NWFP-Digest-L
No. 8/11
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 to Giulia Muir for her help with this issue.
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2011 International Year of Forests
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/ or www.fao.org/forestry/en
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1. Bamboo offers green shoots of opportunity
2. Bamboo: A low-cost construction material introduced in Uganda
3. Berries in the UK: What's in season
4. Berries: The Himalayan berry seabuckthorn helps boost brain functions
5. Bushmeat: Experts recommend new solutions to growing bushmeat trade
6. Bushmeat: Rats, bees to protect African wildlife
7. Cinnamon may delay, cure Alzheimer's: Israeli study
8. Cork wine stoppers making a comeback
9. Cork: Natural cork grows on trees
10. Frankincense may help treat arthritis
11. Fungi: New to nature: Coltricia globispora
12. Medicinal plants: Preserving cures
13. Natural fibres: Which is the green choice?
14. Wildlife: Africa's declining wildlife
15. Wildlife: Cameroon, Nigeria in new plan to save rare chimp
16. Wildlife: Jane Goodall urges action on chimpanzees during Sydney visist
17. Afghanistan: Concern over saffron price drop
18. Australia: Bio-prospectors probe Aboriginal lore
19. Botswana: Traditional Indigenous Knowledge system launched
20. Brazil to digitalize Amazonian biodiversity with the help of IBM
21. India: Is ecotourism benefiting locals?
22. New Zealand: Beekeepers warn of "honey laundering"
23. Rwanda: Facilitating honey business
24. Swaziland: First rhino loss in over 20 years
25. Venezuela's wildlife conservation sees mixed results
26. UK: London's History of medicinal plants
27. UK: 13.6 percent decline in honey bees confounds experts
28. UK: Nine years to save iconic species
29. USA: Getting to the root of the chestnut problem
31. USA: A banner year for New York's maple syrup industry
32. Community must be placed at the heart of African conservation
33. Instant tree identification is now possible
34. Latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species released
35. Leaders in conservation awarded by the National Geographic Society
36. Ministers back binding European forest agreement
37. Profit, not poverty, increasing cause of deforestation
38. Toy maker, under siege, promises new rain forest packaging policy
39. Viruses are "new normal" for honey bees: study
40. PAWS-Med Conference (Pedagogic Work in Mediterranean Forests)
41. REMINDER: International Conference on the Art and Joy of Wood
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
42. Exploring Asia's Seasonally Dry Forests
43. Putting people at the centre of forest law-making
44. State of Europe's Forests 2011 launched
45. The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
46. Other publications of interest
48. In a globalized world, are invasive species a thing of the past?
49. Chimp's ingenuity documented by researchers
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1. Bamboo offers green shoots of opportunity
Source: Daily Mail (UK), 18 June 2011
Pandas depend on it for nutrition, but bamboo also offers investors potentially mouth-watering returns. As the fastest-growing land plant in the world, it can reach 41 ft within a year. Bamboo, which is a type of grass, creates up to 20 times more timber/ha than trees.
With mounting environmental concerns about the lack of sustainable forests, demand for bamboo is soaring. Producers claim they can double investors' money in as little as five years, or grow it fourfold within 15.
EcoPlanet Bamboo recently launched a "bamboo fund" for investors. David Cox, president of EcoPlanet, says: 'While you must wait at least 25 years for a tree to grow and be harvested, bamboo is ready in less than five years.'
A key appeal of bamboo is that it can be used for a wide range of products — from building materials to bio-fuels, and even clothes.
EcoPlanet sells plots of land in Nicaragua and offers to grow, harvest and sell bamboo for investors. The minimum investment is US$15 000 for 0.25 ha plot on which about 100 plants are grown. Investors are offered a guaranteed return of 7 percent of the amount invested in year one. They receive 8 percent on their initial investment in year two, followed by nine percent in year three. It is not until year four that the bamboo is ready for full harvest. At this point returns on the investment will, hopefully, leap and — although no longer guaranteed — are forecast to rise to 16 percent in year four and 78 percent on the initial amount invested for the year after and subsequent years for the following decade. After 15 years the whole deal — leasehold and bamboo — ends.
EcoPlanet Bamboo is not the only outfit in this specialist sector. Touchwood, which farms bamboo in Thailand, sells it in grass "clumps".
For full story, please see: www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-2005304/Bamboo-offers-green-shoots-opportunity.html
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2. Bamboo: A low-cost housing material introduced in Uganda
Source: www.allafrica.com, 23 June 2011
Although it is not yet popular in Uganda, those who have put it to use swear by its cost-effectiveness.
At Makerere University in Uganda, there are two structures that are partly made of bamboo. Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology at the University, says "These structures were meant to assure people that bamboo is a good and durable material and that beautiful houses can be built using bamboo," he explains.
Engineer S. Kapasa explains that the bamboo material used on these structures was donated to them from International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). "The headquarters of INBAR are in China and they donated the bamboo materials as a way of introducing modern construction and other bamboo-made home products in Uganda."
The engineer explains that while bamboo has been in use for centuries in Asia, in Africa, especially in Uganda, it is still seen as a material used by poor people.
It is not yet popular, "due to limited knowledge. Many people think that bamboo is weak and not suitable for construction of permanent buildings," Prof. Nawangwe says.
Besides bamboo being an excellent construction material, it is also used to make baskets, furniture, blinds, utensils and fences, among other things.
Kapasa says that bamboo is renewable and sustainable. He adds that unlike other wood materials, bamboo is flexible and thus can easily be bent "that is why it can be used to manufacture a range of products."
Prof Nawangwe estimates that if the technology is well developed, bamboo will reduce the cost of construction of simple houses by more than 30 percent.
For full story, pleases see: http://allafrica.com/stories/201106231058.html
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3. Berries in the UK: What's in season
Source: The Ecologist, 21 June 2011
Ripe, fresh and plentiful, the abundance of soft fruit is one of the best things about summer. Soft fruit does not just taste good either: it also contains a multitude of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that have been shown to boost weight loss and reduce the risk of disease. According to the World Health Organization, eating just 400 g of fruit and vegetables every day can dramatically reduce the threat of heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes and obesity.
Raspberries: In season from early June until October, raspberries are loaded with antioxidants, which help fight heart disease and cancer and boost your immune system.
Blueberries: In season from June until late September, blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits around. While the UK does produce a small number of blueberries, the majority are sourced internationally, which means choosing organic is even more important. Rich in flavour and colour, they are packed with antioxidants, which are great for your skin and have been shown to help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Blueberries are also high in vitamin C and fibre.
Blackberries: The blackberry season starts in July and peaks in late August but can extend to the end of October. With similar properties and bold colouring as their raspberry cousins, blackberries contain many of the same nutrients, including vitamin C and fibre. They also contain salicylates, an active substance in aspirin. But the big advantage of blackberries is the price: wild blackberries, found in abundance in the UK, are free.
For full story, please see: www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/949576/soft_fruit_special_how_to_make_the_most_of_the_summer_glut.html
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4. Berries: The Himalayan berry seabuckthorn helps boost brain functions
Source: Times of India, 14 June 2011
The seabuckthorn berry, Hippophae rhamnoides, which is grown in the Himalayan mountains, amongst other areas, has hit shop shelves as a new superfruit to rival broccoli, apples and blueberries. The berry, which contains vitamins A, B1, B2, E and up to 10 times the amount of Vitamin C found in oranges, is said to boost brain functioning.
Antioxidants in the berries also help to fight obesity, teeth problems, acne, poor digestion and constipation. It is also said to keep the heart healthy.
Aside from the berry, the leaves and stem can be used to treat skin diseases.
For full story, please see: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-14/diet/29656244_1_berry-sea-buckthorn-uk-market
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5. Bushmeat: Experts recommend new solutions to growing bushmeat trade
Source: IISD News, 10 June 2011
A joint meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Liaison Group on Bushmeat and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Central Africa Bushmeat Working Group concluded that classic approaches and international efforts are not reversing the growing bushmeat trade, and adopted a set of recommendations to the international community.
Approximately 55 experts representing 43 governments and UN agencies, international and national organizations and indigenous and local community (ILC) organizations attended the meeting, which convened in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7-10 June 2011.
Key recommendations for the international community and concerned national governments and stakeholders included to: implement community wildlife management, and other improved wildlife management approaches; increase the raising of "mini-livestock" (wild animals such as cane rats raised in small farms); support the sustainable harvesting of NTFPs, such as bee-keeping; clarify and define land tenure and access rights; improve monitoring of bushmeat harvesting and trade; and enhance bushmeat-related law enforcement.
For full story, please see:
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6. Bushmeat: Rats, bees to protect African wildlife
Source: Reuters, 10 June 2011
Beekeeping and breeding animals such as cane rats for food are needed to help tackle the unsustainable trade in bushmeat in central Africa, conservation experts said on Friday.
Local populations rely on birds, reptiles and mammal, including apes, in the vast Congo Basin for food, but overhunting for so-called bushmeat is leading to "empty forest syndrome", according to a statement issued by a panel of environmental experts following a meeting on the issue in Nairobi.
"Tackling the impact of unsustainable and illegal trade in bushmeat is critical for protecting the livelihoods of rural people and conserving wildlife in biodiversity-rich areas," said John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES).
Legitimate subsistence hunting is being replaced by commercial hunting and trade in endangered species including elephants and primates, said Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The statement said that replacing bushmeat with locally produced beef would require up to 80 percent of the Democratic Republic of Congo to become pasture. "Therefore, there is no alternative to making the use of wildlife for food more sustainable."
The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the size of western Europe, is home to more than 150 million ha of forest, one of the largest stretches left in Africa. Experts say overhunting is undermining food security and also poses a threat to the forest itself, as 75 percent of tropical tree species depend on animals to spread their seeds.
Measures proposed by the experts include the promotion of beekeeping to produce honey for trade and subsistence, the introduction of community wildlife management programmes, and farming cane rats for food.
Cane rats, also known as grasscutters, are large herbivorous rodents that are already farmed in some parts of Africa.
Bushmeat has become big business in some countries, with the Central African Republic's informal trade estimated at US$72 million/year, the statement said. Population growth and commercial trafficking were adding to pressure on local wildlife, it added.
For full story, please see: http://af.reuters.com/article/centralAfricanRepublicNews/idAFLDE7591O420110610
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7. Cinnamon may delay, cure Alzheimer's: Israeli study
Source: Xinhua (China), 9 June 2011
Cinnamon, a spice usually associated with sweet foods, contains properties that may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, and possibly offer a cure, according to a new Israeli study.
The neurodegenerative illness is characterized by gradual memory loss, which doctors attribute to an accumulation of beta amyloid, a fibrous protein aggregate, outside the brain's nerve cells.
A research team, headed by Michael Ovadia from Tel Aviv University's Zoology Department, recently isolated one of the ingredients in cinnamon, CEppt, and used it in a series of tests conducted on two-month-old lab mice that were raised with five aggressive strains of Alzheimer's-inducing genes.
The experiment's results, recently published in the PLoS ONE scientific journal, were impressive. Fed drinking water containing a CEppt solution over four months, researchers found that the disease's development was delayed, with additional trials showing that existing amyloids has been dissolved.
"The finding points at the possibility that the material found may not only prevent Alzheimer's but may also contain therapeutic qualities," Ovadia said. "The discovery is exciting," he added.
Despite the optimistic news, Ovadia cautioned against excessive consumption of cinnamon, which can damage liver functions, and recommends consuming no more than 10 g/day.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2011-06/09/c_13920500.htm
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8. Cork wine stoppers making a comeback
Source: The Portugal News Online, 24 June 2011
A few years ago the world's greatest experts had forecast its imminent demise with absolute certainty. It was a thing of the past, they said; a gift from Mother Nature destined to be overtaken by man-made materials. Yet recently at Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine fair in Bordeaux, southwest France, the old fashioned cork seemed likely to prove its critics wrong.
Traditional cork-makers are winning back market share in the face of competition from producers of synthetic wine stoppers and screw caps. Cork use declined for years, but the tide turned in 2010, and its use has been on the rise so far this year.
One explanation is an improvement in production techniques, which means that fewer bottles are falling victim to the unpleasant taste attributed to tainted corks. Consumer perception is also key; studies have shown that bottles with a natural cork are assumed by consumers around the world to be better than those with a synthetic cork or screw cap. "If you have got a cork in the bottle, you sell more and at a higher price," said Mr. Aracil a spokesman for the French Federation of Cork Unions.
Wine corks are made from the bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber), an evergreen tree found mainly in Portugal and accounting for 50 percent of global supply.
Many wine producers turned away from the cork oak forests of the Iberian Peninsula in the 1990s, after studies showed that up to 7 percent of bottles sealed in traditional fashion were "corked" — the term that describes wine affected by a contaminated cork.
Yet sales of wine corks rose by 7 percent last year, and have increased by 12 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2010.
Amorim, a Portuguese company that is the world's largest producer of natural wine corks, registered record sales of US$3.2 billion stoppers last year.
The comeback of the cork is an enormous relief for many environmentalists, who had feared that the rise of the screw cap would lead to the destruction of Portugal's cork oak forests, which are home to endangered species such as the Iberian lynx, Barbary deer and the imperial Iberian eagle. Mr. Aracil said: "The environmental issue has been very important in the revival. It is a key argument."
For full story, please see: www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=1118-18
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9. Cork: Natural cork grows on trees
Source: Re-CORK, 6 June 2011
In the context of recycling, natural cork is different than metal in that we can gauge to some degree how much of a cork supply there is worldwide. Money and metal might not grow on trees, but cork does. Literally. If you were to simply count all the trees, you could determine how much cork is available. But knowing the exact supply level of cork is not really the issue. The issue is improving best practices in cork recycling and product innovation. And unlike metal, the beauty of recycling cork is that the more we recycle, the more supply and demand we create for natural cork on the market.
Previously, the great majority of used natural corks simply went to waste. Now that we are recycling those corks, the inventory of natural cork is inherently greater. ReCORK, for example, in addition to recycling natural cork, helps plant new cork oak trees in the Mediterranean forest. The initiative planted 5000 new trees in 2010. Those 5000 trees will provide a reliable supply of new and reusable natural cork for the next 150 years. In turn, ReCORK is helping create a new supply of natural cork.
Re-CORK's research has recently unveiled that people are increasingly interested in using recycled natural cork in their products. People are excited about natural cork because of its versatility; hence, its potential applications are nearly endless (e.g. SOLE flip-flops) As these innovative products continue to roll out, no doubt demand will increase. And yes, recycling natural cork leads to greater demand for natural cork.
It is worth mentioning that cork recycling is a relatively new concept. People have been re-using cork in art projects and the like for a long time. But a large scale, industrial level cork recycling initiative has never existed before. The objective of Re-CORK has always been to make the best possible use of natural cork by using it to replace petroleum-based materials commonly used in consumer products.
For full story, please see: http://recork.org/blog/2011/jun/06/natural-cork-literally-grows-trees-so-lets-plant-more-trees/
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10. Frankincense may help treat arthritis
Source: United Press International, 22 June 2011
Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales say frankincense — long used in traditional medicine — may help alleviate symptoms of arthritis.
Study leader Dr. Emma Blain and Vic Duance, both from Cardiff University, and Dr. Ahmed Ali of the Compton Group, say England and Wales have a longstanding connection with the Somali community, whose members have used extracts of frankincense as a traditional herbal remedy for arthritic conditions.
"What our research has focused on is whether and how these extracts can help relieve the inflammation that causes the pain," Blain said in a statement.
The Cardiff scientists say they demonstrated treatment with an extract of Boswellia frereana — a rare frankincense species — inhibits the production of key inflammatory molecules that helps prevent the breakdown of the cartilage tissue which causes arthritis.
"The search for new drugs to alleviate the symptoms of conditions like inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis is a priority area for scientists," Ali said. "What our research has managed to achieve is to use innovative chemical extraction techniques to determine the active ingredient in frankincense."
For full story, please see: www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/06/22/Frankincense-may-help-treat-arthritis/UPI-80491308796096/
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