No. 9/09
Welcome to FAO's NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all aspects
of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's
NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en.
You can take part in contributing to the continued success of this newsletter
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NWFP-Digest-L@mailserv.fao.org <mailto: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
also to Agnese Bazzucchi for her help with this issue.
==============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
PRODUCTS
1. Bamboo in India: New livelihood for youths in the Bodo
belt
2. Bamboo in Rwanda: Farmers to benefit from bamboo
fraternity
3. Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) effective remedy against
respiratory diseases
4. Bushmeat: Trade threatens rare lemurs in Madagascar
5. Honey is both a superfood and medicine
6. Honey: Is the honey you just purchased really honey?
7. Medicinal Plants: Herbal preparations may reduce risk of
breast cancer
8. Medicinal Plants: Plans to raise awareness in the
Philippines
COUNTRY INFORMATION
9. Bhutan: More wild mushroom victims
10. Cameroon: National management plan for Prunus africana
11. Canada to enhance NTFP research and production
12. Ecuador: Amazon jungle lodge reveals its indigenous Spa
13. Fiji's forests as carbon factories
14. Guatemala: Ramon Nut (Brosimum alicastrum) - a little nut
with big possibilities
15. India: Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) - time for
Himachal to explore commercial aspects
16. Malaysia's Indigenous tribe ups anti-logging campaign
17. Philippines: Tree for alternative fuel found in Cordillera
18. Thailand: From honey to fragrant soap
19. Thailand: Indigenous traditions derailed
20. Uganda: Charcoal burning threatens Shea Tree (Butyrospermum
parkii)
21. USA: First National Honey Bee Awareness Day
NEWS
22. Acacia tree can boost crops across Africa
23. Africa needs agroforestry to cut forest emissions
24. Conservation Leadership Programme Awards: Call for
Applications 2010
25. Ecotourism: Drought, poaching kill 100 elephants in Kenya
26. Launch of FAO's ACP-FLEGT Support Programme
27. Non-wood News
28. World's last great forest under threat
REQUESTS
29. Request for contributions to the next issue of Non-wood News
30. Request for information on Seabuckthorn
EVENTS
31. 2009 NTFR Forum
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
32. Other publications of interest
33. Web sites and e-zines
MISCELLANEOUS
34. Lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats discovered in
Papua New Guinea
35. Orangutans use leaves to mislead predators
BACK TO TOP
PRODUCTS
1. Bamboo in India: New livelihood for youths in the Bodo belt
Source: The Telegrapgh, Calcutta, 17 September 2009
Incense sticks may stretch the possibilities of employment in the Bodo belt
where the administration is opening centres to train youths to make the most
of the abundant bamboo in the region.
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) executive member Mitaram
Basumatary inaugurated an agarbatti stick-making training centre in Kokrajhar
yesterday.
The National Bamboo Mission and Bodoland Bamboo Development Board are the
primary investors. Technology partner Andhra Pradesh Technology Development
and Promotion Centre will help with the marketing.
The centre can accommodate 35 trainees at a time for the 35-day
programme. "We hope youths will come and join this new endeavour and make a
new livelihood out of it," mission director of Bodoland Bamboo Development
Board J.D. Brahma said.
Brahma said the training programme would incorporate all the
latest techniques in bamboo agarbatti-stick making so that the participants
are equipped to make the best available products.
Emphasizing the vast potential of bamboo-based industry, Brahma
said the BTC has around 40,000 hectares of bamboo groves. Another 12,000
hectares can be brought under bamboo cultivation. "If we do not make the most
of it now, we will be losing out on a golden opportunity. This is such a
wonderful resource it should not be lost," Brahma said.
Bamboo, which grows abundantly in the state, is being pegged as
the source of economic revival in the region. BTC executive member and
chairman of the Bamboo Board, Mitaram Basumatary, said the administration is
trying to tap the bamboo's potential to the fullest. He said the BTC has
already tied up with neighbouring countries like China and other states in
this mission.
The Bodoland Bamboo Development Board and the International
Network for Bamboo and Rattan, a Beijing-based organization, have signed an
MoU to build a bamboo shoot processing centre in Kokrajhar.
For full story, please see:
www.telegraphindia.com/1090917/jsp/northeast/story_11500484.jsp
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.telegraphindia.com\1
090917\jsp\northeast\story_11500484.jsp>
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2. Bamboo in Rwanda: Farmers to benefit from bamboo fraternity
Source: AllAfrica.com, 23 August 2009
Kigali - Rwandan farmers have been fronted as a priority group to benefit
from a bamboo planting fraternity spearheaded by the International Network
for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). This was revealed early last week by the
visiting INBAR Director General, J. Coosje Hoogendoorn, who said that Rwanda
has all it takes to gain from the immense environmental and economic benefits
of bamboo trees. "I am struck by the tremendous potential in this country.
The soil and weather are favourable for the growth of bamboo trees and I am
impressed that people here have realized the importance of bamboo trees,"
Hoogendoorn said.
Bamboo is one of the most productive and fastest growing plants
on earth and it offers the possibility of annual selective harvesting and
removal of about 15-20 percent of the total stock productivity. Over 90
percent of bamboo carbon can be sequestered in durable products such as
boards, floors, furniture, buildings, cloth, paper and charcoal.
"We did a production to consumption study with the private sector
federation, trying to identify opportunities and projects where people can
economically benefit from bamboo."
Bamboo trees play an important role in controlling soil erosion, which is one
of the most outstanding problems faced by farmers in Rwanda. According to
Hoogendoorn, INBAR is partnering with China to provide the capacity for
bamboo processing. She said INBAR is looking at conserving the already
existing bamboo trees as well as introducing new species. INBAR has a
membership of 34 countries and Rwanda is its current chairman.
Fredrick Munyansonga, the official charged with bamboo planting
in the forestry department, revealed that this partnership is likely to
change lives of many people especially farmers. "Bamboo planting has two
inherently important causes, conserving the soil and alleviating poverty.
This cause should be taken seriously because it's a total win-win
undertaking," he said.
Around 1.5 billion people around the world depend on bamboo in
some way. INBAR is an inter-governmental organization established in 1997
with a role of finding and demonstrating innovative ways of using bamboo and
rattan to alleviate poverty and protect environments.
China is one of the world's leading countries benefiting from
bamboo production and processing. It's also consumed as food sometimes.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908240165.html
BACK TO TOP
3. Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) effective remedy against respiratory
diseases
Source: The Guardian (Nigeria), 20 August 2009
Nigerian researchers have described as promising the use of Bitter kola
(Garcinia kola) in the management of respiratory problems, particularly
asthma, raising hopes of a possible formulation of the extracts or active
constituents as medicines.
Though there are various orthodox drugs for the treatment of
respiratory tract diseases in the country, the search for cost effective
local herbal remedies have always excited researchers.
In fact, the seeds of Bitter kola also called Garcinia kola which
forms a major part of the herbal preparation used in traditional African
medicine practice for the treatment of various respiratory tract diseases,
including asthma, have attracted scientific scrutiny in the last decade.
In a report published recently in The Internet Journal of
Pulmonary Medicine. 2009: Volume 11 Number 1, the researchers: A.K. Okojie
,I. Ebomoyi,C.N. Ekhator,O. Emeri,J. Okosun, G. Onyesu, O. Uhuonrenren, and
J. Atima from the Department of Physiology, University of Benin and Ambrose
Alli University Ekpoma, in a holistic review decided to find out the
physiological mechanism(s) underlying the use of Garcina kola for the
treatment of asthma. Specifically they were interested in finding out the
function(s) of its phytochemical contents and how they are beneficial in the
treatment of asthma.
At the end, they said: "Garcinia kola appears to be very
promising in the treatment and management of asthma, our review showed that
xanthone and flavonoid, which are its major phytochemical contents inhibit
calcium influx and histamine release stimulated by IgE dependent ligands
respectively."
Used in folklore remedies for the treatment of ailment such as
liver disorders, hepatitis, diarrhea, laryngitis, bronchitis and gonorrhoea,
Garcinia kola belongs to the family Guittiferae and it is commonly called
Orogbo in Yoruba language and Aki ilu in Igbo while the English name is
bitter kola. Although valued because of its edible nut, the plant exhibits
very potent pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial,
antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. The anti-oxidant
property of Garcina kola is attributed to its very high content of ascorbic
acid. It is usually found in the tropical rain forest region of West Africa.
It prevails as a multi-purpose tree crop in the home gardens of southern
Nigeria.
For full story, please see:
www.ngrguardiannews.com/natural_health/article01/indexn2_html?pdate=200809&pt
itle=Researchers%20affirm%20efficacy%20of%20bitter%20kola%20in%20respiratory%
20diseases
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nternet%20Files\OLK119\www.ngrguardiannews.com\natural_health\article01\index
n2_html?pdate=200809&ptitle=Researchers%20affirm%20efficacy%20of%20bitter%20k
ola%20in%20respiratory%20diseases>
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4. Bushmeat: Trade threatens rare lemurs in Madagascar
Source: Reuters India, 21 August 2009
Endangered lemur species found only in Madagascar are being slaughtered and
served up in local restaurants as poachers take advantage of a security
vacuum on the island after a coup earlier this year.
Pictures of the blackened remains of scores of crowned lemurs and
golden crowned sifakas, smoked in preparation for transport, have been
released by the environmental protection group Conservation International.
James Mackinnon, technical director at the group's Madagascar office, said
gangs were pillaging the forests of precious hardwoods and trapping rare
animals for Asia's pet market, unwinding hard-fought conservation gains on
the island. "Lemurs have always been hunted on a small, subsistence scale.
This is bigger, more organized and systematic and it's typical of what we've
been seeing with the breakdown in law and order," he told Reuters on Friday.
Conservationists say biodiversity on the world's fourth largest
island is being wiped out on a shocking scale. Foreign donors, who provided
the bulk of funding for the country's national parks and environmental
programs, suspended aid after Andry Rajoelina toppled the island's president
with the help of renegade troops in March. Operating on a shoestring budget,
the authorities have been unable to control the surge in criminal activity.
The Indian Ocean island, isolated from other land masses for more than 160
million years, is a biodiversity "hotspot" home to hundreds of exotic species
found nowhere else in the world.
Poachers are using slingshots and traps to hunt the lemurs in
Daraina, a newly-protected region in the far north of Madagascar. Only 8,000
golden crowned sifaka, found only in Daraina, remain in the wild and risk
being wiped out in weeks. "More than anything else, these poachers are
killing the goose that laid the golden egg," said Russ Mittermeier, president
of Conservation International. "(They are) wiping out the very animals that
people most want to see and undercutting the country and especially local
communities by robbing them of future eco-tourism revenue."
Eco-tourism is the backbone of Madagascar's $390 million-a-year
tourism industry, which has been wrecked by months of political turmoil.
Decades of logging, mining and slash-and-burn farming have destroyed up to 90
percent of the island's natural ecology.
Ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana was credited by conservationists
with increasing the number of national parks and protected areas, backed by
donors including the World Bank and the United States. Conservation
International described the move to cut environmental aid as a "knee-jerk
reaction." To deny conservation funding was counter-productive, it said, as
it simply encouraged poor governance of natural resources.
Mackinnon warned of impending environmental catastrophe, saying there was a
real danger parks would be forced to lay off rangers and cease to function
before the end of the year.
"It's very hard to turn the clock back once criminal activities have become
ingrained," he said.
For full story, please see:
http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE57K27620090821?sp=true
BACK TO TOP
5. Honey is both a superfood and medicine
Source: Examiner.com, USA, 2 September 2009
Honey is the partially digested flower nectar regurgitated from a bee's
stomach. It's also one of the most diverse and delicious foods on earth.
Honey has been used as food and medicine
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey> for perhaps 10,000 years and has been
cultivated by humans for at least 3,000 years. We know it today as a
substitute for white granulated sugar but for most of history, honey was the
basic source of food sweetening, and sugar only recently became more popular
as a low cost alternative. However, when you consider the benefits of honey,
the cost should be no object.
In addition to its many culinary uses, honey has a long and
impressive resume as a medicinal healer. In traditional medicine it has been
used for treating gastric ulcers, burns, high blood pressure, sore throat and
dry cough.
Modern medicine is also now recognizing the medicinal benefits of
honey. In 2007, research <http://live.psu.edu/story/27584> out of Penn State
College of Medicine (USA) concluded that a small amount of buckwheat honey
before bed was more effective than over-the-counter cough suppressants for
children over two years of age. Also in 2007, the FDA approved
<http://www.naturalnews.com/022872.html> a line of wound care dressings
lined in honey produced by Derma Sciences, Inc.
<http://www.dermasciences.com/showpage.php?sid=48&id=1&pid=75&show=p>
Because honey is high in sugar and low in moisture it has been traditionally
used to fight bacterial growth, producing hydrogen peroxide as it draws
moisture from wounds. It also contributes to reduced swelling and
inflammation.
In addition, honey has been shown to aid digestion, and an
Oklahoma allergist <http://www.reallyrawhoney.com/healthfacts.php> even
claims that one teaspoon of raw honey every day is effective to treat 90% of
allergies.
The best honey to buy is raw organic straight from the hive. Most
honey is pasteurized and the heating process destroys some of the beneficial
properties of the honey, including some of the phytonutrients. Raw honey is a
creamy solid, not liquid, and contains propolis
<http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=96> , sometimes
called "bee glue," that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from
bacteria. Propolis has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal
properties. Raw honey also contains other phytonutrients which have
cancer-preventing and anti-tumour properties and may help prevent colon
cancer.
Children under the age of 12 months
<http://www.wisegeek.com/why-shouldnt-infants-eat-honey.htm> should not use
honey since their immature digestive systems cannot process botulism spores
that can be present in honey, maple syrup and corn syrup but which older
systems can handle.
Honeybees are in danger of disappearing from the U.S. due to
colony collapse disorder
<http://www.examiner.com/x-6753-Philadelphia-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m9d1-Are
-cell-phones-threatening-the-honey-supply> and this, combined with other
factors, will continue to raise the price
<http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/bees/colony-collapse-d
isorder-55061804> of honey. But pay up. This is pure gold.
For full story, please see:
www.examiner.com/x-6753-Philadelphia-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Honey-is-bo
th-a-superfood-and-medicine
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
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Philadelphia-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Honey-is-both-a-superfood-and-medic
ine>
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6. Honey: Is the honey you just purchased really honey?
Source: The Examiner.com, USA, 31 August 2009
Florida, USA, recently passed a honey standard. Florida is the first, and
only, state to have done so. The standard is the first step toward getting
adulterated honey off the store shelves. The standard sets limits for, among
other things, the amount of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and moisture content
defining honey. Anyone selling honey in the state of Florida that violates
this standard is subject to a $500 fine.
There are a few simple tests to determine if honey has been
adulterated. (1) Drop a spoonful of honey into milk. If the honey dissolves,
it may be adulterated. (2) Dip a cotton candle wick into honey. Light a
match to it. If it doesn't burn, it may be adulterated.(3) Honey should have
a pleasant floral aroma. Corn syrup, on the other hand, has no smell. If your
honey has no scent, it may not be honey.
The Florida Department of Agriculture is depending on consumers
to help enforce their new honey standard.
For full story, please see:
www.examiner.com/x-11243-Orlando-Beekeeping-Examiner~y2009m8d31-Is-the-honey-
you-just-purchased-really-honey
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.examiner.com\x-11243
-Orlando-Beekeeping-Examiner~y2009m8d31-Is-the-honey-you-just-purchased-reall
y-honey>
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7. Medicinal Plants: Herbal preparations may reduce risk of breast
cancer
Source: CancerConsultants.com, 19 August 2009
Researchers from Germany have reported that herbal preparations given to
alleviate menopausal symptoms may reduce the risk of developing breast
cancer. The details of this study appeared in the August issue of Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Herbs are plants that do not have woody stems and usually die
back at the end of each growing season. Their historical use as medicine and
as culinary seasonings arises from their aromatic properties. As defined
here, herbal/plant therapies include therapies using the whole plant or the
parts of a plant valued for medicinal purposes. It also involves therapies
that have maximized the optimal ratios of a whole product (for example, the
most effective ratio of the main constituents within an herb or plant). In
contrast, isolated components of herbs or plants that are used alone are
categorized under biologic/orthomolecular therapies. Herbal/plant therapies
may be consumed for internal use, applied externally, or used as
aromatherapy.
Herbal preparations in this study contained phytoestrogens and
black cohosh that were taken to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Phytoestrogens
are plant-derived non-steroidal compounds found in soy products, unrefined
grain products, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables.
Phytoestrogens have a weak estrogen-like effect and are protective against
various cancers. The best documentation appears to be for the prevention of
breast and prostate cancer, which are hormone-dependent cancers. Researchers
from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that diets rich in
phytoestrogens are associated with a lower incidence of lung cancer than in
diets low in phytoestrogens.
Black cohosh (known as both Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga
racemosa) is a member of the buttercup family. Medicinal preparations are
made from the root and taken for a variety of reasons, including the relief
of menopausal symptoms. Randomized trials have given conflicting results
about the effects of black cohosh in relieving menopausal symptoms.
The current study looked at the incidence of breast cancer in
over 10,000 postmenopausal women with (N=3,464) and without breast cancer
(n=6,637). Approximately 10% of these women had used herbal preparations for
relief of menopausal symptoms. Ever use of herbal preparations was associated
with a 26% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. The effect appeared to be
dose-dependent with a 4% reduction in risk for every year of herbal
preparation use. The effect appeared to be present across a spectrum of
herbal preparations. Risk reduction was observed for invasive ductal and
combined lobular/mixed/tubular tumours but not for in situ carcinomas.
Interestingly, there was a reduction in risk of both estrogen-positive and
estrogen-negative breast cancers. The authors concluded: "Our findings
support the hypothesis that [herbal preparation] use protects from invasive
breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Among conceivable modes of action,
those independent of estrogen receptor-mediated pathways seem to be involved
(i.e., cytotoxicity, apoptosis)."
For full story, please see:
http://professional.cancerconsultants.com/oncology_main_news.aspx?id=43928
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8. Medicinal Plants: Plans to raise awareness in the Philippines
Source: Buisness Mirror (Philippines), 7 September 2009
The Philippines should undertake initiatives to conserve native medicinal
plants amid the increasing global trade in herbals now estimated at $120
billion. In a statement released by the Philippine Exporters Confederation
Inc., BiomartAsia-Philippines noted that the increasing demand for local
medicinal plants could result in over-harvesting.
"Recognizing that our medicinal plants are so important, we must
protect them, especially the endemic plants. The commercial demand for local
medicinal plants may cause over harvesting from the wild," said Gina
Mangalindan of BiomartAsia-Philippines. Biomart, a firm specializing in
herbal skin-care products, makes use of locally grown natural herbs known for
their unique properties.
Mangalindan said the creation of a Medicinal Plant Working Group,
which may include representatives from industry, government, academia, tribes
and environmental organizations is needed. Its goal should be to create a
framework action on behalf of medicinal plants. She said the group must raise
awareness of native medicinal plant issues and needs among partner agencies
and cooperating organizations to also promote the sustainable production of
native medicinal plant products.
Mangalindan said those who want to go into the medicinal plant
industry could also take note of a number of trends that include the rising
demand for certified "organic" raw material and value-added products such as
teas, soaps, juices, cosmetics and extracts. "The health food sector is also
increasing, so natural alternatives to artificial flavours, sugar and salt
are being looked at," she said.
Mangalindan said the global herbal market comprises
pharmaceuticals, spices and herbs and cosmetics. The global market today is
mainly divided among Germany (28 percent), Asia (19 percent), Japan (17
percent), France (13 percent), rest of Europe (12 percent) and North America
(11 percent). The major suppliers of crude medicinal products to European
markets are China, United States, Germany, Singapore, India, Chile, Egypt,
Albania, Bulgaria, Morocco, Mexico and Pakistan.
For full story, please see:
http://businessmirror.com.ph/component/content/article/53-agri-commodities/15
671-rp-urged-to-conserve-native-medicinal-plants.html
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COUNTRY INFORMATION
9. Bhutan: More wild mushroom victims
Source: Kuensel Online, Bhutan, 31 August 2009
Despite awareness messages on the dangers of eating wild mushrooms in Bhutan,
at least three people have died and more than fifteen were hospitalised in
referral and district hospitals around the country between May and August
this year.
"We've been telling people and sending awareness messages to the
villages through gewog centres not to pick mushrooms, which they cannot
identify," said the national mushroom centre's program director, Dawa Penjor.
Three men in the thirties were treated in Thimphu referral
hospital this month, after they consumed a poisonous mushroom collected from
an area near Dechencholing. They told health officials that they mistook the
mushroom to be the edible and local delicacy, Sisi Shamu. Six men in
Pemagatshel were also treated in the district hospital after they had
consumed a wild mushroom on 21 August.
Mushroom collectors often overestimate their ability to
distinguish deadly mushrooms from the edible ones, sometimes with tragic
results, said officials of the mushroom centre. "Some poisonous mushrooms can
be identical to non-poisonous ones," said an official.
Seasonal rain has become more frequent, which will promote the
growth of wild mushrooms, said officials. There are about 250-300 species of
mushrooms in Bhutan, of which around 30 or more could be poisonous.
For full story, please see:
www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13318
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.kuenselonline.com\mo
dules.php%3fname=News&file=article&sid=13318>
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10. Cameroon: National management plan for Prunus africana
Source: Thinking Beyond the Canopy, 2 September 2009
The government of Cameroon has approved a national management plan for Prunus
africana, a threatened, internationally protected medicinal tree. Its bark is
used in drugs that treat prostate disorders, which afflict many men over the
age of 50.
'Prunus africana is an important export product for Cameroon,'
said Verina Ingram, a Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
scientist based in Yaoundé. 'By adopting this plan, the government has taken
an important first step towards bringing back international trade in the
bark.'
In 1995, growing demand and unsustainable harvesting methods
helped include this species in Appendix II of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES is an agreement between
governments that aims to ensure that global trade in wild animals and plants
does not threaten their survival. Appendix II lists species that may become
endangered if trade is left unregulated.
CITES recommended in 2006 that trade in the valued bark be banned
until exporting countries could develop management plans, together with tree
inventories, to ensure that the tree was sustainably grown and harvested. The
European Union, the largest importing market for Cameroon, voluntarily
suspended trade.
Since the 1970s Cameroon has been one of the major exporters of
Prunus worldwide. It accounts for 48 percent of the country's gross exports
since trade records began in 1995, about 2000 tonnes a year. The EU
suspension has led to stocks in many pharmaceutical companies producing the
drugs to drop to dangerously low levels.
The detailed, 150-page management plan was developed over two
years by CIFOR researchers, FAO, the Netherlands Development Organization and
the World Agroforestry Centre. The plan was part of a larger community-based
forest enterprise project that the EU funded.
In late 2008, the Cameroonian Minister of Forestry and Wildlife
asked the project to develop a management plan for the tree specifically for
Cameroon. 'Government representatives aim to present the plan to CITES in
Geneva by the end of the year,' Ingram said. 'Once CITES approves the plan,
Cameroon can begin to implement it, and hopefully exports can start soon
afterward.'
Ingram believes that CITES will view the management plan in a
favourable light.
'It balances conservation needs with local livelihoods and international
health needs, and it addresses all of CITES' concerns and recommendations. It
also shows that the vulnerability of this species is not as acute as CITES
originally believed.'
Prunus africana is a slow-growing evergreen that takes 15 to 20
years to mature. It grows at high altitudes-1000 metres above sea level and
higher. It inhabits pockets of moist highland in a handful of countries,
including Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda.
Sustainable harvesting of the bark is simple. Harvesters can
remove two opposite panels of the trunk, and then wait eight years for the
bark to regenerate before harvesting the other two quarters. CIFOR
researchers are verifying the sustainability of this system with a study of
bark regrowth on harvested trees, to feed into a new harvesting standard.
Another way to ensure that the species survives is to bring it
into wider cultivation by domesticating it: growing it in farmers' fields, in
community nurseries or on larger plantations. Some of the tree's
characteristics favour cultivation but others make cultivation challenging.
CIFOR researchers recommend that communities and forestry experts join
together to increase the potential for domestication in Cameroon.
More than 1.5 million Prunus trees have been planted across
northwest and southwest Cameroon between 1976 and 2008. These tree stands
cover about 625 hectares.
For full story, please see: www.cifor.cgiar.org/Headlines/prunus-africana.htm
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.cifor.cgiar.org\Head
lines\prunus-africana.htm>
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11. Canada to enhance NTFP research and production
Source: Canada News Centre, 21 September 2009
The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic
Development, today announced the awarding of $49,826 in non-repayable funding
to the Syndicat des producteurs de bois de la Mauricie (SPBM) (Mauricie Wood
Producers Trade
Union) to carry out research aimed at identifying ways to enhance Mauricie
non-timber forest products.
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are native or naturalized
plants other than timber (fibre). They are gathered in the forest, idle land,
underbrush, natural forests or managed plantations. The contribution from
Canada Economic Development will help generate a data bank and set of tools
aimed at mapping out effective land development and supply strategies. In
addition, the setting up of a network of stakeholders should attract
processing firms to the region, while creating sustainable jobs in this
sector of activity.
"Wise use of our forest resources is an attractive economic
development and diversification opportunity for the region. The SPBM's
project will make it possible to develop the NTFP industry in a concerted and
coherent manner, so as to maximize the positive economic impacts," said
Minister Lebel.
Since 1967, the Syndicat des producteurs de bois de la Mauricie
has supported the 5,700 or so private woodlot owners in their efforts to
harness and market their unique forest products by providing advisory
services and training related to forestry operations.
Canada Economic Development's funding of this project has been
awarded through the Community Economic Diversification Initiative - Vitality,
a measure aimed at supporting slow-growth communities, encouraging
diversification of the local economic base and reducing reliance on
single-industry economies.
For full story, please see:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=483859
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12. Ecuador: Amazon jungle lodge reveals its indigenous Spa
Source: eMediaWire, 1 September 2009
La Selva Jungle Lodge, located in the heart of the pristine Amazon Rainforest
of Ecuador has created what they call The Indigenous Spa. Two native Quichua
Indian women who reside deep in the forest but near the remote lodge walk
barefoot for an hour through the jungle from their huts to give their
spiritual version of the spa experience in the attractive spa rooms on the
lodge grounds. For $69 the participant is treated to a magical dusting away
of evil spirits with special leaves brought fresh for each guest, next a
footbath and foot massage with special scented plants also from the forest
sets the mood. Trays of local fruit products are also prepared from the lodge
kitchen and an energy drink also fruit based which among other fresh juices,
contains Noni (Morinda citrifolia) and acai.
La Selva Jungle Lodge began this project as yet another way to
find sustainable work for its rainforest dwelling neighbors. Since women are
in short supply for work outside the home the labor pool was small. Three
groups of two have now been established and the women work in tandem for the
$69.
La Selva Jungle Lodge (http://www.laselvajunglelodge. com
<http://www.laselvajunglelodge.com> ) hopes to develop more Spa options for
their female neighbours to develop and are considering a line of rainforest
products like those used in the spa. La Selva shares the wealth as broadly as
it can with most profits from The Indigenous Spa returning to the community
as donations through their foundation, Helping Hands In The Forest.
La Selva has accommodated more than 50 000 guests from almost 40
countries and was a pioneer in Ecotourism. The company has won many
ecotourism awards and is always at the vanguard of the industry in jungle
tourism.
For full story, please see:
www.emediawire.com/releases/2009/9/prweb2807394.htm
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13. Fiji's forests as carbon factories
Source: Fiji Times Online, 31 August 2009
Protecting, growing and managing Fiji's forestry will help address
environmental challenges such as climate change, says Forestry Ministry
permanent secretary Viliame Naupoto.
However, the aim was to create a roadmap that would help manage
the forest sector climate change, he said at the REDD (Reducing emission from
deforestation and degradation) policy scoping workshop.
"It has been known for centuries that forests are factories that
provide countless economic, ecosystem and social service. The services
include timber, water catchment protection, water production for agriculture,
NWFP, biological diversity, fuel wood, and social recreation," Mr Naupoto
said. Forests are large storehouses for carbon that is captured from the
atmosphere. "We can lock the carbon by forest protection."
For full story, please see: www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=128470
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14. Guatemala: Ramon Nut (Brosimum alicastrum) - a little nut with big
possibilities
Source: Rainforest Alliance, 28 August 2009
Planted by the ancient Maya in their forest gardens and once found throughout
Central America, the ramón tree (Brosimum alicastrum) towers above its
neighbouring trees in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve, providing habitat
for spider and howler monkeys, retaining soils and water and helping to
regulate the climate. But it's the fruit of the ramón that holds the greatest
potential for communities within the reserve and could provide them with a
key to alleviating poverty, conserving forests, improving health and
nourishing their children.
Locals have long-collected the chocolate-flavored ramón or Maya
nut, roasting it over an open flame (or drying it with heaters) before
grinding it into flour that acts as the base for an assortment of popular
foods. While its nutritious properties are widely known throughout the
region, until recently no clearly defined strategy existed for incorporating
the nuts into the diets of Guatemala's rural and indigenous children, 49
percent of whom suffer from chronic malnutrition.
Thanks to Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests -- a program launched by
the Rainforest Alliance, the Equilibrium Fund, the Guatemalan Ministry of
Education, the Banco de Desarrollo Rural S. A., the National Forest Service
of Guatemala, Alimentos Nutri-Naturales and the Association of Community
Forestry Concessionaires of Petén -- communities throughout the reserve will
now be able to capitalize on the nut's many benefits. The world's first ramón
nut-based school lunch program, this program is helping to feed more than
8,000 children from 46 rural communities, while providing jobs for women and
offering a real incentive for forest conservation.
The enterprising kids -- and the adults who accompany them into
the forest -- deliver their hauls to the local bakery, where they receive one
quetzal (about 12 cents) for every pound of ramón gathered. An all-female
staff removes the skins from the nuts before roasting them. "Before I had no
job," says Lubia Flores Rodriguez, who works in the Ixlú bakery removing the
nut's tender skins. "Now I come to work and I am able to make a living," she
says. Once they have been roasted, the nuts are ground into flour and
distributed to teachers and school boards in nearly fifty communities
throughout the Petén. The flour is used to make wholesome food (the ramón is
a naturally complete protein, high in calcium, fiber and potassium) for
school lunches.
"Worried about poverty and the struggle to feed our children
adequately, we found in the ramón nut a nutritious food and a source of work
for rural woman," said Gladis Rodriguez, president of the Association for the
Development of Women of Ixlú. "Thanks to the support of the Rainforest
Alliance (and other organizations) who helped us start this project, we look
forward to a better future for all our families."
"Little by little, with projects like Healthy Forests, Healthy
Children, we are halting the high levels of deforestation in the Petén,"
reflects Ramon Zetina of the Rainforest Alliance. "Working with communities
(here), the Rainforest Alliance is beginning to change the mindsets of people
who realize the importance of the rainforests and the need to conserve them,
so that future generations can sustainably harvest from them."
For full story, please see:
www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry.cfm?id=ramon_nut
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15. India: Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) - time for Himachal to
explore commercial aspects
Source: myHimachal - Sirmour. Himachal Pradesh (India), 22 August 2009
Palampur (India): Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), locally known as
Charma, has attracted global attention of scientists, environmentalists,
industrialists and various other agencies due to the presence of vitamins and
many other substances in its fruits, leaves and bark. The medicinal values of
this plant were discovered by the Tibetan doctors in early 8th century in
Tibet. However, the industrial utilization of this important plant was
started in former Soviet Union, when Russian scientists discovered its rich
vitamins values in 1940.
With the opening of Soviet Union in early 1980, the Chinese
discovered in USSR that seabuckthorn food products and drugs help in
improving the immunities of astronauts. Later a Chinese scientist translated
a Russian book on seabuckthorn into Chinese and consequently active research
work on various aspects of seabuckthorn began in several universities and
other institutions of China. Developing its own indigenous technology as well
as transferring the Russian "know how" today, China has established over 300
industries based on seabuckthorn in 19 states, producing a range of health
protection food products, life-saving drugs and cosmetics. Learning from the
experiences of Russia and China, active research and plantation of
seabuckthorn orchards was initiated in more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia
and America with short duration of four-five years. A number of other small
countries have also taken up research on this plant.
In India, the anti-cancer activity on seabuckthorn was discovered
in early 1971 by an Indian scientist. It is unfortunate that since then there
has been no follow up despite the fact that this plant is available in India
in abundance. Seabuckthorn grows naturally in river sides and slopes in
Lahual and Spiti, Chamba , Kinnaur districts and other parts of the state.
There is also wild growth of this plant in Ladhak and U.P. hills.
It was only in January 1994 that India came to know about the
great importance of this medicinal plant when a Chinese scientist delivered a
note on the importance and high medical values of seabuckthorn in the first
consultation meeting organized by the State Council for Science, Technology
and Environment at Simla. Thereafter the state council created lot of
awareness about the potential of the Seabuckthorn in the tribal areas of the
state.
With an aim to develop and protect the seabuckthorn, the State
Council of Science and Technology has set up a task force on this plant
involving the scientists of the universities of the state. Later the research
work on various aspects of the SBT was also taken up in the Regional Research
Station of HPKVV at Kukamserri in Lahual and Spiti. Nursery and plantation of
Seabuckthorn was developed by the scientist here.
It is a high time that the state government and both the
universities of the state encourage and give special attention to the
scientists working on the research and development of seabuckthorn. State
government in consultation with the Vice Chancellors of HPKVV, Palampur and
Dr. Y. S. Parmar University for Forestry and Horticulture, Solan, should
constitute a high level team of scientists to work on the various aspects of
seabuckthorn. There should also be study for the economic utilization of this
plant and greening the wild deserts of tribal areas of the state
For full story, please see:
http://himachal.us/2009/08/22/seabuckthorn-time-for-himachal-to-explore-comme
rcial-aspects/15176/agriculture/rsood
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16. Malaysia's Indigenous tribe ups anti-logging campaign
Source: Enviornmental Development in Malaysia, 24 August 2009
LONG BELOK, Malaysia - Hundreds of Penan tribespeople armed with spears and
blowpipes have set up new blockades deep in the Borneo jungles, escalating
their campaign against logging and palm oil plantations. Three new
barricades, guarded by Penan men and women who challenged approaching timber
trucks, have been established in recent days. There are now seven in the
interior of Malaysia's Sarawak state.
"They are staging this protest now because most of their land is
already gone, destroyed by logging and grabbed by the plantation companies,"
said Jok Jau Evong from Friends of the Earth in Sarawak. "This is the last
chance for them to protect their territory. If they don't succeed, there will
be no life for them, no chance for them to survive."
Penan chiefs said that after enduring decades of logging which
has decimated the jungles they rely on for food and shelter, they now face
the new threat of clear-felling to make way for crops of palm oil and planted
timber.
"Since these companies came in, life has been very hard for us.
Before it was easy to find animals in the forest and hunt them with
blowpipes," said Alah Beling, headman of Long Belok where one of the
barricades has been built.
"The forest was once our supermarket, but now it's hard to find
food, the wild boar have gone," he said in his settlement, a scenic cluster
of wooden dwellings home to 298 people and reachable only by a long
suspension bridge. Alah Beling said he fears that plans to establish
plantations for palm oil - which is used in food and for biofuel - on their
ancestral territory, will threaten their lifestyle and further pollute the
village river with pesticide run-off.
"Once our river was so clear you could see fish swimming six feet
deep," he said as he gestured at the waterway, which like most others in the
region has been turned reddish-brown by the soil that cascades from eroded
hillsides.
Indigenous rights group Survival International said the blockades
are the most extensive since the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Penan's
campaign to protect their forests shot to world attention. "It's amazing
they're still struggling on after all these years, more than 20 years after
they began to try to fight off these powerful companies," said Miriam Ross
from the London-based group.
Official figures say there are more than 16,000 Penan in Sarawak,
including about 300 who still roam the jungle and are among the last truly
nomadic people on Earth. The blockades, which Friends of the Earth said
involve 13 Penan communities home to up to 3,000 people, are aimed at several
Malaysian timber and plantation companies including Samling, KTS, Shin Yang
and Rimbunan Hijau.
After clearing much of the valuable timber from Sarawak, a vast
state which lies on Malaysia's half of Borneo island, some of these companies
are now converting their logging concessions into palm oil and acacia
plantations. "They told us earlier this month they were coming to plant palm
oil, and I said if you do we will blockade," said Alah Beling.
"They told us we don't have any rights to the land, that they
have the licence to plant here. I felt very angry - how can they say we have
no right to this land where our ancestors have lived for generations?"
Even on land that has been logged in the past, Penan can still
forage for sago which is their staple food, medicinal plants, and rattan and
precious aromatic woods which are sold to buy essential goods. "Oil palm is
worse because nothing is left. If they take all our land, we will not be able
to survive," the Long Belok headman said.
Sarawak's Rural Development Minister James Masing admitted some
logging companies had behaved badly and "caused extensive damage" but said
the Penan were "good storytellers" and their claims should be treated with
caution. "The Penan are the darlings of the West, they can't do any wrong in
the eyes of the West," he said.
Masing said disputes were often aimed at wringing more
compensation from companies, or stemmed from conflicts between Penan and
other indigenous tribes including the Kenyah and Kayan about overlapping
territorial claims. He said the current surge in plantation activity was
triggered by Sarawak's goal to double its palm oil coverage to one million
hectares (2.47 million acres) - an area 14 times bigger than Singapore. "The
time we have been given to do this is running short. 2010 is next year so we
want to make that target and that is why there may be a push to do it now, to
fulfil our goal established 10 years ago," he said.
"In some areas the logging has not been done in accordance with
the rules and some of the loggers have caused extensive damage. That does
happen and I do sympathise with the Penan along those lines," he said. "But
the forest has become a source of income for the state government so we have
to exploit it".
Driving through the unsealed roads that reach deep into the
Borneo interior, evidence of the new activity is clear with whole valleys
stripped of vegetation and crude terraces carved into the hills ready for
seedlings.
Most of the companies declined to comment on the allegations made
by the Penan, but Samling said it "regrets to learn about the blockades". "We
have long worked with communities in areas we operate to ensure they lead
better lives," it said in a statement.
Its website says its acacia timber plantations in Sarawak will "enhance the
health of the forests" and that it uses "only the most sensitive ways to
clear the land".
The Penan allegations could discredit Malaysia's claims that it
produces sustainable palm oil, particularly in Europe and the US where
activists blame the industry for deforestation and driving orangutans towards
extinction.
Indigenous campaigners say that past blockades have seen violence
and arrests against tribespeople, but village chiefs - some of whom were
detained during the 1980s blockades - said they did not fear retribution.
"We're not afraid. They're the ones destroying my property. Last time we
didn't know the law and how to protect ourselves, but now we know our
rights," said Ngau Luin, the chief of Long Nen where another barricade was
set up.
The plight of the Penan was made famous in the 1980s by
environmental activist Bruno Manser, who waged a crusade to protect their way
of life and fend off the loggers. He vanished in 2000 - many suspect foul
play.
For full story, please see:
http://envdevmalaysia.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/malaysias-penan-tribe-ups-anti
-logging-campaign/
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17. Philippines: tree for alternative fuel found in Cordillera
Source: Philippine Star - Manila, Philippines, 23 August 2009
MANILA, Philippines - An indigenous tree, the petroleum nut (Pittosporum
resiniferum), abundant in the highland Cordilleras (Northern Philippines) was
found as an alternative fuel source.
Pine Tree, a non-government organization (NGO) in the province of
Benguet (part of the Cordillera region), is paving the way for the mass
propagation of the petroleum nut whose fruit is a good source of biofuel.
Petroleum nut grows abundantly in Benguet and the borders of
Mountain Province, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya area. The tree is called apisang
or abkel in Benguet; dael or dingo in Mountain Province and sagaga in Abra.
Dr. Michael Bengwayan, director of Pine Tree, said about 30,000 petroleum nut
seedlings have been produced and are ready for distribution.
Pine Tree initiated the mass propagation of the petroleum nut to
benefit farmers and help address the global problem on climate change through
the production of alternative fuel resources.
The fruit of the petroleum nut, Bengwayan said, has an octane
rating of 54, which is higher than that of India's jatropha (Jatropha
curcas). The oil produced by the petroleum nut fruits is intended for
lighting and cooking purposes. When mixed with kerosene on a 3:1 ratio, 20
centiliters of the petroleum nut oil could burn for up to four hours.
A study by the Forest Research Institute of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) claimed petroleum nut oil contains
46 percent of gasoline-type components such as heptane (45 percent) and
dihydroterpene. Bengwayan said one petroleum nut tree could yield 15
kilograms of fruits, which could produce up to 80 cubic centiliters of oil.
Bengwayan also said 23 farmers from Kapangan and Kibungan have
been trained to propagate the tree. Pine Tree now maintains a nursery at
Longlong, La Trinidad where petroleum nut seedlings were first mass
propagated after years of research.
Bengwayan though urges farmers to also learn to store the
petroleum nut seeds because it is endemic only to some areas in the country.
"Seed banking is important so that the indigenous peoples in the region could
protect the plant from biopiracy," said Bengwayan.
The petroleum nut is on the list of protected species of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES).
For full story, please see:
www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=498583&publicationSubCategoryId=473
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18. Thailand: From honey to fragrant soap
Source: Thai News Agency MCOT, 26 August 2009
Once flooded with a honey oversupply, local beekeepers in Thailand's northern
province of Phitsanulok have come up with innovative way to turn the amber
nectar into new value-added consumer products to generate extra income.
Here in this picturesque, flower-filled countryside, the quantity
of honey that can be collected amounts to as much as 4.5 tonnes every year.
But as sales volumes have dropped and raising prices was not a way out, the
apiarists or honey farmers of Baan Naam Ab Community Enterprise Group in the
provincial seat have added value to their commodity, moving from selling only
bottled honey to other goods which require more processing.
Thanks to the knowledge provided by Phitsanulok's Naresuan
University, local beekeepers have been trained to make honey soap for
additional income without wasting the sometime overabundance of pure honey
received from over 200 local beehives, painstakingly collected from the
nectar of longan flowers, a product which is considered as being top world
quality.
The apiarists have succeeded in developing natural honey soap
bars with a special formula using pure honey as a 30 per cent of the total
soap substance. To make a different product, they add bee pollen and powdered
turmeric so the soap becomes a skin moisturiser as well. Liquid honey soap
using a formula of 40 per cent honey was also created with a delicate texture
and a pure honey aroma. This product alone triples the value of the sweet
liquid, a value-added plus.
"Pure honey can be sold to a wholesale company at around 70 baht
per kilo. So that means, you'll be getting 70,000 baht from a tonne of honey.
But If you bottle it and process it yourself, then your value-added goods,
made out of a tonne of honey, will be worth around 200,000 baht".
"A bottle of honey can produce up to around 200 honey soap bars.
A solid soap bar is sold at 25 baht to wholesalers and 35 baht to retailers",
said Dao Ganget, chairperson of the Beekeepers at Baan Naam Ab Community
Enterprise Group. The honey farmers here are determined to keep developing
their commodities. They believe there are still a lot of marketing channels
out there for their goods, as bee products, namely honey, royal jelly, and
bee pollen, have long been well-known and accepted for their medicinal,
nutritional and moisturizing properties.
Local residents are currently experimenting with bee pollen soap,
as its main property is to help cure asthma. Despite the fact that people may
consume less pure honey, but when it comes to processed honey with many
properties, at least those loving to pamper themselves, will find these honey
products simply irresistible.
For full story, please see: http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=11503
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19. Thailand: Indigenous traditions derailed
Source: Bangkok Post, 26 August 2009
To the casual observer Isaranun Wongprapassorn seemed happy and care free,
decked out in traditional Mien dress adorned with silver ornaments and
smiling as she marched in a parade celebrating the International Day of the
World's Indigenous People held in Chiang Mai recently. But afterward when she
was asked about the role of indigenous women in forest management, her eyes
became moist and her face showed her distress. "We have no more forest to
manage, they [forestry officers] cut all of our trees, including the coffee
trees which are our major source of income,'' said Ms Isaranun, biting her
lip to fight back the tears.
Tribal people and officials in Thailand have long been in
conflict over forest management. While officials believe this should rest
squarely in their hands, indigenous people assert their right to access the
forest and its natural resources. Indigenous people are adamant that they are
custodians and not destroyers of the forests, and that the damage is being
done by outside intervention which they have no control over.
Mien people, like other ethnic groups, have their own ways to
manage the forest. ``My parents told me that the place where we cannot
cultivate is the head of the water [watershed area]. We must conserve such
areas, which we call kemmengdeer,'' said Ms Isaranun, adding that the Mien
classify forests into 13 types, each with its own functions. She said the
knowledge of forest, soil and animals in the forest is passed from generation
to generation. ``But unfortunately, I cannot tell my child about the
guardians of the sky, forest, earth, water, trees and so on. I have no chance
to worship those guardians, as we were uprooted,'' said the young mother,
adding that the place they were relocated to is non-arable land and ``hardly
yields a grain of rice''.
Ms Isaranun and her neighbours were evicted from Doi Luang
National Park, in Chiang Rai province, and resettled on land in Wang Mai
village in Lampang provided by the government. At first the forestry
officials allowed them to cultivate and harvest their coffee trees at their
old homeland. They traversed the 15 km on foot. But after two years more
groups of people encroached into the forests around their old homelands and
the government, feeling that things were getting out of control, banned all
activities in this part of the forest. What's more, they cut down the coffee
trees.
Traditional forest management by indigenous peoples has been
derailed by disruptions from the outside world in the form of state policies
and regulations, modern development, new modes of production and so on, all
of which put the way of life of indigenous peoples in jeopardy. Aaeri
Tungmuangthong, a Karen from Mae Wang district in Chiang Mai, told of the
capital-oriented market mechanisms that have led many tribal people to
practice mono-crop culture, something which was rare or nonexistent in the
past.
The Karen's forest management methods are well known among the
different indigenous groups, and their culture and traditions are being
studied by many academics. The studies reveal the Karen's ability to live in
harmony with the forest. But Ms Aaeri told about changes which are troubling
her people. ``Many of us have left our traditional way of self-sufficiency
behind and started growing mono crops because they bring more money.
Certainly many of us need cash,'' she said, ``especially young people.'' She
expressed her concern that the younger generation is losing touch with the
forest management ways of the Karen people.
A number of women interviewed expressed concern that if they are
prevented from accessing the land and other natural resources it will make it
very difficult to pass on their traditions to the younger generation. ``If we
cannot commit fully to our traditions, such as worshiping the guardians of
the forest or the mountains, this will affect our young. How can they learn
and fully appreciate who we are?'' said Wipa Srilimpanon, a Lisu women's
leader from Chiang Mai.
For full story, please see:
www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/152715/indigenous-traditions-derailed
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20. Uganda: Charcoal burning threatens Shea Tree (Butyrospermum parkii)
Source: AllAfrica.com, 30 August 2009
Kampala - Cultural law protects it. Village elders forbid their people from
cutting it. Locals say if the tree is cut, a drought will descend upon the
land and a curse unto the cutter. But, today, despite all the efforts of the
local leaders, the much adored tree in this northern part of the country is
under threat. Yet, with its natural ability to yield nuts for up to 300 years
and produce oil, the shea nut tree is but a godsend to the locals here.
When people lived in Internally Displaced People's camps (IDP)
camps, the bylaw protecting the shea nut tree was disregarded. Elders were
dispersed, diluting their power, and rebels made searching for firewood
highly dangerous. As a result, people in IDPs cut down the trees closest to
the camp, and the much honoured shea nut tree was not spared. Today, the land
around camps is alarmingly dry and treeless.
Adding to this pressure, the charcoal trade is booming as peace
reigns and people return to their homes. "Before the camps, people were going
for agriculture, but now they need immediate money so they turn to charcoal
burning and selling," says Samuel Abwola, the district forestry officer in
Gulu.
In the past, charcoal burning was considered a lowly job but as
harvests fail under the scorching sun, for many it has become the only source
of livelihood. "Women, men, young, old, anyone can charcoal. It just needs
energy," says Abwola.
Hardwoods, like the shea nut tree, are especially popular because
they produce heavy charcoal that burns for a long time and produces strong
heat. Despite the booming charcoal trade and the desirable charcoaling
qualities of the shea nut tree, some village elders are trying to implement
the cultural law protecting the tree once more.
Akena John Bosco has been burning charcoal in his village of
Loyoajong for the past three months. He does the charcoal burning all by
himself, from cutting the tree, to heating it in the traditional kiln to
packing it in plastic sacks. He does not cut down the shea nut trees for
charcoal because of the strong leadership in his village. "When you cut a
shea nut tree, the local leaders demand a fine of sh50,000 or ask you to
slaughter a goat," he says, as he covers his charcoal sack with dry grass.
The shea nut oil is central to the northern way of life. Most
women in Loyoajong make shea oil, which is used for cooking and moisturising
babies' skin. Mothers send their children out to collect the nuts, which they
then dry, pound, and cook to obtain the oil. According to a village elder,
Nyeko Livingstone, 69, the oil is also used in many traditional ceremonies.
"When someone dies of an illness, the surviving family members are smeared
with shea," he says.
Despite the growing protection of certain species, trees are
turning to charcoal. According to Abwola, local leaders should be supported
in their efforts but tree protection is not enough. "We want to have people
come together to replant the area where they cut trees for charcoaling," he
says, adding that without replanting, the trees will disappear, and so will
the charcoal trade.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908310835.html
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21. USA: First National Honey Bee Awareness Day
Source: USDA.gov, 20 August 2009
In recognition of the crucial role that honey bees play in pollinating
agricultural crops, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared Saturday
22 August as the first National Honey Bee Awareness Day. Bee pollination is
responsible for $15 billion in added crop value and is an essential component
of the production of more than 90 food crops - particularly specialty crops
such as almonds and other nuts, fruits and vegetables. At the same time the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently working to
address challenges impacting U.S. honeybees, which could have a reverberating
impact across the agricultural industry.
"Honey bees are critical to the process of pollination of our
crops throughout our country and an important part of maintaining a stable
and sustainable ecosystem," Vilsack said. "Honey Bee Awareness Day will help
highlight this important role, as well as the significant threat honey bees
now face from the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder."
As early as October 2006, some beekeepers began reporting losses
of 30-90 percent of their hives. While colony losses are not unexpected
during winter weather, the magnitude of loss suffered by some beekeepers was
highly unusual. This phenomenon, which currently does not have a recognizable
underlying cause, has been termed colony collapse disorder. The main symptom
is simply no or a low number of adult honey bees present, a live queen and no
dead honey bees in the hive. Often there is still honey in the hive.
Given the impact that colony collapse disorder could have on the
agricultural industry, Congress legislated that USDA develop an annual report
about its ongoing efforts on this subject as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.
For full story, please see:
www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2
009/08/0394.xml
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
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nternet%20Files\OLK119\www.usda.gov\wps\portal\!ut\p\_s.7_0_A\7_0_1OB%3fconte
ntidonly=true&contentid=2009\08\0394.xml>
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NEWS
22. Acacia tree can boost crops across Africa
Source: AllAfrica.com, 27 August 2009
Nairobi - African farmers could triple yields by planting a type of acacia
tree that sheds its nitrogen-rich leaves in time for the growing season
alongside their crops.
The fast-growing, hardy species, Faidherbia albida, which has
common names including apple-ring acacia and ana tree, also has a wide range
of other benefits, according to Dennis Garrity, director general of the World
Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. "Besides organic fertiliser and
livestock fodder for farmers, it also acts as a windbreak, provides wood for
fuel and construction and cuts erosion by loosening the soil to absorb water
during the rainy season," he said at the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry
in Nairobi this week (24 August). "The tree becomes dormant and sheds its
leaves during the early rainy season at the time when seeds need fertiliser
and regrows them at the beginning of the dry season, so not competing with
crops for light," Garrity told SciDev.Net. Planting the trees can nearly
triple yields, he says. In Malawi, maize yields under the acacia canopy are
280 per cent higher than outside it.
The acacia variety is already grown on farms in western Africa,
as well as in Ethiopia, Malawi and Tanzania. But uptake has been minimal in
other parts of Africa. Despite 60 years of research and more than 700
scientific publications on F. albida, few farmers - especially in parts of
eastern and central Africa - know of its potential.
As Garrity notes, the tree can thrive in a wide range of
conditions and is suitable for planting across the continent. He says the
lack of knowledge about the acacia highlights a need for research agencies to
find more effective ways to reach farmers. Governments must also invest in
generating and communicating research, he adds.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green
Belt Movement in Kenya, says that the lack of extension services that tap
into agroforestry science from research institutions and universities and
then pass information to smallholders is a great disservice to the quest for
food security in Africa. There is a pressing need to communicate research
findings to farmers in languages they can understand, Maathai says
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908280924.html
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23. Africa needs agroforestry to cut forest emissions
Source: Africa Sustainable Development (AFRICASD), 27 August 2009
The conflict between conserving environments and improving livelihoods is
constricting efforts for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest
Degradation (REDD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. But agroforestry - managing trees
with agricultural production - could help.
The Financial Times calls the carbon market the world's fastest
growing commodity market - with agriculture, forestry and other land use
playing an increasingly important role. The idea behind REDD is simple - pay
countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degraded lands.
But working out practical solutions that meet key Millennium Development
Goals - namely, to end extreme poverty and hunger, and ensure environmental
sustainability - remains difficult.
Developing countries' quest for food security through
agricultural expansion often leads to deforestation and forest degradation.
The main challenge for much of Sub-Saharan Africa is how to design
agricultural landscapes to resolve livelihood-environment conflict and
maintain forests' ecosystem benefits such as water storage, erosion control,
biodiversity conservation and soil rehabilitation. The way forward is to
integrate climate and livelihood, adaptation and mitigation, REDD and
agriculture. Agroforestry should be a key component of this approach.
Integrating trees into agricultural landscapes on a massive scale would
create an effective carbon sink while ensuring sustainable food production,
and would help adapt to climate change in other ways too.
Tree-based systems are much better at accumulating carbon, above
and below ground, than pure agriculture. A 'green investment' project in
India has demonstrated how to harness tree planting for carbon off-setting.
Tree and carbon experts from the World Agroforestry Centre suggest that a
billion hectares of farmland (much of it in developing countries) could be
turned into carbon-rich agricultural landscapes, potentially sequestering 50
billion tonnes of carbon dioxide - a third of the carbon reduction challenge.
Of course, saving carbon is not usually the top priority for
small-holder farmers- but agroforestry can contribute many of the other
benefits farmers want too. For example, a meta-analysis of 94 scientific
publications - conducted by World Agroforestry Centre researchers and
published in Plant and Soil in 2008 - indicates that using 'fertilizer trees'
that capture nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil can reduce the
need for commercial nitrogen fertilizers by 75 per cent while doubling crop
yields. If combined with other soil fertility management, such as
conservation agriculture, fertiliser trees can significantly boost
sustainable soil health and increase food security. A diverse tree cover can
also increase agroecosystems' resilience towards drought, pest and disease
and other threats on food production induced by climate change.
If REDD - or indeed, any other effort to mitigate climate change
- is to succeed, it must recognise rural livelihood priorities and focus on
providing a 'stream of benefits'. Agroforestry tree planting offers this,
from tree products such as fruits, medicines and wood to ecosystem benefits
such as pollination, water storage and erosion control. Deliberately creating
opportunities for non-timber tree products is a robust way of reducing risks
and diversifying options for agroforestry. But this will require putting the
right trees, markets, policies and institutions in place.
` Another challenge for local communities in the South is getting
paid for the carbon they sequester. Experience shows that qualifying and
registering for initiatives such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) -
and, more likely than not for REDD - involves technical hurdles that hinder
wide participation by land users from the South. Excellent toolkits, such as
the EU-funded project for designing CDM forestry projects, ENCOFOR, can help.
The World Agroforestry Centre is also helping develop capacity to use
satellite data and new hi-tech measurement techniques to remotely calculate
carbon stocks across millions of square kilometres of agricultural land and
forests. Nevertheless, the challenges remain.
Carbon off-setting schemes such as REDD could both improve the
environment and generate income. We believe the sustainable landscape of the
future in Sub-Saharan Africa will have to be tree-based to guarantee
achieving the dual goals of sustainable livelihoods and environments. However
it is essential to urge policymakers to recognise agroforestry as an
important win-win solution.
The first steps will be to scale-up existing proven and
integrated tree-based practices such as combining conservation agriculture
with agroforestry on farmlands - what we now call "evergreen agriculture" -
to achieve 'high carbon stock' and sustainable food security and livelihoods.
This will need sound decision support mechanisms from researchers - supported
by policymakers for effective implementation -that build on knowledge,
partnerships and capacity at all scales. It also involves providing start-up
inputs of quality seeds, nursery, training and extension materials, product
markets, carbon credits, payment for environmental services and other
financial stimuli for farmers.
For full story, please see:
www.africasd.org/2009/08/africa-needs-agroforestry-to-cut-forest.html
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.africasd.org\2009\08
\africa-needs-agroforestry-to-cut-forest.html>
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24. Conservation Leadership Programme Awards: Call for Applications
2010
Source: Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), 17 September 2009
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is now accepting applications for
2010 Conservation Awards. The CLP aims to promote the development of emerging
conservation leaders and equip them with the capacity to address the most
pressing conservation issues of our time. We do this by providing small
grants, training, mentoring and networking opportunities, where award winners
gain practical skills and experience and develop leadership capabilities
through the implementation of projects focused on high-priority biodiversity
conservation issues.
The CLP is a partnership of four international conservation
organizations - Birdlife International, Conservation International, Fauna &
Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society - with support from
multinational energy company BP. The CLP has been helping young
conservationists to achieve their goals and move into positions of influence
within the conservation sector - and 2010 marks the 25th Anniversary of this
highly successful program!
This year we are happy to announce that we will be accepting
applications from teams working across Africa, Asia, Eastern and
South-eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific, Latin America and the
Caribbean. Countries that are NOT ELIGIBLE include those countries designated
as high-income economies
<http://maildogmanager.com/link.html?url=306&client=bpcp&campaign=98&email=ch
antlat@bp.com> by the World Bank, with the exception of island nations in
the Pacific and Caribbean and some countries in the Middle East. If you have
any questions about eligible countries, please contact the CLP.
Available awards include:
* Future Conservationist Awards: Approximately 20 awards of up to $12,500
each
* Conservation Follow-up Awards: Approximately 5 awards of up to $25,000
each (available only to previous CLP award winners)
* Conservation Leadership Awards: 2 awards of $50,000 each (available only
to previous CLP award winners)
The application deadline is 6 November 2009 for ALL applications,
and awards will be announced in March 2010. Please visit the CLP website
<http://maildogmanager.com/link.html?url=307&client=bpcp&campaign=98&email=ch
antlat@bp.com> for detailed eligibility criteria, guidelines and an
application form.
All teams submitting an application will receive feedback on
their proposal*. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a member of
the CLP team well before the application deadline for advice on project
eligibility, methods and project activities. The CLP can also put teams in
touch with local partner offices or other experts who can provide additional
advice.
A representative from each award-winning team will be invited to
attend an international training event and the International Congress for
Conservation Biology in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in June/July 2010 organized
by the CLP. These events will allow winners to share ideas and experience,
develop new skills and network with their peers and experts.
*If you are interested in participating in the application review process,
please send an email with your name, contact details, countries and regions
where you have worked and taxonomic expertise.
Have additional questions or seeking advice? Email
clp@birdlife.org for more information.
For full story, please see:
www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/ApplyNow.asp
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.conservationleadersh
ipprogramme.org\ApplyNow.asp>
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25. Ecotourism: Drought, poaching kill 100 elephants in Kenya
Source: Enviornmental News Network, 10 September 2009
NAIROBI, Kenya - Poaching and drought-related hunger have killed more than
100 of Kenya's famous elephants in the north of the country so far this year,
conservationists say.
Zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who founded Save the Elephants,
said the drought is Kenya's worst in 12 years. The dry conditions pose a
serious threat to the large and majestic animals, whose striking silhouettes
across Kenya's broad savannah draw around one million tourists each year.
"When (elephants) do not have enough food they also seem to be vulnerable to
disease, their immune system weakens and they catch all sorts of diseases,"
Douglas-Hamilton said Monday. "Elephants, particularly the young and the old,
have begun to die."
Douglas-Hamilton also says poaching has increased and links the
surge to last year's decision by international regulatory body CITES to allow
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to conduct one-off sales of
their confiscated ivory stockpiles. The body had previously banned such
sales. Conservationists fear illegal ivory may find its way into those
stockpiles. Although Kenya was not included in the sale, Douglas-Hamilton
said any ivory sales immediately push up global demand, since elephants could
be killed in Kenya and their tusks smuggled into a foreign stockpile.
Around 23,000 elephants live in Kenya but populations can be
devastated by poaching within a couple of years. A recent survey in Chad
showed its elephant population had declined from 3,800 to just over 600 in
the past three years. "The drought is one of nature's big events," he said.
"It hits all animals, elephants, people and others but the ivory trade is
much more serious and could do much more damage if it remains unchecked."
Patrick Omondi, head of conservation at the Kenya Wildlife
Service, has said the number of elephants killed for their tusks in Kenya
could double this year over last. That follows a doubling in 2008 over 2007,
he added.
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40461
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.enn.com\top_stories\
article\40461>
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26. Launch of FAO'S ACP-FLEGT Support Programme
From: Robert Simpson, FAO's ACP-FLEGT
FAO has announced the first call for proposals and direct assistance to
government institutions through the "Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and
Trade Support Programme to African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries
(ACP-FLEGT Support Programme)." At the same time we have launched our
website that provides all necessary information to apply for assistance
through the programme www.fao.org/forestry/acp-flegt. The programme will
provide support to ACP country stakeholder groups to implement projects that
address forest sector FLEGT-related issues and is funded through the European
Commission.
The call for proposals is open to the three programme stakeholder
groups: government institutions, civil society organizations and private
sector organizations working in the forest sector. Proposals may be submitted
for pilot projects or for technical assistance up to the deadline on 6
November, 2009.
Direct assistance requests will be accepted anytime, but are only
open to government institutions.
Please contact Mr Robert Simpson (robert.simpson@fao.org) or Mr.
Marc Vandenhaute (marc.vandenhaute@fao.org) with any questions about the
programme or the call for proposals and other assistance.
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27. Non-wood News
From: Tina Etherington, FAO's NWFP Programme
FAO's NWFP programme has just published the latest issue of Non-Wood News
(no. 19), our annual bulletin covering all aspects of NWFP. The two Special
Features in this issue highlight "Marketing of traditional NWFPs" and
"Berries".
Copies are being sent to everybody on our mailing list. If you
are not on our list and would like to receive a hard copy, please send an
Email to: non-wood-news@fao.org <mailto:non-wood-news@fao.org>
An electronic version will shortly be available from our NWFP
home page: www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/newsle-e.stm
<http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/newsle-e.stm>
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28. World's last great forest under threat
Source: Science Daily, 25 August 2009
The world's last remaining "pristine" forest -- the boreal forest across
large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries -- is under
increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found.
The researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia,
Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada and the National University of
Singapore have called for the urgent preservation of existing boreal forests
in order to secure biodiversity and prevent the loss of this major global
carbon sink.
The boreal forest comprises about one-third of the world's
forested area and one-third of the world's stored carbon, covering a large
proportion of Russia, Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia. To date it has remained
largely intact because of the typically sparse human populations in boreal
regions. That is now changing says researchers and co-authors Associate
Professor Corey Bradshaw, University of Adelaide, Associate Professor Ian
Warkentin, Memorial University, and Professor Navjot Sodhi, National
University of Singapore. "Much world attention has focused on the loss and
degradation of tropical forests over the past three decades, but now the
boreal forest is poised to become the next Amazon," says Associate Professor
Bradshaw, from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.
"Historically, fire and insects have driven the natural dynamics
of boreal ecosystems," says Associate Professor Warkentin. "But with rising
demand for resources, human disturbances caused by logging, mining and urban
development have increased in these forests during recent years, with
extensive forest loss for some regions and others facing heavy fragmentation
and exploitation."
The findings have been published online in Trends in Ecology and
Evolution in a paper called "Urgent preservation of boreal carbon stocks and
biodiversity". The findings include:
* Fire is the main driver of change and increased human activity is
leading to more fires. There is also evidence that climate change is
increasing the frequency and possibly the extent of fires in the boreal zone.
* Few countries are reporting an overall change in the coverage by
boreal forest but the degree of fragmentation is increasing with only about
40% of the total forested area remaining "intact".
* Russian boreal forest is the most degraded and least "intact" and has
suffered the greatest decline in the last few decades.
* Countries with boreal forest are protecting less than 10% of their
forests from timber exploitation, except for Sweden where the figure is about
20%.
For full story, please see:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825090755.htm
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
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eases\2009\08\090825090755.htm>
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REQUESTS
29. Request for contributions to the next issue of Non-wood News
From: Tina Etherington, FAO's NWFP Programme
We are seeking contributions on any aspect of NWFP for inclusion in the next
issue of Non-wood News. We would be particularly interested in receiving
information and articles covering: (a) NWFPs and food security; and (b) NWFPs
and health.
Articles can be in French, Spanish or English and should be no
longer than 500 words. Please send your contributions to
non-wood-news@fao.org <mailto:non-wood-news@fao.org> by 15 October 2009.
Past issues of Non-wood News are available from the NWFP home
page: www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/nwfp-e.stm
<http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOP/FOPW/NWFP/nwfp-e.stm%20>
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30. Request for information: on Seabuckthorn
From: Arshad Khan, arshad_samk@hotmail.com
I am looking for a journal on physio-chemical and antimicrobial properties of
seabuckthorn.
If you can help, please contact me at arshad_samk@hotmail.com
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EVENTS
2009 NTFR Forum
6 November 2009
Nanaimo, Canada
Please join us for a day of learning and information sharing, linking
research, policy and economic opportunities to build a stronger, sustainable
non-timber forest resources sector.
Workshop themes will explore:
* The values of working together;
* Collaborative community based research;
* Models for NTFR-based community development; and
* Policy and resource management.
The Forum connects people from across Canada to discuss emerging
issues and sets the stage for informed approaches to developing a sustainable
wild products sector. There is something for everyone: whether you are new to
the sector or a seasoned practitioner, come discover a future beneath the
trees.
For more information, please contact:
E-mail: bcwild@royalroads.ca <mailto:bcwild@royalroads.ca>
http://buybcwild.com/2009-ntfr-forum <http://buybcwild.com/2009-ntfr-forum>
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LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
32. Other publications of interest
From: FAO's NWFP Programme
Marshall Elaine, Chandrasekharan Cherukat. 2009. Non-Farm income from NWFP
FAO Diversification Booklets Vol 12 2009
Farm or non-farm enterprises that can increase income and enhance livelihoods
is the subject of an FAO booklet series. This booklet aims to raise awareness
and provide information to support decision-making about local-level
opportunities to diversify income sources of small-scale farmers. It focuses
on non-farm income from NWFPs.
To access this and other booklets in the series, please see:
www.fao.org/Ag/AGS/publications/en/diversification.html
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.fao.org\Ag\AGS\publi
cations\en\diversification.html>
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33. Web sites and e-zines
From: FAO's NWFP Programme
CLIM-FO Climate Change and Forestry
CLIM-FO-L is a monthly e-newsletter on forests and climate change.
For more information on CLIM-FO, including copies of all past issues, please
visit www.fao.org/forestry/54538/en/.
Thinking Beyond the Canopy
Thinking beyond the canopy is a bulletin of news and commentary from CIFOR
delivered direct to your inbox. Our research spans governance, poverty and
environmental issues. You will receive new issues of Thinking beyond the
canopy whenever we have an important story to tell.
If you are interested in receiving this e-letter in French or
Spanish, please contact CIFOR-newsletter@cgiar.org
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\CIFOR-newsletter@cgiar.o
rg>
For more information, please contact:
James Clarke, Media Liaison and Outreach mMnager, at j.clarke@cgiar.org
<mailto:j.clarke@cgiar.org> .
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MISCELLANEOUS
34. Lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats discovered in Papua New
Guinea
Source: Envioronmental News Network, 9 September 2009
A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea
found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the
kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat
teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last
erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of
exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been
recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat,
which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.
The discoveries are being seen as fresh evidence of the richness
of the world's rainforests and the explorers hope their finds will add weight
to calls for international action to prevent the demise of similar
ecosystems. They said Papua New Guinea's rainforest is currently being
destroyed at the rate of 3.5% a year. "It was mind-blowing to be there and it
is clearly time we pulled our finger out and decided these habitats are worth
us saving," said Dr George McGavin who headed the expedition.
The team of biologists included experts from Oxford University,
the London Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution and are believed to be the
first scientists to enter the mountainous Bosavi crater. They were joined by
members of the BBC Natural History Unit which filmed the expedition for a
three-part documentary which starts tomorrow night.
They found the three-kilometre wide crater populated by
spectacular birds of paradise and in the absence of big cats and monkeys,
which are found in the remote jungles of the Amazon and Sumatra, the main
predators are giant monitor lizards while kangaroos have evolved to live in
trees. New species include a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish
called the Henamo grunter, named because it makes grunting noises from its
swim bladder.
"These discoveries are really significant," said Steve Backshall,
a climber and naturalist who became so friendly with the never-before seen
Bosavi silky cuscus, a marsupial that lives up trees and feeds on fruits and
leaves, that it sat on his shoulder. "The world is getting an awful lot
smaller and it is getting very hard to find places that are so far off the
beaten track."
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40455
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\etheringto\Local%20Settings\etheringto
\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK26\www.enn.com\top_stories\
article\40455>
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35. Orangutans use leaves to mislead predators
Source: Times of India, 6 August 2009
Wild orangutans in Borneo hold leaves to their mouths to make their voices
sound deeper than they actually are, a new study shows, making them the only
animal apart from humans known to use tools to manipulate sound.
The orangutan's music, if you can call it that, is actually an
alarm call known as a 'kiss squeak'. "When you're walking the forest and you
meet an orang-utan that not habituated to humans, they'll start giving kiss
squeaks and breaking branches," says Madeleine Hardus, a primatologist at the
University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, who has spent years documenting the
practice among wild apes in Indonesian Borneo.
She contends that orang-utans use leaves to make 'kiss squeaks'
to deceive predators, such as leopards, snakes and tigers, as to their actual
size - a deeper call indicating a larger animal.
Orangutans also produce 'kiss squeaks' with their lips alone or
with their hands. To determine if the leaves make a difference, Hardus's team
recorded a total of 813 calls produced by nine apes, and then measured the
pitch of the different kinds of 'kiss squeaks' made by each animal, the Daily
Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
Across all nine orangutans, the unaided 'kiss squeaks' came out
with the highest pitch, followed by calls produced when the apes put their
hands over their mouths. But leaves lowered the high-pitched calls the most,
Hardus' team found. What's more, the orang-utans that were unaccustomed to
Hardus' team produced leaf calls at far higher rates than apes that were used
to humans.
"It looks like orang-utans try to deceive the predator when using
the 'kiss squeaks' on leaves, because orangutans only use it when they're
highly distressed," she says
For full story, please see:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/science/Orangutans-only-musicians-in-
the-animal-world/articleshow/4861517.cms
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