From: Etherington, Tina (FOIP) <Tina.Etherington@fao.org>
Date: 2008/12/8
Subject: NWFP-Digest-L No. 8/08
To: nwfp-digest-L@mailserv.fao.org
NWFP-Digest-L
No. 8/08
Welcome to FAO's NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all aspects of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en.
You can take part in contributing to the continued success of this newsletter by sharing with the NWFP community any news that you may have regarding research, events, publications and projects. Kindly send such information to NWFP-Digest-L@mailserv.fao.org:We also appreciate any comments or feedback.
A special thank you to all those who have sent me links to information – and apologies for the long gap since the last Digest.
==============================================================
1. Acai: The amazing benefits of the acai berry
2. Bamboo fibers fortify plant-based auto materials
4. Bamboo in India: Year of Capacity Building enhances bamboo products (India)
5. Bamboo in Rwanda: KIE to research bamboo as an alternative energy source
6. Camu camu and its role in preventing gum disease
7. Cork: Portugal fighting screw-cap trend to save cork forests
8. Devil's claw – a promising remedy for pain
9. Devil's Claw in Namibia: Devil's claw fruit for forest community livelihoods
10. Essential oils: Himalayan oregano effective against MRSA
11. Ginseng found highly effective for weight loss and diabetes control
12. Stevia: FDA may approve stevia-based sweeteners
13. Truffles: Endangered truffles set to be reared in test tubes
14. Truffles: Italian truffle fetches $200,000 at Macau auction
15. Vegetable ivory: 'Green' alternative ivory jewellery
16. Australia: Wattle seeds and bush tomatoes hot stuff
17. Brazil's Amazontech debates Amazon's self-sustainability
18. Brazil moves to protect and restore endangered Atlantic rainforest
19. Brazil triples endangered species list
20. Cameroon: Bee farmers trained on profitable honey farming
21. Cameroon: Village Tree Planting Project
22. Finnish mushroom pickers love the forest
23. India: 800 kg of forest fruits seized
24. Indonesia: Rinjani Community Push for Forestry Regulations
25. Senegal: Protecting livelihoods through mangroves
26. 2009-2010 Kleinhans Fellowship, Rainforest Alliance: Research in Tropical Non-Timber Forest Products
27. 2009 Year of the Gorilla: Jane Goodall named patron
28. Africa: Continent's Rare Species of Flora and Fauna Face Extinction as Poaching Intensifies
29. Benefit-sharing: Laws to protect native knowledge 'are failing'
30. CITES rhino task force to tackle rhino poaching
31. Crops for the Future — New international organisation announced
32. Forest hotspots pinpointed for climate, animals
33. Nature's "medicine chest" discovered
34. New foundation to promote sustainable collection of wild plants
35. Rainforest fungus may be the future of biofuel
36. Mapping Alaska Communities Workshop: An Introduction to GIS & Community Analysis
37. International traditional and designer basketry competition
38. Second World Congress of Agroforestry (WCA2) [Session topic on NWFP]
39. XIIIth World Forestry Congress (Extension of Deadline for Paper and Poster Submissions)
40. Request for information: essential oils
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
41. NTFP Curriculum Workbook Available Online
42. First issue of 'Journal of Wetlands Ecology' published
43. New from Rights and Resources Initiative - local rights and community forest tenure
44. Other publications of interest
46. Forestry takes on the climate change challenge
47. India's tropical agriculture 'can support biodiversity'
48. 'Lost' deer species discovered in Sumatra's rainforests after 78 years
49. Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
BACK TO TOP
1. Acai: The amazing benefits of the acai berry
Source: American Chronicle, USA, 25 November 2008
The Acai fruit is believed to have many health benefits, and is therefore gaining prominence very quickly. Although many people are still learning about the health benefits of the Acai berry, the fact is, Central and South Americans have long known about these benefits.
The Acai berry fruit is commonly found in central and south American countries such as Peru and Brazil. They come from the Acai palm, which grows in swarm lands. Perhaps that's why they have been largely ignored by urban dwellers until now.
The berry itself is a small little fruit, the size of an ordinary grape. It is dark purple in colour, and has a large seed. In fact, the seed is so large that it makes up 80% of the berry. But like all berries, the Acai berry is pulpy and juicy.
The Acai palm bears fruit twice and year, and the fruit is harvested by people as food. When consumed, the berry leaves a slight hint of bitter after taste, which resembles that of chocolate. It can be prepared in many different ways before consumption. Mostly, the Acai berry is prepared as drinks such as fruit sodas, fruit juices, smoothies, and so on. Therefore, it is very convenient for consumption.
When consumed on a regular basis, the Acai berry offers many health benefits. The Acai fruit is good for the body mainly because of its antioxidant properties: it is able to rid the body of harmful toxins in a relatively short period of time. As a result, shortly after consumption of Acai berries, an individual may start to feel a boost in energy levels. Lethargy will be removed, leaving more energy for other daily activities. It improves mental clarity and promotes sound sleep. It even helps with digestive functions.
But perhaps the greatest benefit that has been given the most attention is that the Acai berry helps in the weight loss process. Blood circulation is improved when the toxins are removed. Improved blood circulation eventually leads to slowing down of the aging process. Skin will look healthier, and cholesterol levels are regulated. The heart also starts to become stronger. If the body is currently suffering from any physical injuries, the improved blood circulation and the strong heart will certainly help speed up the healing process.
For full story, please see: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/82763
BACK TO TOP
2. Bamboo fibers fortify plant-based auto materials
Source: Tech-On English, Japan, 1 December 2008
Mitsubishi Motors Corp has developed resin composite materials that are reinforced by bamboo fibers and can be used in automotive interiors.
This announcement was made at the 17th Polymer Material Forum, which was organized by the Society of Polymer Science, Japan and ran from 27 to 28 November 2008 in Hiroshima City, Japan.
This is the first time that bamboo fibers have been used as automotive materials. Mitsubishi Motors aims to reduce CO2 emissions by using the plant-based materials. It has been considering mass-producing the materials and "intends to reduce the cost to a level 1.5 times higher than existing materials," according to the company.
In order to process bamboos into fibers, they are longitudinally split into four strips, their joints are removed, and then they are crushed and fibrillated using a special (undisclosed) machine.
The existing fibrillating method involves blasting or steaming (hot steam is used to loosen the fibers). But the fibers processed by these methods were not applicable to automobiles because they produced acetic acid, formic acid, aldehyde and VOC (volatile organic compound). Meanwhile, the fibers processed by the new method are free from those problems, according to the company.
Mitsubishi Motors produced composite compounds using the bamboo fiber made by the new method and two kinds of resins, (1) PBS (polybutylene succinate) resin and (2) polyurethane resin. Both of the resins contain a substantial amount of plant-based materials.
The material is intended for use as door trim base material, seatback board and ceiling board.
In respect to the reduction of CO2 emissions, the composite material made from the bamboo fibers and the PBS resin has achieved a reduction of 51% in lifecycle CO2 emissions (from the collection of raw materials to disposal) compared with existing petroleum-based PP resins. As for the material made from the bamboo fibers and the plant-based urethane resin, it achieved a reduction of about 28%, according to calculations made by Mitsubishi Motors.
For full story, please see: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20081201/162143/
BACK TO TOP
Source: PC World, USA, 26 November 2008
Asustek Computer plans to debut a nature-friendly laptop PC with a casing made of bamboo on Saturday at Taiwan's IT Month exhibition.
The laptop, first announced last year, is part of Asus's efforts to use renewable materials in products. The shell of the laptop is made of real bamboo, which grows fast and is used widely throughout Asia in furniture, as well as construction scaffolding, food for pandas, and in artworks.
The company on Thursday displayed the first bamboo laptop that's ready for the market. The device is part of Asus's U6V series of notebook PCs and sports a 12.1-inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessor, and Microsoft's Windows Vista OS.
The company will launch the bamboo laptops in the U.S. and Europe at a later date, but has not decided exactly when, an Asustek representative said.
For full story, please see: www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/154615/bamboo_laptop_by_asustek_to_debut_saturday.html
BACK TO TOP
4. Bamboo in India: Year of Capacity Building enhances bamboo products
Source: MorungExpress, India, 30 November 2008
Dimapur (MExN): The Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) and the Department of Planning & Co-ordination co-sponsored four day training on Bamboo Toy Making and Screen Printing Technology on bamboo products from 26 to 29 November 2008 to mark the Year of Capacity Building.
In all, 37 craftsmen from the State attended the training, which was conducted by four master trainers from Zynorique, an architectural and design consultancy group.
For full story, please see: www.morungexpress.com/local/8781.html
BACK TO TOP
5. Bamboo in Rwanda: KIE to research bamboo as an alternative energy source
Source: AllAfrica.com, Washington, USA
Kigali. The Kigali Institute of Education [KIE] is going to be jointly involved in research efforts with the University of Antwerpen in Belgium on bamboo plants as an alternative energy source.
The researchers will try to ascertain whether bamboo could be a dependable alternative source of energy to fossil fuel in order to reduce pollution.
James Vuningoma, KIE Vice Rector, said that the relationship with the University of Antwerpen was sealed with a Memorandum of Understanding signed with it in June this year.
Dr. Geert Potters, a Bioscience Engineer and lecturer at the Belgian University, said that preliminary findings from a research started two years ago proved that bamboo is a potential alternative energy. "Bamboo is chipped, then fermented and it produces biogas. It also reduces soil pollution," he explained in his lecture at KIE. "The rate of energy consumption in the world is always 3 percent more than the year before and the shortage of oil is going to come much sooner. This therefore requires alternatives," Potters noted.
Vuningoma said that currently in the country, bamboo is used to manufacture baskets and furniture but the research could lead to another commercial benefit to the country. The lecture follows a workshop held last week at KIE to emphasise the significance of research to its teaching staff.
He also revealed that in a bid to make KIE a renowned centre of teaching, learning and research, it has initiated partnerships with Kenyatta University [Kenya] and a South African university (he did not disclose).
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200811280079.html
BACK TO TOP
6. Camu camu and its role in preventing gum disease
Source: Natural News.com, USA, 1 December 2008
Camu Camu (Myrciaria dubia) is one of the best super foods for preventing gum disease. This amazing super food provides our bodies with endless benefits. It is the food with the highest amount of vitamin C in the world, and it also contains bioflavonoids. Studies show that a low immune system is one of the main reasons for unhealthy gums...and camu camu boosts the immune system like no other food.
For full story, please see: http://www.naturalnews.com/024972.html
BACK TO TOP
7. Cork: Portugal fighting screw-cap trend to save cork forests
Source: Portugal News, Algarve, Portugal, 6 December 2008
It has recently emerged that falling demand for authentic cork stoppers is gradually forcing farmers to replace cork trees with alternative crops, such as eucalyptus trees.
At present, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) website, Portugal is the world's largest cork producer, followed by Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France.
The majority of cork harvested in Iberia is used to produce bottle stoppers, which represents an estimated 70 percent of the income from harvest. However, traditional cork stoppers are being replaced with synthetic closures or screw caps, which now account for around 20 per cent of the market.
It is said that problems with bottles of wine becoming 'corked' (in layman terms, where the wine develops a musty smell and becomes undrinkable due to contamination with a chemical known as Trichloroanisol), have lead many wine connoisseurs to opt for bottles with synthetic cork or screw tops instead.
In a nutshell, this shift in traditional bottle stopping to using modern-day products is threatening to wipe out cork forests, along with the species that reside therein.
Cork oak forests in Portugal cover an estimated 33 per cent of land mass and are home to a number of rare and endangered species, particularly in Southern Portugal. These include black storks and booted eagles, which are already disappearing in some areas, and the Iberian Lynx, which over the past few years has been the subject of extensive reporting and campaigning.
A study by WWF, which was recently reported in The Telegraph newspaper, estimated that up to three quarters of the Mediterranean's cork forests could be lost within 10 years. Over the past ten years in the Algarve, cork forests have declined by 28 percent.
In an attempt to boost productivity, Portuguese cork producers have introduced new sterilisation and purification methods to ensure corks are not contaminated with Trichloroanisol.
Over the years Portugal's cork industry has not been without turmoil. In August this year environment protection agency Quercus considered the felling of 1,200 cork trees in Vale da Rosa a "glaring disregard" of the law. The trees were felled to make space for a mega residential development. Legal action was instigated by Quercus to stop the felling, the Association alleging the trees are of a species protected by Portuguese law.
Back in 2001 there were political moves to defend Portugal's cork oaks when delegates from the Socialist Party-run council of Montijo met with officials representing the then President Jorge Sampaio with the initiation of a national petition to be presented to Parliament.
Motivated by the perceived weakening of legal protection for cork and Holm oak trees, environmental groups such as Quercus voiced their concern over the proposed changes to the law since it was first drafted in the year 2000.
The felling of 66 hectares of cork forest for the controversial Alqueva Dam project, in the northern Alentejo, also highlighted threats posed by development projects to existing oak woodland.
For full story, please see: http://www.the-news.net/cgi-bin/google.pl?id=988-33
BACK TO TOP
8. Devil's claw – a promising remedy for pain
Source: Irish Times, Ireland, 2 December 2008
Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is a ground-trailing plant which gets its name from its strange-looking fruit. After the flowers die, they leave a woody fruit which has long, barbed spines.
The plant is native to many parts of southern Africa, where it is also called the grapple plant or wood spider. The part used medicinally, however, is underground. The roots grow tubers which look like sweet potatoes and have been used traditionally to relieve inflammation, pain and stomach problems.
The herbal remedy was studied extensively in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Recent interest has focused on its potential to relieve pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a chronic and debilitating condition that affects many people. The best approach to managing the condition involves a suitable combination of exercise, weight-loss, physiotherapy and various medications.
While many dietary supplements and herbal remedies are now being marketed for osteoarthritis, few have been tested rigorously or extensively.
Devil's claw is a herbal remedy that shows promise in this area. While very few clinical trials have been conducted, it has been shown to be as effective as some other conventional medications used for osteoarthritis.
However, since the symptoms of osteoarthritis vary a lot, it will be important to test devil's claw in larger and longer-lasting studies.
In general, devil's claw does not have serious adverse effects. However, in one clinical trial almost one in 10 participants had diarrhoea. Some others had problems such as nausea and vomiting. Traditionally, devil's claw was said to help stimulate the appetite by increasing the production of stomach acid.
While this has not been studied in clinical trials, anyone with stomach irritation or gastric ulcer would probably be best to avoid devil's claw. Pregnant women should not take devil's claw as it contains plant steroids which allegedly can stimulate the uterus.
If you are considering a trial period with devil's claw, discuss with your healthcare professionals. Your symptoms should be carefully monitored to ensure maximum benefit from all your interventions.
For full story, please see: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2008/1202/1227910462042.html
BACK TO TOP
9. Devil's Claw in Namibia: Devil's claw fruit for forest community livelihoods
Source: All Africa.com (Namibia), 30 October 2008
Four community forests in the Caprivi have earned more than N$200 000 from devil's claw (Harpagophytum) sales. Devil's claw, a plant that grows mainly in the Kalahari sands of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Angola and to a lesser extent in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, has medicinal properties for the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and other ailments, and was recognised by 'western medicine' only in the last 50 years.
Devil's claw needs to be harvested with special techniques to conserve the plant for future use. These techniques were taught in workshops organised by the community forest committees, which also organised the Ministry of Environment and Tourism permit necessary for harvesting.
Only community members who participated in the training were registered for harvesting and were given the necessary permit to ensure that the harvesting is done under controlled conditions. In addition, the four community forestry committees carried out an effective law enforcement exercise to stop illegal harvesting and sales to illegal buyers. As the harvesters, the buyers need to be registered with Ministry as well.
For full story please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200810300998.html
BACK TO TOP
10. Essential oils: Himalayan oregano effective against MRSA
Source: Medical News Today, UK, 24 November 2008
A team comprising researchers from a UK university and members of local businesses and an NGO in India has discovered that the essential oil of Himalayan oregano has strong antibacterial properties and even kills the hospital superbug MRSA. They hope these findings will lead to the development of handsoaps and surface disinfectants in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
The UK researchers are from the University of the West of England, Bristol, who teamed up with, among others, India-based Biolaya Organics, a company that develops projects aimed at conserving endangered medicinal herbs, for example by cultivating them using sustainable methods and providing alternatives such as more common species.
The team is working on a project to give rural communities the means to generate income from sustainable collection of non-timber forest products in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. Earlier this year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) gave the project the SEED award. SEED is an international programme with UN backing that supports entrepreneurial partnerships that develop creative, locally led solutions to the global challenges of sustainable development.
The creative and innovative part of the project is that it potentially gives a sustainable source of income to the people of the Himalayas while at the same time providing UK hospitals with an environmentally friendly way of preventing the spread of MRSA. The Himalayan Oregano project was one of five SEED 2008 winners who this year were selected from over 400 entries worldwide.
Himalayan oregano is just common Origanum vulgare that grows in the Himalayas. In fact the local people in Kullu don't regard it as having any culinary or medicinal value and treat it as a weed: they call it "bekaar gahaas" or "useless grass" because even the cows and goats don't eat it.
Ben Heron from Biolaya Organics said they started working with oregano because it is a plant that can be gathered year after year without depleting the population in the wild. He said the project aims to pay local herb collectors the same amount they would get if they collected endangered herbs so they become less dependent on the latter.
Scientists already knew that Mediterranean oregano oil was a powerful antimicrobial, because of an essential compound called carvacol. But nobody had tested the Himalayan oregano oil before, said Heron, so they teamed up with SGS who run a lab in Delhi and found it contained as much carvacol as the Mediterranean one.
At SGS they ran further tests and found that the Himalayan oregano oil was more effective at killing MRSA than 18 antibiotics. The microbiologists at UWE are now carrying out further tests, and hope to publish the results in a scientific journal.
Professor Vyv Salisbury, who leads the UWE arm of the project, and co-investigator Dr Shona Nelson, also from UWE, said they were very excited to have this opportunity to help the community. Salisbury said: "We have done a few preliminary tests and have found that the essential oil from the oregano kills MRSA at a dilution 1 to 1,000. The tests show that the oil kills MRSA both as a liquid and as a vapour and its antimicrobial activity is not diminished by heating in boiling water," she added.
Salisbury said the oil could perhaps be used to develop disinfectant washing powders because it's so strong. The next stage, she said, which has already begun, is to set up an academic study in partnership with the SGS labs in Delhi to give the project the academic credibility needed to market the oil.
"Once we are able to start providing a sustainable income for villages in Kullu, the scope for up-scaling and replication in other parts of the Himalayan region is enormous," said Salisbury.
For full story, please see: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/130620.php
BACK TO TOP
11. Ginseng found highly effective for weight loss and diabetes control
Source: Natural News.com, USA, 1 December 2008
Ginseng has long been one of the foundations of healing in Chinese medicine, and is probably the world's best known herb. The botanical name panax means 'all curing' in Greek. This 5000 year old healer has traditionally been used as a restorative tonic to increase energy, stamina, and well being. Western scientists have confirmed the efficacy of ginseng for many of the traditional uses. Now researchers are adding to the traditional list, documenting ginseng as highly effective in weight loss and diabetes control.
Phytotherapy Research Journal reports an investigation of the molecular basis of ginsenoside Rg3, a red ginseng constituent, focusing on its ability to inhibit differentiation in the cells that store energy as fat. The data showed that ginsenoside Rg3 effectively inhibited this differentiation making the cells less able to complete the fat storage process.
Phytotherapy Research Journal also reports an evaluation of the anti-obesity effect of wild ginseng in obese leptin-deficient mice. Wild ginseng was administered orally to the mice at 100mg/kg and 200m/kg for 4 weeks. The mice showed a loss of body weight and a decrease in blood glucose levels when compared to the control mice. A follow up study by the same research team reported results suggesting that the anti-obesity effect of identified saponins from ginseng may result from inhibiting energy gain, normalizing hypothalamic neuropeptides and serum biochemcials related to the control of weight gain.
A study reported in Phytomedicine was performed to clarify whether the crude saponins from stems and leaves of panax quinquefolium inhibited lipase activity in vitro and prevented obesity induced in mice. For the in vivo experiments, female mice were fed a fattening diet with or without saponins for 8 weeks. The researchers found that the crude saponins inhibited pancreatic lipase activity. Furthermore, crude saponins inhibited the elevations of plasma triacylglycerol in rats administered the oral lipid emulsion tolerance test. With long-term administration of crude saponins, fat tissue weight was decreased in those fed the fattening diet as compared to the controls.
In a randomized clinical study reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers sought to provide evidence of efficacy and safety in the use of ginseng for diabetes. Their research generated a mounting body of evidence to support the claim that American Ginseng is useful in improving diabetes control, reducing associated risk factors such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension, and ameliorating insulin resistance. American ginseng acts in the digestive tract to increase insulin secretion.
The Journal of Ethnopharmacology reports a study acknowledging ginseng's long history as an herbal remedy for diabetes. Researchers investigated the effect and mechanism of Korean red ginseng on stimulation of insulin release in rats. They found that the extract of Korean red ginseng significantly evoked a stimulation of insulin release compared to the controls. Experiments at different glucose concentrations showed that ginseng significantly stimulated on its own, in a glucose-independent manner.
As reported in the Journal of Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine<
[Message clipped]
--
Biological Science Club
Pusat Laboratorium Universitas Nasional,
Jl Harsono RM, No. 4
Ragunan, Jakarta Selatan 12550
telp/fax 021 98119872
Hp: Bambang Ryadi 081802749565
Hp: Agus Supriono 0811343147
HP: Lukman Hakim 08128111123
http://bscc-unas.blogspot.com/
email:
bscc@ymail.com
ryadi.bambang@gmail.com
spirit_outdoor@yahoo.com