NWFP-Digest-L
No. 5/10
Welcome to FAO's NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all aspects of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en.
You can take part in contributing to the continued success of this newsletter by sharing with the NWFP community any news that you may have regarding research, events, publications and projects. Kindly send such information to NWFP-Digest-L@mailserv.fao.org. We also appreciate any comments or feedback.
A special thank you to all those who have sent me links to information and also to Giulia Muir for her help with this issue.
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2. Bamboo: Philippines turns taxis green
3. Candelilla wax: regulating trade
4. Cinnamon: More cinnamon, less Cancer
5. Cinnamon: Here's why you should have cinnamon
6. Cork (Quercus suber): Safer, greener cars ‑ cork may be better than polymer foam
7. Ginseng: Wonder of the world
8. Maple Syrup: Scientists highlight health benefits of pure maple syrup
9. Medicinal Plants: Human health linked directly to forest health
10. Medicinal plants: The benefits of Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
11. Medicinal plants: Unlocking keys to herbal medicines
12. Moringa (Moringa oleifera): Fight malnutrition by eating moringa
13. Mushrooms: Cordyceps sinensis is an effective cancer treatment, says new research
14. Sea buckthorn leaves (Hippophae rhamnoides) may help treat liver disease
15. Truffles: Researchers unlock truffle genome
16. Vegetable ivory: Nutty jewellery
17. Armenia: How trees are restoring hope
18. Canada: Increasing recognition of value of NTFPs
19. Cambodia: Villagers turn from hunting to ecotourism
20. China's illegal wildlife trade in tigers, turtles and timber
21. Congo Basin: Rare animals being "eaten to extinction"
22. Ethiopia: The economic potential of ecotourism
23. Guatemala: Rainforest Alliance's certification more effective than protection
24. Indonesia: Customary laws protect forest better than government does, says study
25. Tajikistan: Mulberry ‑ On the roof of the world
26. Trinidad and Tobago: Forests…much more than timber
27. United States: The trouble with Oregon's truffles
28. Vietnam: Illegal bushmeat, wildlife trafficking at alarming levels
29. African resilience to climate change: biodiversity conservation and enhancing traditional knowledge
30. ICIMOD Photo Contest – Mountain Biodiversity
31. Internet is biggest threat to endangered species, say conservationists
32. Saving forests, cultures and carbon dioxide
33. Smallholder and community forestry: forests may depend on survival of native people
34. The keys to forest conservation
35. UNECE and FAO Launch Data Collection on Europe's Forests
36. Forestry, Biomass and Sustainability 2010
37. IX Congreso Internacional de Manejo de Fauna de la Amazonía y América Latina
38. Restoring the world's forests and tackling climate change
39. International Conference on Biodiversity Conservation in Transboundary Tropical Forests
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEBSITES
40. FAO publishes key findings of global forest resources assessment
41. Indian University catalogues rare medicinal plants
42. Mushrooms ‑ edible and medicinal
43. Research into Use (RIU): Managing Africa's Medicinal Plants
44. Other publications of interest
46. International Mountain Day theme 2010: Call for proposals
47. Eggshell of extinct giant bird provides ancient DNA
48. Culture not clear-cuts are forests' biggest threat
49. Nobel Laureate Maathai warns on forest destruction
50. Rise in poaching pushes CITES to vote "no" to ivory sales
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Source: The Peninsula (Qatar), 15 March 2010
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries should take the right choice immediately to protect the depleting Agarwood resources. The Agarwood trade industry with its billion dollar value is in high need of proper management for its sustainable continuation, according to an expert.
"The CITES conference is an important turning point for Agarwood conservation and trade as some of the major consumers are in the region," said James Compton, Asia-Pacific Programme Coordinator for TRAFFIC - a wildlife trade monitoring network.
"There should be a collaborative management between both the consumer counties and the producers. If consumer countries like GCC states, Taiwan (Republic of China), Japan and others make the right choice and commitment now, a long lasting change will happen. If something is not done in five years the chance for a sustainable trade is very low," he told The Peninsula.
Agarwood, an aromatic wood, is at threat of depletion in the wild. In 1995, one species of Agarwood was listed in CITES Appendix II, meaning that trade could continue, but a CITES export permit is required. Later in 2004, all the Agarwood species were also added to the list.
Although overall trade volumes of the wood may appear small in "timber trade" terms, they are not small in monetary terms. Agarwood chips and segments may sell for several hundred to several thousand US dollars per kg. In Qatari market, 18g of the wood can cost QR500. The wood is mainly used to make customary perfume and for other cultural purposes in the region. The demand for the wood is high due to its medicinal, religious, cultural and aromatic value throughout the world, mainly within Asia.
"The trade history of the wood goes back centuries, and hence there is a huge mis-management as it does not look into having a trade system which can ensure the conservation of the Agarwood reserves. This is a key CITES issue," said Compton.
Also the quality and quantity of the Agarwood from the wild is going down due to extreme exploitation. "People are looking to make money out of this kind of harvesting; hence that is also another challenge for CITES to differentiate between wild and the domestic species," he said.
Consumer countries including Qatar should work together with the producers to ensure an Agarwood industry which encourages legal and sustainable trade and curbs the black market.
For full story, please see: www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=March2010&file=Local_News201003156550.xml
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2. Bamboo: Philippines town turns taxis green
Source: www.greencarreports.com, 19 March 2010
The Philippine town of Tabontabon, in the province of Leyte, has commissioned taxis whose bodies are made of indigenous bamboo. Not only, they burn biodiesel fuel made from locally available nut oils. The "ECO taxis" built by Tabontabon Organic Transport Industry [TOTI] come in two sizes: ECO1 seats 20, while ECO2 carries eight passengers. Each runs for eight hours on a gallon of biodiesel, such as coconut oil.
Tabontabon mayor Rustico Balderian is the inspiration behind the unusual vehicles, which are 90 percent bamboo. They provide employment opportunities for local youth, and safer transport for families who otherwise ride four or five together on a single motorcycle. A third vehicle, ECO3—which will also be derived from indigenous bamboo—is now under construction.
For full story, please see: www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043593_biodiesel-bamboo-cabs-philippines-town-turns-taxis-green
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3. Candelilla wax: regulating trade
Source: Gulf Times (Qatar), 15 March 2010
Top experts attending the ongoing triennial CITES meeting will consider how best to regulate trade in wild plants and products made out of them.
Musical instruments, cancer medicines, emulsions, polishes, gums, cosmetics and many other products contain wild plants protected by CITES, including the big-leaf mahogany.
The CITES member-states will also discuss the merits of removing the controls for lipsticks and other products containing candelilla wax (Euphorbiaceae family).
Products containing candelilla wax are traded in enormous quantities through a complex supply chain. Relaxing the current controls on finished products containing candelilla would allow enforcement officers to focus on the smuggling of illegal timber and other endangered plants from their natural habitats.
Candelilla is a shrubby plant whose natural range extends from the southwest of the US (New Mexico and Texas) to Mexico, having densely clustered stems that yield the multipurpose candelilla wax. Its distinct properties make it an essential raw material in a wide array of cosmetics (especially lipsticks), inks, dyes, adhesives, coatings, emulsions, polishes, pharmaceutical products and gum base.
To date, Mexico seems to be the only country exporting candelilla wax. However, some of the wax is exported to the US, from where traders re-export it to Europe or the Far East, sometimes without the mandatory CITES re-export certificates.
For full story, please see:
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4. Cinnamon: More cinnamon, less cancer
Source: The Toronto Sun (Canada), 22 March 2010
Several types of spices contain large amounts of cancer-fighting compounds that could help in the prevention of the disease.
In addition to the well-known health properties of tumeric and ginger, a recent study suggests that cinnamon could be equally useful in reducing tumour growth by blocking the formation of new vessels using a process called angiogenesis.
The spice is made from the inner skin of the Cinnamonum verum, a shrub that belongs to the laurel family. To harvest the spice, the skin of the young plant is detached from the branch, forming fine cinnamon sticks.
The highest quality cinnamon is known to come from plants in Sri Lanka, where it has a pale yellow-brown colour, a strong odour and a very flavourful taste. In North America, the cinnamon generally hails from the Cinnamonum cassia, a plant from the same family but that comes from China and that is thicker and has a darker brown colour.
Cinnamon has one of the highest antioxidant contents of the entire vegetable world, a property that is linked in large part to the spice's huge content of complex polyphenols called proanthocyanidin. Cinnamon's level of these polyphenols is 25 times higher than what is found in wild blueberries.
Cancers cannot progress without being adequately fed by a network of blood vessels that provide the disease with the elements it needs to grow. This process, called angiogenesis, is caused by chemical signals secreted by cancer cells that attract nearby cells from blood vessel.
Research done in recent years shows that certain compounds in food, notably the blueberry's delphinidin, green tea's EGCG or the ellagic acid found in strawberries, have the ability to impede the formation of these new vessels by blocking the activity of VEGFR-2, a protein essential to the angiogenesis process. Because all types of cancer are completely reliant on this blood support, these compounds could therefore play a critical role in cancer prevention.
Research recently published has suggested that cinnamon could also possess preventative properties caused by its ability to block angiogenesis. The researchers show that, at low doses, an extract of the spice deactivated the VEGFR-2, which blocked the formation of new blood vessels created by tumours.
The discovery of cinnamon's anti-angiogenic properties illustrates once again the variety of helpful compounds found in the vegetal world that can have positive effects on our health.
For full story, please see: www.torontosun.com/life/healthandfitness/2010/03/18/13277681.html
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5. Cinnamon: Here's why you should have cinnamon
Source: Hindustan Times (India), 20 March 2010
Cinnamon or dalchini is a spice that has many qualities. Cinnamon is the sweet bark of the Cinnamon tree. Not only does it add flavour to food, it is also considered medicinally beneficial. Among the many benefits of Cinnamon include:
1. If you have dental caries, you can chew a small piece of cinnamon to act upon the bacteria and control infections.
2. Cinnamon is good for diabetics because it stabilizes blood sugar thanks to its effects on the hormone insulin.
3. Taken as a decoction, cinnamon controls gas production and build-up in the intestines.
4. It controls nausea among pregnant women and children. It is mild, so it can be used frequently, but should be taken in moderation in the hot season.
5. Breads baked with cinnamon have a longer shelf life and the same applies to other foods.
6. Urinary tract infections are very common among women and cinnamon can help prevent and control them.
7. Add cinnamon powder to your face pack to control acne infections.
8. If you suffer from arthritis with inflammation, take cinnamon as a decoction and in your food. The application of oils with added cinnamon can be useful.
9. It has anti-clotting properties, so it's beneficial if you have deep vein thrombosis.
10. It also controls cholesterol build-up.
For full story, please see: www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/wellness/Here-s-why-you-should-have-cinnamon/Article1-521028.aspx
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6. Cork (Quercus suber): Safer, greener cars ‑ cork may be better than polymer foam
Source: ScienceDaily, 12 March 2010
Crash-test dummies could soon be facing vehicle collision tests in cars padded with cork rather than traditional materials such as polymer foams or porous aluminium metal, according to Portuguese engineers writing in the International Journal of Materials Engineering.
Synthetic cellular materials, polymeric and metallic foams, have been extensively used in energy-absorbing systems for decades. They are commonly lightweight, stiff, and can absorb energy well. However, they suffer from some drawbacks when compared to natural materials, namely cost and unsustainability.
Cork, the bark of the cork oak tree, Quercus suber, is one such cellular natural material. It can be compacted to form a micro-agglomerated material that rivals aluminium foam for its ability to absorb the energy of an impact. Now, Mariana Paulino of the University of Aveiro (Portugal), and colleagues there and at the University of Coimbra, have pitted cork against metal foams, polymer padding and a novel polymer foam material to see which might make the optimal vehicle safety material.
The results obtained in energy-absorption tests indicate that polyurethane foam performs the worst of all the materials tested, despite its widespread use as an impact safety material in vehicles. Aluminium foam can absorb the most energy, marginally beating cork.
As an impact protection material for car bumpers, doors, headliners, knee bolsters and door pillars, cork even outperforms the novel material IMPAXX 300 in terms of the value of impact acceleration peak. Indeed, at higher energies, which would equate to a high-speed collision, cork has the best acceleration peak value.
Aside from its well-known application as a bottle stopper material, cork is already widely used as a thermal and sound insulator and in various energy-absorbing applications including packaging and footwear. It is often used as damping pads under the keys in wind instruments such as clarinets and saxophones. However, its potential as a safety material for vehicles is only now emerging.
The researchers conclude that while aluminium foam marginally performs better than micro-agglomerated cork, cork could be a much better choice for future vehicle design as it is less costly and much easier to process than metal foam.
For full story, please see: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100312143352.htm
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7. Ginseng: Wonder of the world
Source: Epoch Times (USA), 23 February 2010
Ginseng has always been shrouded in folklore and magic. Like the rich mountain forests where it grows naturally, its use dates back to antiquity. Ginseng is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Panax, which is derived from the Greek word Panakos, or panacea in English, meaning an all-healing remedy.
Both the Asian and American varieties are employed medicinally, sharing the same growth habits and virtually the same appearance, with the only difference being that the Asian variety is larger.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is found throughout the deciduous mountain forests of Central and Eastern North America. The first specimens of American ginseng were transported to Europe in 1704.
It should come as no surprise that the North American Indians also knew of and utilized ginseng root for its medicinal qualities. They called it Garantoquen, which translates as "like a man," in reference to its forked root structure, which closely resembles the shape of a man.
American Indians have a particular method of harvesting the root whereby it is only harvested after the red fruit of the plant has reached maturity. They then bend the stem down to the ground before proceeding to dig the root. This method reportedly increases the germination rate and provides for a greater future yield.
The Sioux Indian women had especially well-developed ways of cleaning and processing ginseng, and were said to collect the finest root of all the tribes.
Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and mainly in China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Korea. The Korean and Manchurian species are traditionally considered the most highly prized. Wealthy Chinese will pay up to US$200 000 for the vitality-enhancing properties of a premium grade ginseng root.
These highly prized roots are found growing wild in the mountainous regions of Korea and the Changbai and Xiaoxinganling Mountains in China's northeast. They grow on steep slopes at heights between 500 meters to 1 100 meters above sea level.
Wild ginseng growing in ancient forests with deep loamy soil and moisture-laden air is found to have a much greater potency than ginseng grown commercially out of its natural environment.
Ginseng is indeed the most highly valued of all herbs by Chinese physicians and its use dates back at least 5 000 years.
For full story, please see: www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/30284/
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8. Maple Syrup: Scientists highlight health benefits of pure maple syrup
Source: www.topnews.us, 22 March 2010
Scientists have revealed that pure maple syrup is good for health, encouraging its use.
Researcher Navindra Seeram from the University of Rhode Island (United States), who specializes in research of medicinal plants, has discovered that there are over 20 compounds in Canadian maple syrup which can be directly linked to human health, with 13 of these compounds being discovered for the first time ever. Also, eight of the said compounds have been discovered in the Acer (commonly maple) family for the first time.
Many of these antioxidant compounds that have been discovered in maple syrup reportedly contain anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties as well.
"We are proud that our producers are generously supporting this research, bringing to light a greater understanding of the gastronomic and health benefits of maple products. It is not just for Canada, but for the welfare of consumers around the world", said President of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, Serge Beaulieu, while stressing that Mr. Seeram's laboratory is just one of the sources which is now working towards expansion of a multi-national network of research facilities contributing to the study of Canada's maple products.
http://topnews.us/content/213963-scientists-highlight-health-benefits-pure-maple-syrup
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9. Medicinal plants: Human health linked directly to forest health
Source: www.sciencecentric.com, 22 March 2010
Environmental degradation is causing serious detrimental health impacts for humans, but protecting natural habitats can reverse this and supply positive health benefits, according to a new WWF report.
"Our research confirms what we know instinctively: Human health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet," says Chris Elliot, WWF's Executive Director of Conservation.
"Vital Sites: The Contribution of Protected Areas to Human Health" notes that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 23 and 25 percent of the global disease burden could be avoided by improved management of environmental conditions. The report singles out deforestation for its key impacts on human health.
"Deforestation is a double blow to human health," says Elliot. 'It increases the spread of certain diseases while destroying plants and animals that may hold the key to treating illnesses that plague millions of people."
Protecting natural landscapes can contribute positively to human health through protecting future medicinal resources, reducing the impacts of pollution, toxins and weather extremes and providing recreational places that support physical and mental well-being.
In the forests of Borneo alone in the past decade, WWF reports discoveries of trees and shrubs that may be used to treat cancer, HIV and malaria. In all, 422 new plant species have been discovered in Borneo in the last 25 years, but deforestation puts them and others waiting to be discovered at risk.
"When WWF stresses the importance of biodiversity, it's not just because we enjoy a variety of trees or frogs in a forest. It's because the science tells us that those trees and frogs are vital to the forest's health, and the forest's health is vital to our health,'" says Elliot.
The report stresses that while people are good at cultivating plants whose value is known, we have a poor track record at conserving those seen as having little use for humans. The problem is, habitat destruction is eliminating potentially valuable species before they can even be discovered, let alone tested.
"Most people think of protected areas like national parks and nature reserves as tools for wildlife conservation, but by protecting whole habitats and ecosystems the world's protected areas offer us some very practical social benefits as well," writes Dr Kathy MacKinnon, lead biodiversity specialist for the World Bank, in the report's foreword.
For full story, please see: www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=10032211-human-health-linked-directly-forest-health
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10. Medicinal plants: The benefits of Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
Source: NaturalNews, 24 March 2010
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a strongly aromatic perennial herb, originally from the mountainous regions of the Balkan Peninsula but now spread throughout temperate climates worldwide. Feverfew has a multitude of small, daisy-like flowers with white petals around a yellow centre and is often confused with Chamomile. The leaves have been used in traditional medicine throughout history for various ailments, reducing fever and treating headaches, toothache, arthritic pain, digestive problems, insect bites, infertility, and problems with menstruation and with labour during childbirth.
Feverfew is probably best known for its therapeutic effect on migraines. Studies done in Great Britain in the 1980s suggested that Feverfew taken daily as dried leaf capsules may reduce the incidence of attacks in patients who experience long-term migraine headaches.
The active compound in Feverfew called parthenolide occurs in a variety of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine. It seems to block substances in the body that widen and constrict blood vessels and cause inflammation leading to migraines.
Feverfew has also been used for centuries for arthritis. It is thought to hinder the production of prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that cause pain and inflammation. This anti-inflammatory action has led to Feverfew being used to treat the inflamed, sore joints that occur with rheumatoid arthritis. Some studies have found that the anti-inflammatory effects of this herb are greater than those achieved by Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Feverfew may also inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Historically Feverfew was used to treat a number of external ailments including scabies, fleas and lice, when applied as a lotion.
For full story, please see: www.naturalnews.com/028426_Feverfew_herbs.html
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11. Medicinal Plants: Unlocking keys to herbal medicines
Source: University of Maryland, 26 March 2010
A team of researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States (UMB), writing in the science journal PLoS ONE, have developed a biologic method to tease out which compounds from herbal medicines and medicinal herbal mixtures produce their reputed medicinal benefits.
"This provides the first step to find, from all of the hundreds of compounds in herbs, which ones have potential for medicinal purposes. And you can do this very quickly and efficiently," says co-author Laura Dosanjh, graduate student with the School of Pharmacy at UMB.
Science has not been very helpful in determining the efficacy of herbal medicines in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example, has so far sided with science only once to approve an herb-based treatment with multiple active ingredients – an ointment for genital warts made from green tea leaves.
Now, using tiny worms that live only 20 days, the team sorted out which compounds found in two common Chinese herbal formulations showed the most potential for their stated purpose: extending life expectancy.
Cinnamon and ginseng won, showing the most promise.
A team led by Yuan Luo, PhD, MS, associate professor at the School, conducted a first-of-its-kind, "systematic evaluation" of a mixture of 10 herbs called Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang (SQDB), reportedly effective for fatigue and energy; and an 11-herb formula called Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan (HLXL) used as a treatment of arthritic joint pain. Both mixtures are reputed to have benefits for healthy living and longevity in humans.
The researchers tested the mixtures, as well as each separate herb in them, on the laboratory worm model C. elegans. This particular worm – which biochemists often use as their "lab rat" – shares genes for aging and other traits with humans and other organisms.
Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum cassia) from HLXL extended the life span of the worms by 14.5 percent and cinnamon bark from SQDB extended the life 10.8 percent. Ginseng root (Panax ginseng) from SQDB extended life span by 7.7 percent. Significantly, cinnamon, ginseng, and SQDB also thinned out levels of hydrogen peroxide, which can destroy cells. They each also enhanced expression of small heat shock proteins, an indicator for cellular response to stress that plays an important role in maintenance of cell functions.
Herbal medicines are usually mixtures of herbs. That presents a severe challenge for the FDA to understand which compounds or combinations of compounds in the herbs are effective or not effective.
"Because it's very difficult to sort out so many herbs with so many constituents together, we needed to find a model. And there is a high level of [common genetic origins] with the nematode and humans," says Dosanjh.
Luo adds, "To isolate a single compound from an herb and test it for a medical condition often doesn't work; not like the whole herb works."
C. elegans is valuable to science because its very short life cycle is suitable for conducting rapid experiments and between 60 to 80 percent of the 20 000 genes in C. elegans genome have similar origins to human genes. The genes are found consistently along the evolutionary paths including the worms and humans.
For full story, please see:
www.oea.umaryland.edu/communications/news/?ViewStatus=FullArticle&articleDetail=8895
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12. Moringa (Moringa oleifera): Fight malnutrition by eating moringa
Source: Central Chronicle (India) 12 March 2010
Veena S Rao, a former secretary to the Government of India, in her book "Malnutrition, an emergency: what it costs the nation" estimated that malnutrition has led to a loss of 4 percent in GDP of India. Stressing that malnutrition was a huge human resource calamity, she called for making "high-energy, low-cost food" available to the poor.
This is precisely where Moringa (Moringa oleifera), the "Miracle Tree", our humble drumstick tree, has a role. The Moringa tree is increasingly considered as one of the world's most valuable natural resources, as the main constituents of the tree have several nutritive ingredients. Its leaves, pods and flowers are considered good sources of vitamins A, B, B2, B3, B6 and C, folic acid, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, and amino acids. More importantly, its leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium.
It has been claimed that the Moringa tree provides seven times the Vitamin C in oranges, four times the calcium in milk and Vitamin A in carrots, two times the protein in milk, and three times the potassium in bananas.
A versatile plant with a multitude of natural attributes, Moringa is great food for humans and animals alike. Its leaves, flowers and fruits, all are edible. Its leaves, dried and powdered, when added to the diet of undernourished children enhance their appetite and increase their weight. Among the nursing mothers it markedly increases lactation providing greater nutrition for infants. It also makes great fodder for cattle.
Studies have revealed that the weight of livestock increased up to 32 percent through Moringa feed, increasing their milk by 43 percent.
Native of India and widely distributed in the country in virtually every region, it can grow fast and in any condition. It is drought-resistant and has remarkable survival instincts. Moringa can also grow in green the semi-arid regions of the country rendering several benefits to the local communities.
For full story, please see: www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=29298
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13. Mushrooms: Cordyceps sinensis is an effective cancer treatment, says new research
Source: NaturalNews, 19 March 2010
Researchers from the University of Nottingham have found that a rare, wild mushroom called Cordyceps sinensis, is an effective treatment for cancer. Commonly used in Chinese medicine, the Cordyceps fungi inhibits the growth, division, and proliferation of cancer cells in the body.
Cordyceps was originally formulated into a cancer drug called cordycepin in the 1950s. Though the drug version was ultimately found to be ineffective because of rapid degradation inside the body once it was administered, the active components from the mushroom continue to be effective cancer fighters.
Depending upon dosage levels, Cordyceps mushroom extracts directly impact the process of cell protein development, impeding the production of the mRNA molecules that create them. At high doses, Cordyceps inhibits protein development directly, essentially eliminating the ability of cancer cells to function and survive.
Though the research focused primarily on cordycepin, it ultimately revealed the powerful effects of Cordyceps in preventing and treating cancer. The study is set to be published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and its authors hope that the findings will spark further research into the potential uses for cordyceps as a cancer treatment.
For full story, please see: www.naturalnews.com/028409_cordyceps_cancer.html
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14. Sea buckthorn leaves (Hippophae rhamnoides) may help treat liver disease
Source: www.oneindia.com, 22 March 2010
Indian scientists have found that leaves of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries can help protect against liver disease.
Sea buckthorn is well known for its capacity to combat cholesterol, but an Indian research team suggests that its leaves are also rich in antioxidants and may help ward off liver disease.
Indigenous to the mountainous regions of China and Russia, sea buckthorn has been shown to be rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids and essential fatty acids. The leaves are also used to make a tea.
In a clinically controlled study on rats, scientists looked at whether the leaves had any protective effects by testing a group of rats, some of whom were given the leaf extract before being administered with a liver damage agent, carbon tetrachloride (CCI4).
The results showed that the leaf extract appeared to confer a protective mechanism on the liver. The rats given CCI4 minus the leaf extract had sustained significant liver damage compared to the control group that did not receive CCI4. In comparison, liver damage was severely restricted in the rats given leaf extract at 100mg and 200mg and CCI4.
The study is due to be published in the Society of Chemical Industry's (SCI) Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
For full story, please see: http://living.oneindia.in/health/wellbeing/2008/sea-buckthorn-leaves-cure-liverdisease-260508.html
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15. Truffles: Researchers unlock truffle genome
Source: www.redorbit.com, 29 March 2010
The genome of the black, golf ball-sized edible mushroom known as the Perigord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) has been successfully decoded by French and Italian researchers, a step that experts believe will cut down in fraudulent sales of Tuber melanosporum imposters.
In a 28 March press release, officials from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), who worked alongside officials from the Universities of Lorraine and the Mediterranean and scientists at laboratories in Turin, Parma, Urbina, Rome, and elsewhere in Italy, announced that they had published a paper discussing the sequencing and decoding of the "black diamond" fungus.
The paper, which was published online in Nature, found that 6 000 of the truffle's 7 500 protein-coding genes were similar to other mushrooms, but that "several hundred genes are unique to the truffle and play a fundamental role in mushroom formation and symbiosis with the host plant."
"Studying them will reveal the mechanisms behind the formation of this peculiar underground fructification," INRA officials said in their press release.
"The relevance of the study goes beyond the purely academic," the researchers claim. "Full sequencing of the black Perigord truffle genome has also allowed the development of specialised diagnostic tools for genetic polymorphism of this valuable product."
"DNA sequencing also made it possible to spot several thousand genetic markers in the genome. About a dozen of these are currently being used to create a DNA fingerprint file of some fifty populations of Tuber melanosporum from Italy, Spain, and France," they added. "The DNA fingerprints make it easier to carry out 'typing' of the geographic origin of harvested truffles, and allow the use of product certification and fraud detection tools."
Truffles can reach prices of more than US$1 300 per pound, and they are often the target of fraud as individuals try to pass off cheap imitations as the immensely valuable Tuber melanosporum.
For full story, please see: www.redorbit.com/news/science/1842617/researchers_unlock_truffle_genome/
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16. Vegetable ivory: Nutty jewellery
Source: The Day (USA), 21 March 2010
In the village of Ivoryton (United States), small images of elephants adorn shop signs. For almost 100 years, some 90 percent of all the ivory imported to the United States from Africa was shipped to factories in Ivoryton or nearby Deep River.
By 1850, a few small companies were using the elephant tusks to make combs, toiletries, billiard balls and sewing implements. The business grew into making piano keys, fuelled by a national demand for a piano in every parlour during the Victorian period.
These days, plastic materials have replaced ivory in manufacturing many of those products, but consumer demand for ivory remains in some parts of the world. Although the international commercial ivory trade was banned in 1989, poaching continues to threaten the endangered animals.
Ivoryton resident Desiree Richardell could help change that. Originally from Ecuador, Richardell is part of a family business that's marketing "vegetable ivory" as an alternative to the real thing.
Richardell makes jewelry from the tagua palm tree (Phytelephas aequatorialisa) that grows in the forests of South America. It is the only plant product that produces a material so white, durable and pure, she says. The plant version, however, is lighter, harder and less porous than real ivory. During the first and second world war, tagua was used for buttons on U.S. army uniforms, making it a major industry in Colombia and Ecuador. It, too, fell out of use in lieu of plastic, but it is coming back into use for various crafts.
When Richardell's family came to the United States about 10 years ago, her aunt wanted to start a business that would also help their home country. She discovered the tagua nut.
Her extended family, along with six other families, lives in the rainforest and collects the tagua seeds, which fall naturally so the harvest does not harm the trees. The seeds then have to dry in the sun for six to 10 months.
The nuts are sent to her aunt, whose husband is a woodcarver. He carves the plant into pieces, polishing some, dyeing some and leaving others in a natural form.
Richardell then turns the pieces into chunky bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings, some wrapped in wire designs.
Richardell said the families in Ecuador are paid a salary, rather than per pound, so they have a monthly income, which is important to her because the poverty rate in her home country is about 38 percent.
"I know I'm not changing the world, but this is something that can help," Richardell said.
For full story, please see: www.theday.com/article/20100321/NWS08/303219992/-1/NWS
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17. Armenia: How trees are restoring hope
Source: National Geographic Online, 13 March 2010
Armenia has learned the hard way what it means for a country to lose its forests—and the huge backbreaking effort required to replant them. But in its struggle and determination to restore its trees, Armenia is an inspiration for the rest of the planet.
The endeavour to bring trees back to Armenia is thanks mostly to an initiative called the "Armenia Tree Project," a programme supported by the international conservation charity WWF and BMU/KfW, the German Development Bank.
The Armenia Tree Project has been raising and planting trees throughout the country for almost 16 years. Last year one million trees were planted, a record that brings the total of trees planted over the life of the project to about 3.5 million. All of this is done by individuals determined that their trees will become forests that will sustain livelihoods and restore a vibrant environment to Armenia.
What happened to Armenia and its trees, and what's being done to reverse the devastation of its forests?
Jason Sohigian, deputy director of the Armenia Tree Project, says the lack of alternate fuel sources caused the loss of Armenia's forests, especially during the years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, when people had no other way to keep warm than to cut down trees for fuel.
Ideally, forest should cover 25 percent of Armenia, Sohigian said. But now, even after a big replanting effort, the country's tree cover is in the range of only 7 or 8 percent.
Where the trees have been cut, the land is often degraded and desertification has set in as topsoil washes away.
To make matters worse, the changing global climate threatens the last fragments of forest, especially if rainfall declines.
"One of our goals is to try to tip the balance back to where forests can regenerate naturally, which we can do provided we don't continue to lose trees," Sohigian said.
"We're trying to get young people involved in investing in Armenia's future," Sohigian said. "This programme is also a way for Armenians outside the country to build the future of Armenia. We encourage Armenians—and others—to support us with the future of the country in mind. It's why we're calling this initiative 'Trees of Hope.''"
Trees of Hope is one way to get involved, by sponsoring the program to plant trees. Another way is to support the Armenia Tree Project's focus on education.
"Education is a big focus for us this year," Sohigian said. "We're working with teachers to educate children about the environment, and we've partnered with the Yale University Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry to provide sustainable forestry training for adults.
The Armenia Tree Project works to afforest Armenia with natural forests, planting a mixture of native trees that should in time expand and regenerate forests naturally. "We are really trying to recreate natural forests, rather than plantations for harvesting," Sohigian said. The partnership with Yale is focused on training foresters to plant, maintain and harvest such "natural" forests sustainably. Part of the training initiative is the production of a sustainable forestry manual.
Fruit and nut trees are also provided by the Armenia Tree Project to people in urban areas, so that individuals may plant trees on the streets or in their yards. This provides food to eat and trade as well as a more pleasant, landscaped environment.
The massive tree planting program has also stimulated employment for Armenians, from the cultivation of seedlings to planting to protection of the nascent forests.
For full story, please see:
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18. Canada: Increasing recognition of value of NTFPs
Source: www.bclocalnews.com (Canada), 23 March 2010
Randy Moody from Royal Roads University (RRU) ‑ during a presentation of a study on Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) conducted by the RRU in 2009 ‑ said that the cultivation of NTFP's including raspberries, huckleberries, soap berries, balsam sap, cranberries, saskatoons, rosehips, mushrooms, juniper, and birch, was receiving increased recognition in British Columbia.
Plants such as these could be used for a food source, traditional uses and commercial uses.
"The forest manager will only consider these species as viable for growth in a forest if there can be a value attached to them. These species can coexist with timber species and be grown as a value added resource," Moody said.
"Community members often know where the very best producing berry patches are," said Moody who also argues that constant variables determine the areas of growth for various species native to the local area.
Moody also pointed out that the study had identified that plant quality was more important to people than plant quantity.
"Harvesters will always search out the best berries, there may only be one or two berry bushes in this location, but they will produce the biggest and juiciest berries year after year," he said.
We have made the variables available to the Burns Lake Community Forest (British Colombia) and they can all be addressed at the community forest level," Moody added.
According to Moody people want to have NTFP management as a component of forest management.
"People do not want sites wiped out of all species, and growing NTFPs would probably help generate tourism. If you attach a value to NTFPs, then you can manage for them. We know that soap berry and huckleberry are two species that are affected by clear cutting."
"We are hoping that silviculture surveyors and foresters become aware of site characteristics for berry production and will consider that there are other values out there."
For full story, please see:
www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/lakesdistrictnews/business/88929152.html
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19. Cambodia: Villagers turn from hunting to ecotourism
Source: Phnom Penh Post, 22 March 2010
Biodiversity in Southeast Asia suffers from an onslaught of habitat loss, climate change and overexploitation; a few organizations are determined to develop strategies aimed at helping people live in better harmony with nature.
One of these groups is the Siem Reap-based Sam Veasna Centre (SVC), which manages bird-watching day trips and itineraries to eight Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) conservation projects across Cambodia.
Nick Butler, the coordinator of the centre, said one of their main strategies for saving Cambodia's wilderness areas is promoting ecotourism.
"Ecotourism works by providing local communities with alternative and sustainable livelihoods, linking education, as well as no-hunting and land use agreements, with the conservation of their local environment," he said.
Butler said the involvement of local communities at a very early stage in developing ecotourism projects was crucial. "We do two things. The first is that we manage the ecotourism business by trying to get international bird watchers to visit the WCS project sites across Cambodia," he said.
"The second part of our business is to train villagers who live near the conservation area in the provision of ecotourism services. The result is that villagers are able to make an income by providing accommodation, food and guiding services for visitors. In return, they sign agreements not to hunt animals, not to cut down the forest and not to harm their environment."
An article released by UNESCO at the beginning of the year said the rate of biodiversity was accelerating mainly due to habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation and pollution. The article said underlying causes for this loss included poor governance and poor understanding of the importance of biodiversity conservation for society's well-being and prosperity in the long term.
As part of their effort to help maintain biodiversity in Cambodia, SVC has developed a flagship project in Tmatboey village in Preah Vihear province, where the signing of successful no-hunting and land conservation agreements between the WCS and the village committee has made it a model of community-based ecotourism.
Mr Butler said the main objective of the project was to conserve critically endangered bird species breeding in the area.
In 2007 Tmatboey village, which consists of 220 families, won the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award, a Malaysia-based social enterprise working to support environmental and social initiatives in Asia. Tmatboey was also the joint winner in 2008 of the Equator Prize, awarded to projects that link poverty reduction to biodiversity, and last year it won the Prestigious Ecotourism Project Award from the Cambodian Ministry of Environment.
From 2003 to 2008, the local population of critically endangered white-shouldered ibises has increased from one nest and two adults, to six nests and 23 adults. The same period saw the doubling of the number of giant ibis nests.
Another WCS conservation site where SVC manages ecotourism services is the Prek Toal core area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve in Battambang province. Seven water bird species of "global significance" have been found breeding in the area.
Nick Butler said the project – in which the WCS has assisted efforts by the Cambodian government to conserve local bird colonies – has given villagers greater awareness of the environment.
"As long as the community maintains the area's biodiversity and environment, the tourists will continue to come," he added.
For full story, please see: www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010032233989/Lifestyle/villagers-turn-from-hunting-to-ecotourism.html
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20. China's illegal wildlife trade in tigers, turtles and timber
Source: ENS-Newswire, 17 March 2010
"Porous borders" are allowing vendors in Myanmar to offer a door-to-door delivery service for illegal wildlife products such as tiger bone wine to buyers in China, finds the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC's latest look into China's wildlife trade.
Rare and endangered wild animal and plant species are poached in Myanmar, or sourced from neighbouring countries, and then smuggled into China through many small trails without checkpoints, TRAFFIC researchers report.
"China's border areas have long been considered a hotbed for illegal trade, with remote locations often making surveillance a difficult problem in sparsely populated areas," said Professor Xu Hongfa, director of TRAFFIC's program in China.
The report, "State of Wildlife Trade in China 2008," was released Tuesday at the ongoing triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Over-exploitation of wildlife for trade has affected many species and is stimulating illegal trade across China's borders, concludes the TRAFFIC report, the third in an annual series on emerging trends in China's wildlife trade.
In December 2008 TRAFFIC investigators conducted market surveys of illegal trade in towns on the Myanmar side of the China-Myanmar border and in three cities on the Chinese side. The surveys found no illegal trade in endangered wild species in the three Chinese cities of Yunnan Province, or in Muse market in Myanmar. However, many wildlife products were found for sale in Mongla, Myanmar, which is opposite Daluo port in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China.
In the Mongla agricultural produce market, close to the China-Myanmar border checkpoint, outdoor stalls selling wildlife products were mostly ethnic Chinese. Products of endangered species identified in the survey included: a clouded leopard skin, pieces of elephant skin, bear bile, a bear paw, pangolin scales, a silver pheasant and a monitor lizard foot.
China joined the CITES treaty in 1981. It imposed a ban on the harvesting of tiger bones and outlawed all trade in tiger body parts in 1993. In China, only about 20 tigers are thought to be left in the wild.
TRAFFIC's 2008 wild meat market surveys identified 26 species of turtles for sale and warns that the emergence of a greater variety of turtle species in farms is cause for concern.
The majority of turtles were claimed by vendors to be supplied from freshwater turtle farms, many of which do not practice closed-cycle captive breeding and therefore rely on wild-sourced breeding stock.
"If no action is taken, sourcing from the wild coupled with increased captive production to meet an expanding market demand will pose a serious threat to wild species through unsustainable harvesting from wild populations in China and beyond," warned Professor Xu.
Other topics covered include sustainable utilization of traditional medicinal plants, tackling cross-border illegal wildlife trade on the China-Nepal border, stopping illegal wildlife trade online, and the illegal coral trade in East Asia.
For full story, please see: www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2010/2010-03-17-02.html
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21. Congo Basin: Rare animals being "eaten to extinction"
Source: Telegraph (UK), 23 March010
Research in the Congo Basin in Africa found more than three million tonnes of bushmeat is being extracted from the area every year, the equivalent of butchering 740 000 bull elephants.
Most of the animals are small antelopes like blue duiker or rodents like the porcupine but larger mammals like monkeys and even gorillas are also taken.
The study published in Mammal Review found the rate of hunting is higher than ever because of malnutrition in the area and is calling for more funding to help the local community find alternative sources of food.
Bushmeat is one of the most important sources of protein for many people around the world, especially in Africa.
But in a 500 million acre region of the Congo Basin stretching into eight countries, hunting has reached an unprecedented scale.
Researchers from the Overseas Development Institute calculated that 3.4 million tonnes of bushmeat is removed every year from that area alone, equivalent to the weight of 40.7 million men.
John Fa, chief conservation officer at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and a visiting professor at Imperial College London, said it was "unsustainable". He pointed out that illegal logging is also destroying habitat and predators like leopards will be unable to survive without prey.
"People are taking rare animals out of the forest at an enormous rate yet we know very little about them," he said.
The animals most vulnerable to extinction by hunting include: Drill baboon, Red colobus monkey, Black colobus monkey, Preuss's guenon monkey, Moustached guenon monkey, Crowned guenon monkey, Gorilla, and Chimpanzee.
For full story, please see: www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7497703/Rare-animals-are-being-eaten-to-extinction.html
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22. Ethiopia: The economic potential of ecotourism
Source: www.allafrica.com, 30 March 2010
The little-known lush Lepis woodland has the potential to transform the lives of the 2 000 community members in its midst if they can successfully develop a sustainable community tourism business as other communities have done in Ethiopia. The site is one of the Rift Valley's best kept secrets.
Until the USAID-funded Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance (ESTA) was tipped off by the Arsi Negele Concern for Environment Development Association (ANCEDA) and until ESTA brought various stakeholders in the tourism industry to Lepis, many of the community members had no idea that they were sitting on a potential income-generating resource.
ESTA took Lepis community members to Adaba Dodola, which has already been developed into a successful sustainable community tourism project with the help of GTZ. They were then able to see for themselves the benefits of protecting and utilizing such natural resources.
Sustainable tourism expert Brad Weiss has been working with ESTA for almost a year and a half. "We do not want to tell the communities what to do. We just guide and facilitate the process," he said. "It has to be their project from the start."
ESTA has currently identified six potential communities to work with for the rest of the five-year programme. It is currently developing business plans for two of them, including Lepis.
Lizzie Weber and Ryan Foster from George Washington University came to Ethiopia for two weeks ending today, 28 March, 2010, to guide the business proposal creation process for the community at Lepis and write up the things the community discussed and decided on during their meetings at the edge of the towering forest.
Another important part of the business proposal was the mission statement for the eco-trekking community venture, said Sintayehu Gurmessa, student head of Academic Affairs and graduating class member of Hawassa University's Hotel and Tourism Management School.
"The mission statement reads, 'By conserving our natural environment and using it for ecotourism development, we will improve the livelihoods of our community,'" he said.
"Africa was the only world region to experience tourism growth in 2009 with international arrivals increasing by five percent," says Weber.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/201003300806.html
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23. Guatemala: Rainforest Alliance's certification most effective form of protection
Source: Guatemala Times, 18 March 2010
Rainforest Alliance's FSC forest management certification has proven to conserve the rainforest more effectively than strict protection in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve. These are the findings of a new Rainforest Alliance study. The report shows dramatically less forest destruction and fire damage in FSC certified forest concessions compared with other areas within the Maya Biosphere Reserve, even lands designated for strict protection.
The Maya Biosphere Reserve is an area of tropical forest in Guatemala's northern Petén region. By late 2007, nearly 60 percent of the land where timber harvesting is allowed in the reserve was FSC certified. This equals nearly a quarter of the reserve's total area.
The average annual deforestation rate in FSC certified forest concessions between 2002 and 2007 was 20 times lower than the deforestation rate within the protected areas where harvesting of wood and NTFPs is prohibited.
"These numbers show that certification is a real tool for the market and for conservation," said José Román Carrera, Central America coordinator for the Rainforest Alliance's TREES program, which works with communities in Petén. "In these communities, FSC certification has helped strengthen business structures, fire prevention measures and low-impact harvesting practices."
Communities are seeing their businesses grow and livelihoods improve as demand for certified wood and non-timber forest products grows. In 2007, the forest products sector in the reserve supported about 2 500 jobs and sales of FSC certified timber surpassed US$5 million.
The study also shows a number of other changes forestry communities and companies made to meet FSC certification standards. Amongst these, they have created fire control and prevention plans, improved living and working conditions for workers, increased the use of safety equipment, decreased social conflict as a result of better land-use mapping, and created committees to manage land-use.
The government of Guatemala created the reserve in 1990 to conserve its unique natural and cultural value. With some 2 million hectares, the reserve is rich in biodiversity and home to hundreds of species of animals including jaguars, brocket deer and scarlet macaws. Some environmentalists called for a complete logging ban in the entire reserve. Besides responsible forest management as defined by FSC standards, the study identifies a number of other enabling circumstances leading to the successful maintenance of forest cover in the FSC concession area. Continued donor support and the activities of numerous government and non-government organizations promoting environmental awareness, community vigilance programs, and responsible economic activities have been the most important.
For full story, please see:
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24. Indonesia: Customary laws protect forest better than government does, says study
Source: The Jakarta Post, 20 March 2010
Research shows customary laws that were implemented by a number of local communities were far more effective than government policies to preserve forest in efforts to deal with climate change.
For local communities, respecting traditional laws means respecting their ancestors. Preliminary research says communities of Baduy in Banten province, Kampung Kuta people in Ciamis, West Java province and Dayak people in Kalimantan are among local communities that issue unwritten laws to preserve environment and protect the forest.
"Though such agreement is not written, local communities comply more with traditional laws than governmental law," Ali Akbar, University of Indonesia Faculty of Humanities researcher told a workshop on climate change Friday.
"The government's regulations are not efficiently implemented to preserve forests," Ali added.
The philosophy of Baduy people among others are mountains and valleys cannot be destroyed and traditional law should not be broken. "Baduy's sacred responsibility is to guard the environment and spiritual heritage of its ancestors from change." he said.
There are currently about 8 000 Baduy living in two groups of which each village is led by a supreme leader locally known as Punn. "It is forbidden to take anything from the forest or even enter it, except on Monday and Friday," he said.
The Alliance of Archipelagic Indigenous People (AMAN) predicted indigenous people had traditionally occupied about 20 million hectares of land, of which most was natural forest. Most indigenous people rely on the forest as a source of livelihood but conflict is on the rise as many forests became valued as business projects such as plantations and mine sites, it said.
For full story, please see:
www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/03/20/customary-laws-protect-forest-better-govt-does-study.html
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25. Tajikistan: Mulberry ‑ On the roof of the world
Source: Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research: 5th newsletter, 24 March 2010
There still exist pristine places without industry and pollution where people live in harmony with their environment. One of them is the autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan in Tajikistan. Though its area (about 65 000km²) extends over half the country, only 3 percent is habitable. Most of it is covered by the Pamir mountains, sometimes called the "Roof of the World". The few villages are sited in valleys beside rivers and the population tries to cultivate every piece of available land.
The mulberry is an important food for these valleys. Introduced from China via the Silk Route, it is perfectly adapted to the difficult mountain environment, where it grows between 1100 and 2400 meters (replacing crops such as wheat and barley which cannot be grown at these altitudes).
There are now more than 60 varieties of mulberry in the Pamir region, the result of centuries of selection and adaptation. They can be eaten raw or transformed into jams, syrups or pikht—a flour—which is usually mixed with other seeds and cereals.
The local inhabitants mainly grow mulberry for family consumption: in summer families put as much as 20-30 sacks of dried mulberry aside as a reserve for the winter. In the local culture the mulberry tree and fruit are associated with beauty: the berries are traditionally given to a couple to make their life sweeter, and before starting to build a new house, a mulberry tree is planted.
During some crisis periods, such as the Second World War or the extended civil war which afflicted the country until 1997, mulberry played a crucial role in providing the main nutrition for the local population. The community of mulberry producers from Khorog has been part of the Terra Madre network (SlowFood) since 2004 and is working to defend the traditional Pamir customs of eating mulberry, which have significantly decreased in recent years with the spread of industrial products.
The Presidium was set up in collaboration with "Bioversity International", a prominent international organization for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity. It currently includes 23 producers from the four districts of the autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan: Shugnan, Rushan, Yazgulyam and Vanch.
For full story, please see: www.slowfood.com/sloweb/eng/dettaglio.lasso?cod=C2744B881dd612711ExmJp9E04AF
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26. Trinidad and Tobago: Forests…much more than timber
Source: The Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago), 20 March 2010
In an effort to remind communities of the importance of forests and the benefits they receive from them, 21 March is set aside internationally to celebrate World Forestry Day. This concept originated at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971, and since then, countries around the world have set up programmes and policies aimed at the sustainable management of forest resources to provide for their social, economic, ecological and cultural needs.
In observing World Forestry Day, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) encouraged the people of Trinidad and Tobago to take time to appreciate the value of the country's forest resources. Historically, forests have played important social and cultural roles in the lives of many people, especially those of indigenous communities.
Today, many are realizing that forests offer much more than just timber. Forests provide recreational opportunities and contribute to our health and wellbeing, as well as the regulation of local temperatures and protection of drinking water supplies. Trees form the foundations of many natural systems, and as such provide a wide range of products (timber, fruit, medicine, beverages, fodder) and services (carbon sequestration, wind breaks, water quality and quantity control, coastal protection, shade, beautification, erosion control, soil fertility). The forests of Trinidad and Tobago are home to a wide variety of faunal biodiversity which facilitate pollination, seed dispersal and germination.
This internationally-recognized environmental day is also set aside to promote education and awareness of the importance of forests and the benefits of planting trees. Examples of biodiverse forests in this country include Matura National Park, which was declared an environmentally sensitive area in 2004, and Main Ridge Forest Reserve in Tobago, which is the oldest protected watershed in the western hemisphere, declared in 1776.
For these reasons, the EMA embraced the opportunity to collaborate in a project with the Ministry of Planning Housing and the Environment, the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, University of the West Indies and the Institute of Marine Affairs, among others, called the Nariva Restoration and Carbon Sequestration and Livelihoods Project.
This project will ultimately see the replanting of 1 300 hectares of the Nariva Swamp, in areas that were formerly deforested by large-scale rice farmers more than a decade ago. Nariva Swamp, the country's largest and most biodiverse wetland, has been declared an environmentally-sensitive area under the Environmentally-Sensitive Area Rules, 2001. It has the most varied vegetation of all wetlands in Trinidad and Tobago, with distinct zones of tropical rainforest, palm forests, mangroves and grass savanna/marsh.
For full story, please see: http://guardian.co.tt/features/life/2010/03/20/forests-much-more-timber
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27. United States: The trouble with Oregon's truffles
Source: www.oregonlive.com, 19 March 2010
Truffles and Oregon are becoming synonymous - at least on the West Coast of the United States. This is where many chefs appreciate the culinary value of Oregon truffles – and harvesters their cash value. But is this resource sustainable?
In Oregon and elsewhere across the country, commercial harvesters rake truffles from the soil with a garden cultivator, sometimes called a potato fork, in a mostly indiscriminate fashion. This method procures the most truffles in the shortest amount of time, and with the least effort. But it yields both mature (ripe) and young (not so ripe) truffles. For culinary purposes, only mature truffles are worth their full value, both monetarily and gastronomically.
The reason commercial harvesters use this method is twofold. First, it is about the money -- more truffles means higher cash returns. Second, there is no other method readily available. Unscrupulous truffle hunters hurt the land with their metal forks. A walk through any accessible, coastal tree farm reveals the scars: trenches run deep along tree roots; dirt mounds, piled in high rows, look like a battleground cemetery; the once-sparse vegetation is gone, erosion is severe. In some forest stands, the truffles are gone, too. Decades of abuse have devastated the truffle's mycorrhizal network. That abuse also threatens the continuance of Oregon's truffle industry.
But there is hope. Oregon truffles, despite decades of haphazard harvest methods, finally have reprieve: The increasing use of dogs to locate truffles is replacing the potato fork. Using dogs instead of rakes assures that only truffles at their peak ripeness are dug up.
But the use of dogs to find truffles in the U.S. is in its infancy, and places training and selling dogs for this purpose are scarce. The North American Truffle Society's Web site (www.natruffling.org/) lists only two facilities in the U.S. that train dogs to find truffles, with one of those here in Oregon.
Recent news stories about truffle thieves and the damage they cause to young forest stands highlight the need for state-wide regulation of this resource. Stricter trespassing laws will not help alleviate theft; truffles, apparently, are worth the risk. Nevertheless, new laws and regulations are needed and must focus on truffle buyers, sellers and harvesters.
A state-mandated Oregon truffle season, in tandem with a permitting system akin to hunting and fishing licenses sold by the state, is necessary. Without adequate regulations and enforcement of truffle resources, on both public and private lands, landowners will continue to incur damage to their property and lost revenues in the form of dead trees.
For full story, please see: www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/03/the_trouble_with_oregons_truff.html
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28. Viet Nam: Illegal bushmeat, wildlife trafficking at alarming levels
Source: Viet Nam News, 22 March 2010
Viet Nam's ecosystems are being seriously threatened by the widespread consumption of wild meat and trafficking of wildlife, experts said at a recent conference. Urgent action is needed on several fronts to prevent this destruction of the nation's wildlife and their habitat, they said. They called for strengthened, more effective public awareness campaigns against hunting and trafficking in wild animals and for the inclusion of this subject in the school curriculum, especially in rural areas.
Tom Osbon of the Viet Nam-based Wildlife Management Office stressed the need to legalise multi-sectoral cooperation in preventing, discovering and punishing forest violations in order to protect wild animals effectively.
"It is also very important to establish special inspectors in localities which record a high number of violations," he added.
Dr Scott Roberton, head of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said that hunting wild animals for meat and trafficking had been happening in many countries, especially developing ones.
In Viet Nam, hunting and trade in wild animals had been alarming, he said.
A WCS study conducted at 200 restaurants in the central region found they consumed nearly two million wild animals per year. Among them, stag and wild boar accounted for around 70 percent of the consumed meat, followed by turtle, snake, fox and porcupine.
The study estimated the demand of wild animal consumption nationwide at nearly 4 500 tonnes per year.
The Forest Protection Department discovered 1 042 violations of wild animal protection laws last year, a decrease of 400 cases over 2008, the conference heard.
Dr Nguyen Viet Dung, deputy head of the Centre for People and Nature Reconciliation, said that the real number was much higher.
Roberton added that Viet Nam was also an important link in the international wild animal trafficking chain.
Last year, authorities found more than six tonnes of elephant tusks trafficked from Africa to Hai Phong City.
For full story, please see: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Environment/197884/Illegal-bush-meat-wildlife-trafficking-at-alarming-levels.html
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29. African resilience to climate change: biodiversity conservation and enhancing traditional knowledge
Source: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 10 March 2010
On 3 March 2010, the African Union Commission (AUC) commemorated Africa Environment Day under the theme "African Resilience to Climate Change: Biodiversity Conservation and Enhancing Traditional Knowledge," in celebrations hosted by the Government of Tanzania.
In a statement to mark the Day, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), stressed that the negative impacts of climate change on biodiversity have significant economic, ecological and human costs, and disproportionately affect traditional communities. At the same time, he said, communities' TK, based on life-long observations and interactions with nature can be used in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. He urged leaders to continue emphasizing the importance of TK, and to monitor the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in partnership with indigenous and local communities, noting the strong need to enhance links between TK and scientific practices.
Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said an effective resilience strategy must focus on protecting all forms of biological diversity, in particular soil biodiversity, and must build on Africa's TK. He also underscored the contribution of African women, who are the primary guardians of TK and the treasure keepers of seeds in their communities.
For more information, please see: http://tkbulletin.wordpress.com/
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30. ICIMOD Photo Contest – Mountain Biodiversity
Source: Nira Gurung, ICIMOD
This year is the UN International Year of Biodiversity 2010, with the slogan "Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life". ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) is marking the occasion with a Photo Contest on the biodiversity of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region and its role in people's lives.
The photo contest also reflects the theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity 22 May 2010 'Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Alleviation'. The aim is to raise awareness of the vital role that mountain biodiversity plays in sustaining life in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region and beyond.
The photo contest is open to all and runs until 10 May 2010.
Entries can be submitted in any of five categories: 1) mountain agrobiodiversity, 2) livelihoods and ecosystem services related to biodiversity, 3) women and mountain biodiversity, 4) indigenous/traditional knowledge and use associated with mountain biodiversity, and 5) threats to mountain biodiversity.
Images must be taken within the Hindu-Kush Himalayan portion of ICIMOD's regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Contestants may submit up to five entries in total, regardless of category. Images must be digital, in JPEG format, and between 1 and 8 MB in size.
The ICIMOD Hindu Kush-Himalayan Prize will be awarded to the overall best entry, and category prizes to the best entry in each category, each with a small cash prize and certificate.
Images will be judged on criteria such as (a) quality/visual appeal, (b) novelty, and (c) overall effectiveness in conveying the thematic category.
For more information, please contact: photocontest@icimod.org or visit www.icimod.org/photocontest/2010/
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31. Internet is biggest threat to endangered species, say conservationists
Source: www.guardian.co.uk, 21 March 2010
The internet has emerged as one of the greatest threats to rare species, fuelling the illegal wildlife trade and making it easier to buy everything from live lion cubs to wine made from tiger bones, conservationists said today.
The internet's impact was made clear at the meeting of the 175-nation CITES. Delegates voted overwhelmingly today to ban the trade of the Kaiser's spotted newt, which the World Wildlife Fund says has been devastated by internet trade.
Trade on the internet poses one of the biggest challenges facing CITES, said Paul Todd, a campaign manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"The internet is becoming the dominant factor overall in the global trade in protected species," he said. "There will come a time when country to country trade of large shipments between big buyers and big sellers in different countries is a thing of the past."
Most of the illegal trade is in African ivory but the group has also found exotic birds along with rare products such as tiger-bone wine and pelts from protected species like polar bears and leopards.
"As the internet knows no borders, it causes several new problems regarding the enforcement of the protection of endangered species," the group said in its report.
"The internet itself isn't the threat, but it's another way to market the product," said Ernie Cooper, who spearhead the investigation for TRAFFIC Canada.
For full story, please see: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/21/endangered-species-internet-threat
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32. Saving forests, cultures and carbon dioxide
Source: www.nature.com in Amazon Newsletter, 16 March 2010
Creating and strengthening protected areas and indigenous lands is one of the most effective ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, according to a new paper.
The study - a collaboration between forest scientists from 13 universities and research institutions - concludes that bolstering support for indigenous lands and other protected areas (ILPAs) is a "win-win" situation: it could slow forest loss, conserve biodiversity and preserve local cultures.
Support for forest protection programmes was one of the few successes during last December's climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, which failed to bring about a legally binding treaty to rein in carbon dioxide emissions.
During the meetings, countries agreed that developed countries would financially support poor nations in protecting their forests through an initiative called REDD-plus - Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, with added benefits for local communities and indigenous people.
But although the Copenhagen meetings called for the "immediate" establishment of a REDD-plus mechanism, no clear targets, strategies or timelines were adopted.
The new article, published online today in PloS Biology, suggests that creating new protected areas and strengthening the management of existing protected areas might be the best place to start.
The study points out that, globally, ILPAs contain more than 312 billion tonnes of carbon. Using case studies in the Brazilian Amazon, the researchers show that deforestation in protected areas and indigenous lands is 7–11 times less than in the surrounding areas.
Previous models have shown that protected areas established in the region between 2003 and 2007 could by 2050 prevent around 227 000km² of deforestation, more than one-third the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent.
In Brazil, indigenous lands are particularly important, says Taylor Ricketts, the director of the World Wildlife Fund's science programme and lead author of the paper. "They are about four times the area of national and state protected areas and are often sitting right in the path of deforestation."
The cost of establishing and managing a protected areas network in developing countries is around US$4 billion per year, four times more than the sum that is spent now. However, per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, the study points out, this amounts to roughly 9–13 percent of the capital that could be generated by REDD-plus at a conservative price of US$5 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Cecilia Harvey, the vice president of Global Change & Ecosystem Services at Conservation International, an Arlington, Virginia (USA) - based international not-for-profit organization that runs pilot REDD projects in Africa and South America, suggests such programmes shouldn't just focus just on the protected areas but also on the communities at their margins. "For indigenous lands and protected areas to be effective in the long term, it's critical that we work with the communities living around those protected areas and make sure they have sustainable livelihood alternatives," she says.
For full story, please see www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=348162
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33. Smallholder and community forestry: Forests may depend on survival of native people
Source: Inter Press Service, 29 March 2010
After the failures in Copenhagen to agree on a new climate protection treaty, and more recently at the Doha meetings on trade in endangered species, indigenous forest communities may offer examples of sensible governance for shared resources on a small planet.
Hundreds of poor Mexican Zapotec indigenous farmers have become owners of a multi-million-dollar diversified forest industry, offering an important model of a community-based enterprise that supports local people and conserves the natural environment, says David Barton Bray, a professor and associate chair in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University in Miami.
The farmers of Ixtlán de Juarez, a forest community in the Sierra Norte mountains of central Mexico, utilize their strong traditional community values and communal ownership of more than 21 000 hectares of pine and oak forest to run a successful business that benefits the entire community.
There is no private property, and rather than establishing a business to maximize profits, the people of Ixtlán, and in other Zapotec communities of Mexico with similar forest-based enterprises, focus on job creation, reducing emigration to cities and enhancing the overall well-being of the community, Bray told participants at the Smallholder and Community Forestry conference in Montpellier.
"Communities will be more important in the years to come because they can address vital issues that the state and the market cannot," Bray, an expert on community forests in Mexico and Central America, told IPS.
The survival of much of the world's forests may well depend of the survival of local communities. A quarter of the world's remaining forests are controlled by about one billion local people, says Estebancio Castro Diaz of the Kuna Nation in Panama, who is executive director for the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of Tropical Forests.
"Local control is good for the people and good for the forest," Castro Diaz told participants attending the conference organised by the Centre for International Forestry Research, headquartered in Indonesia, the French Research Institute for Development and the French International Research Centre for Agricultural Development.
"The forest is a supermarket for us, it is not just about timber," he said.
For those reasons, more than 90 percent of the forests controlled by the Kuna people are still standing. "We need to communicate there are broad benefits to the larger society for local control of forests," Diaz said.
In sharp contrast to the usual nation-state or private enterprise overexploitation of commonly-held lands, oceans or other resources – characterized as the "tragedy of the commons" – local communities can set and enforce rules to maintain their landscapes, conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods for the long term, Bray suggests.
The World Bank, FAO, IUCN and others have formed a "Growing Forests Partnership" to find ways to support community-managed forests, said Chris Buss of IUCN. Not only is this partnership trying to ensure that indigenous and local people are involved in their national government's forestry policy, but also to find ways to channel financial investment into local forest management be it for timber, Brazil nuts or other uses.
For full story, please see: www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50829
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34. The keys to forest conservation
Source: www.mongabay.com, 23 March 2010
Daniel Janzen – conservation biologist – made his name in 1965 by discovering the extraordinary co-evolution and "mutualism" between two rainforest species, a study so well-known it goes by its own shorthand: "the ant and the acacia." In the ensuing decades, Janzen has gone on to additional groundbreaking research in the forests of Central America.
But by the mid-1980s, Janzen had grown so alarmed at the rapid rate at which forests were disappearing in the region that he and his wife and research partner, Winifred Hallwachs, threw themselves into conservation projects. They worked to expand a small national park in northwestern Costa Rica into a 300 000 acre reserve — the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, or ACG — encompassing dry tropical forest, rain forest, cloud forest, and marine areas. With Costa Rican colleagues, including President Oscar Arias, Janzen demonstrated that denuded tropical forest can be re-grown, a landmark achievement in ecological restoration.
Janzen — who leveraged a US$3.5 million donation into a permanent US$30 million endowment for the park — recently set the ambitious goal of raising a half-billion dollars to endow the entire Costa Rican park system in perpetuity.
Now 71 — and still pursuing a decades-long inventory of moths, butterflies, and caterpillars of the ACG — Janzen has recently turned to another significant endeavour: the development of a "barcorder" device, a kind of taxonomic iPod designed to quickly identify the world's organisms (viruses, invertebrates, plants, animals, and birds) by their DNA in conjunction with a vast database to deliver that information to users. Janzen and his partner, Paul Hebert, have championed the device as a way to open the public's eyes to the world's biodiversity and the growing threats to it.
Speaking on REDD, Janzen says, " If the world does get serious about what is packaged under the acronym of REDD and puts in a big bucket of money that is used to lock down big chunks of forest in a permanent carbon storage state, that has the potential — and I have to underline the word "potential" — for truly saving big blocks of wild areas. And there are a lot of ifs between the big picture wish or international agreements and actual on-the-ground doing it."
"But if there were a bucket like that that was available so that people like me, who are seriously out there trying to lock down big chunks of forest, that could become a financial instrument for actually doing it."
"My feeling is that all the science I see says that the only places that are going to survive in the long run are big conserved pieces. Small pieces may be very pretty, but they die, just because of insularity. They turn into islands. And we all know what happens on islands. Islands never have high species richness. And even when they do, like Hawaii did when people got there, [they are] very, very fragile, very susceptible to human perturbation."
For full story, please see: www.e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2253
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35. UNECE and FAO Launch Data Collection on Europe's Forests
Source: Earth Negotiations Bulletin, 11 March 2010
The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and FAO have begun collecting data on the state of forests and forest management in Europe. Data will be collected from 46 countries in the European region, and will include information on forest health and vitality, productive and protective functions, biodiversity and social and economic dimensions of forest management.
UNECE/FAO have invited national correspondents to provide measurements of a variety of numeric data, such as forest carbon stock, timber trade and employment, as well as a description of policies, institutions and financial instruments. The results of the data collection, which is performed every four years and is based on the pan-European Criteria and Indicators for sustainable forest management, will be presented in the "State of Europe's Forests" report. This report will be released at the sixth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), which will be held in Norway in 2011.
For more information, please see: http://climate-l.org/2010/03/12/unece-and-fao-launch-data-collection-on-europes-forests/
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Forestry, Biomass & Sustainability 2010
13-14 May 2010
London, UK
This two-day conference, produced by Environmental Finance Publications, will provide a full analysis of the latest developments in policy, economics and financing of forestry and biomass projects, and identify new investment opportunities and risks in these rapidly growing markets.
Keynote speaker - Tim Rollinson, Director General, Forestry Commission of Great Britain; and Chairman, Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration.
For more information, please contact:
E-mail: conferences@environmental-finance.com
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7251 9151
Fax: +44 (0)20 7251 9161
www.environmental-finance.com/events/view/5
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IX Congreso Internacional de Manejo de Fauna de la Amazonía y América Latina
10-15 May 2010
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
El congreso trata los siguientes temas:
(1) manejo de fauna silvestre para la subsistencia y la seguridad alimentaria (información básica sobre especies de cacería de subsistencia, manejo de fauna para la subsistencia comunitaria, organización - gobernanza para el manejo comunitario, planificación y gestión territorial para incluir el manejo de la fauna para la subsistencia, y cambio climático, reducción de la pobreza, objetivos del milenio);
(2) Manejo de fauna silvestre para asegurar la Calidad Ambiental (información básica sobre especies amenazadas y en vía de extinction, manejo de fauna en Áreas Protegidas, calentamiento Global y sus efectos sobre poblaciones y especies de fauna Silvestre, contaminación y sus efectos sobre la fauna Silvestre, el rol de la fauna en el mantenimiento de la calidad ambiental, manejo de fauna y servicios ecosistemicos, festión de fauna a escala de paisajes, y enfermedades de la fauna silvestre, cambio climático y salud humana) y;
(3) Manejo de fauna silvestre para la Producción Comercial (manejo de fauna in situ para la producción comercial sostenible, manejo de fauna silvestre ex situ, organización/Administración comunitaria para el manejo de fauna silvestre para el comercio, zoocría de fauna Silvestre, mecanismos de control de tráfico illegal, biocomercio, manejo de fauna y turismo, y rol de los zoológicos en el manejo de fauna Silvestre).
Para mas informacion, dirigirse a:
MSc. Mariana Escobar
Av. Irala 565 - Casilla 2489
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Tel: (591-3) 3371216
Fax: (591-3) 3366574
E-mail: mescobar@museonoelkempff.org or ixcimfauna.bol@gmail.com
www.ixcimfauna-bol.museonoelkempff.org/
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Restoring the world's forests and tackling climate change
28 June -2 July 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference is open to participants from ALL countries and organizations, and is hosted by the UK Government.
It is occurring at a crucial time, according to Tim Rollinson, chairman of the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) and Director-General of the British Forestry Commission, which is organizing the Conference.
"It will be just seven months after Copenhagen prioritized efforts to halt deforestation if we are to limit global average temperature increases to less than 2 degrees," he said. "The conference is therefore a timely opportunity to explore ways in which Commonwealth organizations and any other countries that wish to take part can take this vital work forward."
It will feature case studies of forest restoration successes, and address topics including:
· actions that can be taken now for forests to achieve climate change objectives;
· the role of education and professionalism;
· next steps and strategies for delivering REDD+;
· the importance of communities in delivering forestry objectives;
· the role of the private sector in finance and restoration;
· the economics of restoration and sustainable development; and
· the important role of forests in helping to reverse the global loss of biodiversity.
For more information, please contact:
Libby Jones,
Forestry Commission
Silvan House
231 Corstorphine Road
Edinburgh, EH12 7AT
Scotland, United Kingdom.
E-mail: cfcc@in-conference.org.uk
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International Conference on Biodiversity Conservation in Transboundary Tropical Forests
14-17 July 2010
Quito, Ecuador
The need to maintain large areas of tropical forests through the establishment of transboundary conservation areas (TBCAs) has long been recognized as an important activity to perpetuate ecosystems and biodiversity resources, as well as the environmental services and socio-economic benefits they provide. Recognizing that countries have sovereign rights over their biological resources, international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) are committed to enhancing technical and scientific cooperation, training and information exchange on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in tropical forests.
The recently intensified debate on REDD-plus has introduced additional opportunities and challenges for the conservation of forests in the context of carbon stocking in countries and regions. National and regional demonstration activities for REDD-plus are being discussed and implemented to meet the challenges for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Likewise, national and regional activities to promote forest law compliance, governance and trade (FLEGT) represent opportunities and challenges to further develop and finance the management of transboundary conservation areas for their effective contribution to long term development at local, national and regional levels.
This Conference will allow for an in-depth discussion of the lessons learned, benefits generated and challenges to enhance the contribution of TBCAs to biodiversity and environmental services, to indigenous and local livelihoods, and to the sustainable development of the countries and regions involved.
Interested organizations and individuals are invited to submit abstracts.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Hwan Ok Ma or Mr. John Leigh
Reforestation and Forest Management Division
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
Yokohama, Japan
Tel: (81-45) 223-1110, Fax: (81-45) 223-1111
Email: rfm@itto.int
or Mr. Tim Christophersen
Programme Officer for forest biodiversity
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
United Nations Environment Programme
413 St-Jacques O., Suite 800
Montreal, QC., H2Y 1N9, Canada
Tel. main: +1-514-288-2220
Tel. direct: +1-514-287-7036
Fax: +1-514-288-6588
Email: Tim.Christophersen@cbd.int
www.cbd.int/forest/doc/Announcement-Quito-Conference-14-17-July-2010-en.pdf
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LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEBSITES
40. FAO publishes key findings of global forest resources assessment
Source: FAO Media Centre, 25 March 2010
Globally, around 13 million hectares of forests were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes each year between 2000 and 2010 as compared to around 16 million hectares per year during the 1990s, according to key findings of FAO's most comprehensive forest review to date "The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010." The study covers 233 countries and areas.
FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessments are published every five years. More than 900 specialists from 178 countries were involved in the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. The full report of this Assessment will be released in October 2010.
Key findings:
Brazil and Indonesia, which had the highest loss of forests in the 1990s, have significantly reduced their deforestation rates. In addition, ambitious tree planting programmes in countries such as China, India, the United States and Viet Nam - combined with natural expansion of forests in some regions - have added more than seven million hectares of new forests annually. As a result the net loss of forest area was reduced to 5.2 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2010, down from 8.3 million hectares annually in the 1990s.
The world's total forest area is just over four billion hectares or 31 percent of the total land area. The net annual loss of forests (when the sum of all gains in forest area is smaller than all losses) in 2000-2010 is equivalent to an area about the size of Costa Rica.
South America and Africa had the highest net annual loss of forests in 2000-2010, with four and 3.4 million hectares respectively. Oceania also registered a net loss, due partly to severe drought in Australia since 2000.
Asia, on the other hand, registered a net gain of some 2.2 million hectares annually in the last decade, mainly because of large-scale afforestation programmes in China, India and Viet Nam, which have expanded their forest area by a total of close to four million hectares annually in the last five years. However, conversion of forested lands to other uses continued at high rates in many countries.
In North and Central America, the forest area remained fairly stable, while in Europe it continued to expand, although at a slower rate than previously.
"For the first time, we are able to show that the rate of deforestation has decreased globally as a result of concerted efforts taken both at local and international level," said Eduardo Rojas, Assistant Director-General of FAO's Forestry Department.
"Not only have countries improved their forest policies and legislation, they have also allocated forests for use by local communities and indigenous peoples and for the conservation of biological diversity and other environmental functions. This is a very welcoming message in 2010 - the International Year of Biodiversity.
"However, the rate of deforestation is still very high in many countries and the area of primary forest - forests undisturbed by human activity - continues to decrease, so countries must further strengthen their efforts to better conserve and manage them", he added.
For full story, please see:
www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/40893/icode/
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41. Indian University catalogues rare medicinal plants
Source: Indian Express, 18 March 2010
The department of Botany of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India (MSU) has
come out with a detailed booklet on rare medicinal plants available at Dhanvantari, the residence of the university vice-chancellor.
The booklet has been specifically compiled to commemorate the unveiling of the statue of Lord Dhanvantari - the physician of the Gods according to Hindu mythology- in the university campus on Thursday.
The booklet will have details of all the 161 medicinal plants recognised by the department. "The booklet has the scientific name of every plant along with the medicinal usage of each species," said Daniel M, senior professor of the department.
Apart from the booklet, the Botany department has also labelled all the trees in the garden. "This way, we can keep a record of the plants. We have also involved all the students in compiling this booklet. Now, Vice-Chancellor Prof Ramesh Goyal has also asked for an illustrated book of the medicinal plants, which we will soon be working on," said Professor Daniel.
For full story, please see:
www.indianexpress.com/news/MSU-catalogues-rare-plants-in-V-C-s-bungalow/592368
For more information, please contact:
Department of Botany,
Faculty of Science,
The M.S. University of Baroda,
Vadodara, Gujarat, 390002
Tel. 00912652791891
E-mail: mdanieluni@yahoo.com
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42. Mushrooms - edible and medicinal
Source: www.downeast.com, 20 March 2010
Increasingly the United States is awakening to the health promoting potential of wild mushrooms, and in this new book, Mushrooms for Health: Medicinal Secrets of Northeastern Fungi, Maine mycologist Greg Marley discusses in great depth the world's best researched and supported medicinal mushrooms commonly found throughout the northeast. In this detailed guidebook, readers will find the most in-depth coverage on mushroom identification and their intrinsic value for boosting the immune system and warding off diseases from bronchitis to cancer. Plus, readers will learn that these beneficial mushrooms can be really tasty.
Marley focuses on ten mushroom species found in New England and elsewhere, too. In each case, there are no poisonous look-alikes discussed in the book. It is an informational guide on regional mycology that will appeal to anyone who enjoys foraging and who has an interest in alternative, self-directed healthcare.
Greg Marley, of Rockland, Maine has studied mushrooms for more than 30 years. He has a B.S. in Botany with a minor in Chemistry and a focus on plant taxonomy and ecology, and he is a volunteer consultant for the Northern New England Poison Control Center and various hospital emergency rooms for cases involving mushroom ingestion and identification. He also cultivates edible and medicinal mushrooms and provides wild edible mushrooms to professional chefs.
For more information, please see: www.downeast.com/node/13179
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43. Research into Use (RIU): Managing Africa's Medicinal Plants
Source: www.worldpress.com, 30 March 2010
Research into Use's (RIU) pocket guide and policy brief series has produced a brief that outlines the need to find ways to sustainably manage Africa's medicinal plants.
RIU continues to illustrate how complex subjects can be explained simply to policy makers and the importance of effective scientific communication. The aim is to encourage partners in both the developed and developing world to invest more in communication efforts helping useful technologies become more widely adopted.
The brief "Future Health: Sustainable Management of Africa's Medicinal Plants" highlights that 80 percent of Africans use traditional treatments made from wild native plant species and one-third depend on them entirely. As populations go up so too does use; over-exploitation is rampant. Control is imperative to sustain forest resources before they are lost, potentially denying millions access to medicines.
There is demand for better management of resources, and a firm belief that this can be achieved. The Trees for Health Forever resolution was signed by foresters, traders, herbalists and ministry officials from countries across Southern Africa in 2005. It committed to cross border collaboration on forest management and to get the message of sustainable harvesting issues through the medicinal plant supply chain.
Scientists are already producing tools that can make sustainable management a reality. Policy makers are encouraged to support groups, such as the Indigenous Resources Working Group in Southern Africa, and take advantage of new management approaches and tools as they become available.
Policy must ensure that all stakeholders, from traders and wholesalers to local collectors gathering forest products, are included in initiatives to preserve forests and their medicines. As a result, policies must be inclusive of all countries, and push for all trade to be monitored and recorded. This may involve new joint policies among countries in the region to protect these valuable resources.
For more information, please see:
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44. Other Publications of Interest
From: FAO's NWFP Programme
Boissiere, M., Sassen, M., Sheil, D., Heist, M. V., Jong, W. D., Cunliffe, R., Wan, M., Padmanaba, M., Liswanti, N., Basuki, I., Evans, K., Cronkleton, P., Lynam, T., Koponen, P., Bairaktari, C. 2010. Researching local perspectives on biodiversity in tropical landscapes: lessons from ten case studies. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
Adams, W.M. and Redford, K.H. 2010. Ecosystem services and conservation: a reply to Skroch and López-Hoffman. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):328-329.
Belant, J.L.,Beever, E.A., Gross, J.E., and Lawler, J.J. 2010. Ecological responses to contemporary climate change within species, communities, and ecosystems. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):7-9.
Crepaldi, M.O.S., and Peixoto, A.L. 2010. Use and knowledge of plants by "Quilombolas" as subsidies for conservation efforts in an area of Atlantic Forest in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Biodivers. Conserv. 19:37-60.
Fa, J.E., Albrechtsen, L., Johnson, P.J., and Macdonald, D.W. 2009. Linkages between household wealth, bushmeat and other animal protein consumption are not invariant: evidence from Rio Muni, Equatorial Guinea. Anim. Conserv. 12(6):599-610
Finer, M., Moncel, R., and Jenkins, C.N. 2010. Leaving the oil under the Amazon: Ecuador's Yasuni-ITT Initiative. Biotropica 42(1):63-66.
Gavin, M.C., Solomon, J.N., and Blank, S.G. 2010. Measuring and monitoring illegal use of natural resources. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):89-100.
Johns, D. 2010. The International Year of Biodiversity - from talk to action. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):338-340.
Klanderud, K., Mbolatiana, H.Z.H., Vololomboahangy, M.N., Radimbison, M.A., Roger, E., Totland, Ø., and Rajeriarison, C. 2010. Recovery of plant species richness and composition after slash-and-burn agriculture in a tropical rainforest in Madagascar. Biodivers. Conserv. 19:187-204.
Krupp, F., Al-Jumaily, M., Bariche, M., Khalaf, M., Malek, M., and Streit, B. 2009. The Middle Eastern Biodiversity Network: Generating and sharing knowledge for ecosystem management and conservation. Zookeys 31:3-15.
Laikre, L., Allendorf, F.W., Aroner, L.C., Baker, C.S., Gregovich, D.P., Hansen, M.M., Jackson, J.A., Kendall, K.C., McKelvey, K., Neel, M.C., Olivieri, I., Ryman, N., Schwartz, M.K., Bull, R.S., Stetz, J.B., Tallmon, D.A., Taylor, B.L., Vojta, C.D., Waller, D.M., and Waples, R.S. 2010. Neglect of genetic diversity in implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):86-88.
Mueller, J.G., Assanou, I.H.B., Guimbo, I.D., and Almedom, A.M. 2010. Evaluating rapid participatory rural appraisal as an assessment of ethnoecological knowledge and local biodiversity patterns. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):140-150.
Nelson, F., Foley, C., Foley, L.S., Leposo, A., Loure, E., Peterson, D., Peterson, M., Peterson, T., Sachedina, H., and Williams, A. 2010. Payments for ecosystem services as a framework for community-based conservation in northern Tanzania. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):78-85.
Paillet, Y., Bergès, L., Hjältén, J., Ódor, P., Avon, C., Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Bijlsma, R.J., De Bruyn, L., Fuhr, M., Grandin, U., Kanka, R., Lundin, L., Luque, S., Magura, T., Matesanz, S., Mészáros, I., Sebastià, M.T., Schmidt, W., Standovár, T., Tóthmérész, B., Uotila, A., Valladares, F., Vellak, K., and Virtanen, R. 2010. Biodiversity differences between managed and unmanaged forests: meta-analysis of species richness in Europe. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):101-112.
Prajapati, Narayan Dass., Purohit, S.S., Sharma, Arun K., and Kumar, Tarun. 2010.
A Handbook of Medicinal Plants: A Complete Source Book. India: Riddhi International.
Abstract: The book describes more than 1 346 medicinal plants found in the world and includes vernacular names, description, distribution, part use, utilization, active principles, agronomic practices and 870 colour photographs. Separate chapters on organic farming, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides used for sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants, tips for medicinal plants cultivation and multi-tier agriculture systems of medicinal plants have been presented. The book also includes complete addresses (including E-mail addresses) of research institutes and agencies, NGOs, importers and exporters, traders and commission agents, growers, seeds and planting materials suppliers, medicinal gardens, books, analytical testing facilities, market news services, important web sites of the world. Glossaries of various terms used and common names of medicinal plants in different languages have been appended.
Rao, R.R., Murugan, R., and Kavitha, S. 2009. Botanical conservatories and ex situ conservation of some rare and endemic medicinal and aromatic plants: a case study from Western Ghats. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. India B 79:350-368.
Robinson, D. 2010. Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases and International Debates.
UK: Earthscan.
Abstract: "Biopiracy" refers either to the unauthorised extraction of biological resources, such as plants with medicinal properties, and associated traditional knowledge from indigenous peoples and local communities, or to the patenting of spurious "inventions" based on such knowledge or resources without compensation. Biopiracy cases continue to emerge in the media and public eye, yet they remain the source of considerable disagreement, confusion, controversy and grief. The aim of this book is to provide the most detailed, coherent analysis of the issue of biopiracy to date.
The book synthesises the rise of the issue and increasing use of the term by activists and negotiators in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to form a critical understanding of the themes, implications and politics of biopiracy. Taking a case-study based approach, derived from interviews and fieldwork with researchers, government, industry, local farmers, healers and indigenous people, the author sequentially documents events that have occurred in biopiracy and bioprospecting controversies. Implications and ethical dilemmas are explored, particularly relating to work with local communities, and the power relations entailed.
Detailing international debates from the WTO, CBD and other fora in an accessible manner, the book provides a unique overview of current institutional limitations and suggests ways forward. Options and solutions are suggested which are relevant for local communities, national governments, international negotiators, NGO and interest groups, researchers and industry.
Skroch, M., and López-Hoffman, L. 2010. Saving nature under the big tent of ecosystem services: a response to Adams and Redford. Conserv. Biol. 24(1):325-327.
Wyndham, Felice, S. 2010. Environments of Learning: Rarámuri Children's Plant Knowledge and Experience of Schooling, Family, and Landscapes in the Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico Human Ecology. 38:1
Abstract: This paper investigates social-environmental factors contributing to differential ethnobotanical expertise among children in Rarámuri (Tarahumara) communities in Chihuahua, Mexico, to explore processes of indigenous ecological education and epistemologies of research. One hundred and four children from two schools (one with a Ráramuri knowledge curriculum and one without) were interviewed about their knowledge of 40 useful plants. Overall, children showed less ethnobotanical expertise than expected and a great deal of variability by age, though most shared knowledge of a core set of culturally and ecologically salient plants. The social–environmental factors significant in predicting levels of plant knowledge among children were whether a child attended a Rarámuri or Spanish-instruction school, and, to a lesser extent, age. However, these effects were not strong, and individual variability in expertise is best interpreted using ethnographic knowledge of each child's family and personal history, leading to a model of ethnobotanical education that foregrounds experiential learning and personal and family interest in useful plants. Though overall plant knowledge may be lower among children today compared to previous generations, a community knowledge structure seems to be reproduced in which a few individuals in each age cohort show great proficiency, and children make the same kinds of mistakes and share specialized names for plants.
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Source: FAO's NWFP Programme
The Field Museum
A new website that provides detailed information, photographs and maps about the extraordinary mammal fauna of the Philippines was launched on 26 March 2010 as part of the celebrations in the Philippines for the International Year of Biodiversity.
The website is the result of a collaboration between The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, with participation by museums, universities, and NGOs in the Philippines and United States. It is based on 10 years of field studies.
According to Dr. Lawrence Heaney, leader of the project and Curator of Mammals at The Field Museum, "With over 206 species, 117 of which live nowhere else, the concentration of unique mammal species in the Philippines may be the highest in any country. They include tiny mice with two sets of whiskers, large tree-living animals with long, lush coats of shiny black fur, the largest bats in the world, bats with bizarrely beautiful folds of skin around their nostrils, and dozen of other strange but wonderful species."
Each of the 206 native species of mammals has a page with color photographs, a detailed map, information on how to identify the species, a summary of its ecology and habitat, and an assessment of its conservation status. Other sections provide photos of all major types of habitats.
"This website will also serve as a high-quality source of information to teachers and students all over the Philippines, and will help to promote eco-tourism," said Dr. T. Mundita Lim, Director of the DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.
"Cooperative projects such as this are among the most effective ways for the DENR to produce the information that is needed to protect our environment."
Website: http://fieldmuseum.org
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/press_releases/3291
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46. International Mountain Day theme 2010: Call for proposals
Source: Sara Manuelli (Mountain Partnership Secretariat) 16 March 2010
The United Nations General Assembly has designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as "International Mountain Day". It is observed every year with a different theme relevant to sustainable mountain development. In the previous years the following themes were chosen:
2003 - Mountains Source of Freshwater
2004 - Peace: key to sustainable mountain development
2005 - Mountain Tourism
2006 - Mountain Biodiversity
2007 - Climate Change
2008 - Food Security
2009 - Disaster Risk Management.
This year the Mountain Partnership Secretariat is calling for contributions in choosing the International Mountain Day 2010 theme.
To make a proposal, please visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/MNFCHWT
For more information, please see: www.mountainpartnership.org
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47. Eggshell of extinct giant bird provides ancient DNA
Source: University of Oxford News, 12 March 2010
In a world first an international team of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from the eggshells of various species of extinct birds.
The research, published in scientific journal Proceedings B. of the Royal Society, shows that fossil eggshell is a previously unrecognized source of ancient DNA and can provide exceptional long-term preservation of DNA in warmer climates. The findings will boost research in archaeology and biology where species identifications can add significantly to our understanding of biodiversity, evolutionary processes, past environmental change and dispersal of animal and human populations.
The study includes samples of Aepyornis sp, the giant Madagascan elephant bird collected by Dr Jean-Luc Schwenninger, a Quaternary geochronologist based at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) at Oxford University. The bird looked like an outsized ostrich, standing about three metres high and weighing in excess of half a tonne. It was the heaviest bird to have ever existed and produced eggs with a capacity of 11L (equivalent to over two hundred chicken eggs or seven ostrich eggs). Its eggs are the largest eggs ever known.
Since 1991, Schwenninger and a team from Sheffield University, the University of Colorado, and Antananarivo's National Museum of Art and Archaeology in Madagascar have conducted large scale archaeological surveys of the Southern region of Madagascar and studied the timing of extinction of these giant flightless birds. Whilst scouring the coastal dunes of Southern Madagascar they have found evidence of many of the bird's former nesting sites from concentrations of eggshell debris. They have also excavated archaeological sites which document the rise and fall of a lost civilization with long-distance trade contacts to Africa's Swahili coast, the Persian Gulf and China.
Dr Schwenninger and his colleague Professor Michael Parker Pearson, from the University of Sheffield, believe that by the time this civilization flourished, from the 11th to the 13th century, the population of elephant birds was in serious decline. The precise cause of extinction is not yet fully understood but it is probably linked to the arrival of humans.
For full story, please see: www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/100312_2.html
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48. Culture not clear-cuts are forests' biggest threat
Source: World Watch Institute, 16 March 2010
Joe Orefice, a young forestry professor at Paul Smith's College, explains that although the work of a forester and a farmer are extremely similar - both manage a biological process in order to produce goods for human consumption - our culture holds them in two very different lights.
Entire anti-forestry campaigns have been built around bleak images of clear-cut forests, whereas corn growing on formerly forested land evokes a much less emotional response. But clear-cuts can be part of ecologically minded forest management. For instance, a forester can clear-cut in patches, rather than huge swaths, just as a diversified farmer might rotate the land on which crops grow. Moreover, the clear-cut area is often seeded with the next tree crop and let to grow wild from there.
Our misunderstanding of clear-cuts is one symptom of a greater disconnect between people and our products. Because products now pass through extremely complex and often perverse economic chains before we get them, better understanding may come only by re-localizing business. This means foresters reconnecting with their communities, and community members shifting their tastes to a narrower range of local—and seasonal—products and services.
Foresters understand resource sustainability at a very deep level. Their business depends on stewardship of the land and on long-term planning.
As foresters now look for local markets and for non-destructive uses for trees, their neighbours and clients (no longer just "consumers") need to think along the same, sustainable, lines. Cultural change is a two-way street. Businesses can have the greatest of ecological intentions, but if clients don't demand the most sustainable choices, those intentions get dropped.
Yes, demand for certified forest products—those coming from sustainably managed forests—is on the rise. But certification based on timber, paper, and pulp products will not in itself provide long-term security forests. More logos plastered on more consumer products fails to address the fundamental aspect of our culture which drives people to consume excessively – pushing our ecological footprint beyond sustainable levels, and causing forest-damaging climate change.
Government efforts to put value and legal protections on forest-based ecosystem services, as well as mandatory environmental education programs, could help ignite more sustainability-minded demands.
Real forest protection will not come until we fundamentally re-understand our forests, how we manage them, and where they fit into our culture.
For full story, please see: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/transformingcultures/culture-not-clear-cuts-are-forests%E2%80%99-biggest-threat/
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49. Nobel Laureate Maathai warns on forest destruction
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda), 17 March 2010
Governments must curb the fast diminishing rate of forest cover or risk suffering from water stress and climate changes in the future, Nobel Peace prize laureate and Founder of the Green Belt Movement Professor Wangari Maathai has warned.
Prof. Maathai emphasised the role of conserving forests while speaking at the 15th International African Water and Sanitation Congress which took place in Kampala in March.
"One of the most effective strategies to ensure that there is water is to protect natural forest eco-systems, watersheds and wetlands. Protecting forests is ensuring that there will be water," she said.
Prof. Maathai faulted the governments for not costing the environmental services provided by forests, watershed and wetlands ecosystems, adding that if they did, water would be a more valuable resource that can be managed efficiently and responsibly.
"Even then, access to clean drinking water should be a human right. Denying people clean drinking water would tantamount to condemning them to death," she added.
She also emphasised the need for the governments to focus on harvesting rain water. In Uganda, official statistics show that about 10 million Ugandans do not have access to clean and safe water. Districts in the north and north eastern Uganda have the lowest water coverage of less than 12 percent.
Environmental experts have warned that much of the of the country's forest cover could soon disappear if no action is taken to conserve them. The latest National Environment Management Authority report on the state of forests in Uganda, indicates that at least 1.2m hectares of forest cover has so far been lost between 1990 and 2005.
For full story, please see: www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/688334/-/vgpkiq/-/index.html
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50. Rise in poaching pushes CITES to vote "no" to ivory sales
Source: www.mongabay.com, 22 March 2010
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has pleased conservationists with its decision to not allow the one-off sales of ivory from government stockpiles in Tanzania and Zambia given the recent rise in elephant poaching in Africa.
"It's victory for conservationists world wide as CITES today voted no to the proposal presented by Tanzania to weaken the 21-year ban on ivory sales. Many countries do not think that Tanzania can manage to sell ivory without it leading to a dramatic upsurge in elephant killings, after all, the country has been unable to control illicit trade in ivory and elephant poaching," Executive Director of WildlifeDirect Paula Kahumbu wrote in a blog on the decision.
While the ivory trade has been banned since 1989, two one-time sales have gone ahead in the past: 1999 and 2008. Many conservationists believe that these past sales led to increasing demand for ivory products - illegal or not - causing an uptick in poaching.
Last year, 25 tons of illegal ivory was confiscated from an estimated 2 500 elephants, according to TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring group. Tanzania had hoped to sell 80.5 tons of ivory and Zambia 21 tons.
For full story, please see: http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0322-hance_ivory.html
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