long-term survival. Although currenthunting levels are lower in some areas, thisdoes not necessarily indicate a decreasedthreat. Instead, these numbers may reflectoverexploitation in the past that has led togenerally low population numbers. Theincreasing commercialization of bushmeathunting, modern hunting techniques andequipment, expanding infrastructure andgrowing human populations, combinedwith serious habitat degradation andfragmentation, further exacerbate thesituation.

Whereas the extent of habitatdestruction in the Neotropics is widelyacknowledged, the serious impact ofhunting is often ignored. However, thehunting of primates for food, rather thanhabitat loss is predicted to pose the mostserious threat to the survival of largeprimates in Central and South Americawithin the next two decades. As in Africa,habitat fragmentation and hunting aresynergistic, causing newly accessed forestregions to become available to hunters.

Data from hunted areas in manydifferent Amazonian sites show that largeprimate biomass has dropped by up to 93.5percent, in comparison with areas wherehunting is absent. The impact of thisreduction goes beyond the effects onprimate species. There is a domino effecton the forest ecosystem as a whole.Primates are important seed dispersers.Highly mobile woolly and spider monkeysfeed on fruits, and woolly monkeys inparticular consume the fruit of over 200different woody plants. The removal ofthese species therefore significantly affectsthe ability of plants to disperse their seedsand changes the dominance relationshipbetween tree species. In the medium termthis leads to changes in forest composition,structure and biodiversity.

FUNDING FOR WILDLIFE PROJECTS

SITA Trust’s Enriching NatureProgramme is providing funds forwildlife projects. Funding is available tosupport species and habitats that havebeen identified as a priority by theBiodiversity Action Planning process.


CONTACT:

The Barn, Brinkmarsh Lane, Falfield, South

Gloucestershire GL12 8PT, United Kingdom.

Fax: +44 1454 269090;

e-mail: [email protected];

http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/apply/nature



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The hunting of Neotropical primatesoutlined in this report illustrates how atraditional way of life has becomebiologically devastating. There are no easyanswers to this dilemma, and anyresolution of this continent-wideconservation crisis depends on genuinecommitment from all stakeholders.Preventing the disappearance of manyprimate species in the Neotropics requiresurgent national and international action. Toprotect national biodiversity and theintegrity of their forests, range states aretherefore encouraged to prohibit primatehunting and strengthen theimplementation and enforcement ofbinding protection measures. (Source:extracted from the Executive Summary,Going to pot. The Neotropical bushmeatcrisis and its impact on primatepopulations. 2007. Care for the WildInternational, Kingsfold, United Kingdomand Pro Wildlife, Munich, Germany.Download from: www.careforthewild.com/files/Bushmeatreport1206_singlepages.pdf(Please see page 56 for information on thebushmeat trade in Sierra Leone.)

Wildlife managementAmong the multiple threats to wildlife, twoof the most immediate and direct areunsustainable hunting and trading inwildlife and wildlife products, andhuman/wildlife conflict.

In many parts of Africa, commercial tradein bushmeat for consumption is probably thesingle most important cause of the declineof wildlife populations, ranging from insects,birds and turtles to primates, antelopes,elephants and hippopotamuses. It wasestimated that in the Congo Basin alone, theannual offtake of bushmeat is about 5 million tonnes, but a recent, detailed studyof bushmeat offtake in the moist forests ofCameroon and Nigeria, which documentedan average offtake of 346 kg per km2,suggests a much lower offtake of up to 1 million tonnes for the Congo Basin.However, this lower estimate gives littlecause for comfort, because it is still far inexcess of a sustainable level, given theinherently low production of animal biomassin tropical forests.

Meat from wild animals is not only anAfrican issue (see Table). The meat fromfreshwater turtles is consumed in hugevolumes in East Asia, despite the fact that75 percent of the 90 species found in Asiaare considered threatened, and 18 of theseare critically endangered.

There are success stories of the revivalof overexploited wild animal populations. In1969, all 23 species of crocodilians werethreatened or had declining populations.Today, one-third of crocodilians can sustaina regulated commercial harvest, and onlyfour species are critically endangered. Inmany cases, well-managed, CITES-approved ranching programmes producesustainably harvested hides for theinternational market, garnering thesupport of industry and governments, whilehelping supplant illicit trade. Similarprogrammes in regulating the trade in woolproducts from South America’s vicuña haveresulted in similar successes. By the1960s, vicuña populations had beenreduced to 5 000 animals, less than 1 percent of historical populations, butconservation and management haverestored their numbers to 160 000. Today,the illegal global trade in wildlife is secondonly to narcotics and is valued at almostUS$5 billion.

Because of human population growth,the accompanying growth of humansettlements and the consequent reductionof wildlife habitat, conflicts betweenhumans and wildlife are occurring moreand more frequently around the world. InAfrica, where many people depend directlyon natural resources for their livelihoods,wildlife species such as crocodiles,elephants, hippopotamuses and lions raidcrops, injure or kill livestock, invade humansettlements and cause damage to personalbelongings, and can even injure and killpeople. As a result, local people areincreasingly hostile to wildlife and localcommunities do not cooperate withconservation authorities. The result isincreased instances of poaching and otherillegal activities.

The causes of human/wildlife conflictwill not be eliminated in the near futureand it can be expected that conflict will onlyincrease in frequency and intensity. Thereis, therefore, an urgent need to find ways tomanage this conflict. A range ofapproaches are being tried, includingnatural and artificial barriers, such as

suspending chilli pepper-impregnatedcloths on ropes surrounding agriculturalfields, a technique used successfully in anFAO project in Ghana to deter elephantsfrom raiding crops. At present, the mostreasonable approach to managing theconflict is to implement short-termmitigation strategies jointly with long-termpreventive measures.

A challenge for policy-makers is tobalance conservation of wildlife resourceswith the livelihood requirements of localpopulations in all regions. (Source: State ofthe World’s Forests [SOFO] 2007, FAO.)

The impact of acorn crops on deer huntingin the United States of AmericaDeer hunters around Pocahontas say thatmany of the trees are withering and theirvegetation is dead. Thanks to a cold snapthat hit Northeast Arkansas last weekmuch of spring’s green has now turned tobrown. Avid hunters know the threat thiscould have on wildlife: not having an acorncrop will make it hard for deer and turkeysto make it through the winter.

Acorns produced by many of thesewithering trees provide vital nutrients foranimals such as deer. “Acorns are thestaple for wildlife. They count on the nutcrop every year. You have lean years, but Idon't think there's ever been a year whereyou have zero,” said one hunter. He saysthe true effects of this cold snap on plantvegetation probably will not be seen untillater in the year, when the deer huntingseason begins. “In order for the does toproduce good fawns for the spring, they aregoing to need some fat preserves. That'swhat the acorns do for the deer.”

Species Initial Year Current Decline population population (%)

Bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee) 100 000 1984 5 000 95.0Asian elephant 200 000 1900 40 000 80.0African elephant 10 000 000 1900 500 000 95.0Tibetan antelope 1 000 000 1900 75 000 92.5

Decline in selected animal populations



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The problems with vegetation will notaffect the current turkey season, buthunters will see the effects on the deerhunting season which begins in October.(Source: KAIT [Arkansas, United States ofAmerica], 14 April 2007.)

YACÓN

El Yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius) enPerúEl Yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius) es unaespecie conocida principalmente en elPerú y en los últimos años ha tomadoimportancia económica. Fue domesticada ycultivada utilizando su raíz tuberosa comoalimento fresco, de sabor dulce,refrescante y con propiedadesantidiabéticas. Esto se confirma a través delos restos arqueológicos (cerámica, textilesy restos de raíces) de las culturas Nazca(500 aC.-700 dC), Paracas (1500–500 aC yMochica (500 aC–700 dC), de la costaperuana, así como la cultura Candelariadel noroeste argentino, entre otras.

Del vocablo quechua llaqón (su agua),también conocida en Aimara como aricomao jicoma, es originaria de la vertienteoriental de los Andes y valles interandinos,principalmente en Perú. Es comúnencontrarla en los huertos familiares yalrededor de los campos o en asociacióncon otras especies tales como maíz (Zeamays) y frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris); sinembargo posee un amplio rango dedistribución, desde Venezuela hastaArgentina, extendiéndose su cultivo azonas agroecológicas tropicales altas. Suhábitat natural varía entre los 1000-2500 mde altitud. Requiere humedad en lasprimeras etapas de crecimiento, perodespués puede soportar períodos de

sequía así como temperaturas altas ymínimas de 4-5 ºC. Para producir raícescomestibles necesita suelos profundos,ricos y bien drenados. En el Perú se cultivaactualmente desde el norte hasta el sur delpaís.

Pertenece a la Familia Asteraceae(Compositae), es una planta perenne quepuede medir hasta 2,5 m de altura, conhojas laminares simples palmatinervias decolor verde con abundante pubescencia enel haz y en el envés, tallo exhuberantecilíndrico, piloso y hueco, de color verde.Flores visibles a partir de los 4–5 mesesdespués de la plantación, de color amarilloo anaranjado, inflorescencia racimosa detipo cabezuela en capítulo con un promediode 10 flores por planta, con 5 sépalos porflor. Posee dos tipos de raíces: fibrosas y dereserva, raíz tuberosa. Las raíces fibrosasson muy delgadas y su función principal esla fijación de la planta al suelo y laabsorción de agua y nutrientes. Las raícesde reserva son engrosadas, fusiformes,ovadas, existen diferentes formashortícolas, tales como la blanca,anaranjada y morada. Entre las laboresmás importantes para su cultivo está lapropagación exclusivamente asexual,encontrándose seis formas: 1) porporciones de cepa; 2) por brotes enraizadosen la cepa; 3) por estacas; 4) por nudosindividuales; 5) por tallos enteros y 6) invitro, siendo las más usadas las dosprimeras.

El período vegetativo varía entre 8 y 9meses dependiendo del ecotipo y lugar desiembra, se puede cultivar todo el año,pero se restringe básicamente a la épocade lluvias (octubre a diciembre). Lapubescencia de las hojas evita que losinsectos se alimenten y transmitan plagasy enfermedades importantes.

El rendimiento de raíces varía entre 20 y50 tm/ha y es considerado un productoperecedero después de cosechado. Elprecio en campo es de 0,13 euros/kg (S/ 0,50 nuevos soles), pudiendo llegar a losmercados de Lima a 0,38 euros/kg (S/1,50 nuevos soles). Las hojas tambiénson comercializadas, principalmente paraforraje y para la elaboración de tisanas.

El Yacón se cultiva también en NuevaZelandia, Japón, República Checa, China,Corea, Estados Unidos, Brasil, Paraguay yTaiwán. Es en el Japón donde radica sumayor estudio y comercio.

Como elaboración de productosderivados de esta especie podemosmencionar refrescos, miel y tisanas (de

hojas), teniendo otras alternativas deindustrialización tales como: hojuelas,jarabe y pasas. Numerosos estudiosdemuestran la presencia de altasconcentraciones de oligofructanos en lasraíces, fundamento importante paraconsiderar a esta especie como fuente deazúcar natural para el control de ladiabetes.

Aportado por el Ing. M. Abozaglo,Madrid, España

PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN, DIRIGIRSE A: M. Abozaglo C/ Santa Eduvigis Nº 5, 1ºB 28042 Madrid, EspañaCorreo elecrónico: [email protected] Mr J.L: de Pedro. ETS Ingenieros de MontesCiudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, EspañaCorreo electrónico: [email protected] �

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ANGOLA

German NGO for dissemination of naturalmedicineAt a recent seminar on natural medicine, theNGO German Agrarian Action has suggestedthe practice and dissemination of naturalmedicine in Angola with a view to facilitatingpeople’s access to primary medicalassistance. According to the NGO’srepresentative in the country, naturalmedicine is a good alternative for countriessuch as Angola, mainly in the rural areas,where many people have no access toprimary health care, nor access to drugs thatare often costly and unattainable by many. Hesaid the natural medicine is advantageous,because it can be manufactured in allcommunities, is cheaper and everyone canproduce a garden for medicinal plants.

An Angolan physician, João BaptistaNsende, explained that the African Unionhas an interministerial commission thataddresses the continent’s pharmocopy andAngola, as a member country, must adopt aposition on the matter and regulate the useof medicinal plants. He explained that inAngola there are about 30 000 medicinalplants with which a large variety ofdiseases can be treated, mainly those mostfrequent such as malaria, diarrhoea andrespiratory infections.

The seminar participants analysed about60 medicinal plants from the tropics, theirtherapeutic effects and dosage and learnedhow to prepare some medicines andointments from plants. (Source:AngolaPress [Angola], 26 February 2007.)

ARMENIA

The forest is receding Precious plants are nearing extinction inthe forest area surrounding Vanadzor.Agricultural scientist Lilia Bayramyan hasidentified such medicinal herbs and wildplants as nettle, thyme, mint, cat thyme,motherwort, Solomon's seal and St John'swort. Her observations in and aroundVanadzor's central bazaar last springrevealed that about 4 tonnes of herbs andwild plants were collected and sold eachday during that period. “If this trendcontinues, the reserves of precious plantswill be exhausted in two years,” LiliaBayramyan concludes.

In addition to this ruthless collection ofherbs, her studies also suggest that theplants are endangered above all by logging

in the area. “Since logging began, thetemperature has risen and these preciousplants began withering in the sunlight. Nowthey can only grow in the upper ortransalpine layer of the forest. And people,in their turn, keep picking them.”

The result of all this is that in the formerlyforested areas of Vanadzor, precious plantsare being replaced by herbaceous plants,which are gradually turning the forest areasinto a transalpine zone in which thetemperature is continuously rising.Favourable conditions for grass have beencreated and wild horseradish, trefoil andcoltsfoot have overtaken the former forestsand, growing rapidly, prevent any other treeor plant seeds that end up here from takingroot. (Source: Hetq Online [Yerevan,Armenia], 8 January 2007.)

Two organizations sign memorandum ofcooperation for biodiversity protectionThe World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)Armenia and Armenian Public RelationsAssociation (APRA) signed a memorandumof cooperation on 10 April 2007.

The office public relations departmentsays the memorandum attachesimportance to the protection of Armenianbiodiversity and the sustainable use ofnatural resources. The cooperation aims toreact quickly and provide accurateinformation for decision-makers and thepublic. WWF Director Karen Manvelyanraised the hope that “cooperation withAPRA will step up public education inenvironmental protection as well as attractpublic attention to biodiversity risks”.(Source: Panorama.am, 11 April 2007 viaCENN Weekly Digest, 13 April 2007.)

BELIZE

IACHR Commission says the Governmentof Belize must protect the indigenouspeople of ToledoBy permitting oil exploration on indigenouslands in the Sarstoon/Temash NationalPark in the Toledo district, the Governmentof Belize is violating treaty obligations anda 2004 ruling by the Inter-AmericanCommission on Human Rights (IACHR).This is the official view of theenvironmental group Global Response.

The Sarstoon/Temash National Park isBelize’s second largest national park,encompassing an area of 41 000 acres(approximately 16 592 ha) of pristine forestand coastline along the southern border

with Guatemala. The park includes 16miles (approximately 25.7 km) of Caribbeancoastline and contains 14 ecosystem typesincluding undisturbed mangrove, the onlycomfre palm forest (comfre palm is arough, hairy perennial herb, not a tree; itsroots contain tannin and are used widely inherbal medicine and treatments in Belize)and the only known lowland sphagnummoss bog, also known as bog moss andfound in wet boggy soil, growing in clumps.The moss is permeated with capillary cellsthat retain water and is used in pottedplants and, in some countries, also as adressing for wounds in Central America.The park is home to 226 species of birds, 24species of mammals, 22 species of reptilesand 46 species of butterflies.

In 2003 the Government of Belize signedan agreement with the Sarstoon/TemashInstitute for Indigenous Management(SATIIM) giving it authority to manage thepark and for the last four years SATIIM hasbeen taking care of the park and makingsure environmental laws are obeyed.SATIIM represents five Ketchi Maya andGarifuna indigenous communities in thearea and is internationally recognized as anorganization with legal powers to enforcethe law. (Source: The Reporter [Belize], 5January 2007.)(Please see page 34 for more informationon sphagnum moss.)

BOTSWANA

Hoodia gordonii – a rare medicinal hopeTshabong. Some Bokspits residents call thisplant seboka while others know it astlhokabotshwaro. Outsiders have named itbushman’s hat and Queen of the Namib,among others. Scientifically, however, thewild plant is known as Hoodia gordonii and isreputed to have medicinal properties.

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Found in the Bokspits region, the plant isnow being grown commercially to benefitthe communities of southern Kgalagadiwhere it grows wild. Local Khoisancommunities, however, have long knownabout the special medicinal value of theplant and have chewed its succulent stemsto suppress hunger.

Duncan Basima of the Department ofForestry and Range Resources said theplant was in high demand internationallyand that they have decided to cultivate itdomestically to benefit communities whereit grows wild. The plant species they havecultivated contains the active ingredientP.57 which suppresses hunger.

He said his department started acommunal cultivation project in Bokspits togenerate income for residents and createnational capacity in Hoodia cultivation. Fourcommunities in the Bokspits area havebeen mobilized and trained to cultivate theplant. The project, funded by the AfricanDevelopment Fund for two years incooperation with Veld Products Research &Development, will help reduce poverty inthe arid Bokspits area and communitieswill be able to earn a living from the plants.However, Bokspits residents will have towait until 2009 to harvest their first crop ofmedicinal plants as they only started theproject in October last year.

The General Manager of Veld ProductsResearch and Development saidmultinational pharmaceutical companieswere interested in the plant, which growswild in Namibia, South Africa andBotswana. He said the Hoodia gordoniiproject was still in the cultivation stage andthat his organization was trying to traincommunities on how to conserve andharvest the plant for commercial use. Hesaid that he was trying to encourage peopleto plant Hoodia gordonii in their own plotssince there is not much in the bush thatcould be used for commercial purposes. Ittakes three to four years for the plant to beready for harvest.

South African scientists have beentesting Hoodia gordonii and they discoveredthat the plant contained a previouslyunknown molecule that replicates theeffect glucose has on nerve cells in thebrain, fooling the body into thinking it isfull. The appetite suppressant properties ofHoodia gordonii have now been developedand Hoodia products are marketed in manyWestern countries where obesity is aproblem. (Source: Botswana, 27 March2007.)

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Firms and groups invited to proposeprojects to tap nation's forests Private companies and groups are welcometo propose projects to the Ministry ofIndustry and Primary Resources and itsForestry Department to developpharmaceutical and even cosmeticproducts derived from the country's richrain forest resources.

“Tropical rain forests in BruneiDarussalam are very rich. We want toexplore ways to make use of the richness ofour resources, not only for timber but alsofor non-timber resources,” Mahmud Yussof,Acting Deputy-Director of the departmentsaid in an interview, noting that 78 percent ofthe country is covered in thick rain forestteeming with valuable plants that can beused for medicine. “Brunei Darussalamdefinitely has the potential to create amarket in this area. We have very richforests here where there are local medicinaland herbal plants. One such type of tree iscalled gaharu, a local species that canproduce fragrance. Thailand and the MiddleEast have already ventured into this.”

Conservation of the rain forest todevelop these types of economic activitiesis apparent through Brunei Darussalam'sinvolvement in the Heart of Borneo projectduring the signing of the Heart of BorneoDeclaration earlier this week. (Source:BruDirect.com [Brunei Darussalam], 15February 2007.)(Please see page 62 for more informationon the Heart of Borneo project.)

BULGARIA

Parliament approves Biodiversity Bill onfirst readingThe Bulgarian Parliament approved itsBiodiversity Bill on first reading. The billstipulates that the Ecological Assessmentand Environmental Impact Assessment areto be enforced when investment proposals

for protected areas are filed. Theamendments are a result of Bulgaria’scommitments to the EuropeanCommission, thus meeting therequirements of ecological network,Natura 2000. (Source: FOCUS News [Sofia,Bulgaria], 15 March 2007.)

Bulgaria produces 8 000 tonnes of honey,half of which is exportedMore than half the honey produced inBulgaria is exported to other countries,mainly in the European Union, thechairman of Sofia’s Bulgarian ApiaristUnion announced at an apiculture seminar.Bulgaria produces an average of 6 000–8 000 tonnes of honey, 4,000–5 000tonnes of which are exported. Bulgarianhoney consumption is very low: 150–200g/person/year.

Bulgarian apiarists have some clasheswith legislation amendments, whichimposed tax levying on their production.(Source: FOCUS News [Sofia, Bulgaria], 5April 2007.)

CAMEROON

From a taboo to a delicacy: the evolution ofeating snail meat in the Bakossi landscapeareaWithin the last two decades, the eating ofsnail meat has not only moved from being asociocultural taboo among the people whoinhabit the Bakossi landscape area inCameroon, but has evolved to represent animportant protein food and one of the keyincome sources for many households.Many snail species are eaten in the area,but the most popular is Achatina achatina,mostly found in the forest zones ofCameroon.

Situated in the southwest and littoralprovinces of Cameroon, the Bakossilandscape area harbours three keymontane forest sites: Kupe, Bakossi andMuanenguba, renowned for theirsignificant biodiversity and socioculturalvalues. These forests cover an area ofabout 900 km2 featuring amongCameroon’s most important montaneforests with an exceptional level ofendemism and biological diversity. Richerin plant species diversity than the adjacentMount Cameroon, with 2 435 species, it isthe richest rain forest site in Central andWest Africa, and home to many primates.The local population of over 150 000 peoplecontinues to depend on the resources of

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these forests for their livelihoods andincome (via hunting, farming, tourism anddrinking-water). The forests are also theicon of the cultural and spiritual heritage ofthe Bakossi (the dominant tribe of thearea). This unique biodiversity andsociocultural values, however, arethreatened by overhunting, agriculturalencroachment and illegal logging.

As recently as 20 years ago, people in theBakossi landscape area still perceivedsnails in general as inedible. Thisstigmatization went on in the area foranother decade until the Bakossi verifiedthat other Cameroonians in bigger townssuch as Kumba and Mamfe actually lovedeating snails. Then in the mid-1970straders came from Kumba to buy snails.The snails actually brought in income evenfor non-snail eating Bakossi households,significantly subsidizing livelihoods. Thesnails were more valuable than manythought. Then medical advice startedpointing at snails as an important andcheap source of protein and consequentlysome Bakossi slowly began to developrelatively sociable attitudes towards them.At this point, hunting to raise income wasmore popular than hunting to eat.

As snail hunting and sales gainedground owing to the increasing market,there was a glaring upshot on theiravailability. Snails that were once easilyseen near people’s homes startedbecoming rare. Snail hunting wascommonly done at night (in lowtemperatures) especially by children, whocarried with them flashlights and lamps.

It was still uncommon, however, to findBakossi people who consumed snailspublicly. Slowly and steadily, however, thetaboos associated with snail eating startedfading away and some Bakossi startedfinding it normal to eat snails in public.Consequently, the market for snails in thearea further expanded and the hunting rateincreased.

As people in the area becameincreasingly familiar with snail hunting,more and more lessons were learned andbasic scientific discoveries made anddeveloped. After returning from snailhunting, some hunters either ate all theircatch or ate and reserved some for sale,while others sold them all. It was throughthis process that a certain EnugeAugustine, today President of the localsnail farming NGO Progressive All PurposeCommon Initiative Group (PAPCIG) realizedthat the snails his children had reserved

(covered with a bucket) for sale, laid eggs,which eventually hatched to producejuvenile snails. From this experience, hebuilt a box, in which he transferred theeggs and the hatched snails. An AmericanPeace corps volunteer who was working inthe area advised him to contact WWFCameroon on his findings.

Support given to him by WWF not onlyhelped him to realize the status of PAPCIG,but enabled PAPCIG to benefit from somematerial, technical and financial supportthat helped erect a 10 000 capacitycontemporary snail farm in Tombel, whichhas not only served as an income-generating farm for the group and theemployment of some unemployed youth,but has also been of significant assistanceto research.

Having embedded itself as meat byvirtue of its taste, cooked snails are todaysold in different parts of the Bakossi land,on streets and in hotels, etc. The meat,especially when spiced with pepper andother spices from the forest, serves as areal appetizer for beer consumers and alsoas an important alternative for commonlyconsumed meat (cattle, goats, chickens,etc.), bushmeat and fish.

Having recognized poverty as one of thekey causes of forest and species reduction inthe area, WWF Coastal Forests Program(WWF-CFP), embarked on lending itssupport to PAPCIG, as one of the approachesfor increasing snail availability in the localmarket, and managing the pressure (mostlyfrom snail hunters) on snails in the wild.Over 15 community-based organizations(CBOs) exist today in the area benefitingfrom WWF-CFP’s organizational, human(capacity development), financial andphysical (material) support.

The CBOs are not only supplying livesnails but some have evolved totransformation levels. Like beekeeping inthe area, a transformation and sales unit(where the quality of snails is controlled,they are packaged in sachets and preservedin deep freezers for sale) was set up byCommunity Action for Development(CADEV) in 2006, hence adding value to their

products. A full sachet of 250 g is sold at500 CFA francs (about US$1). Up to March2007, CADEV made an average profit of 35 000 CFA francs (US$63) from processedsnail sales monthly, excluding the sale ofother related snail components such asempty snail shells used for calciumproduction. It is worth noting that most ofthe snail farming CBOs in the area sell theirlive snails to the CADEV transformationunit, where they receive the full cost of theirlive snails on the spot and are givenbonuses at the end of each quarter.

Like the locally produced natural honeythat is known to generate an annual incomeof 4 400 000 CFA francs (US$8.000) for one ofthe beekeeping CBOs in the area, snail salesare gradually also becoming a real incomeprovider although it is hard to find anyonedepending exclusively on snail farming andsales for survival. The activity is most oftensecondary, given that farming forms themainstay of the people in the area. But itscontribution to the socio-economicdevelopment of households in the Bakossilandscape area cannot be underestimated.

The direct implication of snail farming asan income provider to many Bakossihouseholds and its indirect impact onbiodiversity conservation, by virtue of itsalternative force for bushmeat, makes itlucid for WWF-CFP to support the activity.

Today, snail consumption has not onlyevolved to gain the status of a delicacy inthe Bakossi culture, but serves as asatisfactory alternative source of meatamong a significant part of the population.There is also a considerable drop in thehunting of snails in the wild, in favour offarming them.

However, snail farmers are concernedabout both the incessant attacks bypredators (black flies, reptiles, rats, ants,etc.) on the snail farms and otherimportant constraining factors includingsaturation of the local snail market. Moresupport is critical to help in predatormanagement and the marketing of snails.International market networks that canboost snail farmers’ economic power areunknown. A positive start would be to carryout studies on the snail international marketnetwork and demand. The NationalAssociation of Snail Farmers in Cameroon(NASFARM), founded in 2006, is poised to dothis, but given its infancy, certainly needshelp for this to be realized. (Contributed by:Ngwene Theophilus Nseme, WWF-CoastalForests Program, PO Box 1169, Bota-Limbe,Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected])



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CHILE

Adaptación de especies de bambú declima templado en ChileEl Instituto Forestal, INFOR, realizó el 25 deabril en la ciudad de Valdivia un Seminariode lanzamiento del proyecto «Adaptaciónde especies de bambú de clima templadoen Chile», seleccionado en el XIII ConcursoNacional del Fondo de Fomento alDesarrollo Científico y TecnológicoFONDEF del Conicyt.

El proyecto tiene como objetivo generaladaptar especies exóticas de bambú declima templado para uso industrial, desdela Región Metropolitana hasta la undécimaregión, incluyendo la Isla de Pascua. Estaespecie es considerada como una de lasque experimenta mayor tasa decrecimiento dentro de los vegetales, y sirvecomo forraje, alimento, producción depasta y papel, protección de riberas y ríos,artesanías, muebles, construcción ytextiles, entre otros.

La adaptación y plantación industrial deestas especies en Chile será una nuevafuente de ingresos para los pequeños ymedianos agricultores, debido a la entregade materias primas industriales y suutilización directa, ya sea en construcción,tutores, cercos, fabricación de muebles,alimento, entre otros. Además, uno de losbeneficios de esta especie, es que puedeser cosechada anualmente, a diferencia delas rotaciones forestales tradicionales.Fuente: Informativo Forestal Diario deINFOR, miércoles 11 de abril de 2007.

Orquídeas silvestres ancestralesEl bosque chileno y su campiña, aunquecontienen menos especies en total que losbosques tropicales, constituyen unareserva mundial de biodiversidad, dado elalto grado de endemismos locales. Entrelos descendientes de estos antiguos linajesúnicos en el planeta, se cuentan lasorquídeas terrestres chilenas.

En los escasos fragmentos de bosquenativo que aún subsisten en Chile, hayalgunas áreas donde surgen las orquídeassilvestres, que aún conservan unacondición prístina. Por ello, conocer yconservar estas plantas endémicasamenazadas no es sólo una carrera contrael tiempo, sino un objetivo importante en laprotección de nuestra flora herbácea. Estariqueza florística, con altos niveles deexclusividad, ha sido reconocida por lacomunidad científica internacional comoun hotspot de biodiversidad.

Las orquídeas son fuentes de bienes yservicios que van desde valores estéticosexpresados a nivel del paisaje, hasta valoreseconómicos asociados a determinadosproductos exportables, tanto como florcortada, como en maceta. En este marco, laFundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA)ha apoyado de manera permanente eldesarrollo de la biotecnología agropecuariaal prestar ayuda, tanto financiera comotécnica, en dos Proyectos de Domesticacióny Mejoramiento Genético de OrquídeasSilvestres del Género Chloraea.

Con esos dos proyectos de investigaciónse persigue, además de poner fin a sudisminución acelerada, obtener un productooriginal, renovado y atractivo, con alto valoragregado, que compita ventajosamente enel mercado internacional.

Has sido un trabajo multifacético,pionero, exigente, prologado y apasionante,lo que permitirá, gracias al esfuerzo yperseverancia de un puñado deinvestigadores y al apoyo constante delGobierno de Chile, a través de unorganismo del Ministerio de Agricultura,junto al resguardo de estas especiesúnicas, diversificar la opción como paísemergente en la producción de floresbulbosas.

Para posicionarlas, tanto en nuestromedio como en el extranjero, es importanteque a las orquídeas terrestres, ahoracultivadas, se les reconozca la identidad desu prolongado endemismo, como un valorhistórico-cultural, designándolas floresemblemáticas de la celebración delBicentenario de la República, que estápróximo a cumplirse.Fuente: Extraído de un articulo de EnriqueMatthei Jensen, Ejecutor Proyectos FIA inRevista Chile Forestal, Año 2006, N° 321.

CHINA

Chinese company doubles steviaproduction capacity Qufo, China. Sunwin InternationalNeutraceuticals, Inc. (SUWN), a leader in

the production and distribution of Chineseherbs, veterinary medicines and one of theworld's leading producers of all natural,zero-calorie stevia in China, announcedtoday that it has completed construction ofits new stevia manufacturing facilities.These new facilities are capable ofproducing an additional 300 tonnes ofpremium stevia per year, increasing annualbulk production by approximately US$15million.

The new facilities will use proprietarytechnology developed by SUWN to processthe seeds of the Stevia rebaudiana plant,enabling the company to produce thehighest-grade stevia in the industry. Thecompany anticipates that this additionalproduction will be marketed to thepharmaceutical industry in China, Japanand the Republic of Korea as well as toother countries such as Singapore,Malaysia, Thailand and India. (Source:NPIcenter [press release], 9 January 2007.)

CUBA

Quality honey produced in Sancti SpiritusHoney is once more ratified as one of themain exports in the Cuban central provinceof Sancti Spiritus, where over 500 tonnes ofthe product have been sold to date,especially to European countries. Theprocessing plant in this territory, whichreceives the honey from Pinar del Rio up toCamaguey province, was able to increaseproduction above scheduled plans.(Source: Escambray [Cuba], 28 March2007.)

Camagüey boosts bamboo plantationsThe reforestation plan in the easternprovince of Camagüey is devoting specialattention to boosting bamboo plantationssince bamboo has disappeared from morethan 600 ha over the last five years; 70 hahave been planted, approximately half ofthat planned last year. In 2007, the sowingprogramme includes 40 ha.

The Forest State Service branch office inCamagüey said that the bambooreforestation has tackled certain problems.Most of the plantations are located nearlivestock water sources and the plant’sleaves are used as food for the cattle. It isalso a raw material widely used in theconstruction of furniture and fences and inthe pharmaceutical and paper industry.(Source: Radio Cadena Agramonet [Cuba],19 March 2007.)

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICOF THE CONGO

Greenpeace spotlights rain forest damage The environmental group Greenpeace calledfor urgent action on Wednesday to preventillegal logging in the rain forests of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, accusinginternational companies there of “causingsocial chaos and wreaking environmentalhavoc”.

In a report that accused the World Bank offailing to stem the problem of illegal logging,Greenpeace said over 15 million ha (37 million acres) of rain forest had beengranted to the logging industry since amoratorium was agreed by the Governmentin May 2002. The group’s report, “Carving upthe Congo”, also accused internationallogging companies of deception andintimidation to obtain timber.

Of the 60 million people in the countryabout 40 million depend upon the rain foreststo provide essential food, medicine and otherNTFPs along with energy and buildingmaterials. And the forests are critical for thesurvival of wildlife, including gorillas,chimpanzees and bonobos, the report said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank hasacknowledged that over the last three yearsno money whatsoever has been paid in taxesby logging companies to local communitiesto provide essential services such as schoolsand hospitals.

“This leaves these people not only withoutthe forest that provided their food, shelterand medicine, but without the benefits theyhad been promised,“ Greenpeace said.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo hasthe second-largest primal tropical forest inthe world with 86 million ha (212 millionacres) of which 60 million ha (148 millionacres) are potentially exploitable for logging.(Source: Sapa-AFP in Citizen [South Africa],12 April 2007.)

ETHIOPIA

Tapping into bamboo A training class held by Chinese expertschanged the life of one impoverished farmerin a bamboo-growing village 300 km fromAddis Ababa. In 2005, Solomon Gessesseparticipated in a bamboo-processing class inAddis Ababa and later established a bamboofactory there, hiring 13 workers. His monthlyincome now exceeds 12 000 birr. In contrast,another bamboo-processing facility nearbywith five employees, whose owner did not

participate in such training, earns only 1 000birr/month.

Ethiopia processes abundant bambooresources, covering 1 million ha andaccounting for 67 percent of the total bamboogroves in Africa. However, for a long timebamboo production was very low withbamboo processing remaining at the primarystage with low added value. China has adeveloped bamboo industry with muchexperience in bamboo growing andprocessing. As a member of the InternationalNetwork for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR),China actively participates in and promotesSouth-South cooperation. While developingits own bamboo industry, it also rendersfinancial and technological support to otherdeveloping countries, helping them utilizetheir bamboo resources and train their ownexperts.

In 2005–2006, the Chinese Governmentcooperated with INBAR to hold two trainingcourses for bamboo industry development inEthiopia, training 97 bamboo growing andprocessing technicians. In 2006, a total of 23Ethiopians attended the bamboo processingcourse. Chinese experts started theircourses from scratch – from selecting thebamboo, making bamboo strips, bamboodyes and creating moulds to weave newtypes of small bamboo baskets, bags,lampshades and curtains. They alsointroduced the Ethiopians to a new method ofcutting several bamboo pieces into strips ofthe same width at one time.

In addition, Chinese experts have helpedhold two workshops in Ethiopia on bamboodevelopment with more than 160participants. The Beijing Summit of theForum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)also provided a new opportunity for China tocooperate with Ethiopia in bamboodevelopment. In December 2006, a Chineseeconomic and trade delegation, tasked withfollowing up on FOCAC, went to Ethiopia and

attended the workshop on promoting thesustainable development of the bambooindustry in the country.

Some large enterprises in Ethiopia havealso begun to invest in the bamboo industry,including an Ethiopia-United States jointventure that has invested in bamboo grovescovering 400 000 ha. It has signedagreements with three large Indian papermills to supply bamboo pulp, worth US$130million within three years. Meanwhile, aChinese mining enterprise plans to invest inmaking paper from bamboo. (Source:Chinafrica, February 2007, Vol. 2, No. 2;www.chinafrica.cn)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Fu Jinhe, Ph.D., Senior Program Officer,International Network for Bamboo and Rattan(INBAR), 8 Fu Tong Dong Da Jie, Wang Jing area,Chao Yang district, Beijing 100102, China. Fax: +86-10-6470 2166; e-mail: [email protected];http://www.inbar.int

Ethiopian Biodiversity ConservationInstitute striving to utilize and conservemedicinal plantsThe Ethiopian Biodiversity ConservationInstitute announced that it has beenundertaking, through its Medicinal HerbsCare and Sustainable Conservation project,various activities to enable the communityto utilize medicinal plants that could becultivated in backyards and conserve thosefound in the field with over 16.2 million birr.

Ethiopia produces 56 000 tonnes ofmedicinal herbs annually, 87 percent ofwhich grow in the forest while peoplecultivate the remaining 13 percent in theirbackyards, said project coordinator Dr FasilKibebew. The medicinal herbs will bring inrevenue that covers 8 percent of the annualbudget and will also cover 42 percent of theGovernment's expenditure for theprocurement of medicines. Currently,medicinal herbs have a US$62 billiontransaction in the international market, hesaid, further stating that efforts are underway to enable the country to obtain a shareof the market.

As part of efforts to utilize the herbs byprocessing them in factories, Addis AbabaUniversity has succeeded in preparing ananti-tapeworm for animals with a 93percent reliability.

Field gene banks have been establishedin Wondo-Genet and Goba to preserve theplants and 300 medicinal plants in Wondo-Genet and 247 medicinal plants in Goba areunder protection. These plants that should

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be preserved in their origins are underprotection and care in Bale National Park,Adele, Workiti and Goba forests, Dr Fasilsaid, adding that the institute is supportingthe local community to utilize the plants.

The project has distributed improvedstoves among the community to deter themfrom using the plants for firewood. It hasalso multiplied over 1.3 million seedlingsand distributed them to the community tobe planted in their backyards. (Source: TheEthiopian Herald, 4 March 2007.)

GUATEMALA

Ornamental greens from the MayaBiosphere Reserve: the RainforestAlliance’s Certified Xate InitiativeVillagers in the Guatemalan community ofUaxactún subsist primarily on incomeearned from the collection of NTFPs, suchas fruits, gum, resin and xate, anornamental palm leaf. Their forest home,once a major Mayan city, lies within theconfines of the Maya Biosphere Reserve,the largest protected area in Mesoamerica.In addition to hundreds of Mayan ruins, the5.2 million acre (2.1 million ha) reserveboasts an astounding diversity of plant andanimal life.

In recent years, land clearing and forestfires have been destroying the forestexpanse at an accelerating pace. Which iswhy the Rainforest Alliance, aninternational conservation organization,has been working with Uaxactún villagersand others to create an incentive for theprotection of their forest home. In additionto certifying Uaxactún for sustainabletimber harvesting, the Rainforest Alliance,in collaboration with the community, hasestablished guidelines for the sustainableharvest of the xate palm, also known aschico (Chamaedorea spp.). Thirty millionxate fronds are delivered each year to theUnited States of America and Canada forPalm Sunday services. Xate exportscontribute over 1 million dollars annually tothe Guatemalan economy and in the SelvaMaya, where nearly 50 percent of thepopulation has no formal education, wildxate harvesting generates about 10 000jobs, especially for women.

When only a few leaves are removedfrom the plant at a time, the fronds areallowed to regenerate. However, theincreased demand for xate combined withan absence of standards and managementpractices, have resulted in serious

challenges to the sustainability of the plant.Not only have the palms becomethreatened by overharvesting, but theworkers who collect them have beenventuring further into the forest, oftencollecting other threatened plants andseeds as they go. Since the establishmentof the standards in July 2005, thecommunity of Uaxactún together withnearby Carmelita have sent one shipmentof sustainably harvested xate per week toContinental Floral Greens of San Antonio,Texas, United States of America. Theseshipments represent an income of morethan US$100 000 per year for theimpoverished communities, more than halfof which goes directly to the xate collectors.

The Rainforest Alliance explains thatbefore linking up with Continental FloralGreens, harvesters sold their xate tointermediaries for a much lower price.Most of the leaves had defects, so theyended up in exporters’ dumps. TheRainforest Alliance has encouraged xatecollectors to cut only quality leaves andleave more fronds on the palm, whichpermits faster regeneration. They now selltheir leaves for twice as much as they didpreviously.

In addition, according to theManagement and ConservationOrganization (OMYC), which manages thecommunity’s forest concession in the MayaBiosphere Reserve, women who untilrecently had no cash income now earnbetween US$6 and $7 per day harvesting,selecting and packaging xate for export.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Rainforest Alliance, 665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, NY 10012-2331, United States of America. Fax: +1-212/677-2187; e-mail: [email protected];www.rainforest-alliance.org

GUYANA

Guyana: United Kingdom HighCommission donates money to GMTCS The British High Commission recentlymade monetary donations to a socialwelfare and sustainable developmentsociety. According to a press release, theBritish High Commissioner presentedcheques to the Help and Shelter and theGuyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society(GMTCS).

The money donated to GTMCS is the thirdpart in a project aimed at building capacityfor the indigenous people of northwestGuyana to assist them to manage theirnatural resources effectively and toundertake a preliminary assessment ofcertification for local organic NTFPs.According to the press release, the projectstarted last July and has resulted in NTFPsfrom the area being sold in the local markets.Additionally, six persons were trained as tourguides and a map of the area's naturalresources has been drawn. (Source:Stabroek News [Guyana], 3 April 2007.)

INDIA

Jharkhand to upgrade sericultureproductionTo upgrade silk production in Jharkhand,the Central Silk Board (CSB) and stateindustry department has initiated a jointventure project of a perspective plan forsericulture development with aninvestment of Rs151 crore. Jharkhand atpresent produces 100 tonnes of raw silkand targets to reach 350 tonnes within thenext six years. The state produces tasar,mulberry and eri silk, with the regions ofWest Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharsawanand Santhal Pargana serving as breedinggrounds for cocoon cultivators.

In this venture, the Government plans toundertake infrastructure development,plantation activities, training and valueaddition of raw silk projects in the currentfiscal year. The Ranchi-based Central TasarResearch and Training Institute would helpin the project by providing services oftraining, research and development andtechnology transfer to farmers.

At the moment sericulture is beingcarried out on plant species such as arjuna,saal, asan and the mulberry tree but theGovernment’s focus would be on non-mulberry production. (Source:Fibre2fashion.com [India], 5 April 2007.)

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Ms Alka Shiva, President and Managing Director,Centre of Minor Forest Products (COMFORPTS),HIG - 2, No. 8, Indirapuram, GMS Road, PO Majra, Dehra Dun- 248 171, India. E-mail: [email protected];www.angelfire.com/ma/MinorForestProducts

Determination of sustainable harvestinglimits of commercially important NTFPs innatural tropical forests of MadhyaPradeshThe conservation of commerciallyimportant forest resources in state-owned

natural tropical forests is a challengingtask because these forests constitute acommon property resource and localpeople have the right of free access tocollect NTFPs. Owing to increasedcommercial utilization of forest resources,local user communities are encouraged tooverexploit forest products, ignoring thetraditional practices of sustainableharvesting of utilizable resources fromnatural forests. In the prevailing forestmanagement system, extraction of NTFPsis not at all sustainable, either in ecologicalor in socio-economic terms. A participatory

approach involving local forest-dependentuser communities seems to be aninevitable tool for sustainable managementand in situ conservation of valuableindigenous forest resources.

Keeping this as the main objective, theMadhya Pradesh State Forest ResearchInstitute, Jabalpur, India has taken the leadto determine the sustainable harvestinglimits of overexploited NTFPs in naturalforests, employing an integratedparticipatory approach in the tribal-dominated tropical forests of MadhyaPradesh under a research project

Gums and resins 2002–2003 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006(tonnes) (tonnes) (tonnes) (tonnes)

Exports Imports Exports Imports Exports Imports Exports Imports

Gum arabic (Acacia nilotica) 86.31 7 341.24 101.85 8 172.15 168.78 12 730.93 1.39 14 825.84Asian gum 285.33 75.01 359.84 49.89 66.4 7 – –African gum (Acacia senegal) 129.31 22 13.21 – 6.51 – 1.44 –Assafoetida (Ferula asafoetida) 473.91 514.23 744.21 902.12 731.63 985.1 1 269.42 528.52Benjamin ras 1.2 118.5 0.38 26.47 – 34.6 – 60.09Benjamin cowrie 1.84 – – – – – – 40Karaya gum (Indian tragacanth) (Sterculia urens) 1 119.83 – 429.69 3 773.1 1 0.65 10.82Acacia gum – – – – – – – –Mastic gum (Pistacia lentiscus) 0.64 4.72 1.24 1.86 0.45 5.01 – –Other natural gum 645.53 777.73 761.17 453.36 459.44 195.75 206.51 48.68Other gum resin 968.7 148.67 582.48 121.22 139.29 176.37 29.37 –Guar gum refined split (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) 41 337.02 – 38 072.3 473 48 738.47 0.33 14 951.54 16.22Guar gum treated and pulverized 69 513.86 – 77 797.59 0.25 76 298.65 0.3 134 190.53 69.55Guar meal 1 097.46 6.37 4 691.36 – 4 611.34 4.6 3 146.54 –Copal (Agathis spp.) 49.66 1 593.93 0.65 1 188.52 – 1 540.77 – –Dammar Batu 0.22 4 206.35 14.13 5 221.77 2 9 477.63 – –Other resins 69.52 147.04 8 611.44 470.46 2 832.82 1 507.29 – –Myrrh (Commiphora spp.) – 12.2 11.86 23.45 11.7 13.82 0.08 12.82Olibanum or frankincense (Boswellia serrata) 6.5 16.25 7.98 1 12.08 7 – 4.22Natural resin enamels – 0.715 – – – – – –Balsam of Tolu(Myroxylon balsamum) 0.01 68.56 – – – – – –Pepper oleoresins 1 043.8 0.5 – – – – – –Turmeric oleoresins 235.9 1.42 – – – – – –Cardamom oleoresins 2.45 – – – – – – –Celery seed oleoresins(Apium graveolens) 324.77 – – – – – – –Nutmeg oleoresins 178.38 0.01 – – – – – –Oleoresins of spices, nes 77.32 – – – – – – 0.25Other balsams/oleoresins 349.08 133.69 770.51 10 497.04 877.77 5 822.78 549.8 3 809.6Agar agar w/w modified 15.48 30.83 24.93 43.44 20.01 67.46 3 146.54 –Other mucilage thickeners w/n modified, derived from locust beans or locust bean seeds 242.16 2.7 420.42 33.39 1 224.68 43.12 – 3.6Total gums and resins 118 256.192 15 222.665 133 417.24 27 682.39 136 975.12 32 620.86 157 493.81 19 430.21

Trade figures on gums and resins

Source: Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade of India, Vols I and II, Export and Import, 2007. Directorate-General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Government of India, Kolkata.



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sponsored by the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research, New Delhi,Government of India.

In this project, eight site-specificcommercially important NTFP species,Chlorophytum tuberosum, Curculigoorchioides, Dioscorea daemona, Curcumaangustifolia, Bauhinia vahlii, Plumbagozeylanica, Asparagus racemosus andEmbelia robusta were selected to determinesustainable harvesting limits in naturalforest ecosystems. An innovative experimentwas designed with various treatments basedon different harvesting intensities, i.e.control (no harvesting), T1 (20 percent), T2

(40 percent), T3 (60 percent) and T4 (80percent), where underground plant parts(roots/ rhizomes/ tubers) are harvested. Inthe case of Bauhinia vahlii, however, theleaves of which are harvested, an additionaltreatment, i.e. T (100 percent extraction) wasundertaken. All the treatments were done infive replications. Regeneration capacity ofthe species was estimated for all thetreatments with five replications by using aregeneration index method.

The results of the experiment were quitealarming, particularly for Chlorophytumtuberosum, Dioscorea daemona andAsparagus racemosus, which allowedharvesting of only 18, 38 and 32 percent ofplants respectively to maintainsustainability in natural forest conditions.However, other species, i.e. Curculigoorchioides (75 percent), Curcumaangustifolia (60 percent), Plumbagozeylanica (60 percent) and Embelia robusta(80 percent) showed comparatively highersustainable harvesting limits. Bauhiniavahlii, which contributes substantially (Rs5 000–7 000/family) to the annualincome of forest-dependent communities,was found to be in a very precariouscondition because of repeatedoverexploitation of its leaves. Almost all theplants were found to have lost theirflowering, fruiting and leaf growth vigour.Leaves of this species are in high demandfor making plates and cups and areharvested twice in a year in summer aswell as in winter. The bark of the stem ofthis species is also used for making rope.Findings of the experiment have suggestedthat 70 and 80 percent of harvesting insummer and winter can be permissible tomaintain leaf-sprouting vigour of the plantin natural forest ecosystems, both inqualitative and quantitative terms.

It has been established from the studythat the development of skills and

capabilities of local user communities (askey stakeholders) at the grassroots levelfor the sustainable use of forest resourcesis the only viable tool for the conservationand sustainable management of forestresources in natural forest ecosystems ofthe country.

The present study is a part of the project“Determination of sustainable harvestinglimits of utilizable forest resources intribal-dominated natural tropical forests ofMadhya Pradesh”. (Contributed by: Dr R.K.Pandey (Senior Scientist and Head) and Dr(Mrs) Satvant Kaur Saini (ResearchAssociate), Ecology and EnvironmentDivision, State Forest Research Institute,Jabalpur, pin: 482008, Madhya Pradesh,India. E-mail: [email protected] [email protected])

Jaipur's lac industry is boomingThe lac industry began in the eighteenthcentury in the narrow lanes of Jaipur's oldcity. Today, it is a booming business with itsproducts finding their way to places as faraway as Europe.

In recent years, the industry hassuccessfully broken away from its traditionalimage of making bangles to produceexquisite jewellery and gift items. Today,over 5 000 families in Jaipur are involved inthe industry. Jaipur alone accounts forannual exports worth Rs700–800 million.

Several local artisans have even beenawarded for their contribution and creativeinnovations. Yet these artisans have to toilhard and long in difficult conditions to giveshape to their designs. “We have to work onhot furnaces where lac is melted. Workingconditions are very harsh, especially duringsummer,” said one manufacturer of lacitems.

But the artisans seem to forget abouttheir hardships when they proudly begin to

talk about taking the cottage industry toglobal levels. (Source: Hindustan Times[India], 11 April 2007.)

Boost to bamboo cultivationThe Department of Agriculture andCooperation has launched a programme ona National Bamboo Mission in India from2006 to 2007 to enhance the production andproductivity of bamboo. The mission aimsat i) promoting the growth of the bamboosector through an area- based regionallydifferentiated strategy; ii) increasing thecoverage of the area under bamboo inpotential areas, with improved varieties toenhance yields; iii) promoting marketing ofbamboo and bamboo-based handicrafts; iv)establishing convergence and synergyamong stakeholders for the development ofbamboo; v) promoting, developing anddisseminating technologies through aseamless blend of traditional wisdom andmodern scientific knowledge; and vi)generating employment opportunities forskilled and unskilled persons, especiallyyouth.

The proposed bamboo plantationactivities under the mission wouldgenerate about 50.4 million workdays. Inthe nursery sector, total estimatedemployment to be generated every year willbe around 9.7 lakh workdays. Besides this,there will be employment generation inboth skilled and unskilled segments in thehandicraft sector.

The proposed scheme is environmentfriendly and economically viable in nature.The project proposals submitted by the stategovernments for financial assistance underthe mission during 2006 to2007 are underconsideration by the Department ofAgriculture and Cooperation.

At present, bamboo is being cultivated in89 575 km in the country. (Source: PressInformation Bureau (press release) [NewDelhi, India], 12 March 2007.)

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INDONESIA

Indonesia's paradise lost – and regained The United Kingdom’s Royal Society for theProtection of Birds (RSPB) is enlarging itsvision and is moving into tropical birdconservation in a serious way as part of apartnership that is seeking to save one ofthe world's greatest wildlife hotspots. Withits sister organization in Indonesia andBirdLife International, the RSPB hassecured a long-lasting managementconcession on a stretch of lowland rainforest in Sumatra which has more breedingbird species than the whole of the UnitedKingdom.

The Harapan rain forest hosts at least267 types of birds and may hold more than300. It is also home to a striking range ofanimal species, as well as the world'srichest and most diverse flora. Yet for all itsnatural treasures, the forest has beenplaced under dire threat by the pressuresof illegal logging and conversion to timberand palm oil plantations, which havereduced the Sumatran rain forest to afraction – less than 5 percent – of its former16 million ha.

Up to now, sites earmarked for timberproduction or plantation crops in Indonesiacould be used for nothing else. But theecosystem restoration decree, which wasintroduced by the Indonesian Ministry ofForestry, permits the management of foreststo obtain benefits labelled “ecosystemservices”. These include storing carbon,controls on pollution and protection forwildlife, all of which, says the partnership,will help nearby human communities.

Directly benefiting will be the 150-strongBatin Sembilan tribe, a nomadic peoplethat will continue to harvest rubber, honey,fruits and rattan for its own use. “Withintact forest remaining, they will have thechoice of maintaining their traditionallifestyles,” said Sukianto Lusli, executive-director of Burung Indonesia. “They willalso have the option of becoming wildlifemonitors or forest wardens, as will otherpeople in the local area.” There will beother jobs for the Harapan community asforest guides, in nursery management andthe preparation of land. Field staff arebeing recruited now and the site willeventually be managed by a team of about80 people. The development of a researchstation and ecotourism are long-termpossibilities.

Harapan is the Indonesian word forhope. The forest stretches 35 km east to

west and 40 km north to south, andrepresents about 6 percent of remaininglowland rain forest in Sumatra. It is twodegrees south of the equator andconservationists hope that its humidconditions will hasten regeneration.Furthermore, the ecosystem restorationdecree means other private managementbodies can also apply to restore forests inIndonesia.

The RSPB is about to launch a UnitedKingdom fundraising campaign forHarapan with a target of UK£2 million overthe next 12 months. Similar campaigns arebeginning in other European countries andJapan. The initiative has already receivedsignificant financial support from theEuropean Commission and ConservationInternational's Global Conservation Fund.

In the long term, the RSPB, BurungIndonesia and BirdLife International plan toestablish a trust fund of UK£9 million.Annual interest payments from the fundwill cover the forest's management costs.(Source: The Independent [UnitedKingdom], 3 April 2007.)

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

The Republic is to improve medicinal herbcultivation in 2007 The Islamic Republic of Iran’s AgricultureJihad Ministry will put the medicinal herbscomprehensive plan into practice for thenext five years to develop the output, saidthe Ministry’s Ornamental Plants andMedicinal Herbs Office.

One of the plan’s goals is to exportmedicinal herbs. To this end, almost 58–60 000 ha are under cultivation, with an

expected yield of 73 000 tonnes ofmedicinal herbs. The Ministry plans to findthe proper farm lands for herbs, train itsexperts and producers, and cooperate withstandards institutes to produce qualitymedicinal herbs. (Source: MehrNews.com/[Iran], 13 April 2007.)

JAMAICA

Allspice: high demand for pimento Pimento, or allspice as it is knowninternationally, is currently impacting theculinary world. It is one of the mainingredients in jerk seasonings and mixedspices.

The growing demand for the product, notonly for local consumption, but for useoverseas and in the hospitality industry, hasopened up a niche market that is expected tobe very profitable for local farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands isreporting that the pimento industry isearning an estimated US$5 millionannually from exports of whole berries,leaf, berry oils, liqueurs and other value-added products. There is also an increasingdemand for pimento berries to satisfy theexpansion of the jerk market.

With the sudden interest in the product,there are certain guidelines andprocedures that must be followed to get theproduct from its natural state to acceptablestandards for export. (Source: JamaicaGleaner [Jamaica], 15 February 2007.

KENYA

Kenyan President prohibits trade insandalwood Kenyan President Kibaki has made thehighly priced sandalwood tree a protectedspecies for a period of five years,representing a ban on trade. According tothe announcement, the ban on thesandalwood tree‘s exploitation and trade iseffective from 14 February this year,meaning that there will be no cutting ortrading of the species and those caughttrading in the products will be prosecuted.

The species, also known as Osyrislanceolata, is threatened with extinctionbecause of indiscriminate exploitation andillegal trade.

The species can fetch between Sh1 millionand Sh3 million depending on its age. (Source: SomaliNet [United States ofAmerica], 6 April 2007.)

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Ecotourism in the Lembus forest What started as a community concept onecotourism is now a regional story on goodcommunity conservation practice. Whenthe people of Koibatek approachedVolunteerforafrica (VFA) to help them comeup with a management concept for theLembus forest, little did they know that thiswould hatch into a project that wouldchange their lives, at least in so far asforest management and culture exposureare concerned.

With funding from the NetherlandsCommittee for the World ConservationUnion (IUCN), the community, throughtechnical advice from VFA's SustainableNatural Resources ManagementProgramme, have established anEcotourism and Cultural Centre, which hasthe following advantages.Income. The Ecotourism site is providing anincome to community members, whichinclude a youth group and a women’sgroup, operating the site. Membershipcomes from people living around the forestand income derived means that the peopleare able to benefit directly from the forestby improving their living standards. It alsomakes them believe in the conservation ofthe forest. Forest conservation and/or sustainableuse. With ecotourism, the people now havesome knowledge on the importance offorest and wetland conservation. Education and information. The Ecotourismsite is serving as an education point for thecommunity on the virtues of theenvironment and shows them why theyreally need to protect the Lembus forest,now and for the future.Culture. The Ecotourism site is designed ina traditional way, using traditionalmaterials. This is enhancing a localunderstanding and preservation of Tugencultural values. (Source: Web site ofVolunteerforAfrica,www.volunteerforafrica.org/)

MALI

Une expérience de promotion de PFNL àTominianL’ONG nationale Sahel Eco a bénéficié d’unfinancement de la FAO à travers lemécanisme d’appui à la foresterie du Mali etTREE AID, une ONG britannique pour lamise en ?uvre d’un projet dénommé Projetde promotion des entreprises forestièresvillageoises (EFV). D’une durée initiale detrois ans (septembre 2005-septembre2007), le projet a accompagné 160exploitants forestiers, essentiellement desfemmes, à la création de 14 entreprisesautour de trois produits à savoir le miel, lefruit de tamarinier et les amandes de karité.Ce projet s’appuie sur une approcheparticulière appelée ADM (Analyse etdéveloppement de marché).

Avec un chiffre d’affaires de plusieursmillions par entreprise, les bénéficiaires ontpris des mesures pour la bonne gestion desressources dans la forêt appelée DUWA dontleur vie dépend. Parmi ces mesures on peutciter, la redynamisation des comités desurveillance de la forêt chargés de veillersur le respect des règles consensuelles degestion. Les entrepreneurs ont tissé desalliances stratégiques avec les caissesd’épargne sur place pour faciliter l’accès aucrédit et avec des partenaires commerciauxcomme l’ULPK (Union locale desproductrices de karité) de Dioîla pourfaciliter l’écoulement de leur produit. Ilsproduisent et commercialisent les amandes,le beurre, le fruit de tamarinier et le miel.

Tous ces groupes évoluent au sein d’uneassociation coopérative appelée Farakunna,composée de 22 villages, qui tire l’essentielde leur revenu de la forêt. (Contribution de:Bakary Diarma, Coordonnateur du projetEFV/Sahel Eco, BP 04 Tominian; courriel:[email protected])

NEPAL

Improving village life in NepalEvery year in Nepal's Himalaya highlands,villagers gather thousands of tonnes ofmedicinal plants from the wild, and packand dry them to sell to traders for export.The sale of these plants, oils and resins, ornon-timber forest products (NTFPs),provides much-needed income to localcommunities in Nepal, who also rely on theplants for food, medicines and fuel.

The sale of these NTFPs represents apotential long-term source of income for

local villagers and a powerful incentive forthem to conserve their forests. However, thevillagers typically sell their goods toexploitive medicinal herb traders, whoencourage them to harvest as much as theycan, while paying them poorly for theirproducts. Once a plant supply runs out, thetraders move on, leaving the villagers whohave depleted their only source of livelihoodwithout much recourse.

In January 2005, the Rainforest Allianceawarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)certification to the Federation of CommunityForest Users, Nepal (FECOFUN), whosemembers harvest their forest botanicals in aresponsible way, ensuring the long-termavailability of their natural resources andmaintaining the health of the forests. Theythen sell their wild-crafted ingredients tothe international natural products industry.The villagers' certified essential oils andhandmade papers are now available in theUnited States of America and the UnitedKingdom.

Walter Smith, lead auditor and seniortechnical specialist for the RainforestAlliance forestry programme, conducted theannual Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)audit of FECOFUN, the group certificateholder for the community forest usergroups. This involved the need to revisit theforests to make sure that they are still beingharvested and managed in compliance withFSC standards. This audit is particularlydifficult because there are no roads leadingdirectly to each certified forest.

The head of one community group visitedwas an indigenous Thami man who took theaudit group to the Rainforest Alliancecertified handmade paper factory. It is not afactory in the usual sense. Several men andwomen (mostly women) are boiling plantcuttings and scraping bark for makingpaper. The bark is going to aJapanese/Nepali company that sells it toJapan for use in manufacturing Japanesecurrency. This community group (like othersin the certified pool) gives first priority forjobs to the poorest community members.(Source: Rainforest Matters, RainforestAlliance, March 2007.)

Community development fromparticipatory rattan managementNine species of two genera of rattan arerecorded in Nepal. Among them, Calamustenuis, Calamus acanthospathus andCalamus inermis are protected, mostly inthe Community Forest of Nepal. Calamustenuis is a small rattan, which is native to

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the Terai region of Nepal. Some of thespecies of rattan, however, are indigenousto Nepal. Because of an indifferent approachby foresters, their management has beenneglected in both the natural forests andsacred groves. The need to manage rattan inthe natural forests has been recognizedsince 1994, when research work on rattanwas pioneered. Calamus tenuis is the mostdistributed in natural forests, communityforests and some private lands.

The concept of community forestryevolved in the 1990s in Nepal. The 1993Forest Act and the 1995 Forest Regulation,which aimed to empower the communityforest user groups, are the main legalinstruments that govern the functioning ofcommunity forest in Nepal. According toforest policy, any part of the state forest canbe handed over to the local communitieswho have access to and have been using thepatch of the forest over a long period oftime. The community has full authority tomake decisions on the issues of forestmanagement and utilization, as well as fundmanagement. It gets all revenues from theforest and is supposed to spend the incomeon forestry and local development activities.The community participatory forestryapproach has been successful in managingforests, including biodiversity.

Rattan is an important NTFP in Nepal.Calamus tenuis is an endemic and widelydistributed species throughout the lowlandareas of the country. Rattan has been locallyused for various domestic purposes butlargely as basketry and furniture. In thepast, rattan was seriously degraded as aresult of lack of conservation initiatives,improper management and unscientificnon-sustainable harvesting, immaturecollection and overexploitation by thefarmers and habitat destruction in mostpart of the country. It is estimated that morethan 60 percent (roughly 10 000 ha) ofnatural rattan forests have vanished forever.Despite these negative figures, the recentcommunity forestry programmes havebrought a positive change in theconservation and management of forestresources, including the management ofNTFPs such as rattan. Currently, sixCommunity Forest User Groups (CFUGs),three protected areas (national parks andwildlife reserves), three religious groups,three institutions (schools and herbalfarms) and some private farmers arecontributing to conserving rattan in Nepal.

The Sati Karnali community forest islocated in the far western Terai of Nepal.

The total area of this community forest is298.5 ha, including 170 ha of Calamustenuis and benefits 5 352 inhabitants (892households). The food supply situationshows that 16 percent of households'production can support only three months,6 percent for three to six months, 20percent for six to nine months, 10 percentfor nine to12 months and 48 percent formore than a year.

A recent case study focused on the SatiKarnali Community Forest User Group(SKCFUG). It was handed over tocommunities in 1994 and in 1996 the RattanManagement Plan (RMP) was prepared.After implementing the RMP, production ofrattan has increased by 15 percent, whereincome earning was 25 percent in eachsubsequent year, and the rattan forest hasfully revived. The present average growingstock of cane is 19 840 stems per ha withannual production of 6 to 8 tonnes of cane(dry weight) per ha. CFUG auctions rattanon a weight basis at a minimum rate ofRs30 (US$0.40) per kg. They make aboutNrs210 000 (US$3 000) per ha annually,which gives about 3.5 million rupees (aboutUS$45,000) per year. For example, in 2002,SKCFUG earned a total of Nrs4 657 970, outof which Nrs3 871 402 (83.1 percent) werefrom rattan alone.

Rattan is managed utilizing indigenousknowledge for regulating access, utilizationand distribution of benefits in thecommunity.

The case study concluded the following.• Community forestry in Nepal has

boosted NTFPs (such as rattan) as amajor income-generating source andparticipatory management practice isone of the successful methods tomanage rattan and other forestproducts in Nepal.

• SKCFUG has contributed significantlyto social development, such as health,education, agriculture, rural financeand capacity building.

• The diversification of rattan species todevelop enterprises and value additionworks are challenges ahead ofSKCFUG.

• Degraded rattan forest can be restoredthrough participatory management anduse of community funds for forest andsocial development work.

(Contributed by: Chhote Lal Chowdhary,Canadian Center for International Studiesand Cooperation (CECI Nepal), PO Box2959, Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail:[email protected])

NIGERIA

Raffia and barkcloth weaving and palmwineThe weaving of raffia in Akwa Ibom is asmall-scale industry that has adapted well tomodern demands. In a village in Abak, theweaving was and is still a craft conducted byboys to produce money for clothing,education and so on.

Raffia threads, ndam, consist of the outerskin peeled from fronds of the raffia palm,knotted together in a continuous length. Atfirst, the threads are green in colour, but theydry to a light brown. Formerly, vegetable dyeswere used, but now modern dyes areemployed to make coloured threads forweaving. The weaving technology isextremely simple. A slanting loom, akparaekpat, made of lengths of palm midrib isused, alongside other weaving tools such asa hardwood beater or sword, awat ekpat; ashuttle, okop ekpat; a heddle, nisong ekpat,made from two lengths of palm midrib barkand raffia threads.

Products of raffia weaving include lengthsof cloth used for wrapping headloads,making garri sacks, covering mattresses andseats of the deckchair type. The majorproduct is the raffia bag used by hunters andfarmers for game and farm produce. In thepast, raffia cloth was used as clothing and, tothis day, special wrappers with stripedpatterns are worn on ceremonial occasionsby chiefs and dancers.

Barkcloth is a non-textile fabric madefrom the bark of a tree. In the forest region ofsoutheastern Nigeria, barkcloth was thenormal apparel used for wrapping precious

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objects, such as skin-covered masks and forstorage. The use of barkcloth declineddrastically as soon as imported cottonbecame available. Today, it only survives in afew ceremonial contexts.

One of the central features of traditionaland ceremonial life in the southeastern partof Nigeria is the drinking of palm wine; infact, no social event of any importance istruly complete without it. The communaldrinking of palm wine is an overt act offellowship and expresses a stranger’s goodintent.

The Ibibio tap their wine from the raffiapalm (Raphia spp.) while elsewhere the oilpalm (Elaeis guinness) is exploited. Abamboo ladder is used to climb the tree anda flat-ended chisel-like knife, enuon, isemployed to cut the male inflorescencestalk. The wine is collected in a specialtapping pot but in the case of the oil palm,“up wine” is obtained by using a climbingrope to climb the tree, and the incision ismade in the inflorescence with a curvedknife. “Down wine” is obtained by felling thetree and tying a container to the top end afterall the leaves have been removed.

Everywhere, wine is collected twice daily,in the morning and in the evening. The winemay be consumed fresh from the tree, or onthe first, second or third day after tapping.The rate of fermentation is so rapid that bythe second day, the drink is fairly intoxicatingand by the third day it is sour and ofconsiderable potency. The people of Obuduin the Cross River state developedtechniques of storing and increasing thealcoholic content of palm wine, butelsewhere, wine older than three days isdistilled into spirits – ufofop or kaikai, whichare also commonly used in traditionalceremonies.

Biologists and nutritionists also talk of thenutritional value of palm wine. The naturaldrink, they say, contains a lot of yeast andminerals rich in vitamins that nourish thebody and helps it to relax. (Source: AkwaIbom state [Nigeria], 6 February 2007.)

PARAGUAY

Ecoturismo en el Parque Nacional YbycuíEl Parque Nacional Ybycuí posee una ricacalidad paisajística, con exuberantesarroyos y saltos que le proporcionan unacualidad ambiental única, para usoturístico. Fue designado como ParqueNacional en el año 1973 y cuenta con unaextensión de 5000 hectáreas. Se encuentraubicado a 150 km de Asunción, en elDepartamento de Paraguari.

El Plan de Ecoturismo del Parque ofreceal visitante varias opciones para disfrutar desu estadía, ya que existe una superficieboscosa que protege la rica fuente de aguadulce.

El parque se subdivide en zonas demanejo: de uso extensivo, histórica, de usoespecial, de recuperación, primitiva yprimitiva intangible, se puede encontrar unadescripción de los posibles usos de cadazona en el centro de visitantes que se hallaubicado en la zona de uso intensivo (árearecreativa).

La vegetación boscosa y los cerrosofrecen un paisaje variado. Los senderosexistentes dentro del bosque permitenapreciar la vida silvestre del lugar y conocera las especies de animales y plantascaracterísticas de la región. El visitanteencuentra aquí espacios para el descanso,deportes al aire libre y la posibilidad dedisfrutar de la belleza de sus arroyos ycascadas.

Conserva gran parte de la flora de laEcorregión Selva Central, presentandoejemplares representativos en vías deextinción. Entre las especies vegetales seencuentran helechos gigantes, palmeras,cactus, tunas, bromelias, cañas, orquídeas,camalotes, entre otros.

Se presentan algunos afloramientos derocas correspondientes al grupo de lacordillera de Caacupé, formacionesParaguari, Cerro Hú y Tobatí, constituidaspor areniscas sedimentarias formadas en elsilúrico, hace aproximadamente 400millones de años.

A la entrada del parque se encuentra laprimera fundición de hierro del Paraguay yde Sudamérica, conocida con el nombre de«La Rosada», construida entre los años1850 y 1854 bajo el gobierno de Don CarlosAntonio López. Sus hornos proveían lamateria prima para la construcción deembarcaciones y maquinarias. La Rosadafuncionó hasta 1868, año en fue destruidapor las tropas uruguayas y brasileñasdurante la Guerra de la Triple Alianza.

La zona histórica fue reconstruida en1973 y restaurada en el año 1998, consta deun museo histórico y cultural que permiteinterpretar a través de las piezasconservadas la tecnología de la época y elingenio humano desarrollado para laelaboración de los primeros elementosmetálicos en el Paraguay.

A dos kilómetros de la entrada, porcamino de tierra, se llega hasta el árearecreativa del parque, donde se puederealizar senderismo, recorriendo los cuatrosenderos y los saltos de agua, como elMbocaruzú, Yryvucuá y Karaimi o travesíapor agua en el Arroyo Corrientes.

Aportado por Maura Isabel Díaz Lezcano,Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal,Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros deMontes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid,Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid,España.Correo electrónico: [email protected]

THE PHILIPPINES

Upland dwellers tapped to manage forestresourcesThe country's forests are home to 22million Filipinos. Among the Philippines'poorest, these upland dwellers have beenpartly blamed for the depletion of the forestresources. Lately, however, severalgovernment and non-government groups,including the Department of Science andTechnology's Forest Products Researchand Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI),have begun to look at these communities,no longer as an ecological nuisance but asa potent force in forest rehabilitation andprotection.

A step towards this direction was theproject funded by the Japan-basedInternational Tropical Timber Organization(ITTO) where FPRDI researchers surveyedand trained forest dwellers in the provincesof Aurora, Western Samar, Surigao del Surand Palawan.

They documented the communities'economic activities, especially how theycollect, process and market NWFPs suchas rattan, vines, bamboo, erect palms,honey and almaciga resin. “After surveyingten settlements in these provinces, wefound that forest communities, many ofwhich consist of indigenous people,depended on forest products as a majorsource of income,” says project leaderArnaldo Mosteiro. “They were diligent andcreative, producing all sorts of handicrafts

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– mats, hats, fans, bags, brooms, housedecors – from every available raw material.Ignorance, however, stifles theirproductivity and jeopardizes their rawmaterial base. For instance, farmers usedvery crude methods to tap resin fromalmaciga trees. In the process, the treesare maimed and ultimately killed.”

“Over the years, FPRDI has trainedupland dwellers on the wise use of non-wood forest resources. We have sharedtechnologies that would improve theirproduct quality and productivity, as well aslivelihood skills that would lessen theirdependence on the forest,” said FPRDIDirector Florence P. Soriano. “Last year, forinstance, DOST conducted a project thattaught B'laan tribal women in SouthCotabato and NPA rebel returnees inSamar to make handmade paper andhandmade paper novelty items.“

“The FPRDI-ITTO survey alerts us thatwe need to link up with all concernedgroups so that we can give thesecommunities the best business supportand environmental education that we can.We have no other choice. If we are seriousin saving our forests, we have to be seriousin empowering the people who live inthem,” Soriano concluded. (Source: SunStar [The Philippines], 15 February 2007.)

ROMANIA

Romanian forestry sector to receive fundsof over one billion eurosThe Romanian forestry sector will receiveover one billion euros (about US$1.30billion) of European funds from 2007 to2013, the Ministry of Agriculture said onTuesday. Once the 2007–2013 NationalRural Development Plan is approved by theEuropean Commission, Romania willreceive rural development funds worth8.022 billion euros (about US$10.43 billion),with about one billion euros of this to beearmarked for the forestry sector.

The money will be used by Romania forstaff training, the improvement of theforest's economic value, the increase of theforestry products' added value,infrastructure, and planting forests on farmand non-farm land.

Starting in 1956, Romania was the onlycountry in the world whose forests had ten-year management programmes and theywere entirely planned according to a unitarydesign; the Romanian school of forestplanning was internationally recognized.

In the European context, Romaniastands out because of the high biodiversityof its forestry ecosystem, especiallyriverside coppices, plain and hill mixedfoliage forests, beech and resinous mixedforests, natural spruce fir forests under theaspect of genetic diversity, placingRomania in the top echelon of Europeancountries. (Source: People's Daily Online[Beijing, China], 10 January 2007.)

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Ecotourism in the Russian Far East The 1990s brought an increase inecotourism activities in the Russian Far East(RFE) after growing interest in the regionfrom the global environmental movementand greater international demand foradventure tourism. Ecotourists wereattracted to the RFE by the Siberian tiger,rare plants, wild salmon rivers, vast intactforests and a unique marine environment.

Ecotourism brought a means ofconservation and subsistence to a regionthat was heavily dependent on resourceextraction. Local communities andindigenous groups also benefited from theincrease in tourism by buildingaccommodation and developing their ownecotourism activities. For the indigenouspeople of Udege, living in the forests by theBikin and Samarga rivers, revenue fromJapanese ecotourists provided essentialfinancial support for a period when theywere dependent on hunting and fishing.

But ecotourism is not synonymous withconservation. Some Zapovednik (Russianstate nature reserve) managers have beencompelled by the Government to set upunsustainable ecotourism activities inrestricted zones, jeopardizing some of theRussian Federation’s most valuable naturalareas such as the Geizer’s Valley inKamchatka and the Marine Preserve inPrimorye. Tourist pressure and industrialinterests in these regions have led to aseries of lengthy court cases, publicdiscussions and environmental protestsfrom Lake Baikal to the Kamchatkapeninsula. Even the conservation status of a

United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO) WorldHeritage Site, awarded to the Baikalwatershed, Bystrinsky Park and CentralSikhote Alin, may not guarantee their futureconservation.

The positive and negative effects oftourism are a controversial issue. One groupthat seems to be benefiting from it is theEveny people, an indigenous community inthe Bystrinsky natural park of Kamchatka, averitable ecotourist’s paradise that is nowgaining popularity as a destination forcultural tourism.

Originally reindeer herders and peoplewho revere the larch tree, the Eveny peoplehave always had an intimate connection withthe taiga and tundra. For the last three yearsthey have been organizing ethnoculturaltourism in their community. Ecotourists livein the traditional way of the Eveny peopleand are taught handicrafts such as birchbark carving and skin tanning. (Source:extracted from an article by Stephan Nielsenand Anatoly Lebedev in Taiganews, 57,Winter 2006.)(Please also see page 62 of Non-WoodNews 13.

Growing market for wild fungi and berries Russian companies actively developharvesting and processing of wild fungi(chanterelles, boletus), berries (cranberries,lingonberries, bilberries) and nuts (cedarnuts). The profitability of this business in theRussian Federation exceeds 15 percent, andin the case of export to the EU countries, 100percent. In contrast to cultivated fungi andberries, wild ones do not requireexpenditures for cultivation, they enjoy highdemand in the West, and do not need largeinitial investments. Since there are noofficial statistical data on the volume of themarket for wild fungi, berries and nuts in thecountry, it can only be estimated at ahundred million dollars.

According to data provided by the agencyof Tomsk province development (ARTOT),market capacity in this region only accountsfor 138 000 tonnes per year (US$370 millionin 2005). Besides the Tomsk province,production and processing of wild fruits,fungi and nuts are significant in otherSiberian territories and northern regions ofthe country. The harvesting season lastsusually from June through October. Duringthe season more than 30 intermediaries areinvolved in buying wild products frompickers and the Tomsk food company AMK,which controls more than 50 percent of the

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local markets and even has its own forestland specially for harvesting fungi, berriesand nuts.

The company exports several thousandtonnes of edible boletus, chanterelles andcranberries per year to Italy and Sweden.Some companies export raw products andsalted or boiled chanterelles, but also moreadvanced quick-frozen products. Accordingto the President of the Ledovo Group,cultivated and wild fungi sectors are notcompetitors. One of the major issues in thewild fungi sector is the instability of supplywhich strongly depends on climaticconditions and the ecological situation.

Consumption of fungi in the RussianFederation is a national tradition andtherefore this market has prospects forconsiderable increase, but only ifcommercial cultivation on the industrialscale develops. Then, possibly, the cultivatedanalogues of wild fungi could extrude thosegrowing wild. In the majority of Europeancountries, the United States of America,Australia, Japan and China such fungi are nolonger collected and buyers do not see alarge difference between wild and cultivatedproducts. The same has already occurredwith blueberries, which are cultivated on alarge scale in Europe, North and SouthAmerica and Australia, or cranberries,commercially grown in the United States ofAmerica, whereas most cranberries usedfor processing in Europe come from Russianforests. (Source: FreshPlaza [theNetherlands], 29 January 2007.)

SAINT LUCIA

The latanyé project: development of thelatanyé broom industry in Saint Lucia Latanyé (Coccothrinax barbadensis) is a

palm native to Saint Lucia and its leavesare used to make crafts and brooms.

Success in latanyé development wasachieved by:

• latanyé being identified as bothecologically vulnerable and as a plantused to maintain the livelihoods ofrural communities;

• carrying out research anddocumentation of the appropriate andsuccessful methods to: propagate thespecies, establish cultivatedplantations and sustainably harvestlatanyé leaves; and

• collaboration among agencies thatimpact on the latanyé plant and broomproduction.

A socio-economic study by Lyndon Johnin 2001 detailed the vulnerable nature of thelatanyé broom industry in which there was ahigh demand for latanyé brooms, anoverharvesting of latanyé leaves and aconsequent scarcity or unavailability ofleaves. Latanyé brooms are bought locallyand are also sold elsewhere, including inBarbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, UnitedStates Virgin Islands and Saint Martin.However, the scarcity of leaves resulted inthe reduction of the quantity and the qualityof brooms produced.

To ensure conservation of the latanyéplant, the Forestry Department and latanyéfarmers used wildlings to establish plots ongovernment and private holdings. Therewere also experimental trials to germinatethe latanyé seeds. But these two strategieswere costly. Research at the ForestryDepartment in 2002 determined apregerminative method that gave 90 to 100percent germination. This method alsoreduced the time for germination of seedsand resulted in the production of a greaternumber of plants with uniform age and lessmortality.

Another experiment was carried out(from September 2004 to September 2005)to determine the optimum harvestingregime of latanyé leaves in a plantation.Every four months, four treatments of 30,40, 50 and 60 percent removal of leaves wereundertaken in three blocks using theexperimental design of randomizedcomplete blocks. The results indicated that:

• there was a clear trend with higherremoval of leaves leading to fewerleaves remaining;

• greater productivity of leaves in therainy season in blocks where there wasgreater exposure to light; and

• greater productivity of leaves in the dryseason in blocks where there was lessexposure to light.

The results suggest that using aharvesting intensity of 40 percent of leavesper plant present in the dry season and 50percent in the wet season, would result inthe optimum and sustainable production oflatanyé leaves.

Apart from research on the appropriatesilvicultural and agronomic practices, thelatanyé project also examined the economicaspects of production. The ForestryDepartment determined the cost ofproduction to establish one acre(approximately 0.4 ha) of a latanyé plantationand, in collaboration with the CorporatePlanning Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture,determined that the production of latanyéleaves and sale of latanyé brooms waseconomically feasible. There was alsocollaboration with other governmentservices such as the Extension Service,Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Planning,Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards, latanyéplant and broom producers and exporters,and NGOs for product development andexploration of markets for the sale oflatanyé brooms. The Forestry Departmentand the Extension Service provided pottedlatanyé plants and technical assistance tolatanyé farmers that resulted in thesuccessful establishment of 34 plantationsof pure and mixed plots of latanyé onfarmers’ holdings. The average size of aplantation was 1 acre (0.4 ha).

All of the above-mentioned organizationsare part of the Latanyé Task Force. The planof work related to latanyé broom productionis guided by the mandate of this task force. (Contributed by: Donatian Gustave, ForestOfficer, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries, Saint Lucia. E-mail:[email protected]) (The project report is available from FAO’sNWFP home page under “Readers’Research”.)

SIERRA LEONE

Tiwai Island and the threat of thebushmeat trade The humanitarian dilemma created inSierra Leone and Liberia over the last 15years has resulted in refugees and forcedmigrations. The subsequent crippling ofdomestic agricultural supplies and thelimited access to food provided by aidorganizations have meant that refugees

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and internally displaced persons have hadto rely on wildlife as an alternative andsupplementary food source. Protectedareas tend to be the most heavily affected,because animals there become easytargets for poachers, and park guards areeither victimized or forced to flee for theirown lives.

Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, acommunity-based ecotourism project inthe south of Sierra Leone has certainly feltthis pinch. Since research and ecotourismactivities began on Tiwai in 1982, until theoutbreak of the civil war in 1991, virtuallyno hunting of any kind occurred and inJanuary 1987 the island became a legalgame sanctuary in which all hunting wasprohibited. During the war, financialsupport to Tiwai was terminated and theisland was inaccessible to researchers.Local staff and village communitiessuffered tremendously and several peoplelost their lives. At the end of the war, thepotential for increased threats tobiodiversity nationwide was greater thanever, especially for areas like Tiwai.

The manifestation of peace in SierraLeone could, eventually, lead tosustainable development or to anintensification of unsustainable resourceexploitation, such as bushmeat hunting bylarge numbers of displaced refugees andhost communities who have had theirlivelihoods undermined. In the immediatewake of the war, Tiwai ultimately becameexposed to intensive anthropogenicactivities such as trapping and hunting forbushmeat and habitat destruction foragricultural services. In addition, intensivepoaching was carried out on the islandduring the civil conflict.

The Environmental Foundation for Africa(EFA) first became aware of poachingproblems on the island during field visits in2000. Since then, EFA staff members haveworked with the two chiefdoms borderingthe island to revive hopes for restoration ofthe wildlife sanctuary. Followingcommunity meetings, the chiefs of bothchiefdoms imposed a ban on all huntingactivities on the island and formed aninterim project committee to mobilizerestoration efforts. The rapid resumption ofecotourism and of wildlife and ecologicalstudies, prompted by EFA, has helped todiscourage unsustainable activities andhas started to generate a much neededcash flow to benefit local people. However,even as community support grows for theproject, day-to-day needs and expectations

about the project's benefits pose seriouschallenges.

Poaching is still prevalent on the islandand its eradication is one of the greatestchallenges facing Tiwai. The communityrecognizes this as a problem with relevantcommunity meetings identifying thepredicament of bushmeat hunting on Tiwai,but the way forward is unclear. Poachingultimately presents a serious threat to theisland’s future as a sanctuary. It isendangered as an ecotourist destination,as visitors hearing gunshots often reportnegative experiences, which can lead tobad press and ultimately ruin Tiwai’sreputation as an idyllic retreat for futuretourists. International research on theisland, which was recently restarted inJanuary 2007, is also easily undermined bythe prevalence of hunting. Ultimately,primates need to be alive and unafraid ofhumans, to be considered useful researchsubjects.

International researchers have beenrecognized as the most financiallyprofitable visitors to Tiwai and without theirpresence the project will struggle tosurvive in future. Tiwai, through tourismand research, has the potential to raisegreat revenue for its surroundingcommunities, but hunting on the islandcould well undermine this. Thus, the fewwho are currently poaching on Tiwai aredoing so at the expense of the greatercommunity. If the issue of poaching is notaddressed properly, it may undermine thewhole project. A one-of-a-kind ecosystemcould be lost and the communities thatsurround Tiwai could ultimately lose aunique livelihood opportunity. (Source:extracted from an article by Paul Munro,Environmental Foundation for Africa [inAfrica News], 27 February 2007.)

THE SUDAN

Road to prosperity is paved with gumThroughout its history, the Sudan has beenracked by fighting and instability, largelybecause of ethnic divides between itsArabic north and African south. Asuccessful Canadian land developer, DavidTennant, first travelled to the region inJanuary 2005, just after the south signedthe Comprehensive Peace Agreement withthe northern government of Khartoum. Hewas looking for a way to create economicactivity, train people and invest profits backinto the community.

Two years later, what began as a smallhumanitarian project is giving birth to anindustry. “I almost accidentally fell into aproduct called gum arabic,” says Tennant.“We exported it through the south of theSudan and we were the first people to do so.”

Gum arabic is the hardened tree sap thatbleeds out of acacia trees. It is in countlessordinary products – sweetening candies,coating aspirins and prolonging the fizz insoft drinks. It is so prized that the UnitedStates of America still imports gum,despite economic sanctions against theSudan since 1997. For thousands of years,Arab traders from the more developednorth have taken the product to the worldmarket, hence the name gum arabic. Thenorthern Sudan exports 70 to 90 percent ofthe world's supply through the partly state-owned Gum Arabic Company.

But according to the Ministry of Exportand Trade in the south, 80 percent of thatdried resin actually comes from the southwhere the trees are abundant even thoughthe southern Sudanese have seen littlebenefit.

Consequently, Tennant began touringthe parched countryside, meeting withbusiness people, politicians, traders andfarmers. His idea caught on – that shippinggum out of the south to improve the life ofthe southern Sudanese could be more thanjust a dream.

Tennant raised money in Canada,invested a lot of his own and set up the firstgum company in the southern Sudan,stipulating that future profits would fundhumanitarian projects. A year and a halflater, the gum company delivered its firstshipment – 37 tonnes of certified gum – tobuyers in Dubai. Tennant calls theachievement a miracle. “Before the peaceagreement, the issue of gum wassomething that was a dream,” says MosesKuch, Deputy Director for External Trade,

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Supply and Commerce. “We never realizedthat we could develop it and own it.”

This month, on his third trip to Juba,Tennant returned as a special adviser tothe Ministry of Trade. Talk has turned toborder restrictions, certification, qualitycontrol, farming cooperatives andnurseries, as well as training, educationand conservation at the local level. Millionsof dollars have started flowing from theGovernment and national bank to open upother gum-rich areas.

Another priority is setting the recordstraight on where so much of the best gumin the world actually comes from. There iseven a new name. The Government nowcalls it gum Africa. But in a country wheredisputes over resources spark bloodyconflict, it is a regional initiative that mightnot go over so well in the north. Thesouthern Sudanese officials say that is notstopping them. “Indeed it will be aneconomic blow to the people of the northbut it's our right. The gum is beingproduced in our territory and we need tothink of how we can best manage ourresources.”

But how to convince major buyers suchas Coca-Cola to switch suppliers? Achemical engineer, who accompaniedTennant to the southern Sudan, says itcomes down to quality. “The gum that'scoming out of the southern Sudan has areputation of low quality because it hasnever been regulated, there's no gradingsystem, and most of it is smuggled outthrough neighbouring countries,” says theUniversity of Western Ontario's MohammedRahbari. “I think we should be able to puttogether quality control systems andeducate the farmers and buyers at the localmarkets of what exactly we need to ensurewe don't turn buyers away from this gum.”

Last month, Tennant sent Rahbari and ateam from the gum company into the ruralsouthern Sudan to show harvesters exactlywhat they are looking for – larger chunks,free from tree bark and other resin.

The establishment of a gum industry inthe south is already improving workingconditions and is a far cry from the past.

Dealing with the gum companyguarantees better prices. It also givesharvesters a sense of ownership andfreedom. Aside from Tennant and Rahbari,all the company's top employees are youngsouthern Sudanese, including oneSudanese-Canadian. (Source: extracted froman article by Andrea Huncar, The HamiltonSpectator [Canada], 10 March 2007.)

UGANDA

Uganda honey gets EU nodUganda’s honey has been selected to be theAfrican flag carrier to the European Union(EU) market, the Uganda ExportPromotions Board’s executive director,Florence Kata, has said. “Uganda isrequired to supply 60 tonnes of Ambar(Gold) honey. The consignment is to belaunched in London in May,” Kata said. Sheadded that the honey would get tosupermarkets through a network of buyersacross Europe.

“However, after the launch, we want thebuyers to be assured of constant supply forthe next three years, during which weshould be able to gain experience andintellectual ability of supplying to largermarkets,” she said.

“The international price for honey is Ush1 600. The firm proposed to offer U sh1800 at the farmgate level and will onlycollect honey that is more than 500 kg.However, the prices are all still beingnegotiated,” Kata said. (Source: New Vision[Kampala], 15 March 2007.)

Aloe vera farmers to get Ush1 billion plantThe Uganda Commercial Aloe VeraFarmers Association and a United Statesfirm have raised US$600 000 (about Ush1billion) to put up a processing plant. Theplant will process the multimedicinal plantinto various health products – cosmetics,toothpaste, health drinks – and theresidues will be turned into animal feeds.

Ali Sessanga, the project director,explained that the plant would helpfarmers sustain the export market, addingthat the machinery was acquired through along-term loan. Aloe vera has not beenprocessed in Uganda before. Sessanga saidthe machine has the capacity to crush 60144 acres (approximately 24 339 ha) of aloevera per month. Uganda's aloe vera area is912 acres (approximately 369.07 ha), whichmeans that farmers should produce moreof the crop. (Source: New Vision [Kampala],14 February 2007.)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

New postage stamps on biodiversity in theUnited Arab Emirates issued Emirates Post, in association withEnvironment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD),has issued three sets of postage stamps,illustrating the flora and fauna of the

United Arab Emirates, some of which areendangered species.

The commemorative stamps are meantto highlight the biodiversity of the Emiratesand raise awareness among the public onthe need to preserve flora and faunaendangered by the degradation of theirhabitats, overgrazing and shrinkage ofvegetation.

One set of stamps features mostwidespread wild plants, while other twosets portray desert reptiles and gazelles,respectively. (Source: Dubai City Guide[United Arab Emirates], February 2007.)

UNITED KINGDOM

Myrica gale makes a comeback The Vikings used it as a stimulant beforegoing into battle, the Celts used it to flavourtheir beer and Scottish Highland housewivesused it as an insect repellent. Now bogmyrtle (Myrica gale), or sweet gale as it isalso known, is experiencing a new lease oflife in a range of natural products.

The pharmaceutical giant Boots has spentUK£700 000 researching the use of bogmyrtle, which could have an important role inthe Scottish Highland economy. So far, theessential oil of sweet gale in the firm's newsensitive skincare products has all beenharvested from wild outcrops of Scottish bogmyrtle. Highland Natural Products, Boots'research partner in the project, has startedwork on developing cultivated areas of bogmyrtle. The plant occurs naturally in theHighlands but it may be possible to establishplantations in the Highlands, Aberdeenshireand the Borders.

The potential demand for sweet gale oilcould result in 500 new jobs and be worthUK£2 million a year to the rural economy by2016.

However, the people behind the researchinto the uses of bog myrtle believe theScottish Executive should be doing more tosupport research into commercial cultivation

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bamboo and manufacture various productsfor sale so as to support themselvesfinancially. Mkumba George, a teacher at theschool, said that currently more than 60young people have been trained, 40 of whomare female. Ten of these have formed aworking group which operates in locations atKimara, Mwenge and Ubungo, on theoutskirts of the city.

George explained that they are promotingthe theme that bamboos constitute moneythat grows, which they are using to cooptyouth into the project. He said that they getraw materials mainly from Kigoma andMbeya. He pointed out that given the stiffcompetition in the current businessenvironment, youth can cope successfullyonly if they are well organized economicallyand make high-quality, appealing productsfor sale on the domestic and overseasmarkets.

The project would also reducedeforestation in the country, since peoplewould use bamboo instead of cutting downtrees wantonly for making furniture, andother activities.

George said appreciable success hadbeen recorded in marketing their productslocally, but they were unable to meetexternal demand because of lack ofsufficient capital. He said one of the surestways out of the problem was securing loans,to place them on a sound financial footing.(Source: Sunday Observer, 11 March 2007[in IPP Media, United Republic of Tanzania].)

Insect-based industries While the value of considering insects as“mini-game” or “mini-livestock” may notbe immediately obvious, the analogy iscompelling. As a forest-based wildliferesource, certain insects can be managedlike other animals and have economicpotential at least at the subsistence level, ifnot at higher commercial scales.

Four insect-based industries are ofinterest in the United Republic of Tanzania:

• the use of insects for human or animalfood (entomophagy)

• beekeeping (apiculture)• silk production (sericulture); and• trade in collectible insects.Entomophagy and apiculture were of

great traditional importance to certainTanzanian communities, but culturalalienation from time-honoured rituals andexcessive, non-sustainable rates ofextraction have led to decliningdependence on them over the last century.During the colonial and modern age,

entomophagy developed a negative imagein large segments of the general public,although the practice survives in variousparts of rural Tanzania. But even in areaswhere insect feasting is accepted, certaingroups of insects appreciated as nutritiousand delicious elsewhere in the world maybe completely ignored, probably for nobetter reason than traditional oversight,cultural taboos or readily available proteinalternatives. The country could easily revivewhat may have been Africa’s strongestapiculture tradition and a potentiallysubstantial national industry that is atpresent functioning far below its potential.

Although sericulture and collectibles donot have strong traditional roots in theRepublic, they are now being promoted aspotentially rewarding, small-scaleeconomic ventures. Silk production may bemost feasible in conjunction with artisanenterprises or export to West Africa, wheretraditional demand was strong but localsupplies have recently declined throughdeforestation. Given the country’sextraordinary biodiversity and wealth ofshowy often endemic species of insects,their exploitation as a renewable resourcefor a growing international market ofspecimen collectors has barely begun, butmust also be regulated to assuresustainability. (Source: Springer/KluwerAcademic Publishers, Forest Entomologyin East Africa: Forest Insects of Tanzania.2006. Chapter 9, Forest-based insectindustries. H.G. Schabel. (With kindpermission of Springer Science andBusiness Media.).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Prof. H. Schabel, 7976 Co I, Custer, WI 54423,United States of America. E-mail: [email protected]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Maine law defines “pure maple syrup”As Maine's maple sugar season wound down,Governor John Baldacci signed legislation toclarify the legal definition of “pure maplesyrup” to help consumers decide whetherthey are getting the real thing.

The new law sets standards on how muchsugar must be in syrup in order for it to beconsidered pure. It took effect immediatelyupon the governor's signature on Monday.

The bill was advanced by the Maine MapleProducers. The Maine Farm Bureau said the

of the plant. Unless more is done, they warn,the chance for a new Highland boom couldbe squandered, with companies looking tocountries such as Poland to developcultivation of the crop. The research directorof Highland Natural Products said: “Themain problem in Scotland is there is no policyfor developing non-food crops, whereas thereis a policy in England and Wales. There doesnot seem to be much idea of how importantthese things can be to the rural economy.”Both Boots and Highland Natural Productshave spent thousands of pounds testing theantibacterial qualities of bog myrtle oil andmaking sure it is suitable for use on sensitiveskins. They say there is a need forgovernment support if the crop is to becultivated with commercial success.

By 2016 Boots expects to need 10 tonnesof bog myrtle oil a year. The harvested areacovers 50 ha, but this will need to rise to 2 900 ha by 2016.

The shrub, which grows on rocky, boggyground, can be grown on land which is alsoused for woodland and grazing. One hectareof ground can yield 1 kg of oil. Funding forgrowers in the initial stages of cultivation isalso important and would ensure that theplant could go commercial in years ratherthan decades.

According to a research associate at theRoyal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, bog myrtleis a wonder herb that is firmly planted inScotland's history of medicinal plant use.People have used it to treat ulcers, intestinalworms and aching muscles. It is even usedas an alternative to hops in beer. “This projectis a wonderful renaissance for bog myrtle,which I'm sure will be welcomed byScotland's hill farmers.”

An interim report, commissioned by theScottish Executive last year to study thebenefits of sweet gale cultivation, found thatit could generate investment of UK£4.8million at the farm level and create up to 460jobs. The Scottish Executive said thatfarmers who applied for funding with asatisfactory business plan would stand agood chance of receiving support. (Source:The Scotsman, 5 February 2007.)

THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

Bamboo a potential saviour of poor childrenThe Dar-es-Salaam-based Bamboo TrainingSchool has embarked on an operation totrain street kids and disadvantaged childrenfrom the city and upcountry on how to knit

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new standard helps to protect Maine's maplesyrup industry.

Maple sugar producers say that if there istoo much sugar in syrup, it can crystallizeshortly after sale. The new law helps toensure that when someone buys “puremaple syrup”, that's what they are getting.

Vermont, the nation's No. 1 maple syrupproducer, has rules similar to Maine's newstandard. Maine is the nation's second-largest maple syrup producer. (Source:BusinessWeek [United States of America], 4April 2007.)

Are ramps under threat? Demand for ramps from celebrity chefs,avant-garde restaurateurs and avid foodieshas some experts worried for the future ofthe pungent wild leeks grown in the hills ofAppalachia.

“[Ramps are] becoming harder to find inmany areas because they’ve become sopopular,” said Jeanine Davis, an associateprofessor of horticulture at North CarolinaState University. Davis said the increase inpopularity over the years means that chicbig city eateries and their adventurous chefsare vying for the bulbs but “very few peopleare producing them commercially”.

Ramps look much like a spring onion or ascallion, with flat green leaves protrudingfrom a white onion-like bulb. Their flavourand smell, which is said to linger on thebreath and skin for days after being eaten, ispowerful and garlic-like.

A group in Chicago recently hosted aUS$65-a-plate ramp dinner, considerablyhigher than the $6 to $10 dinners found inmost parts of West Virginia every spring.

The ramp plant takes three years tomature to the stage where it is edible, andtwo more years before it begins bearingseed for reproduction. Although ramps areharvested in the spring, the plants are notmature enough to produce seeds forreplanting until autumn. Many foragers whofind ramps growing wild in March or April donot return to sow new seeds in Septemberor October, Davis said.

The owner of one of the few ramp farmsin the country, Ramp Farm Specialties inRichwood, says that areas off the mainroads are pretty well dug up, but ramps arestill abundant in the mountains. Her 50-acre(20.23 ha) farm supplies ramps toindividuals and restaurants all across thecountry. The state Department ofAgriculture said that ramps are stillabundant in the eastern and northeasternparts of the state. (Source: AP in Community

Forest Resource Center [CFRC] WeeklySummary, 12 April 2007.)

Medicinal fungi in Alaska Other than consumption as food, forest fungiare also used medicinally. Medicinal fungifound in Alaska are mostly perennial conks ofwood-decay fungi that typically fruit oninfected mature trees.

Although published documentation of theconsumption of edible fungi by native peoplesof the Pacific Northwest remains sparse,some woody conks have reportedly beenused for medicinal and spiritual purposes.

Less well documented in Westernliterature, woody sporocarps of other wooddecay fungi might be valued for medicinal orspiritual purposes by Native Americansbecause such use is common amongaboriginal societies throughout the NorthernHemisphere and stretches back in time priorto written history. For instance, a strong teaof the “chew ash fungus” (Phellinus [Fomes]igniarius) was used by the Yupik forconstipation and stomach troubles and,although birch fungus (Phellinus tremulae)that grows on trembling aspen is notreported to have medicinal value, its ashesare mixed with tobacco or snuff.

It is clear that the original inhabitants ofour continent should not be expected todivulge sensitive information regarding theuse of native flora and mycota in theirspiritual traditions. When evidence exists of

this link, it is incumbent upon governmentagencies that wish to promote harvesting ofthese products to consult thoroughly withNative Americans about such plans. At thevery least, tribes can define areas that shouldnot be harvested for certain species, and thisinformation should be kept confidential.Another issue that government agenciesneed to address with regard to using thisresource is the likelihood that maintainingendemic populations of these fungi in variousplaces will allow for more genetic diversityrequired to isolate strains with superiormedicinal properties for subsequentpropagation. Proper compensation to nativepeoples for bioprospecting on theirtraditional lands is a very salient issue, asmajor pharmaceutical companies may someday wish to produce compounds derived fromcultivating these species.

In southeast and south-central Alaska, atleast 12 species of wood decay fungi havevaried potential for commercial harvestingas medicinal fungi: Fomes fomentarius,Fomitopsis officinalis, Ganodermaapplanatum, G. oregonense, G. tsugae,Hericium abietis, Inonotus obliquus,Phellinus igniarius, P. tremulae, Piptoporusbetulinus, Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametesversicolor. Another, Schizophyllum commune(split gill polypore) is the most common andwidely distributed mushroom in the world. Itgrows on the stems, branches, stumps andlogs of hardwood species. It is mentioned

Fomes fomentarius. The “tinder conk” has one of the most ancient documented historiesof use, both for starting fires and as a valued medicinal. It is one of the fungi found inthe pouch of the 5 300-year-old “Ice Man” of the Italian/Swiss Alps. It grows on birch andfir (Abies sp.) trees throughout the Northern Hemisphere.Hericium abietis. The “conifer coral fungus” not only has medicinal properties, but is adelicious and safe edible mushroom. It must be collected, handled and preserved likeother fleshy mushrooms because it is not a woody conk, although it is often foundgrowing on the boles of snags. It is not common and is difficult to propagate artificiallyin growth chambers, but it is one of the few edible mushrooms that decay conifers. Ittherefore has potential in southeast Alaska for inoculating hemlock stands where itwould be convenient to collect.Pleurotus ostreatus. The “oyster mushroom,” like Hericium abietis, is a premier ediblemushroom with medicinal properties. It grows on alder, aspen, cottonwood and birch,often fruiting in large flushes for some years after the tree has died. As with Hericiumand all flesh fungi, it is perishable and must either be sold quickly or preserved soon afterharvest (commonly by drying).Trametes versicolor: The “turkey tail” is a common, globally distributed fungus withpotent anticancer properties. It grows in dense overlapping clusters on the stems andbranches of many hardwood species. Cultivated to extract pharmacologically activecompounds, wild strains exhibit aggressive growth in artificial culture, hence the speciesmight be a target for bioprospecting.



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here, not because of its potential value as anNTFP, but by way of caution. In their heat-sterilized form they have documentedmedicinal properties but harvesting andmarketing wild material could be hazardous.They have been shown capable of producinglung and brain infections (mycoses) whenlarge concentrations of spores or fragmentsof the fungus are inhaled.

Most of the fungi occur on one or severalspecific host tree species. Their collection istherefore limited to areas where these treesgrow.

Among these fungi, the woody conks canbe harvested at any time of the year becausethey are slow growing and persist for manyyears. The edible wood decay fungi withmedicinal value (Hericium and Pleurotus)fruit predominantly during the warmermonths of spring and summer. They must notonly be harvested in season, but preferablywhen they are fresh and at their peak ofdevelopment. Sustainable harvest levels havenot been analysed for any of these fungi, buttheir abundance and resistance to harvestpressures are related to the prevalence oftheir habitat, namely, the host tree species.(Source: extracted from D.A. Pilz, S.J.Smith,J. Schoreder and J.R. Freed. 2006. Non-timber forest product opportunities inAlaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-671.Portland, Oregon, United States Departmentof Agriculture, Forest Service, PacificNorthwest Research Station. 79 pp.)

VIET NAM

Medicinal herbs vanish in Son LaMedicinal plants, once prevalent on HoangLien Son Mountain in Son La province, arefacing extinction because of uncontrolledharvesting by traders, according to experts.Most of the plants are being sold to China,from where about 60 percent of the herbswere originally imported.

The plants are popular because they canbe sold for hundreds of thousands of dong.Even a small amount of Coptis sinensis,Panax pseudo ginseng or Ngu Diep ginseng

will raise between VND200 000 (US$12) andVND500 000 (US$30). Around 40 species ofmedicinal plants have completely vanishedand at least ten more are on the verge ofextinction. If this trend continues, there willbe no more herbs left to sell.

Traders, however, are more concernedabout feeding their families than worryingabout the future of these herbs. Onemedicine dealer says his family always goesinto the jungle when the plants are ready tobe picked. On a good day, his family can earnmore than enough money to eat and livecomfortably for months.

The director of Hoang Lien Son NationalPark admits this is a major problem in thearea; it is difficult to stop dealers becausethere are not enough forest officials to policethe more than 10 000 households living in oraround the park.

Stricter penalties are being requested tocurb the uncontrolled trade of these plants toprotect them for future generations. (Source:Viet Nam News [Viet Nam], 16 April 2007.)

ZIMBABWE

Promotion of wild plant foodsThe University of Zimbabwe has started aproject to promote wild plant foods, whichcan contribute substantially to householdfood and livelihood security for communitiesdotted around the country.

The project, which is being carried out inthe Buhera district of the Manicalandprovince, is coordinated by Dr MaudMuchuweti of the Department ofBiochemistry and a team of other experts inthe field of food, nutrition and family andbiological science. The Kellogg Foundationfunded the project through a grant.

“We want to create more awareness aboutthe value of indigenous wild plant foods andpromote their effective utilization,” DrMuchuweti said. “Wild plant foods areeffective as a survival strategy. We areidentifying plant foods that are traditionallyused by people in Buhera. We aredocumenting how the foods are prepared andpreserved as well as their nutritionalcontent.”

This is a major milestone in thedevelopment of cultural information that willprovide an authoritative look at manyneglected food sources that can contribute tofood security, agricultural diversification andincome generation. It puts Zimbabwe on afirm footing in line with the Convention onBiological Diversity.

Wild plant foods are still being consumedin Zimbabwe and in most parts of Africadespite the threats of urbanization,environmental degradation, loss ofindigenous knowledge regarding theiridentification, preparation and preservationand other factors.

The university project will involveidentifying wild and famine plant foods, theirpreparation and preservation, nutrientanalysis, and cataloguing and documentingother uses of wild plant foods to enhancelivelihood security. According to DrMuchuweti, commercial crops pose a threatof genetic erosion to indigenous food plants.Reduced exploitation of wild and famine plantfoods is very unfortunate as some local foodsmay have better nutritional value thancommercial ones. For example, muchakataor muhacha (Parinari curatellifolia), amedium to large evergreen tree whichproduces yellow-brown fruits (hacha) fromMay to November can be used to prepare“Mukandabota”, a kind of porridge.

Communities dotted around Zimbabweare rich in information pertaining to variousaspects of how wild plant fruits, vegetablesand tubers can be identified, prepared andpreserved. Wild fruits and berries found inZimbabwe include checheni, chechete,nhunguru, matamba, mapfura, maroro,masau, matohwe, nhengeni, tsambatsi,umqokolo and many others that can, amongother things, contribute to the prevention ofcardiovascular diseases. Wild vegetablesinclude a variety of okra types – dereremowa, derere hosi, derere njeje, dererenama and other vegetables such as bupwe,chipondamasvinya, nyevhe and many others.Tubers include chinyembanyemba, garidye,chifumuro, madhumbe, mufarinya, tsenza,tsangadzi and numerous others that haveboth medicinal and nutritional values.

Such foods form an integral part of thedaily diets of many poor rural households.Wild foods are a source of importantvitamins, minerals and other nutrients thatcomplement the staple crops eaten by manyof the more vulnerable people, includingchildren and the elderly.

The importance of a wide range of wildplant species – including roots and tubers,leafy vegetables and fruits – needs to bedocumented in a botanical database forfuture generations.

The university project is also documentingan assortment of wild edible mushrooms,edible grass and seeds from communities inBuhera. (Source: The Herald [Harare], 7February 2007.) �

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GLOBAL REPORT CITESPROGRESS IN SLOWINGFOREST LOSSES

A number of regions in the world arereversing centuries of deforestation andare now showing an increase in forest area,according to FAO's State of the World’sForests report. The report underlines thepositive effects of economic prosperity andcareful forest management in savingforests, noting that over 100 countries haveestablished national forest programmes.

Global forest cover amounts to justunder 4 billion ha, covering about 30percent of the world’s land area. From 1990to 2005, the world lost 3 percent of its totalforest area, an average decrease of some0.2 percent per year, according to FAO data.

From 2000 to 2005, 57 countriesreported an increase in forest area, and 83reported a decrease. However, the netforest loss remains at 7.3 million ha peryear or 20 000 ha per day, equivalent to anarea twice the size of Paris.

Ten countries account for 80 percent ofthe world’s primary forests, of whichIndonesia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea andBrazil saw the highest losses in primaryforest in the five years from 2000 to 2005.

In Asia and the Pacific, net forest areaincreased in that same period, reversing thedownward trend of the preceding decades.The increase was mainly in East Asia, wherelarge investments in forest plantations inChina were high enough to offset high ratesof deforestation in other areas. The net lossof forest area actually accelerated inSoutheast Asia between 2000 and 2005.

Rapid economic growth may help tocreate the conditions for sustainable forestmanagement, the report said. Forestinstitutions in the region are getting strongerin a number of countries, and the trendtowards more participatory decision-makingcontinues. On the other hand, illegal loggingis increasing in some countries. Forest firesmay increase in severity if the global climatecontinues to become warmer.

Forests are obtaining political support andcommitment at the highest levels in Africa.Latin American countries have formednetworks to fight fires, to increase theeffectiveness of protected area managementand to improve watershed management.These measures are expected to improveforest management in the two regions.

Africa and Latin America and theCaribbean are currently the two regionswith the highest losses. Africa, which

accounts for about 16 percent of the totalglobal forest area, lost over 9 percent of itsforests between 1990 and 2005. LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, with over 47percent of the world’s forests saw anincrease in the annual net loss between2000 and 2005, from 0.46 to 0.51 percent.

Europe and North America showed netincreases in forest area over the reportingperiod. (Source: FAO Newsroom, 13 March2007.)

BORNEO CONSERVATIONDEAL SIGNED

A tri-nation deal has been signed to protect200 000 km2 of rain forest on the island ofBorneo. Malaysia, Indonesia and BruneiDarussalam have pledged to protect thearea, known as the “Heart of Borneo”.

The area is considered one of the mostimportant sites of biodiversity in the world,home to thousands of species. It isthreatened by plantation and loggingcompanies, as well as farmers, andresearchers say half of the original foresthas already been lost.

The agreement, known as the Heart ofBorneo Declaration, aims to put an end tothis, and protect an area prized byconservationists. (Source: BBC News, 12February 2007.)

COUNTDOWN 2010

Countdown 2010 is a powerful network ofactive partners working together towardsthe 2010 biodiversity target. Each partnercommits efforts to tackle the causes ofbiodiversity loss. The Secretariat – hosted bythe World Conservation Union (IUCN) –facilitates and encourages action, promotesthe importance of the 2010 biodiversitytarget and assesses progress towards 2010.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Countdown 2010 Secretariat, IUCN – The WorldConservation Union, Regional Office for Europe

(ROfE), Boulevard Louis Schmidt 64, 1040Brussels, Belgium. Fax: +32 2 732 94 99;e-mail: [email protected];http://www.countdown2010.net/

RESERVA DE LABIÓSFERA UNIRÁPARQUES NACIONALESDE CHILE Y ARGENTINA

La nueva y primera Reserva de la BiósferaTransfronteriza, «Bosques TempladosLluviosos de Los Andes Australes», uniráparques nacionales de Argentina y Chile,con una superficie superior a 4 millones dehectáreas y permitirá conservar ypreservar de mejor forma bosques nativosno intervenidos.

Así lo destacó el Ministro de Agricultura,Àlvaro Rojas, quien junto al Intendente dela Región de Los Lagos, Jaime Bertín, y ladirectora ejecutiva de la CorporaciónNacional Forestal (Conaf), Catalina Bau,firmarán este documento en que se solicitaoficialmente a la Unesco, por parte deChile, la creación de esta reserva.

Uno de los aspectos más relevantes paraRojas es que organizacionesinternacionales como la World WildlifeFund, The World Bank y The WorldResources Institute, han identificado losbosques templados lluviosos deSudamérica entre las 200 regiones delplaneta que deben ser resguardadas por sucontribución única a la biodiversidadmundial.

Por su parte, Bau explicó que labiodiversidad inserta en esta nueva reservade la biósfera, cuenta con familiasendémicas de plantas y animales, entre losque se cuentan especialmente las especiesarbóreas más longevas del mundo, como elalerce y la araucaria, y entre los animales,como el marsupial más primitivo delplaneta, el monito del monte. Fuente: El Mercurio, 28/3/07 en INFOR, 29de marzo de 2007.

ESTABLISHMENT OF ANATIONAL PARK INFRENCH GUIANA WILLALSO ENHANCEPROTECTION INBRAZILIAN AMAZONIA

Fifteen years after the process was begun,on 28 February, a decree established theAmazonian Park of Guiana, in French

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Guiana. With almost 2 million ha under fullprotection and surrounded by a sustainabledevelopment zone of nearly 1.3 million ha,the area is the largest French conservationunit and it will become part of the complexformed by the Tumucumaque MountainsNational Park in Amapá, and two state-protected areas in Pará, established inNovember last year: the Maicuru BiologicalReserve and the Grão-Pará EcologicalStation.

“In all, a little over 11 million ha ofcontiguous Amazonian lands will be underfull protection, becoming the largestcontiguous fully protected area of tropicalforest on Earth,” commemorated theSecretary-General of WWF-Brasil, DeniseHamú.

These three Brazilian full protectionconservation units and the recentlyestablished national park are also part ofan even larger mosaic, formed by 14 otherfull protection conservation units and 20sustainable use conservation units, with anadditional 15 indigenous lands. Thisimmense contiguous area spans roughly48.6 million ha, most of it (nearly 45 millionha) in Brazil, plus the part in French Guiana(a little over 3.5 million ha) and in Suriname(almost 100 000 ha). The mosaic extendsfrom Pará to the state of Amazonas andfrom there to Roraima.

In addition to hindering the advance ofillegal gold mining, protecting a large areaof forest represents an importantcontribution in the struggle againstdeforestation, one of the main activitiesresponsible for global warming. It is alsoimportant for the conservation of rareecosystems, maintenance of ecologicalequilibrium and the survival of endangeredspecies that require extensive territories.(Source: WWF-Brasil, 28 February 2007.)

NEW FUND TO CONSERVETHE CONGO BASIN

The United Kingdom is to give UK£50million towards helping to save the second-largest rain forest in the world, the CongoBasin in Central Africa.

In one of the Budget's most eyecatchingand unusual items, the Chancellor GordonBrown announced an £800mEnvironmental Transformation Fund, tohelp developing countries cope withenvironmental changes such as globalwarming; the Congo forest will be therecipient of the first major grant.

The money will form the basis of a newCongo Basin rain forest conservation fund,to be set up under the aegis of the tenAfrican countries surrounding the greatwilderness, which at 700 000 square miles(1 812 992 km2) in extent is twice the size ofFrance, but is increasingly threatened withdevelopment.

The United Kingdom has persuadedProfessor Wangari Maathai, the Kenyanenvironmental campaigner and 2004 NobelPeace Price winner, and Canada's formerPrime Minister, Paul Martin, a long-standing advocate for debt relief and forAfrican leadership in development, tooversee the fund's establishment andadvise on its governance and financialmanagement, ensuring that it has strongAfrican ownership and supports the needsof the Congo Basin countries.

“Fifty million local people rely on thetropical rain forest of the Congo Basin forfood, shelter and their livelihoods, whilethe world relies on it, and other rainforests, as an ecological handbrake on ourrapidly changing climate,” said theInternational Development Secretary,Hilary Benn. “But deforestation is a seriousproblem with nearly 6 000 square miles (15 540 km2) being destroyed every year.”

The aim is to ensure that local people'slivelihoods and rights are protected whilehelping them to manage the forest betterand find livelihoods consistent with forestconservation.

The new fund will strengthen the work ofthe donors who are already active in theregion, including Belgium, Canada, France,Germany and the United States of America,and it will open a channel for new donors toadd their support. (Source: BelfastTelegraph [United Kingdom], 22 March2007.)

SCIENTISTS COUNTAFRICA'S ECOLOGICALRICHES

Scientists from 43 African and Europeancountries began meeting in Yaoundéyesterday at the 18th Congress of theAssociation for the Taxonomic Study of theFlora of Tropical Africa, better known by itsFrench abbreviation, AETFAT. Among theissues to be handled by participants arethose related to the taxonomy of Africanplants and fungi, the phytogeography ofAfrican plants, ethnobotany and theconservation of African plants. Scientists

are equally expected to size up themilestone covered in research on Africanflora, vegetation of African plant habitats,database of African plants and theevolution of the African Plants Initiative(API) project.

Meeting under the theme: Systematicsand Conservation of African Plants, theYaoundé congress offers yet anotheropportunity for scientists to exchangeviews and research on conserving Africa'srich biodiversity which is being seriouslythreatened by human activities. Accordingto the Minister of Scientific Research andInnovation, Madeleine Tchuinte, humanthreats to plant existence have increasedduring the past few years. This, she said,has instilled fear in Africans who one daysee their plants disappear. Quitedisturbing, moreover, is the fact that themajority of these plants have not beennamed.

In addition to plants that human beingscultivate for food, millions of plants remainin the wild, which have economic, culturaland medicinal values. “Many remain to bediscovered,” Mrs Tchuinte said.

The congress is a living example ofNorth-South Cooperation. The AETFATtoday counts more than 1 000 membersdrawn from international institutions,notably national herbariums andspecialized research institutions. (Source:Cameroon Tribune [Yaoundé], 27 February2007.) �

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Development of the NWFP sector inCentral AfricaFAO contributes to the development of theNWFP sector in Central Africa through itsregional project “Enhancing Food Securitythrough Non-wood Forest Products inCentral Africa” (GCP/RAF/398/GER). In itssecond year of implementation, the project,which is funded by the German Government,is analysing the legal framework in order toensure that forestry laws promote thesustainable management and use of NWFPsin Central Africa. The appropriate inclusionof NWFPs in forestry laws is an importantprecondition to promote sustainable forestmanagement, allowing local populations toenhance their well-being and develop thelargely informal but economically importantmarket for NWFPs.

The project, therefore, facilitates theelaboration of a subregional model lawpromoting the sustainable management ofNWFPs. An interdisciplinary working groupon this matter has been established, toelaborate a first draft of the law, which willbe made available for comments on theproject’s Web site at www.fao.org/forestry/

site/6406/en. Before its submission to theExecutive Secretariat of the Central AfricaForestry Commission (COMIFAC), the draftwill be discussed and validated during asubregional workshop in the second half of2007.

Furthermore, in collaboration with theWorld Conservation Union (IUCN) and therespective governments, the projectorganized national workshops in theCentral African Republic, Gabon and theRepublic of the Congo in order to identifynational priorities to develop the NWFPsector.

Together with the various workshop andmeeting reports, recent additions to theproject’s Web site (all available fordownloading) include information notesand reports on various ongoing studies,such as the following.

• Perspectives of certification of NWFPsin Central Africa.

• Sustainable exploitation of non-woodresources.

• Impact of timber harvesting in forestconcessions on non-wood resourcesand its users in the Congo Basin (to bepublished by FAO as Forest HarvestingCase Study No. 23).

Upcoming Web publications include thefollowing.

• A study on the commercialization ofNWFPs in Central Africa.

• An overview of policies relevant to theNWFP sector in Central Africa.

• A study on the consumption of Irvingiasp. and Ricinodendron heudelotti inYaoundé and Libreville.

• An overview of the nationalbibliographies on NWFPs in the sixCentral African countries covered bythe project (Cameroon, Gabon,Equatorial Guinea, Central AfricanRepublic, Democratic Republic of theCongo and the Republic of the Congo).

Activities foreseen for the near futureinclude the elaboration of a strategy for thedevelopment of the NWFP sector in theRepublic of the Congo; the improvement ofthe system to collect NWFP-relatedstatistics in Cameroon; the creation of adirectory of entrepreneurs involved in thetrade of NWFPs in the Central AfricanRepublic and the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo; and the analysis of the impact oftimber harvesting in forest concessions onnon-wood resources and its users in Gabonand Equatorial Guinea.

Building on this ongoing project, FAO’sproject activities in the Congo Basin have

FAO

FAO Committee on Forestry The Committee on Forestry (COFO) is themost important of the FAO ForestryStatutory Bodies. The biennial sessions ofCOFO (held at FAO headquarters in Rome,Italy) bring together heads of forestservices and other senior governmentofficials to identify emerging policy andtechnical issues, to seek solutions and toadvise FAO and others on appropriateaction. Other international organizationsand, increasingly, non-governmentalgroups participate in COFO.

The 18th session of COFO – with thetheme “Weaving knowledge intodevelopment” – took place from 13 to 16March 2007.

The final report plus all COFOpresentations are available from FAO’sforestry home page at the following address:www.fao.org/forestry/site/37836/en

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WEAVING KNOWLEDGE INTODEVELOPMENT

Information – disseminating knowledgeNetworking – sharing knowledgeFora – exchanging knowledge Analysis – furthering knowledgeCapacity building – strengtheningknowledgeTechnical support – transferringknowledgeTraditional knowledge – using knowledge

COFO

The 18th session of the FAO Committeeon Forestry (COFO18) may be recordedin the annals of history as one of itsmost successful forest-related meetings.The meeting was superbly organized,disciplined but broadly participatoryand accommodating, richly informativeand always running on time. Delegatesfound the massive exchange ofinformation gratifying.

FAO, on the other hand, was pleasedto receive considerable concreteguidance from delegations in craftingits future action programme. On the lastday, some veteran participantsdescribed COFO18 as the mostsubstantive forest policy meeting inyears. This analysis will examine theinternal dynamics of COFO18 andinterpret them against the globalcontext within which the meeting tookplace. (Source: Earth NegotiationsBulletin, http://www.iisd.ca/fao/cof18/)

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recently been broadened through theimplementation of a new three-year projectentitled “Strengthening Capacities of Smalland Medium Enterprises in the NWFPsector in Central Africa”. The new projectaims at developing market chains ofNWFPs, some of which are traded in largevolumes across borders. The project isfunded by the European Commission andhas been initiated in close collaborationwith the Netherlands DevelopmentOrganization (SNV), the Center forInternational Forestry Research (CIFOR)and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).(Contributed by: Daniel Knoop and SvenWalter, project CP/RAF/398/GER,Cameroon.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Mr D. Knoop.Associate Professional Officer, c/o FAO Representation in Cameroon, PO Box 281, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Tel. : +237 53563 48, / +237 220 24 72; Fax : +237 220 48 11;e-mail: [email protected]

Killing two birds with one stone:transferring knowledge to fight povertyand land degradation With help from FAO, farmers in six sub-Saharan countries have been able toincrease their income from the sale of gumsand resins and to restore degraded land.

In Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, the Niger,Senegal and the Sudan, FAO launched athree-year pilot project in 2003 withfinancial support from the ItalianGovernment to help local farmers torestore degraded land by planting nativeacacias that produce gums and resins,which are important products for Sahelianpeople's livelihoods.

For their adaptation to poor soils andarid and semi-arid climates, Acacia sp. arecommon and important trees in this region,where land degradation is a seriousproblem. The trees are important fightersagainst the advancement of deserts, thetree tops intercept wind and rain drops, andthe root systems are effective in reducingland erosion. In addition, they restore soilfertility as they fix nitrogen and are animportant source of fodder.

At the same time, Acacia trees producegum arabic, which is a valuable naturalproduct for a large range of industries,including the food and pharmaceuticalindustries. In the food industry, the gum isused to thicken, stabilize and emulsify foodand drinks. It is also used in diet productsagainst obesity. The pharmaceutical

industry uses it to bind tablets and as asuspending and emulsifying agent increams and lotions. This NWFP is animportant component of inks used in thepress industry. Gums and resins aretherefore important sources of revenue forpeople in this region, who are usually thepoorest and most vulnerable to hunger andmalnutrition.

Despite the tree's economic andenvironmental importance, the farmers inthe region still use traditional productionmethods. As a result, they cannot producegum and resin of a quality high enough tosell on international markets at a desirableprice. The production and commerce of thegum and resin had not evolved sufficientlyat the local level.

In order to plant more of the species, FAOintervened and first tested new methods ofharvesting rainwater in this water-scarceregion. It also trained about 56 000producers of gum arabic and resin on waysto improve their production to meetinternational market standards. TheOrganization helped the farmers developnew markets and encouraged producingcountries to cooperate and organizethemselves, to prevent international buyersfrom setting the producers in competitionagainst one another and reducing prices. Toguarantee a stable supply of the goods, FAOsupported the establishment of warehousesto store unsold gums and resins.

As a result, more than 13 000 ha ofdegraded land have been restored. This hasimproved animal feeding and reducedconflicts between farmers and shepherds.The mixed cropping of Acacia trees withtomatoes, sesame and beans has boostedthe growth of them all. The sale of gum andresin overseas has brought in much-needed cash to the region and helped thefarmers diversify and increase theirsources of income.

"The local response was overwhelming.The people benefiting from the projectwere both surprised and pleased with whatthey saw and earned," said MichelMalagnoux, an FAO forest expertresponsible for the project.

Based on the success of the pilot project,FAO plans to expand it to other Acacia-growing countries. (Source: FAONewsroom, 5 March 2007.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Michel Malagnoux, Forestry Officer (Arid Zone and Fuelwood Production), ForestConservation Service, Forestry Department,FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. Fax: +39 06 57 05 51 37; e-mail: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS

On 20 December 2006, the GeneralAssembly of the United Nations adopted aresolution declaring 2011 as theInternational Year of Forests. TheInternational Year of Forests will raiseawareness that the world’s forests are anintegral part of global sustainabledevelopment, providing crucial economic,sociocultural and environmental benefits.It will promote global action for thesustainable management, conservationand development of all types of forests,including trees outside forests.

To celebrate the year, activities will beorganized to foster knowledge exchange onpractical strategies to promote sustainableforest management and reversedeforestation and forest degradation. Tohelp facilitate organization of theseactivities, governments are encouraged tocreate national committees and designatefocal points in their respective countries,joining hands with regional andinternational organizations and civil societyorganizations. The United Nations Forumon Forests (UNFF) Secretariat has beentasked as the focal point for theimplementation of the International Year ofForests.

This is the second time that forests willhave their own “international year”. Thefirst was in 1985. (Source: Unasylva,225[57].)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE THE WEB SITEFOR THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS: www.un.org/esa/forests/2011/2011.html

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INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF NATURAL FIBRES

The United Nations General Assembly, on 20December 2006, declared 2009 theInternational Year of Natural Fibres. In doingso it invited FAO to facilitate the observanceof the year, in collaboration withgovernments, regional and internationalorganizations, non-governmentalorganizations, the private sector andrelevant organizations of the UN system.

Some progress in making initialpreparations had already been made in thelead-up to this declaration, and more hasbeen made in the period since then.

An informal International SteeringCommittee has met several times. It hasformulated objectives for the year, and hasoverseen the preparation of acommunications plan to guide activitiesthrough to the end of 2009. Most important,perhaps, it has brought togetherinternational representatives of the various

begin planning activities for 2009. FAO hasthe role of leading and coordinating butcannot undertake to plan and implementactivities on various fibres in individualcountries. Where appropriate, you may wishto talk to people in nearby areas, and topeople interested in other natural fibres,perhaps to form a local committee in yourcountry or region. Plan for yourselves howyou will work to promote natural fibres andto help meet the objectives listed above forthe International Year of Natural Fibres.

FAO needs funding for its activities inpreparing and disseminating information,preparing global-level activities andcoordinating. A budget of around US$2.5million has been proposed for the periodthrough to early 2010. This money needs tocome from donations from nationalgovernments or from industryorganizations.

Most urgently, we have an immediateneed for a relatively small amount (US$100 000 to $200 000) for initialpartnership-building and communicationactivities such as establishing a Web siteand preparing a brochure. So far, this moneyhas not been forthcoming; if you are able tohelp potential donors (government orindustry) decide to contribute to theInternational Year of Natural Fibres youcould be making a major contribution to itssuccess. (Source: International Year ofNatural Fibres 2009, Newsletter No. 1.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Brian Moir, Senior Economist (Trade), FAO, Trade and Markets Division (EST), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, 00153, Italy.E-mail: [email protected]; www.fao.org/es/esc/en/20953/22215/highlight_108451en.html

THE UNION FOR ETHICALBIOTRADE (UEBT)

Natural ingredients businesses receive aBioTrade boost through this Union.

Natural products are becoming bigbusiness. High street stores are lined withevery imaginable natural cream, lotion orsupplement that promise anything fromskin rejuvenation to reducing inflammation.The truth is that what is available to theconsumer actually represents only afraction of the plant species that theworld’s biodiversity has to offer. Even fornatural ingredients that have beenharvested for centuries, research is still

natural fibre industries, among whom therehad been no contact prior to the beginning ofthis process. The success of the InternationalYear of Natural Fibres will depend on astrong international partnership of all thenatural fibre industries.

The objectives of the International Yearsuggested by the steering committee are:

• to raise awareness and stimulatedemand for natural fibres;

• to encourage appropriate policyresponses from governments to theproblems faced by natural fibreindustries;

• to foster an effective and enduringinternational partnership among thevarious natural fibre industries; and

• to promote the efficiency andsustainability of the natural fibreindustries.

What comes nextFor the various natural fibre organizationsand groups around the world, it is time to

NATURAL FIBRES

What are natural fibres?Natural fibres are produced from animals or plants. Animal fibres are largely those thatcover mammals such as sheep, goats and rabbits, but include also the cocoon of thesilkworm. Vegetable fibres are derived from the stem, leaf or seed of various plants.Close to 30 million tonnes of natural fibres are produced annually in the world, ofwhich cotton is dominant with 20 million tonnes, and wool and jute each around 2 to 3million tonnes, followed by a number of others. What are natural fibres used for? Natural fibres form an important component of clothing, upholstery and other textilesfor consumers, and many of them also have industrial uses in packaging, papermakingand in composite materials with many uses, including cars. Why are natural fibres important? Apart from their importance to the consumer and in their various industrial uses,natural fibres are an important source of income for the farmers who produce them. Insome cases they are produced on large farms in developed countries, but in manydeveloping and least developed countries proceeds from the sale and export of naturalfibres contribute significantly to the income and food security of poor farmers andworkers in the fibre industries. For some developing countries natural fibres are ofmajor economic importance, for example, cotton in some West African countries, jutein Bangladesh and sisal in the United Republic of Tanzania. In other cases these fibresare of less significance at the national level but are of major local importance, as in thecase of jute in West Bengal (India) and sisal in northeast Brazil. Why an International Year of Natural Fibres?Since the 1960s, the use of synthetic fibres has increased, and natural fibres have lost alot of their market share. The main objective of the International Year of Natural Fibresis to raise the profile of these fibres and to emphasize their value to consumers whilehelping to sustain the incomes of farmers. Promoting measures to improve theefficiency and sustainability of production is also an important aspect of the year.

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organizations from different sectors ofsociety around the globe that are workingin the field of native biodiversity. The UEBTwill offer its members a broad range ofservices that promote, facilitate andrecognize their contributions to biodiversityconservation and sustainable development.Through the UEBT verification frameworkfor natural ingredients, members will alsobe able to verify their claims that theirbusiness practices are in line with BioTradeprinciples and criteria, which have beendeveloped in the spirit of the CBD.

ongoing to bring them to the market andspecial attention is being given to ensureproduct traceability along the supply chain.But the drive behind this niche market iscoming from consumers who are lookingfor fresh, new products, as well asbecoming increasingly aware of the impacttheir choices are having on theenvironment and the social conditions ofthose involved in production. Theseintangible qualities are adding value tobiodiversity-based goods and services thatshow tremendous potential for growth inthe future.

Natural ingredients, in fact, provideimportant inputs to the pharmaceutical,cosmetics and food industries. Theseindustries are always looking out for newand innovative natural ingredients that canbe used in their end products. What isimportant to these industries is that thesource is sustainable and, increasingly,that certain ethical practices have beenimplemented along the value chain.Conventions like the one on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) have laid down clearobjectives for the conservation andsustainable use of biodiversity and theequitable sharing of benefits for those whouse this resource. This is where BioTradehas drawn the attention of the market byoffering goods and services derived fromnative biodiversity under the criteria ofenvironmental, social and economicsustainability. Nevertheless, many smallBioTrade enterprises from biodiversity-rich(developing) countries have a hard timeimplementing the rather complicated andcostly processes. Many need guidance,business development support and marketoutreach expertise.

In response to the private sector call forfurther guidance on integrating the CBDobjectives into their business models, theUnion for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) has beenlaunched. As a private sector-driveninitiative, the UEBT is a membership-basedassociation that will bring together

The UEBT will be a solution that meetsthe current needs of the private sectorinvolved in BioTrade activities, and will playan important role in raising the awarenessof related issues among the general public.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Union for Ethical BioTrade,c/o United Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD), Palais des Nations,1211 Genève 10, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 9170247; e-mail: [email protected]; www.uebt.ch �

CASE STUDY: BOROJÓ

Borojó (Borojoa patinoi Cuatr.) is a new plant that has become attractive to the naturalingredients industry. Traditionally, the species is part of the staple diet of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities in the Colombian Pacific rain forests. It is usedto make juice, pulp, marmalade, ice cream and jelly. It is also used as a preservative toembalm corpses, and is considered a good healing agent and energizer. Raw plantmaterial from the Borojó fresh fruit’s hydrated pulp is used traditionally as a naturalingredient. Because it is rich in essential amino-acids and triterpenes, it has variousapplications in the cosmetic and nutraceutical industries.

Further research on the fruit reveals that the product could be used as a naturalingredient in the preparation of shampoo, hair conditioners, facial masks, body creams,fragrances and ointments. So, the future looks bright for the plant, but further studiesare needed.

Ecoflora Ltda, Phitother, Labfarve and Laboratorios Medick are four companies inColombia that supply Borojó extracts, having incorporated BioTrade principles andcriteria into their business practices – minimum requirements established for BioTradeactivities for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the equitablesharing of benefits derived from the resource.

As requirements of quality standards and traceability become increasingly higher ininternational markets, companies dealing in natural ingredients are realizing the needfor strict production practices in order to guarantee a sustainable supply to securebusiness deals. Management plans for Borojó, developed at company level, aretherefore all-important to the importing companies that want to be able to see clearlythat certain practices have been implemented from the beginning of the chain, backingtheir own claims of sustainable use.

Borojó is a tree species of 3–5m in height, belonging to the Rubiaceae family. Itsorigin is in tropical America, and it grows mainly in the Colombian Pacific plains – abiodiversity hotspot better known as Chocó.

BioTrade refers to those activities ofcollection, production, transformationand commercialization of goods andservices derived from native biodiversityunder the criteria of environmental,social and economic sustainability.

The Union for Ethical BioTrade providesthe private sector with a robustframework with which to contribute tothe objectives of the CBD, backCorporate Social Responsibility claimsand receive much needed expertise ininternational market access and businessdevelopment.

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TRADITION TOTECHNOLOGYCONFERENCESASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN,CANADA10–13 MAY 2007

The Tradition to Technology Conferencewas a joint effort between the NaturalHealth Products Research Society ofCanada and the Canadian Herb, Spice andNatural Health Products Coalition. Theconference also included a significant non-timber forest resources componentsupported by Royal Roads University.

The focus of the conference was on thetools, techniques and technology thatsupport this industry and its R&Dcommunity. A wide range of topics werecovered, from the traditional use ofmedicinal plants and non-timber forestresources to some of the most sophisticatedtools and techniques available to advancethe science that supports the industry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr Alister Muir, Conference Co-Chair,Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, 107 SciencePlace, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X2, Canada. Fax +1(306) 956 7247; e-mail: [email protected];www.saskherbspice.org/tradition_to_technology

GLOBAL ECOTOURISMCONFERENCE 2007OSLO, NORWAY14–16 MAY 2007

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES),Ecotourism Norway and the United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) organizedthis inaugural Global EcotourismConference, which TIES – in partnership witha national or regional ecotourism association– will be organizing every five years.

As the first major global conference onecotourism since the UN’s InternationalYear of Ecotourism in 2002, the GlobalEcotourism Conference 2007 reviewed theachievements in the ecotourism field andassessed challenges facing the industry.

The conference brought togethernational and regional ecotourismassociations and networks from around theworld, together with other interestedorganizations and individuals, to discusscommon issues and to help strengthen thecollective voice of the ecotourismcommunity.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: The International Ecotourism Society (TIES),1333 H St., NW, Suite 300, East Tower,Washington, DC 20005, United States ofAmerica. Fax: +1 202 789 7279; e-mail:[email protected] or [email protected];www.ecotourismglobalconference.org/

SHARING INDIGENOUSWISDOM: ANINTERNATIONAL DIALOGUEON SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENTGREEN BAY, WI, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA11–15 JUNE 2007

Indigenous peoples all over the world aresteadily confronted with outside pressuresof having both their land and culturesassimilated into the dominant culturalcontext. There is currently an acute need toexplore successful models of sustainabledevelopment that allow for the preservationof indigenous lands, sovereignty andculture, while also allowing for theintegration of economic development,institutional capacity-building andtechnological advancement.

This conference was designed to bringtogether scholars and practitioners who arecommitted to the concepts of sustainabledevelopment. This year the conferencefocused on the natural environmentfoundational element in the Menomineemodel of sustainable development.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr William Van Lopik, Sustainable DevelopmentInstitute, College of Menominee Nation,PO Box 1179, Keshena, WI 54135, United Statesof America. Fax: +1-715-799-5951;e-mail: [email protected];www.sharingindigenouswisdom.org

THE ROLE OF NON-TIMBER FORESTPRODUCTS (NTFPS) INPOVERTY ALLEVIATIONAND BIODIVERSITYCONSERVATIONHANOI, VIET NAM11–15 JUNE 2007

The Viet Nam NTFP Project Phase II, theMinistry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MARD) and the World

Conservation Union (IUCN) hosted thisNTFP conference.

NTFPs play an important role in thelivelihoods of the rural poor, as a source offood, medicine, construction materials andincome. It has been estimated that thereare more than 60 million highly forest-dependent people in Latin America, WestAfrica and Southeast Asia, with anadditional 400 to 500 million people directlydependent on these natural products.

Access to forest resources helps ruralhouseholds diversify their livelihood baseand reduce their exposure to risk. Earningsfrom forest products are often important asa complement to other income. Very largenumbers of households generate some oftheir income from selling forest products,often when farm production is not enoughto guarantee self-sufficiency all yearround. Income from forest products is oftenused to purchase seeds, hire labour forcultivation or generate working capital fortrading activities. For the pooresthouseholds, NTFPs can play a critical rolein providing both food and income.

While there is growing appreciation ofthe importance of NTFPs for ruralhouseholds, especially of the very poor,there are concerns about the potentialimpact of NTFP collection on biodiversity.

A number of critical questions wereexplored during the conference.

• Under what conditions can NTFPs,both plants and animals, besustainably harvested?

• Can on-farm production of NTFPsresult in improved biodiversityconservation?

• Does commercialization of NTFPsresult in overharvesting?

• What is needed for markets to be pro-poor?

• Are attempts to develop NTFPs forpoverty alleviation really reaching thepoorest of the poor?

• To what extent are these attemptsimpacting biodiversity conservation?

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Sarah Webster, World Conservation Union (IUCN),Villa 44/4 Van Bao Street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, VietNam. Fax: (84) 4 7261561; e-mail:[email protected]; or Dr Pham Duc Chien,Head of the International Cooperation Division,Forest Science Institute of Viet Nam, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Fax: (84) 4 8389722; e-mail: [email protected] �

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INTERNATIONALRESEARCHCONFERENCE ONBIODIVERSITY AND THE SUSTAINABLEMANAGEMENT OFNATURAL RESOURCESKIGALI, RWANDA23–24 JULY 2007

The Government of Rwanda looks forwardto welcoming participants to the firstinternational research conference onbiodiversity conservation and sustainablenatural resource management in Rwanda.Bringing together both leading national andinternational conservation and naturalresource management professionals, theconference will provide a forum for theexchange of research findings and ideasfocusing on the importance of knowledge-based approaches for the long-termconservation of biodiversity.

Rwanda hosts a wealth of biodiversityand natural resources. Many endangeredfauna and flora are part of transboundaryecosystems; threatened wetland networksand highland forests are importantcatchments for the Nile and Congo rivers.This gives a truly international dimensionto conservation and natural resourcemanagement in the country.

The conference will cover ecosystemhealth – particularly the correlationbetween ecosystem, human, domesticanimal and wildlife health – as well aseconomics, tourism, conservation andcommunities. The conference is beingorganized under the themes: conservationbiology, which will focus on the biology,behaviour and ecological processes ofthreatened species and their habitats; andsustainable management of naturalresources, which will discuss the results ofbiological, economic and social research insustainable management of naturalresources.

The success of the conference will be acornerstone in the use of researchinformation to inform and develop soundpolicies and practices towards biodiversityconservation and natural resourcemanagement in Rwanda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Janet Kayitesi, Ministry of Science, Technology and Research in President’s Office,Kigali, Rwanda. Fax: (+250) 59062081; e-mail: [email protected]; www.rwandagateway.org/conference/

THE FIRST REGIONALSCIENTIFIC CONFERENCEON TRADITIONAL ARABICAND ISLAMIC MEDICINEAMMAN, JORDAN8–10 AUGUST 2007

The Traditional Arabic and IslamicMedicine Conference (TAIM) aims to revivethe important aspect of our identity and toestablish it as a notable area of research onthe same level as other practices oftraditional medicine.

The conference will include thetraditional uses of these herbs, agriculturalresearch, pharmaceutical and biologicalremedies based on this culture as well asmedicinal products and marketing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Ms Razan A. Zuayter, APN, PO Box 811815,Amman 11181, Jordan. Fax: +962 6 5699777;e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]; www.arabic-islamic-medicine.com

2007 INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON FORESTAND WOODLAND HISTORY THESSALONIKI, GREECE3–7 SEPTEMBER 2007

This conference is open to all researchersinterested in trees, woodlands, forests andtheir cultural, social and economic values.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THECONFERENCE WEB SITE: www.uec.ac.uk/geography/woodlandculturesconference.php or contact: Dr Eirini Saratsi, e-mail: [email protected]; Prof. CharlesWatkins, e-mail:[email protected]; or Assoc.Pro.f Achilles Gerasimidis, e-mail:[email protected]/anthropology/

INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ONPOVERTY REDUCTIONAND FORESTS: TENURE,MARKET AND POLICYREFORMSBANGKOK, THAILAND3–7 SEPTEMBER, 2007

This conference is being organized by theRegional Community Forestry TrainingCenter for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC), incollaboration with other Rights andResources Initiative partners, and manyother organizations and donors that areconcerned about poverty and forest issues.

It is well established that areas with highrates of poverty and forest areas oftencoincide and there is much interest inexploring ways of using forest resources inways that benefit the poor, while sustainingthe resource base. There is increasingevidence though that the potential offorests to contribute to poverty reduction isonly being partially realized. There is alsogrowing recognition that this will continueto be the case unless critical issues areaddressed such as the need for greatertenure security, market reform and othersupportive changes in policy to improveaccess to resources and markets by thepoor.

This conference aims to supportdiscussion and exchange on the criticalfactors surrounding forests and povertyand current efforts to reduce povertythrough forest management and use. It willstrengthen existing, and help build new,strategic networks of key stakeholders toadvance tenure, market and policy reformsin support of poverty reduction.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: RECOFTC, PO Box 1111, Kasetsart University,Bangkok 10903, Thailand. Fax: (66-2) 561-4880,562-0960; e-mail: conference(at)recoftc.org;http://conference.recoftc.org

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INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE TOPROMOTE THEDEVELOPMENT OF NON-TIMBER FORESTPRODUCTS AND SERVICESBEIJING, CHINA19–21 SEPTEMBER 2007

The conference is being sponsored by theInternational Tropical Timber Organization(ITTO), with the support of the Ministry ofCommerce and the State ForestryAdministration of China. It is beingorganized by ITTO and the ChineseAcademy of Forestry in technicalcollaboration with the International Centrefor Bamboo and Rattan (ICBR), theInternational Network for Bamboo andRattan (INBAR), FAO and the UNConference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD).

For decades, NTFPs and services havegenerated high expectations because oftheir potential to combine forestmanagement and conservation withincome generation. Efforts to increase therole of NTFPs by improving themanagement, conservation and marketingof NTFPs and forest services are under wayin many parts of the world. However,progress has often been less than hopedfor and expected.

There is an urgent need to consolidatelessons learned among ITTO membersincluding on how best to encourage moreprivate investment in the sector.

The conference will: • bring producers, traders and

consumers together to shareexperiences in promoting NTFPs indomestic and international trade;

• study opportunities to promote thedevelopment of NTFPs and forestservices that can improve theeconomic attractiveness ofmaintaining the forest resource base;and

• make recommendations on policy andother measures to promote thesustainable production of NTFPs andthe sustainable provision of forestservices.

The ITTO conference will address theseissues through keynote presentations andpanel discussions.

Participants will include decision-makers and experts from governments,companies and cooperatives, industryassociations, local communities andinternational and non-governmentalorganizations. The conference will be opento all interested participants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: ITTO Secretariat, Forest Industry Division,International Tropical Timber Organization,International Organizations Center, 5th Floor,Pacifico-Yokohama 1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012 Japan. Fax: +81 45 223 1111; e-mail: [email protected]; www.itto.or.jp/live/PageDisplayHandler?id=3206&pageId=223

4TH INTERNATIONALMEDICINAL MUSHROOMCONFERENCELJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA23–27 SEPTEMBER 2007

The International Medicinal MushroomConference (IMMC4) will provide a creativeand informative event for mycologists andall those who are interested in studying anddiscussing the most current research onthe biological properties of mushrooms inthe following fields.

• Systematics, taxonomy, distribution,ecology and fungal culture collections

• Medicinal value and pharmacology ofmushroom active compounds

• Mushroom nutraceuticals • Fungal physiology, biochemistry and

genetics • Mycotechnology and mushroom

cultivation • Mycoremediation • Medicinal mushroom species • Ethnomycology, folk medicine and

homeopathy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: IMMC4, Department for Wood Science andTechnology, Biotechnical Faculty, University ofLjubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana,Slovenia. Fax: +38614235035; e-mail:[email protected]; http://www.immc4.si/

INTERNATIONALCONGRESS: A GLOBALVISION OF FORESTRY IN THE TWENTY-FIRSTCENTURY TORONTO, CANADA30 SEPTEMBER – 3 OCTOBER 2007

The congress discussions will be organizedunder the following three themes: i) Globalchallenges, responsibilities and leadershipin forestry; ii) Frontiers of science and ahealthy and diverse forest environment (theforest environment, its diversity andproductivity, and scientific challenges, andhuman health and the forest); and iii)Cultures, markets and sustainablesocieties.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Prof. Shashi Kant, Chair, Organizing Committee,Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto,Canada. E-mail: [email protected];/www.forestry.utoronto.ca/centennial/int_congress.htm

THE FUTURE OF FORESTSIN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC:OUTLOOK FOR 2020 CHIANG MAI, THAILAND16–18 OCTOBER 2007

Recent and unprecedented economic andsocial change in the Asia-Pacific region hassignificantly altered the way forests areregarded and used. It is inacknowledgement of a new kind of society-forest dynamic in the region that the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, inpartnership with member countries andother international organizations, is

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conducting the second Asia-PacificForestry Sector Outlook Study (APFSOS II).This major international conference isbeing organized to strengthen theconsultative and capacity-buildingprocesses of APFSOS II by bringingtogether diverse stakeholders andexpertise to provide broader perspectiveson emerging changes, probable scenariosand their implications for forests andforestry in the region.

The conference will provideopportunities to present selected voluntarypapers. The main discussion areas andsubjects on which to present voluntarypapers will include:

• the current situation of forests andforestry in the Asia-Pacific region;

• societal transition in the region andprobable scenarios for forests andforestry;

• impacts of globalization on forests andforestry in the region;

• challenges in balancingenvironmental, economic and socialneeds;

• policy, institutional and technologicaladaptation for the twenty-first century.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Patrick Durst, Senior Forestry Officer, FAORegional Officer for Asia and the Pacific, 39Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Fax: + 66 2 697 4445; e-mail:[email protected](Please see page 61 of Non-Wood News 14 formore information on APFSOS II.)

3RD GLOBAL SUMMIT ON MEDICINAL ANDAROMATIC PLANTS CHIANG MAI, THAILAND21–24 NOVEMBER 2007

Medicinal plants in many forms have beenused since ancient times in traditionalmedicine and for health care. Aromaticplants and their products, particularlyessential oils, are also becoming moreimportant. Traditional medicine is, at thepresent time, accepted as an alternative foror used in conjunction with Western medicalpractice in many countries.

The theme of the Summit will be“Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in HealthCare” with the emphasis on the followingsubtopics.

• Cultivation and quality standardization• Sustainable role of medicinal and

aromatic plants in health care• Safety and efficacy of phytomedicines

and phytocosmetics• Isolation and characterization of

bioactive substances from medicinaland aromatic plants

• Nanotechnology in pharmaceutical,phytocosmetics and natural products

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr Thaneeya Chetiyanukornkul, Secretariat,International Centre, UNISERV, Chiang MaiUniversity, 239 Huay Keaw Road, Chiang Mai50200, Thailand. Fax: + (66-53) 94-2890;e-mail: [email protected]; www.gosmap3-cmu.co.nr

INTERNATIONALSYMPOSIUM ONUNDERUTILIZED PLANTSFOR FOOD, NUTRITION,INCOME ANDSUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT ARUSHA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA 3–7 MARCH 2008

This five-day Symposium is being organizedunder the auspices of the InternationalSociety for Horticultural Science (ISHS),recognizing the need to provide a globalforum for exchange and debate on issuesrelated to the promotion of underutilizedplants. The symposium is an activity of thenewly formed ISHS working group onunderutilized plant genetic resources (PG3)and will be a joint event of the ISHSCommission Plant Genetic Resources andSection Tropical and Subtropical Fruits.

The symposium will be organized aroundfour main areas of importance forunderutilized plants: food security,nutrition and health, income generation

and environmental sustainability.Participants will be invited to share anddiscuss reasons for success and failure ofdiverse approaches to promoteunderutilized plants.

The abstract submission deadline is 15August 2007.

The symposium has been co-convenedby the International Centre forUnderutilised Crops (ICUC); the GlobalFacilitation Unit for Underutilized Species(GFU); the World Vegetable Center(AVRDC); the Global Horticulture Initiative(GlobalHort); Bioversity International; PlantResources of Tropical Africa (PROTA); andthe International Society for HorticulturalScience (ISHS).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Dr Hannah Jaenicke, Director, InternationalCentre for Underutilised Crops, 127 Sunil Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Fax: +94-11-2786854; e-mail: [email protected];www.icuc-iwmi.org/Symposium2008/ �

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The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

P U B L I C A T I O N S O F I N T E R E S T


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AAllaammggiirr,, MM..,, MMiissbbaahhuuzzzzaammaann,, KK..,, HHooqquuee,,AA..TT..MM..RR && MMaassuumm,, KK..MM.. 2006. Role ofnon-wood forest products based cottageindustry in the livelihood of forestencroachers in Bangladesh.International Journal of ForestUsufructs Management, 7(1): 59–66.

AAllbbrreecchhtt,, MM..AA.. && MMccCCaarrtthhyy,, BB..CC.. 2006.Comparative analysis of goldenseal(Hydrastis canadensis L.) populationregrowth following human harvest:implications for conservation. Am. Midl.Nat., 156(2): 229–236.

AAllttrriicchhtteerr,, MM.. 2006. Wildlife in the life oflocal people of the semi-arid ArgentineChaco. Biodivers. Conserv., 15(8):2719–2736.

AAnnddeerrsseenn,, UU..SS..,, CCóórrddoovvaa,, JJ..PP..,, SSøørreennsseenn,, MM..&& KKoollllmmaannnn,, JJ.. 2006. Conservation andutilisation of Abies guatemalensisRehder (Pinaceae) – an endangeredendemic conifer in Central America.Biodivers. Conserv., 15(10): 3131–3151.

AAppttee,, TT.. 2006. A simple guide to IntellectualProperty Rights, biodiversity andtraditional knowledge. Kalpavriksh,Grain, International Institute forEnvironment and Development (IIED).

AArrrrooyyoo--RRooddrríígguueezz,, VV.. && MMaanndduujjaannoo,, SS..2006. The importance of tropical rainforest fragments to the conservation ofplant species diversity in Los Tuxtlas,Mexico. Biodivers. Conserv., 15(13):4159–4179.

BBaarraannggaa,, DD.. 2007. Observations onresource use in Mabira Forest Reserve,Uganda. African Journal of Ecology, 45.

BBeenneeddiicckk,, SS..,, HHiillll,, JJ..KK..,, MMuussttaaffffaa,, NN..,, CChheeyy,,VV..KK..,, MMaarryyaattii,, MM..,, SSeeaarrllee,, JJ..BB..,,SScchhiilltthhuuiizzeenn,, MM.. && HHaammeerr,, KK..CC.. 2006.Impacts of rain forest fragmentation onbutterflies in northern Borneo: speciesrichness, turnover and the value of smallfragments. J. Appl. Ecol., 43(5): 967–977.

BBhhaattttaacchhaarryyyyaa,, RR..,, BBhhaattttaacchhaarryyyyaa,, SS.. &&CChhaauuddhhuurrii,, SS.. 2006. Conservation anddocumentation of the medicinal plantresources of India. Biodivers. Conserv.,15(8): 2705–2717.

BBiirrddLLiiffee IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall.. 2006. Livelihoodsand the environment at Important BirdAreas: listening to local voices.Cambridge, United Kingdom. Download from: www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/01/listening_to_local_voices_IBAs.pdf

BBiissttaa,, SS.. && WWeebbbb,, EE..LL.. 2006. Collection andmarketing of non-timber forest productsin the far western hills of Nepal. Environ.Conserv., 33(3): 244–255.

BBlluunnddeellll,, AA..GG.. && MMaasscciiaa,, MM..BB.. 2006. Data onwildlife trade. Conserv. Biol., 20(3):598–599.

BBooddeekkeerr,, GG.. && BBuurrffoorrdd,, GG..,, eds. 2007.Traditional, complementary andalternative medicine. Policy and PublicHealth Perspectives. Imperial CollegePress. ISBN 978-1-86094-616-5.

CCaaggnnoolloo,, LL..,, CCaabbiiddoo,, MM.. && VVaallllaaddaarreess,, GG..2006. Plant species richness in theChaco Serrano Woodland from centralArgentina: ecological traits and habitatfragmentation effects. Biol. Conserv.,132(4): 510–519.

CCaarrddiilllloo,, MM.. 2006. Disappearing forests andbiodiversity loss: which areas should weprotect? Int. For. Rev., 8(2): 251–255.

CCaarree ffoorr tthhee WWiilldd IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall//PPrrooWWiillddlliiffee.. 2007. Going to pot. TheNeotropical bushmeat crisis and itsimpact on primate populations.Kingsfold, United Kingdom, Care for theWild International and Munich,Germany, Pro Wildlife.Dowload from: www.careforthewild.com/files/Bushmeatreport1206_singlepages.pdf(See page 40 for an extract from thisreport.)

CChhaauubbeeyy,, OO..PP..,, SShhuukkllaa,, PP..KK.. && JJyyoottii SSiinngghh..2006. Conservation status of wildmedicinal plants in Satpura plateau ofMadhya Pradesh. I. Abrus precatorius L.,Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd, Acaciaconcinna (Willd) DC, Acanthospermumhispidum DC and Achyranthes aspera L.Vaniki-Sandesh, 30(1): 24–27.

CCoocckkss,, MM..LL.. 2006. Biocultural diversity:Moving beyond the realm of“indigenous” and “local” people. HumanEcology, 34(2): 185–200.

CCoocckkss,, MM..LL..,, BBaannggaayy,, LL..,, WWiieerrssuumm,, KK..FF.. &&DDoolldd,, AA..PP.. 2006. Seeing the wood for thetrees: the role of woody resources forthe construction of gender specifichousehold cultural artefacts in non-traditional communities in the EasternCape, South Africa. Environment,Development and Sustainability, 8:519–533.

CCoocckkss,, MM..LL.. && DDoolldd,, AA..PP.. 2006.Conservation of biocultural diversity: therole of medicinal plants in Xhosa culture.Journal of Ethnobiology, 26(1): 60–80.

CCoollcchheesstteerr,, MM.. eett aall.. 2006. Justice in theforest: rural livelihoods and forest lawenforcement. Bogor, Indonesia, Centerfor International Forestry Research(CIFOR). ISBN 979 2446184.

CCrrooeess,, BB..MM..,, LLaauurraannccee,, WW..FF..,, LLaahhmm,, SS..AA.. &&BBuuiijj,, RR.. 2007. The influence of hunting onantipredator behaviour in CentralAfrican monkeys and duikers.Biotropica, 39(2): 257–263.

ddee MMeerrooddee,, EE.. && CCoowwlliisshhaaww,, GG.. 2006.Species protection, the changinginformal economy, and the politics ofaccess to the bushmeat trade in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.Conserv. Biol., 20(4): 1262–1271.

DDoorrjjii,, LL..,, WWeebbbb,, EE..LL.. && SShhiivvaakkoottii,, GG..PP.. 2006.Forest property rights undernationalized forest management inBhutan. Environ. Conserv., 33(2):141–147.

DDuuddlleeyy,, NN.. && SSttoollttoonn,, SS.. 2006. Edible NonTimber Forest Products: HarmonisingFSC and IFOAM Certification. Oxford,United Kingdom, International Socialand Environmental Accreditation andLabelling (ISEAL).



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EEggaadduu,, SS..PP..,, MMuuccuunngguuzzii,, PP.. && OObbuuaa,, JJ.. 2007.Uses of tree species producing gumarabic in Karamoja, Uganda. AfricanJournal of Ecology, 45.

EEhhiiaaggbboonnaarree,, JJ.. EE.. 2007. Vegetativepropagation on some key malariamedicinal plants in Nigeria. ScientificResearch and Essays, 2(2): 037–039.February.

EEjjoobbii,, FF..,, MMoosshhaa,, RR..DD..,, NNddeeggee,, SS.. && KKaammooggaa,,DD.. 2007. Ethno-veterinary medicinalplants of the Lake Victoria basin: abioprospection. Journal of Animal andVeterinary Advances, 6(2): 257–261.

EEvvaannss,, KK.. eett aall.. 2006. Field Guide to theFuture – Four Ways for Communities toThink Ahead. CIFOR. 87 pp.

FFAAOO.. 2006. Better forestry, less poverty: apractitioner’s guide. FAO Forestry Paper149. Rome. ISBN 92-5-105550-5.

This guide suggests ways to design and implement forest-basedinterventions that will have the greatestpotential to reduce poverty. The areas for action that it discusses includetimber production in both natural andplanted forests, NWFPs, woodfuel,bushmeat, agroforestry and payment for environmental services.Download from:www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0645e/a0645e00.HTM(Please see pages 37 and 39 for extractsfrom this guide.)

FFuu,, YY..NN..,, GGuuoo,, HH..JJ..,, CChheenn,, AA..GG.. && CCuuii,, JJ..YY..2006. Household differentiation and on-farm conservation of biodiversity byindigenous households inXishuangbanna, China. Biodivers.Conserv., 15(8): 2687–2703.

GGhhiimmiirree,, SS..KK..,, MMcckkeeyy,, DD.. && AAuummeeeerruuddddyy--TThhoommaass,, YY.. 2006. Himalayan medicinalplant diversity in an ecologically complexhigh altitude anthropogenic landscape,Dolpo, Nepal. Environ. Conserv.,33(2):128–140.

GGooddooyy,, RR..,, WWiillkkiiee,, DD..SS..,, RReeyyeess--GGaarrccííaa,, VV..,,LLeeoonnaarrdd,, WW..RR..,, HHuuaannccaa,, TT..,, MMccDDaaddee,, TT..,,VVaaddeezz,, VV.. && TTaannnneerr,, SS.. 2006. Humanbody-mass index (weight in kg/stature inm2) as a useful proxy to assess therelation between income and wildlifeconsumption in poor rural societies.Biodivers. Conserv., 15(14): 4495–4506.

GGoonnddaarrdd,, HH..,, RRoommaannee,, FF..,, RReeggiinnaa,, II..SS.. &&LLeeoonnaarrddii,, SS.. 2006. Forest managementand plant species diversity in chestnutstands of three Mediterranean areas.Biodivers. Conserv., 15(4):1129–1142.

GGooppaall,, BB.. && CChhaauuhhaann,, MM.. 2006. Biodiversityand its conservation in the SundarbanMangrove Ecosystem. Aquat. Sci., 68(3):338–354.

GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt ooff NNoorrwwaayy.. 2006. NorwegianAction Plan for Environment inDevelopment Cooperation. Oslo,Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Download from http://odin.dep.no/ud/english /doc/plans/032201-220054/dok-bn.html

HHaawwkksswwoorrtthh,, DD..LL.. 2006. Human exploitationof biodiversity and conservation: aquestion of balance? Introduction.Biodivers. Conserv., 15(8): 2341–2342.

HHiillggeerrtt,, NN..II.. && GGiill,, GG..EE.. 2006. Medicinalplants of the Argentine Yungas plants ofthe Las Yungas biosphere reserve,Northwest of Argentina, used in healthcare. Biodivers. Conserv., 15(8):2565–2594.

IIUUFFRROO//MMiinniisstteerriiaall CCoonnffeerreennccee oonn tthheePPrrootteeccttiioonn ooff FFoorreessttss iinn EEuurrooppee.. 2006.Cultural heritage and sustainable forestmanagement: The role of traditionalknowledge. Proceedings of theConference 8–11 June 2006, Florence,Italy. Vols 1 and 2. Warsaw, Poland,IUFRO Task Force on Traditional ForestKnowledge, Research Group “Forest andWoodland History”.More than 400 million people who live inor around forests depend on this naturalresource as their primary source of

income or subsistence. Of these, morethan 60 million are Indigenous Peoples,whose culture, spirituality and identityare intricately intertwined with the landthey inhabit. Traditional forest-relatedknowledge has long been known to haveimportant implications for forestmanagement and conservation of forestbiodiversity, as well as identification ofvaluable genetic resources. As theinternational community increasinglyfocuses its attention on achieving theMillennium Development Goals ofalleviating poverty and ensuringeconomic, social and environmentalsustainability, the recognition of theimportance of traditional knowledge,cultural values, historic perspective andthe means necessary for theirenhancement will play an increasinglyimportant role in shaping policy as wellas forest management practices.The themes discussed during thisconference clearly illustrated the scopeand complex character of the culturaldimensions of forests.Download from:www.mcpfe.org/publications/pdf/

JJaayyaarraamm,, KK.. && PPrraassaadd,, MM..NN..VV.. 2006.Drosera indica L. and D. burmanii Vahl.,medicinally important insectivorousplants in Andhra Pradesh – regionalthreats and conservation. Curr. Sci.,91(7): 943–946.

JJoonneess,, MM..JJ.. && OOrrrr,, BB.. 2006. Resin tappingand forest cooperatives in Honduras.Journal of sustainable forestry, 22(3–4):135–169.

JJoosshhii,, PP..KK..,, RRaawwaatt,, GG..SS..,, PPaaddiillyyaa,, HH.. && RRooyy,,PP..SS.. 2006. Biodiversity characterizationin Nubra Valley, Ladakh with specialreference to plant resource conservationand bioprospecting. Biodivers. Conserv.,15(13): 4253–4270.

KKaakkuuddiiddii,, EEsseezzaahh KKyyoommuuggiisshhaa.. 2007. Astudy of plant materials used for houseconstruction around Kibale NationalPark, western Uganda. African Journalof Ecology; 45(s1). March.

KKaalliioorraa,, AA..CC..,, SSttaatthhooppoouulloouu,, MM..GG..,,TTrriiaannttaaffiilllliiddiiss,, JJ..KK..,, DDeeddoouussssiiss,, GG..VV..ZZ.. &&AAnnddrriikkooppoouullooss,, NN..KK.. 2007. Chios mastictreatment of patients with active Crohn'sdisease. World Journal ofGastroenterology, 13(5): 748–753.



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KKaalluu,, CC.. && RRaacchhaaeell,, EE.. 2006. Women inprocessing and marketing of non-timberforest products: case study of Benin City,Nigeria. Journal of Agronomy; 5(2):326–331.

KKaatthhee,, WW.. && GGaalllliiaa,, EE.. 2006. InternationalStandard for Sustainable Wild Collectionof Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP). Study on ImplementationStrategies and Opportunities for PilotImplementation. Download from: www.floraweb.de/map-pro

KKeeppppeell,, GG..,, RRoouunnddss,, II..AA.. && TThhoommaass,, NN..TT..2006. The flora, vegetation, andconservation value of mesic forest atDogotuki, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands. NewZeal. J. Bot., 44(3): 273–292.

KKhhaann,, AA..AA..,, QQuurreesshhii,, BB..UU..DD.. && AAwwaann,, MM..SS..2006. Impact of musk trade on thedecline in Himalayan musk deerMoschus chrysogaster population inNeelum Valley, Pakistan. Curr. Sci.,91(5): 696–699.

KKoolloonnggoo,, TT..SS..DD..,, DDeeccooccqq,, GG..,, YYaaoo,, CC..YY..AA..,,BBlloomm,, EE..CC.. && VVaann RRoommppaaeeyy,, RR..SS..AA..RR..2006. Plant species diversity in thesouthern part of the Taï National Park(Côte d'Ivoire). Biodivers. Conserv.,15(7): 2123–2142.

KKuurrssaarr,, TT..AA..,, CCaabbaalllleerroo--GGeeoorrggee,, CC..CC..,,CCaappssoonn,, TT..LL..,, CCuubbiillllaa--RRiiooss,, LL..,, GGeerrwwiicckk,,WW..HH..,, GGuuppttaa,, MM..PP..,, IIbbaaññeezz,, AA..,, LLiinniinnggttoonn,,RR..GG..,, MMccPPhhaaiill,, KK..LL..,, OOrrtteeggaa--BBaarrrrííaa,, EE..,,RRoommeerroo,, LL..II..,, SSoolliiss,, PP..NN.. && CCoolleeyy,, PP..DD..2006. Securing economic benefits andpromoting conservation throughbioprospecting. BioScience,56(12):1005–1012.

LLaauurraannccee,, WW..FF..,, CCrrooeess,, BB..MM..,, TTcchhiiggnnoouummbbaa,,LL..,, LLaahhmm,, SS..AA..,, AAlloonnssoo,, AA..,, LLeeee,, MM..EE..,,CCaammppbbeellll,, PP.. && OOnnddzzeeaannoo,, CC.. 2006.Impacts of roads and hunting on centralAfrican rainforest mammals. Conserv.Biol., 20(4): 1251–1261.

LLeeaammaann,, DD..JJ..,, SScchhiippppmmaannnn,, UU..,,KKlliinnggeennsstteeiinn,, FF..,, HHoonnnneeff,, SS.. && PPäättzzoolldd,, BB..2006. ISSC-MAP: International Standardfor Sustainable Wild Collection ofMedicinal and Aromatic Plants. Papersubmitted to the 1st IFOAM InternationalConference on Organic Wild Production.Teslic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 3–4 May2006.

LLeeBBrreettoonn,, MM..,, PPrroosssseerr,, AA..TT..,, TTaammoouuffee,, UU..,,SSaatteerreenn,, WW..,, MMppoouuddii--NNggoollee,, EE..,, DDiiffffoo,,JJ..LL..DD..,, BBuurrkkee,, DD..SS.. && WWoollffee,, NN..DD.. 2006.Patterns of bushmeat hunting andperceptions of disease risk amongcentral African communities. Anim.Conserv., 9(4): 357–363.

LLiinnddsseeyy,, PP..AA..,, AAlleexxaannddeerr,, RR..,, FFrraannkk,, LL..GG..,,MMaatthhiieessoonn,, AA.. && RRoommaaññaacchh,, SS..SS.. 2006.Potential of trophy hunting to createincentives for wildlife conservation inAfrica where alternative wildlife-basedland uses may not be viable. Anim.Conserv., 9(3): 283–291.

LLiinngg,, SS.. && MMiillnneerr--GGuullllaanndd,, EE..JJ.. 2006.Assessment of the sustainability ofbushmeat hunting based on dynamicbioeconomic models. Conserv. Biol.,20(4):1294–1299.

LLóóppeezz--PPuujjooll,, JJ..,, ZZhhaanngg,, FF..MM.. && GGee,, SS.. 2006.Plant biodiversity in China: richly varied,endangered, and in need ofconservation. Biodivers. Conserv.,15(12): 3983–4026.

MMaarrttíínneezz,, GG..JJ..,, PPllaanncchhuueelloo,, AA..MM..,, FFuueenntteess,,EE.. && OOjjeeddaa,, MM.. 2006. A numeric index toestablish conservation priorities formedicinal plants in the ParavachascaValley, Córdoba, Argentina. Biodivers.Conserv., 15(8): 2457–2475.

MMccMMaanniiss,, CC..,, ed. 2007. Biodiversity and theLaw. Intellectual property,biotechnology & traditional knowledge.Earthscan. ISBN1844073491/9781844073498.

MMeeaadd,, AA.. && RRaattuuvvaa,, SS.. 2007. Pacific Genesand Life Patents, Pacific Experiences &Analysis of the Commodification &Ownership of Life. Call of the EarthLlamado de la Tierra, United NationsUniversity, Institute of Advanced Studies.273 pp. ISBN 0-473-11237-X.

MMeezzaa,, CC..,, SSaabbooggaall,, CC.. && ddee JJoonngg,, WW.. 2006.Rehabilitación de areas degradadas en laAmazonia peruana: Revisión deexperiencias y lecciones aprendidas.Country case studies on Review of ForestRehabilitation Initiatives: Lessons fromthe Past. Bogor, Indonesia, CIFOR. 106 pp.

MMiicckkeellss--KKookkwwee,, GG.. 2006. Small-scalewoodland-based enterprises withoutstanding economic potential – thecase of honey in Zambia. UnitedKingdom, Bees for Development.

MMoonnrrooee,, MM..CC.. && WWiillllccooxx,, AA..SS.. 2006. Couldrisk of disease change bushmeat-butchering behaviour? Anim. Conserv.,9(4): 368–369.

MMoooorree,, PP..DD.. 2006. Unkind cuts for incense.Nature, 444(7121): 829.

MMoorrsseelllloo,, CC.. 2006. Company-communitynon-timber forest product deals in theBrazilian Amazon: A review ofopportunities and problems. Forestpolicy and economics. 8(4): 485–494.June.

MMuucchhuuggii,, AA..,, LLeennggkkeeeekk,, AA..GG..,, KKaadduu,, CC..AA..CC..,,MMuulluuvvii,, GG..MM..,, NNjjaaggii,, EE..NN..MM.. && DDaawwssoonn,,II..KK.. 2006. Genetic variation in thethreatened medicinal tree Prunusafricana in Cameroon and Kenya:implications for current managementand evolutionary history. S. Afr. J. Bot.,72(4): 498–506.

MMuulllleerr,, DD..,, EEpppprreecchhtt,, MM.. && SSuunnddeerrlliinn,, WW..DD..2006. Where are the Poor and Where arethe Trees? Targeting of povertyreduction and forest conservation inVietnam. CIFOR.Download from www.cifor.cgiar.org/Publications/Detail?pid=2026

NNaarreennddrraa,, PP.. && SSiiddddiiqquuii,, MM..HH.. 2006.Conservation of plant diversity of forestfor food security of tribal population.International Journal of ForestUsufructs Management, 7(1): 6–9.



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NNddaannggaallaassii,, HH..JJ..,, BBiittaarriihhoo,, RR.. && DDoovviiee,,DD..BB..KK.. 2007. Harvesting of non-timberforest products and implications forconservation in two montane forests ofEast Africa. Biological Conservation,134(2): 242–250.

NNeellssoonn,, SS..CC.. && EElleevviittcchh,, CC..RR.. 2006. Noni:The complete guide for consumers andgrowers. Permanent AgricultureResources. Holualoa, Hawaii.

NNeewwmmaann,, SS..MM.. 2006. Agronomic andeconomic aspects of walnut agroforestryin the UK. Acta Horticulturae, 705:65–67.

NNiinnaann,, KK..NN.. 2006. The economics ofbiodiversity conservation. Valuation inTropical Forest Ecosystems. Earthscan.ISBN 1844073645.

NNiisskkaanneenn,, AA..,, ed. 2006. Issues affectingenterprise development in the forestsector in Europe. Research Notes 169.University of Joensuu, Faculty ofForestry. 406 pp. ISSN 1235-7421, ISBN952-458-851-X (printed publication),ISBN 952-458-852-8 (electronicpublication).Download from:http://joypub.joensuu.fi/publications/other_publications/niskanen_issues/

NNoouummii,, GG..BB..,, DDaannddjjoouummaa,, AA..KK..AA..,, KKaappsseeuu,,CC.. && PPaarrmmeennttiieerr,, MM.. 2006. Le savoir-faire local dans la valorisationalimentaire des fruits du safoutier(Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam) auCameroun. (The local know-how in thevalorization of (Dacryodes edulis (G.Don) H.J. Lam) fruits in Cameroon.)Tropicultura, 24(1): 58–62.

OOccaammppoo SSáánncchheezz,, RRaaffaaeell ÄÄnnggeell && DDiiaazzRRoojjaa,, RRoobbeerrttoo.. 2006. Cultivo,conservación e industrialización del“Hombre Grande” (Quassia amara). SanJosé, Costa Rica. ISBN 9977-47-356-0.

OOkkeelllloo,, JJ.. && SSsseeggaawwaa,, PP. 2007. Medicinalplants used by communities of NgaiSubcounty, Apac District, northernUganda. African Journal of Ecology;45(s1), March.

OO''RRoouurrkkee,, EE.. 2006. Biodiversity and landuse change on the Causse Méjan,France. Biodivers. Conserv., 15(8):2611–2626.

PPeecckk,, JJ..EE.. 2006. Regrowth of understoryepiphytic bryophytes 10 years aftersimulated commercial moss harvest.Canadian journal of forest research. July.

PPeecckk,, JJ..EE.. && CChhrriissttyy,, JJ..AA.. 2006. Putting thestewardship concept into practice:Commercial moss harvest inNorthwestern Oregon, USA. Forestecology and management.

PPeerreess,, CC..AA.. && NNaasscciimmeennttoo,, HH..SS.. 2006.Impact of game hunting by the Kayapó ofsoutheastern Amazonia: implications forwildlife conservation in tropical forestindigenous reserves. Biodivers.Conserv., 15(8): 2627–2653.

PPeetthhiiyyaa,, BB..PP.. 2006. Options for livelihoodenhancement by combining small-scaleforest based enterprises withmicrofinance practices: the Indianexperience. Small-scale forestry andrural development: the intersection ofecosystems, economics and society.Proceedings of IUFRO 308 Conference,p. 386–397, hosted by Galway MayoInstitute of Technology, Galway, Ireland,18–23 June 2006.

PPeettrriicccciioonnee,, MM.. && AAlliioottttaa,, GG.. 2006.Ethnobotany and allelopathy of thePersian walnut (Juglans regia L.). ActaHorticulturae, 705: 297–300.

PPhhiilllliippss,, OO..LL..,, RRoossee,, SS..,, MMeennddoozzaa,, AA..MM.. &&VVaarrggaass,, PP..NN.. 2006. Resilience ofsouthwestern Amazon forests toanthropogenic edge effects. Conserv.Biol., 20(6): 1698–1710.

PPiillzz,, DD..,, BBaallllaarrdd,, HH..LL.. && JJoonneess,, EE..TT.. 2006.Broadening participation in biologicalmonitoring: handbook for scientists andmanagers. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-680. Portland, OR, US Department ofAgriculture, Forest Service, PacificNorthwest Research Station. 131 pp.Download from:www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr680.pdfPrinted colour hardcopies of thispublication can be obtained free bycontacting the Publications Department,Pacific Northwest Research Station,Portland Habilitation Center, 5312 NE148th Avenue, Portland, OR 97230,United States of America; e-mail:[email protected];www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/order.shtml

PPiillzz,, DD..,, MMccLLaaiinn,, RR..,, AAlleexxaannddeerr,, SS..,,VViillllaarrrreeaall--RRuuiizz,, LL..,, BBeerrcchh,, SS..,, WWuurrttzz,, TT..LL..,,PPaarrkkss,, CC..GG..,, MMccFFaarrllaannee,, EE..,, BBaakkeerr,, BB..,,MMoolliinnaa,, RR.. && SSmmiitthh,, JJ..EE.. 2007. Ecologyand management of morels harvestedfrom the forests of western NorthAmerica. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-710.Portland, OR, US Department ofAgriculture, Forest Service, PacificNorthwest Research Station. 161 pp.Download a copy in segments from theUSFS PNW Research Station Web site at:www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtr710/or download the entire combineddocument at:www.peak.org/~pilzwald/TemporaryDownload/MorelGTR/ or order hardcopiesfree at:www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/order.shtml

PPuulliiddoo,, MM..TT.. && CCaabbaalllleerroo,, JJ.. 2006. Theimpact of shifting agriculture on theavailability of non-timber forestproducts: the example of Sabal yapa inthe Maya lowlands of Mexico. Forestecology and management, 222(1–3):399–409. February.

RRiicchhaarrddss,, RR..TT.. && AAlleexxaannddeerr,, SS..JJ.. 2006. Asocial history of wild huckleberryharvesting in the Pacific Northwest. Gen.Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-657. Portland, OR,US Department of Agriculture, ForestService, Pacific Northwest ResearchStation. 113 pp.

RRooss--TToonneenn,, MM..AA..FF..,, vvaann ddeenn HHoommbbeerrgghh,, HH..&& ZZoooommeerrss,, AA.. 2006. Partnerships inSustainable Forest ResourceManagement: Learning from LatinAmerica. Leiden/Boston, Brill. ISBN 9004 15339 X/978 9004153 39 4.



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SShhaarrmmaa,, KK..KK..,, JJaaiisswwaall,, AA..KK.. && KKuummaarr,, KK..KK..2006. Role of lac culture in biodiversityconservation: issues at stake andconservation strategy. Curr. Sci., 91(7):894–898.

SSooddhhii,, NN..SS..,, BBrrooookkss,, TT..MM..,, KKoohh,, LL..PP..,,AAcccciiaaiioollii,, GG..,, EErrbb,, MM..,, TTaann,, AA..KK..JJ..,, CCuurrrraann,,LL..MM..,, BBrroossiiuuss,, PP..,, LLeeee,, TT..MM..,, PPaattlliiss,, JJ..MM..,,GGuummaall,, MM.. && LLeeee,, RR..JJ.. 2006. Biodiversityand human livelihood crises in the Malayarchipelago. Conserv. Biol., 20(6):1811–1813.

SSvveennnniinngg,, JJ..CC.. && SSkkoovv,, FF.. 2006. Potentialimpact of climate change on thenorthern nemoral forest herb flora ofEurope. Biodivers. Conserv., 15(10):3341–3356.

TTaaaaffaakkii,, II..JJ..,, FFoowwlleerr,, MM..KK.. && TThhaammaann,, RR..RR..2006. Traditional medicine of theMarshall Islands: the women, the plants,the treatments. University of the SouthPacific, Suva, IPS Publications. 318 pp.

TTaabbuuttii,, JJ..RR..SS.. 2007. Status of non-cultivatedfood plants in Bulamogi County, Uganda.African Journal of Ecology, 45.

TTaanngg,, ZZ..YY..,, WWaanngg,, ZZ..HH..,, ZZhheenngg,, CC..YY.. && FFaanngg,,JJ..YY.. 2006. Biodiversity in China'smountains. Front. Ecol. Environ., 4(7):347–352.

ttee VVeellddee,, DD..WW..,, RRuusshhttoonn,, JJ..,, SScchhrreecckkeennbbeerrgg,,KK..,, MMaarrsshhaallll,, EE..,, EEddoouuaarrdd,, FF..,, NNeewwttoonn,, AA..&& AArraanncciibbiiaa,, EE.. 2006. Entrepreneurshipin value chains of non-timber forestproducts. Forest Policy and Economics,8(7).

TTiicckkttiinn,, TT..,, WWhhiitteehheeaadd,, AA..NN.. && FFrraaiioollaa,, HH..2006. Traditional gathering of native hulaplants in alien-invaded Hawaiian forests:adaptive practices, impacts on alieninvasive species and conservationimplications. Environ. Conserv.,33(3):185–194.

TTrraauueerrnniicchhtt,, CC..,, TTiicckkttiinn,, TT.. && LLooppeezz--HHeerrrreerraa,, GG.. 2006. Cultivation of non-timber forest products alters understorylight availability in a humid tropicalforest in Mexico. Biotropica, 38(3):428–436. May.

UUeehhaarraa--PPrraaddoo,, MM..,, BBrroowwnn,, KK..SS.. && FFrreeiittaass,,AA..VV..LL.. 2007. Species richness,composition and abundance of fruit-

feeding butterflies in the BrazilianAtlantic Forest: comparison between afragmented and a continuous landscape.Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 16(1): 43–54.

WWaanngg SShheennggYYaanngg,, LLaaii WWaannCChhii,, CChhuuFFaannggHHuuaa,, LLiinn CChhiieennTTssoonngg,, SShheenn SShhiiYYeenn&&CChhaanngg SShhaannggTTzzeenn.. 2006. Essential oilfrom the leaves of Cryptomeria japonicaacts as a silverfish (Lepisma saccharina)repellent and insecticide. Journal ofWood Science, 52(6): 522–526.

WWeennbbaann--SSmmiitthh,, MM.. 2006. Combiningorganic and FSC certification of non-timber forest products. Reducing costs,increasing options. United States ofAmerica, Dovetail Partners, Inc. Download from: www.dovetailinc.org/documents/DovetailNTFPCert1006.pdf

WWiillkkiiee,, DD.. 2006. Bushmeat: a disease riskworth taking to put food on the table?Anim. Conserv., 9(4): 370–371.

WWoorrlldd BBaannkk.. 2006. Strengthening ForestLaw Enforcement and Governance.Addressing a Systemic Constraint toSustainable Development. Report No.36638-GLB.

The following new working documenthas been produced by FAO’s Non-Wood Forest Products Programme:NWFP Working Document No. 4. Trade measures – tools to promote thesustainable use of NWFPs? Anassessment of trade relatedinstruments influencing theinternational trade in Non-wood forestproducts and associated managementand livelihood strategies.

An electronic version is available atthe NWFP home page:www.fao.org/forestry/site/6367/en

Hard copies of this workingdocument are available free of chargefrom FAO’s NWFP Programme at theaddress on the first page or by sendingan e-mail to: [email protected]

NEW PUBLICATIONS FROMFAO’S NON-WOOD FORESTPRODUCTS PROGRAMME

RRooyycchhoouuddhhuurryy,, NN.. 2006. Sericulture inforestry – Vanya Silk. Vaniki Sandesh;30(2): 8–12.This paper describes the tropical tasarsilkworm as a typical wild silk producerand as a bioresource for forest dwellers.Only three species are commerciallyexploited for wild silk production (VanyaSilk) in India: Antheraea mylitta, A.proylei and A. assama [A. assamensis].Tasar culture in Madhya Pradesh isemphasized.

RRuusssseellll SSmmiitthh,, JJ..,, KKaarruunnaarraattnnee,, NN..SS.. &&RRaannjjiitthh--MMaahhiinnddaappaallaa.. 2006. Rapidinventory of wild medicinal plantpopulations in Sri Lanka. Biological-Conservation, 132(1): 22–32.

SSaammaall,, PP..KK.. && DDhhyyaannii,, PP..PP.. 2006. Gender inthe management of indigenousknowledge: reflections from IndianCentral Himalaya. Current Science,91(1): 104–108.

SScchhaabbeell,, HH..GG.. 2006. Forest entomology inEast Africa: forest insects of Tanzania.Dordrecht, the Netherlands,Springer/Kluwer Academic Publishers.ISBN-10 1-4020-4654-5.(Please see pages 28-29 and 59 forextracts from this book.)

SScchhiippppmmaannnn,, UU..,, LLeeaammaann,, DD.. && CCuunnnniinngghhaamm,,AA..BB.. (in press). A comparison of cultivationand wild collection of medicinal andaromatic plants under sustainabilityaspects. In R. Bogers, ed. Proceedings,Frontis Workshop on Medicinal andAromatic Plants.Wageningen, the Netherlands, 17–20April 2005.

SShhaannlleeyy,, PP.. 2006. Science for the poor: Howone woman challenged researchers,ranchers, and loggers in Amazonia.Ecology and Society, 11(2): 28. [online]URL: www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art28/



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Forestry grey literature collectionThe Forestry Grey Literature Collection onthe Overseas Development Institute's (ODI)Forest Policy and Environment Programme(FPEP) provides a unique record ofdocuments reflecting the origins of people-oriented forestry over the last 25 years.Contributed by members of the RuralDevelopment Forestry Network, thecollection includes many project reportsand other unpublished materials that shedlight on the transition of foresters frombeing forest guards to acting as facilitatorsof community-based resourcemanagement.

OTHER RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Funded by the Worldwide Environmentand Development Affinity Group of theAssets Program of the Ford Foundation, wehave converted these documents –previously only available at the ODI libraryin London and in private collections – into afreely accessible online resource. Thedocuments are organized into severalthematic collections: Fuelwood; SocialForestry; Joint Forestry Management;Participatory Forest Management; andGender and Forestry.

All papers are available to download inAcrobat PDF format, introduced with shortsummaries in English, Spanish and Frenchfrom:www.odifpep.org.uk/publications/greyliterature/index.html. Overviews introducingeach theme are also provided.

The articles in this collection may be ofinterest to a wide range of people involvedin forestry issues or working in the forestryor rural development fields. We would verymuch appreciate any feedback on this site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Cecilia Luttrell, Research Fellow, Forest Policy

and Environment Programme, Rural Policy andGovernance Group, Overseas DevelopmentInstitute, 111 Westminster Bridge Road,London SE1 7JD, United Kingdom. Fax: +44(0)207 922 0399; e-mail: [email protected];www.odifpeg.org.uk �

State of the World's Forests 2007

The seventh edition of the State of theWorld's Forests examines progresstowards sustainable forestmanagement. Part I reviews progressregion by region. Part II presentsselected issues in the forest sector,probing the state of knowledge orrecent activities in topics of interest toforestry. Climate change, forestlandscape restoration, forest tenure,invasive species, wildlife managementand wood energy are just a sampling ofthe subjects covered.www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0773e/a0773e00.htm

Ginseng, the divine rootGinseng, the divine root, by D.A. Taylor. 2006.Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States ofAmerica, Algonquin Books. ISBN 1-56512-401-4.

Ginseng is mainly grown around forests inChina, the Korea Peninsula and Siberia inthe Russian Federation, as well as in theeastern United States of America. Its usegoes back 70 million years. Recognized forits medicinal virtues, ginseng has been usedas a tonic and as a cure for a vast range ofailments from ancient times to the present.This publication gives a detailed descriptionof its history, highlighting its impact onhuman cultures. It depicts the illegal trade,the legends and the rise and fall ofkingdoms associated with it, as well as theexperiences of the explorers, diggers,stealers and traders who sought to maketheir fortunes from it.

The author in the process uncovers ancient practices and traditions, internationalcrimes and medical lore associated with the “root of life”.

While the book will clearly appeal to individuals with a specific interest in non-woodforest products, it offers stimulating reading for all audiences – perhaps especially forthose who sample the ginseng-based recipes provided in the appendix.(Please see page 30 for an extract from this book.)

Books are divided into two classes, thebooks of the hour and the books of alltime.

John Ruskin

W E B S I T E S


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Agrobiodiversity Weblogagro.biodiver.se

Bio-Nica A Web site dedicated to the entomology andbiodiversity of Nicaragua.www.bio-nica.info

Amazon conservation team ww.amazonteam.org/

Birds of El Jagua, Nicaragua An e-book on birds of El Jagua cloud foreststation in Nicaragua. www.bio-nica.info/Biblioteca/AvesElJaguar.pdf

Coir Board of Indiawww.coirindia.org

Consultorio del Dr. Árbol Costa Rica ha creado el primer consultorioespecializado en la reproducción, cultivo,mantenimiento y aprovechamiento de losárboles, donde se pueden dirigir todas lasconsultas y dudas, las cuales seránrespondidas por profesionales expertos enIngeniería Forestal y Arboricultura.www.elmundoforestal.com/consultorioforestal/a

Finnish forests ffoorreesstt..ffii is a gateway to Finnish forests andits forest sector and highlights theimportance of forests for Finland.www.forest.fi/

Forests of New Guinea An interesting flash presentation on theforests of New Guinea is available from theWWF Web site. www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/asia_pacific/our_solutions/new_guinea_forests/index.cfm

Finnish forests This site is a gateway to Finnish forests andthe forest sector and highlights theimportance of forests for Finland.www.forest.fi

Frame – Knowledge sharing for theNatural Resources Community Available in English, French and Spanish.www.frameweb.org/

Frame Natural Products audiopresentations New audio presentations featuringcomments shared at FRAME's NaturalProducts International Workshop on ruraland conservation benefits from naturalproducts enterprises are now available.

• Johnathan Lash shares a global view ofthe future of natural resources andtheir importance in poverty alleviation,“The Wealth of the Poor”.

• Abdou Sene presents lessons learned

from the Wula Nafaa project, andspecifically the karaya gum market inSenegal, “Gomme Mbepp (karaya gum)in Senegal”.

• Catherine Craig gives insight about theopportunities and challenges ofplanning, harvesting and marketing silkproducts from areas with highbiodiversity in Madagascar, “Wild SilkProduction for Conserving ProtectedAreas in Developing Countries.

Latest additions can be found by clickingon workshop proceedings from the Web site.www.frameweb.org/naturalproducts

ITTO: New multilingual Web site This new Web site provides comprehensiveinformation on ITTO's activities in English,French, Spanish and Japanese.www.itto.or.jp/live/index.jsp

Khadi and Village Industries Commission ofIndiawww.kvic.org.in

Maple syrup PennState provides an overview on variousaspects of maple sugaring and NWFPs. maplesyrup.cas.psu.edu/maple_syrup.html

Nature Network Launched by Nature Publishing Group,Nature Network is a new free onlinenetworking Web site for scientistsworldwide. Participation is free, requiringlittle more than registration through the site. www.nature.com

OrganicLink This Web site was launched in January 2007by the International Trade Center (the UNfocal point for technical cooperation in tradepromotion) in order to facilitate contactbetween importers and exporters of organicproducts globally and provides an unrivalledsource of sector information. The siteprovides a freely available database ofimporters and exporters; and a portal fororganic sector information.www.intracen.org/organics

Rambles and ambles This is Sacred Earth Travel's newslettercovering news, special alerts, destinationinformation and industry news from thesphere of ecotourism. www.sacredearth-travel.com

Support fair trade www.supportfairtrade.org/

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) TIES is a global network of industrypractitioners, institutions and individualshelping to integrate environmental andsocially responsible principles into practice. www.ecotourism.org

The Right to Food The Right to Food Web site featuresinformation on the Voluntary Guidelines toSupport the Progressive Realization of theRight to Adequate Food in the context ofNational Food Security.

Through the site, users can increasetheir awareness of the human right to food,access resources for capacity-building atnational and international levels and findguidance, methods and instruments toassist in implementation of the right to foodat the country level. Resources includetraining materials, an e-learning course onthe right to food, tools for education andawareness-raising for implementing theright to food and a virtual library containingmanuals, technical papers, policy briefs,case studies and publications.www.fao.org/righttofood

World mapper Worldmapper is a collection of world maps,where territories are resized on each mapaccording to the subject of interest. www.worldwildlife.org/wildfinder/ �

ONLINE ACCESS TO RESEARCH IN THE ENVIRONMENT (OARE)

OARE, an international public-privateconsortium coordinated by the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP),Yale University and leading science andtechnology publishers, enablesdeveloping countries to gain free accessto one of the world's largest collectionsof environmental science literature.

Over 1 000 scientific journal titlesowned and published by over 200prestigious publishing houses, scholarlysocieties and scientific associations arenow available in 70 low-incomecountries. Another 36 countries will beadded by 2008.

Research is provided in a wide rangeof disciplines, including biotechnology,botany, climate change, ecology,energy, environmental chemistry,environmental economics,environmental engineering andplanning, environmental law and policy,environmental toxicology and pollution,geography, geology, hydrology,meteorology, oceanography, urbanplanning, zoology and many others.www.oaresciences.org/en/

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Request for information: bamboo/bamboocharcoal as renewable energyAre there any institutions with an interest inbamboo/bamboo charcoal as renewableenergy – especially in Africa, or possibledonors for this area?If you can help, please contact:Fu Jinhe Ph.D., Senior Program Officer andCoordinator of IUFRO 5.11.05 Bamboo and International Network for Bamboo andRattan (INBAR), 8 Fu Tong Dong Da Jie,Wang Jing area, Chao Yang district, Beijing100102, China. Fax: +86-10-6470 2166; e-mail: [email protected]; http://www.inbar.int

History of NWFP developmentCould you please provide me withinformation or reference to learn a bitabout "The history of development of NWFPas a discipline or subject"? I need this infoto prepare a small textbook on NWFPs forour students here. (Reader in Armenia)

Use of NWFPs is as old as the human race.They provided the earliest food, medicinesand shelter. They were the earliest tradedgoods. When the wild plants weredomesticated, thousands of years ago, wildNWFPs became agricultural products. Andthat led to agricultural revolution – settledand managed use of farm lands.

However, when industrial revolutiontook place (and wage employment andlarge factories along with infrastructuredevelopment and transportation facilitiescame up), timber became the prime forestproduct. All others were grouped as MinorForest Products (MFPs).

Thus, by the time the formal andorganized educational institutions assources of knowledge dissemination wereestablished, forest management hadnarrowed its scope to timber management.Knowledge on NWFPs mostly remainedlocal and traditional.

It is only recently that MFPs have re-emerged from obscurity, as NWFPs(shedding their minor status) – promptedby several developments or events such asprogressive loss of forest as a timbersource, awareness about the need forenvironmental conservation and non-destructive uses of forests, greenconsumerism and premium value fororganic products, etc. However, progresshas been hampered by several hurdles –from lack of policy to lack of necessaryskills and research support.

This reader can get a lot of informationabout the history of NWFPs from severalWeb sites and also from the Report of theInternational Expert Consultation onNWFPs, No. 3 in FAO’s NWFP series. (Reply from Mr C. Chandrasekharan,founder of FAO’s NWFP Programme andfirst editor of Non-Wood News.)

Feedback on the last (new look) issue• Non-Wood News provided me with valuable

leads to useful references while I waswriting up my doctorate. (Reader in SouthAfrica)

• [Commenting on the new look] It is verynear to the colours of Mother Nature. Iliked it. (Reader in India)

• Thanks for sending the latest issue ofNon-Wood News. As usual it's full ofinteresting notes. (Reader in the UnitedKingdom)

• I have read the recent Non-Wood News(14) with much enjoyment. It has providedme with numerous case study examplesfor my lectures, not to mention the newinformation on what is useful elsewhereand could be profitably adopted here inUganda. I have also benefited by way of theclear articulation of issues and this hasimproved my communication skills.(Reader in Kampala, Uganda)

• Please continue with the excellentendeavour for we are benefiting from it

tremendously. (Reader in Laguna, thePhilippines)

• Let me comment here that you people aredoing a great job … each edition for me issimply un-put-downable … I read it coverto cover. (Reader in Kogi state, Nigeria)

• Non-Wood News is very interestingbecause we have found some good ideas init, and look forward to some more goodreading. (Reader in Kelmscott, Australia)

• Congratulations! The new NWN looksgreat! Loads of interesting things to readtoo. (Reader in Italy)

• I appreciate too much this magazinebecause I am informed of the news in theworld. Where I work we have almost nocontribution from the authorities. This kindof publication gives interesting informationto people who want to improve theenvironment. (Reader in La Plata,Argentina)

• FAO’s NWFP information is useful forteaching students and guiding them forresearch. (Reader in New Delhi, India)

• I always wish for and am happy to get thehard copy format as I have very limitedaccess facilities as well as slow downloadspeed. (Reader in Chittagong, Bangladesh)

• We greatly appreciate receiving andreading Non-Wood News. (Reader inSurrey, United Kingdom)

• The current issue of Non-Wood News (14)was really amazing and interesting and theuse of colour makes it more attractive.(Reader in Noakhali, Bangladesh)

• I am receiving Non-Wood News for the lasteight years and I find it very informative.(Reader in West Bengal, India)

• Non-Wood News is a wonderfulpublication. (Reader in Michigan, UnitedStates of America) �

SUBSCRIBING AND CONTRIBUTING TO NON-WOOD NEWS

Subscription to Non-Wood News is freeof charge. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] if you would liketo receive a copy and be added to ourmailing list.

A strong characteristic of Non-WoodNews is that it is open to contributionsfrom readers. Should you have anyinteresting material on any aspect ofNWFPs that could be of benefit to allour readers, please do not hesitate tosubmit it. Articles are welcomed inEnglish, French and Spanish and shouldbe between 200 and 500 words.

The deadline for contributions forNon-Wood News 16 is 15 October 2007.

For more information, please contact Tina

Etherington at the address on the front

page or alternatively send an e-mail to:

[email protected]

LET’S KNOW MEDICINAL HERBS

I would like to invite readers to watchthis 32-minute Hindi film regardingsome medicinal herbs. Names ofbotanical names are given in subtitles:www.cgnet. in/av/pankaj. wmv/audio_view. This is a very first effort but I amplanning to go along in this way.

I look forward to receiving yourcomments and suggestions. (Pankaj Oudhia, India, e-mail:[email protected])

PRINTED ON ECOLOGICAL PAPER M/X--1--1/4/00/4500

An imaginative use of the abundant pine needles from a nearby forest has enabled local women in onecommunity of Honduras to create original handicrafts. The use of this NWFP brings benefits, both direct

(income-generation) and indirect (protecting the forest).With over 2 million hectares of pine forests in Honduras alone, this innovative and creative use of pine needles

could be copied by other communities, not only in Honduras but also in other countries around the world.

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Creative use of Non-Wood Forest Products

non-wood - Food and Agriculture Organization

Documents

Transcript of non-wood - Food and Agriculture Organization