EDITORIAL CONTENTS Amanagement of NWFPs, as well as the promotion of selected NWFPs of key importance, such as rattan, edible forest plants or mushrooms, by identifying major …

3 SPECIAL FEATURES• Bushmeat

- Bushmeat – a resource at risk- The sustainable use of wild species

for meat- Bushmeat Crisis Task Force- Hunting in the Taï region, Côte

d’Ivoire- The Jane Goodall Institute- Trade in bushmeat

• Biometrics - Design of techniques to assess

non-wood forest products in ACPAfrican countries (EC-FAO project,component 4)

- Resource assessment of non-woodforest products. Experience andbiometric principles – newpublication in FAO’s NWFP series

11 NEWS AND NOTES• Anticonvulsant activity of Indian herb• Asociación para la conservación de

la cuenca amazónica • Ayurveda• Bioprospecting or biopiracy?

- Biopirates raid trees - From the jungle to the clinic- Brazil sees promise in jungle

plants, but tribes see peril• Ecoport – access portal to ecology

knowledge for natural resourcemanagers

• Equator Initiative seeks nominationsfor tropical biodiversity awards

• FAOTERM• Field courses in rain forest and

marine ecology • Fingerprinting bamboo • Fruits for the future • Journals and newsletters

- Conservation and Society- Forest certification newsletter- Forest Integrity Network (FIN)

newsletter- Journal of Tropical Medicinal Plants- Natural Product Radiance- Revista Forestal Centroamericana- Voices from the Forest

• International Doctoral Program forDevelopment Studies

• International Year of Mountains• Los bosques pueden contribuir al

alivio de la pobreza• New Forests Project

An information bulletin on Non-Wood Forest Products

March 2002

9

EDITORIAL CONTENTS

➧

ISSN 1020-3435

A rriving at our ninth issue and looking back over a time span of nine years sincethe first issue of Non-Wood News in 1994 provides us with a unique opportunityto reflect on and take stock of the “lessons learned” in preparing this newsletter.

The purpose of Non-Wood News is still as valid now in 2002 as it was in 1994.Quoting the Editorial of the first issue: The purpose of Non-Wood News, as aninformation bulletin, is to provide readers with useful information and insight about thepromise that the future holds in the field of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) and theissues to be addressed with regard to their sustainable development.

In view of the numerous contributions and feedback we receive from readersworldwide, we hope that we have indeed contributed to more information sharing onNWFPs among a wide range of people from different backgrounds and countries. Withthe increased accessibility to electronic communications, the NWFP-Digest-L wasinitiated in 2000 as a monthly e-mail information bulletin to strengthen and contribute

further to easier information exchange amongpeople interested in the development

of NWFPs. In addition, Non-WoodNews also became available onlinethrough our NWFP Web site, whichcontains all previous issues of bothNon-Wood News and the NWFP-Digest-L, in order to facilitate

access to the wealth ofinformation which has been

accumulating over these nine years.Regarding the second point of the

purpose of the newsletter, i.e. “... aboutthe promise that the future holds in thefield of NWFPs”, there indeed we stillneed to work hard to make this “promise”a reality for the millions of householdsworldwide who depend heavily on NWFPsfor their subsistence needs and income.In response to this challenge, FAO’sNWFP Programme, which in its earlystages gave strong emphasis to activitieson raising awareness of the role andcontribution of NWFPs to ruraldevelopment and poverty alleviation, isnow giving greater importance to theactivities which contribute directly to thedevelopment of the NWFP sector. Keyactions include the elaboration ofmethodologies for assessing resourcesproviding NWFPs, statistical data at thenational level for the production and tradeof NWFPs, or further clarification of thecontribution of certification and benefit-sharing arrangements to the sustainablemanagement of NWFPs, as well as thepromotion of selected NWFPs of keyimportance, such as rattan, edible forestplants or mushrooms, by identifying majorconstraints and actions and projectsrequired for enhancing their sustainableand equitable development.

NON-WOOD NEWSis compiled by Tina Etherington, Wood andNon-Wood Products Utilization Branch(FOPW) of the FAO Forest Products Division.Technical support for this issue was providedby Paul Vantomme, Sven Walter and FrançoisNdeckere-Ziangba; design, graphics anddesktop publishing were coordinated by TinaEtherington.

Non-Wood News is open to contributions byreaders. Contributions may be edited to fit theappropriate size and focus of the bulletin.If you have any material that could beincluded in the next issue of Non-Wood Newsfor the benefit of other readers, kindly send it,before 15 January 2003, to:NON-WOOD NEWS – FOPWFAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla00100 Rome, ItalyE-mail: [email protected]/forestry/nwfp/nonwood.htmFAO home page: www.fao.org

The designations employed and the presentationof material in this publication do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the partof the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO) concerning the legal statusof any country, territory, city or area or of itsauthorities, or concerning the delimitation of itsfrontiers or boundaries.

➧

NON-WOOD NEWS, No. 9, March 2002

2

• Plant Resources of South-East Asia(PROSEA)

• Plant Resources of Tropical Africa(PROTA)

• Potential oilseed trees of Africa• Potential role of non-timber forest

products in the coping strategies ofrural HIV/AIDS-affected householdsin sub-Saharan Africa

• Scientific Boards Society ofResearch Institute of Forests &Rangelands

• Sustainable for Whom?• Training programme on leadership

and adaptive management in forestenvironments

• TREES international training courses • Using local knowledge in NWFP

inventory

25 PRODUCTS AND MARKETS• Agarwood, Bamboo charcoal and

vinegar, Edible insects, Honey,Mushrooms, Rattan

34 COUNTRY COMPASS• Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon,

Canada, Chile, Honduras, India,Jordan, Kenya, Lao People’sDemocratic Republic, Lebanon,Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria,Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,Russian Federation, Somalia, SouthAfrica, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda,United Kingdom, United Republic ofTanzania, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe

58 ECONOOK• Danish ecolabelling campaign forges

ahead• Se creó la primera área de

conservación privada• Gorilla-based tourism: a realistic

source of community income inCameroon?

• Kumrose Community Forest, Nepal• Nature Reserve in Viet Nam: Na

Hang dam threatens forests, peopleand wildlife

• Forests and conflict

62 INTERNATIONAL ACTION• FAO, Center for Tropical Forest

Science, Convention on Biodiversity,IUCN/SSC Medicinal Plant SpecialistGroup, Overseas DevelopmentInstitute, TRAFFIC, TropenbosInternational

75 RECENT EVENTS

83 FORTHCOMING EVENTS

88 PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

95 WEB SITES

98 READERS’ RESPONSE

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

CONTENTSEDITORIAL

In the meantime, there have been somechanges in the staffing of FAO’s NWFPProgramme. Ms Laura Russo has takenup new responsibilities within FAO and isnow dealing with the assessment of theenvironmental impact of forest harvesting.Laura has been with the NWFP group,and particularly with Non-Wood News,almost since its conception. We want tothank her for her tremendous and muchappreciated contribution and wish herevery success in her new assignment. Atthe same time, we welcome Mr FrançoisNdeckere-Ziangba who has joined us.François has considerable experiencewith a wide range of forestry issues andknowledge of NWFPs of Central Africa toshare with us.

I would like to take this opportunity togive special thanks to the person whoactually makes it all happen, Ms TinaEtherington. Without her dedication andmany long hours of work in compilingNon-Wood News and the NWFP-Digest,we would not even be able to producethem.

And, last but not least, all of this wouldnot have been possible if it were not forthe many reactions and text contributionswe receive from you, the readers. After all,Non-Wood News is made by its readersfor its readers. Again our sincere thanksgo to all of you.

Paul Vantomme


3

growing commercial market in the cities isdriving the trade – and this urban fashionfor bushmeat feeds off rural poverty.Basically, a rich man hands out guns anda few pennies to the locals, and then goesback to the city with a fortune in meat.”

Other forest products and activities thatgenerate revenue are also threatened bythe booming and illegal bushmeat trade.These include animal parts used formedicinal and ritual purposes,photographic safaris and trophy hunting –the backbone of eastern and southernAfrica’s multimillion dollar tourism industry.

Statistics on the bushmeat trade arehard to come by because it is usuallyillegal, and reports are informal ormisleading. But an FAO report written in1997 cites figures of more than 1.2 milliontonnes of bushmeat (excludingelephants) harvested in just one month inNigeria. And a 2001 survey of easternand southern Africa by TRAFFIC, anorganization that monitors the wildlifetrade, reveals a widespread unregulatedslaughter by commercial hunters.

Increasing demand and decliningwildlife have given rise to unsustainablehunting. “Peak hunting periods coincidewith the dry season when vegetation isless dense, which makes the huntingeasier,” explains Mr Williamson. “In oneincident in Mozambique, commercialhunters shot more in one night than thewhole village ate in a year. But thecommercial hunters don’t care – theydon’t live there.” And that, he says, is theroot cause of the rise in the bushmeattrade. “Traditional community wildlifemanagement mechanisms have beenreplaced by state responsibility,” he

explains, “so nobody feels they own theforest, and wildlife is considered ‘fairgame’ to the person who gets there firstor can pay the biggest bribe.”

Hunting sustainability Bushmeat is a huge industry, but manydeveloping countries lack the capacity tocollect taxes or enforce huntingregulations, and bribery of poorly paidlocal and national officials is a problem.Moreover, wildlife protection has generallyconsisted of punitive and selective lawsaimed at protecting a few charismaticanimal species while ignoring the needsof surrounding human populations.

Attitudes have changed in the last twodecades, and FAO is helping to promotedialogue among organizations working inenvironmental conservation, commercialuse of forest resources and ruraldevelopment. FAO cohosted a bushmeatworkshop last September in Cameroonand is working with other United Nationsagencies and conservation organizationsto implement a major project in WestAfrica that designates forests as WorldHeritage sites – areas of irreplaceablevalue needing international protection –and encourages community managementof wildlife. And this, according to MrWilliamson, is the key to the bushmeatcrisis. “Without community managementof forest resources, the threat to wildlifewill grow. If communities are the mainbeneficiaries of the resources, they willhave an incentive to manage them well.”(Source: www.fao.org/news/2002/020203-e.htm)

For more information, please contact:

Mr Douglas Williamson, Forestry Officer

(Wildlife and Protected Areas), FORC,

Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle

Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657055137;

e-mail: [email protected]

The sustainable use of wild species for meatThe countries with the richest and mostdiverse levels of biodiversity also have thehighest levels of human poverty and foodinsecurity. The utilization of wild meat ispart of this overall dilemma and solutions

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S

BUSHMEAT

Commercial trade in wild animalsthreatens species and deprives poorcommunities of food.

Bushmeat – a resource at risk The next time you go to a restaurant inAfrica and bushmeat is on the menu,think before you eat. The chances arethat the animal on your plate is the victimof commercial hunters, whose activitiesare robbing African communities ofimportant natural resources and the worldof irreplaceable biodiversity.

“Along with habitat loss, the commercialbushmeat trade is probably the biggestthreat to wildlife in Africa,” says DouglasWilliamson, an FAO wildlife expert.Bushmeat is the meat of animals who livein forests, from gorillas to rodents.

The devastating impact of thebushmeat trade is global, but Africa’sparadox is that the continent containsboth the world’s highest levels of foodinsecurity and some of its richest andmost vulnerable biodiversity. In thecontinent’s marginal environments, whatthreatens wildlife also threatens the foodsecurity of people. Commercial huntingdeprives local populations of crucial food.

Emotive images of dead gorillas havehighlighted the situation in West Africa,where forests already depleted bylogging contain fewer species of largermammals than do savannah regions. Butwildlife across the continent is underthreat. “The death of whatconservationists call ‘charismatic’ animalsattracts publicity,” says Mr Williamson.“But increasing demand for bushmeatand declining wildlife populations meanthat smaller species are targeted as well.”

Natural fauna have important ecologicalroles in forest ecosystems – some treeseeds, for example, will not germinateunless they pass through the digestivetract of elephants. Therefore, the extinctionof indigenous species can changeecosystems in unpredictable ways.

“Rural communities depend onbushmeat because domestic meat is tooexpensive,” says Mr Williamson. “But the

Spec

ies

No.

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to overexploitation of biodiversity willrequire finding ways of addressing humanneeds and promoting a more equitableand ethical sharing of global resources.

In recognition of the need to bringtogether the conservation anddevelopment communities as partners inpreparing and implementing the actionsneeded to address the issue effectively,and in response to the World ConservationCongress Resolution 2.64, the WorldConservation Union (IUCN), FAO andTrade Records Analysis of Flora andFauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC)organized a workshop from 17 to 20September 2001 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.The workshop was attended by 47participants representing 18 organizations.

Participants agreed that activitiesshould focus on three areas: a holisticapproach including improved intersectoralcooperation; improved management ofwild meat resources; and effectiveincentives for sustainable use of naturalresources. Under each of these themes,specific activities were defined and, wherepossible, implementation plans weredeveloped.

The Cameroon workshop communiquéis available from the IUCN Web site(www.iucn.org/info_and_news/press/wildmeat3.html). (Source: Species, No. 36.)

Bushmeat Crisis Task Force

The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force (BCTF),founded in 1999, is a consortium ofconservation organizations and scientistsdedicated to the conservation of wildlifepopulations threatened by thecommercial hunting of wildlife for sale asmeat. BCTF’s primary goals are to:a) work with the general members ofBCTF to focus attention on the bushmeatcrisis in Africa; b) establish a databaseand mechanisms for sharing informationregarding the bushmeat issue;c) facilitate the engagement of African

partners and stakeholders in addressingthe bushmeat issue; and d) promotecollaborative decision-making, fund-raising and actions among themembers and associates of BCTF.

According to BCTF, bushmeat hasbecome the most immediate threat to thefuture of wildlife populations in Africa.Animals commonly used as bushmeatinclude elephants, gorillas, chimpanzeesand other primates, forest antelopes orduikers, crocodiles, porcupines, bushpigs, cane rats, pangolins, monitor lizardsand guinea fowl. Many animal speciesare being hunted at a rate that outpacestheir ability to reproduce and replenishtheir populations.

The primary goals identified by BCTFare the general education of keyinternational decision-makers about theproblems of wildlife poaching. The groupalso supports its members’ efforts in theareas of public education, proposaldevelopment, catalysing local action,disseminating information and archiving.

In its new plan, the group detailsspecific long- and short-term actions totake place in both the United States andAfrica. Short-term actions include forminghunter and market seller tradeassociations; building the physical andtechnical capacity to control trade routes;brokering linkages among non-government organizations, governmentsand private industry; public outreach andraising awareness; and developingeconomic and protein alternatives towildlife hunting. Long-term actionsinclude new wildlife management policydevelopment, sustainable financing forconservation activities, public education,and protected area management andmonitoring. Specific steps included in theplan are assisting in the development ofnational wildlife policies, addressingissues related to food security andpoverty reduction, and strengtheningexisting wildlife protection measures.

Dr Michael Hutchins, chair of the BCTFSteering Committee, stated that thisunmanaged and unsustainable huntinghas the potential to result in a humantragedy of immense proportions. “Some60 percent of the protein needs of rural

Africans are currently met by bushmeatand, if the forests are emptied of theirwildlife, then what will become of thepeople?”


Heather E. Eves, Director,

Bushmeat Crisis Task Force,

8403 Colesville Road, Suite 710,

Silver Spring, MD 20910-3314, USA.

Fax: +1 301 5620888;

e-mail: [email protected];

www.bushmeat.org;

http://ens.lycos.com/ens/may2001/2001

L-05-22-06.html

Hunting in the Taï region, Côte d’Ivoire

Game is an important food resource inWest Africa, but in Côte d’Ivoire hunting isforbidden. Hans Ulrich Caspary and hiscolleagues argue that only the regulatedreopening of hunting will reduce poachingin protected areas. Sustainable wildlifemanagement is urgently needed.Poaching is a typical phenomenonthroughout Côte d’Ivoire and the Taïregion, at the border with Liberia, is noexception. The influx of migrants hasincreased the pressure on land and themarginalized farmers need access togame resources for their animal proteinsand to supplement their income. Theillegality of hunting means, however, thatthe marketing of bushmeat does notgenerate any income for the state, whilethe local population has no say in wildlifemanagement. These problems could besolved under a new sustainable gamemanagement strategy. To support such astrategy, a study was carried out under theTropenbos Côte d’Ivoire Programme in


4


professional hunters. The yearly gametakeoff by the subsistence hunters, whooperate principally in the peripheralzones of the park, is estimated to bebetween 1 500 and 3 000 tonnes and isvalued at US$1.5 to $3 million. Thehunters’ catch, mainly rodents and othersmall game, reflects the impoverishedrange of wildlife. The professionalhunters’ takeoff, working in the park itself,is estimated at between 56 and 720tonnes (valued at US$43 000 to $920 000). Monkeys and Bovidaedominate the hunting catch.

Hunting in the Taï region is highlydestructive. In order to preserve theunique biodiversity of this and otherregions, sustainable wildlife managementmodels need to be developed. Thesemodels should combine protection andutilization and be applied in closecollaboration with all parties concerned.(Source: H.-U. Caspary, I. Koné, C. Prouotand M. de Pauw. 2001. La chasse et lafilière viande de brousse dans l’espaceTaï, Côte d’Ivoire. Tropenbos Côte d’IvoireSeries 2. Tropenbos International,Wageningen, the Netherlands. ISBN 90-5113-148-1. Price: e20.)


The Tropenbos Foundation,

PO Box 232, 6700 AE Wageningen,

the Netherlands.

Fax: +31 317 495520;


www.tropenbos.nl

1998-1999 to shed light on different formsof hunting and the various links in thebushmeat supply chain in the Taï region.

The results showed that in the Taïregion there are about 73 000

subsistence hunters, 2 200 semi-professional and 220 professionalhunters. In the periphery of the park thereare about 20 000 subsistence hunters,600 semi-professional and 60


5


RELATED LINKS: DOCUMENTS AND NEWS ARTICLES

Defining the way forward for more community-based management of forestswww.fao.org/waicent/ois/press_ne/english/2002/2680-en.html

FAO warns of “bushmeat crisis” caused by excessive hunting of wild animals for food www.fao.org/waicent/ois/press_ne/presseng/2001/pren0114.htm

International experts discuss options for combating illegal forest practiceswww.fao.org/waicent/ois/press_ne/english/2002/2240-en.html

Wildlife and food security in Africa (FAO Conservation Guide No. 33)www.fao.org/docrep/w7540e/w7540e00.htm

Wildlife management for rural development in sub-Saharan Africawww.fao.org/docrep/t8850E/t8850e03.htm#TopOfPage

Conserving World Heritage Forests in Africawww.unfoundation.org/grants/9_14_conserving_world_heritage_forests_in_africa.asp

Conservation, food security and the use of wild species for meatwww.iucn.org/info_and_news/press/wildmeat.html

Creating a revolving fund for wildlife in Zambiahttp://biodiversityeconomics.org/incentives/topics-303-41.htm

Food for thought – the utilization and trade of wild meat in eastern and southernAfricawww.traffic.org/bushmeat/

Hunting of wildlife in tropical forestsHunting for wild meat in tropical forests, especially with increasingcommercialization, is both extirpating many species of mammals and birds anddestroying a critical resource base for forest-dwelling people.This reportdescribes the extent of the crisis, and summarizes its implications for biodiversityconservation and the well-being of tropical forest peoples. Recommendations aremade on institutional ways to control the trade and economic mechanisms toreduce demand.http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/essd/essd.nsf/f308a5a687dbdec8852567eb00658cb7/2660fd7345e87cff8525696900550ac1?OpenDocument

National Geographic story:“Bush meat” crisis needs urgent actionhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0522_bushmeat.html

The Jane Goodall InstituteAfrican forests teemed with wildlife at theturn of the nineteenth century. Comparethat with the African forests of today.Recent figures indicate that fewer than150 000 chimpanzees – our closest livingrelatives in the animal kingdom – remain inthe African wilderness, where one to twomillion lived in the year 1900.

The most recent crisis to have evolvedis one that threatens not onlychimpanzees, but also other great apesand species of flora and fauna in theAfrican forests. As logging roads are cutinto previously unreachable areas, thehunting of wildlife for bushmeat – once apractice supporting forest peoples – hasbecome commercial, catering to thecultural preference of many urban dwellersfor the meat of wild animals and alsosupplies the logging camps with food. Howserious is the problem? The commercialhunting of bushmeat could well lead to theloss of several species, includingchimpanzees, gorillas and elephants.

Along with an array of other groups andindividuals around the world, the JaneGoodall Institute – and Dr Goodall herself– is addressing this crisis. Dr Goodallcontinues to educate the public in NorthAmerica, Europe, Africa and the Far Eastabout the horrors of the commercialbushmeat trade and its potentialconsequences. Through continuing efforts,the institute has begun a Congo BasinProject to explore ways in which we canmake a difference on the ground,promoting alternative patterns of economicdevelopment that would benefit bothpeople and wildlife. The Congo BasinProject is striving to eliminate the illegalcommercial bushmeat trade inendangered species, and regulate thelegal trade, as part of an integratedapproach towards sustainable forestresource management with theparticipation of the forestry industry,governments and local communities. Ourproposed programmes are increasinglyfocusing on the role of communitystakeholders, and especially women, inthe commercial bushmeat trade, in orderto provide local populations with theopportunity and ability to live sustainably.


Christina M. Ellis, Director of Africa

Programs, The Jane Goodall Institute,

PO Box 14890, Silver Spring,

MD 20911-4890, USA.

Fax: +1 301 5653188;


www.janegoodall.org


6


FAO News & Highlights archivewww.fao.org/News/new02-e.htm

FAO Forestry home pagewww.fao.org/forestry/

CAMPFIRESince 1975, Zimbabwe has allowedprivate property holders to claimownership of wildlife on their land andto benefit from its use. UnderCAMPFIRE, people living onZimbabwe’s impoverished communallands, which represent 42 percent ofthe country’s land area, claim the samerights of proprietorship. Conceptually,CAMPFIRE includes all naturalresources, but its focus has been onwildlife management in communalareas, particularly those adjacent tonational parks, where people andanimals compete for scarce resources.Since its official inception in 1989,CAMPFIRE has engaged more than aquarter of a million people in thepractice of managing wildlife andreaping the benefits of using wildlands. www.campfire-zimbabwe.org/

Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Faunaand Flora (CITES) - www.cites.org

IUCN – World Conservation Unionwww.iucn.org

IUCN Species Survival Commissionwww.iucn.org/themes/ssc

The Bushmeat projecthttp://bushmeat.net/

TRAFFICThe wildlife trade arm of the WorldWide Fund for Nature and the WorldConservation Union - www.traffic.org

World Conservation Monitoring Centrewww.wcmc.org.uk

“Do we really care that within 15 yearsthere may be no chimpanzees orgorillas or elephants, or any otheramazing beings, roaming the forestsof the Congo Basin and other parts ofCentral and West Africa. Does itmatter? That is something everyone must askin his or her own heart. We are notasking for charity to help save thewildlife – and ultimately the people –of African forests. We are asking for acollective investment in the future,and in a legacy that we can be proudof. We do not have much time left. Wemust act now.”

Dr Jane Goodall

RELATED LINKS: WEB SITES

Trade in bushmeatWildlife throughout Africa, South Americaand Asia is threatened not only by habitatdestruction, but also by hunting for thelive animal trade, for food, skins,medicine and other products. The focuson the trade in wild meat (also referred toas bushmeat) has been increasing inrecent years. The trade is primarily on alocal to national scale, with the majority ofmeat being consumed within the countryof capture, although a small percentagedoes cross national borders. Bycomparison, the level of wild meat tradein African species found outside Africa isfar less significant. However, as ethnicAfrican populations outside Africacontinue to grow, so too does thedemand for wild meat and this hasresulted in wild meat being imported intoEuropean countries. It has been found onsale in outlets in Brussels, Paris andLondon, as well as at points of import inSpain and the United Kingdom.

As awareness of the wild meat tradehas grown, governments as well asconservation organizations have taken upthis issue. Wild meat was on the CITESagenda at the meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties in 2000 and resulted in theformation of the Bushmeat WorkingGroup. This trade is a key focus of theprogramme of Trade Records Analysis ofFlora and Fauna in Commerce(TRAFFIC). In addition, a number of othernon-governmental organizations (NGOs),chiefly through the Ape Alliance in the

United Kingdom and the Bushmeat CrisisTask Force in the United States, havealso focused attention on this subject.

Law enforcement agencies are nowmore aware of the possibility of wild meatbeing imported from Africa, and are facedwith the challenge of trying to identifyspecies offered for sale from the animalparts or whole animal carcasses. (Source:TRAFFIC Bulletin, Vol. 19, No. 1 [2001].)[Please see under International Action –

Convention on Biodiversity – for more

information on bushmeat.]

BIOMETRICS

The last decade has witnessed a steepincrease in interest and activitiesconcerning NWFPs. The current interestin NWFPs among conservationists,foresters, development workers andindigenous peoples’ groups hasprompted numerous initiatives aimed atpromoting NWFP use andcommercialization as a means ofimproving the well-being of ruralpopulations and, at the same time,conserving existing forests.

These initiatives are rarely linked tostudies on the sustainable exploitation ofthe products that are promoted, and noaccurate information is available on theresource abundance, distribution andreproductive biology, which is necessaryfor the determination of the biologicallysustainable harvest levels of a product.

Although there is often considerableindigenous knowledge for specificNWFPs, formal resource assessment ofNWFPs, especially in tropical countries,is relatively new and has received littleattention to date. The multitude andvariety of NWFPs, the multiplicity ofinterests and disciplines involved inNWFP assessment, the organizationaland financial constraints, the lack ofglobally, or even nationally, recognizedcommon terminology and units ofmeasurement all contribute to make theassessment of NWFPs, and of theresources providing them, a difficult task.

To raise awareness of the importanceof accurate and precise resource

assessments at all levels of forest use forNWFPs, and to provide guidance on thedesign and selection of appropriatemethods for resource quantification indifferent situations and for differentproducts, a publication was prepared,Resource assessment of non-wood forestproducts. Experience and biometricprinciples, in which a review and analysisof the wide range of approaches usedand developed to date to measure NWFPresources was made. However, themethodology proposed still needs to betested and fine-tuned to specific NWFPtypes, such as for assessing fruits, barks,lianas, roots, etc. The EC-FAO projectaims to produce tools for inventory ofNWFPs.[Please see the following articles for more

information on the publication and the EC-FAO

project.]

Design of techniques to assess non-woodforest products in ACP African countries(EC-FAO project, component 4)Non-wood forest products make importantcontributions to livelihoods in Africa,especially for people living in poor ruralareas. These contributions encompassedible foods, medicines and incomegeneration. In addition, such NWFPs alsoprovide various food products for localmarkets and raw material for localindustries creating local employment.Because of the increasing demand, theseproducts need to be sustainably managedotherwise they will disappear. The lack ofsound knowledge on the distribution inthe forests, on the abundance and on theyield growth dynamics of the NWFPresources constitutes a real uncertaintyfor their wise management. Theseresources, therefore, are constantly underthreat, preventing people from managing


7


On 15 June 2001, in the first convictionin the United Kingdom for offencesrelating to the smuggling of wild meat,the two proprietors of a shop in London,which offered wild meat for sale, wereeach sentenced to four months’imprisonment for illegally importing andselling CITES specimens, some in theform of wild meat. All the speciesinvolved are listed in CITES Appendix II(EU Annex B) and, as such, theirimportation into the European Unionrequires an import permit.

them sustainably. The intention fordesigning component 4 of the EC-FAOproject GCP/INT/679/EC (DataCollection for Sustainable ForestManagement in ACP Countries – LinkingNational and International Efforts) isspecifically to provide a response to thisproblem through the development ofpractical inventory guidelines and toolsto assess NWFP resources. Nationalforest services, NGOs and local peoplein ACP African countries will also usethis to design policy and to managesustainably their forests providingNWFPs. Without such assistance, thesepopulations are unable to benefit fullyfrom the NWFP resources in the forestareas near their homes.

In the project design, a two-way trafficfor the exchange and provision ofpractical knowledge was recognized asan important means for the identificationof major problems facing the assessmentof NWFP resources. A lack of reliabledata prevents the setting up of prioritiesfor the design of an appropriate NWFPresource assessment policy or NWFPmanagement device that better suits theneeds and work conditions of people inACP African countries. By the end of2002, the FAO Forest Products Division

with European Commission financialsupport hopes to elaborate guidelines sothat people in ACP African countrieshenceforth benefit from the managementand utilization of the NWFP resourcesoccurring in natural forests.

The main project objective is todevelop practical NWFP inventoryguidelines that include biometric rigourand test protocols, taking into accountthe different specific life forms andoccurrence period of the product.

The expected outputs of component 4of this project are to:

• hold an international expertconsultation on NWFP resourceassessment and produce draft NWFPresource assessment guidelines;

• review and evaluate at the broad leveland compile current work on NWFPresource assessment in African ACPcountries;

• test draft NWFP resource assessmentguidelines in the ACP African subregionthrough case studies on selectedproducts;

• produce final NWFP resourceassessment practical tools and hold aworkshop to discuss the results of casestudies and review implementation ofnewly developed guidelines.

Expert Consultation, English-speakingAfrican countriesAn expert consultation was held in Lusaka,Zambia from 15 to 17 October 2001 inwhich 14 experts from nine countriesparticipated. The meeting objectives were:

• review and amendment of draftinventory guidelines to improve themethodological approach suggestedfor the final document;

• identification of main problemsunderpinning progress in thedevelopment of NWFP resourceassessment;

• verification through field tests of threespecific NWFP life forms of inventoryprotocols for the elaboration of the finalguidelines;

• development of partnerships within theregion for collaboration on NWFPissues.

As a follow-up to the Lusaka meeting,the development of three case studiestesting draft NWFP inventory protocols onthree different products wasrecommended. National experts wereselected to carry out these case studiesin Kenya, Malawi and Zambia and work isalready under way. The three case studyreports and the final report of the expertmeeting will be completed by mid-2002.


8


CASE STUDIES

The following three case studies arebeing carried out to field-test the draftprotocols developed for inclusion inthe final document of NWFP inventoryguidelines.Case study No. 1. The purpose is totest the hypothesis that localknowledge can be used as a basis forbiometric quantification of seasonalwild mushroom production.The siteselected for the study is the PerekeziForest Reserve in the Mzimba Districtof Malawi.The study will be closelycarried out with local mushroomcollectors.The study team willaccompany the collectors into the

forest and enumerate the size, speciesand productivity of the collection sites.Case study No. 2. The purpose is tocompare inventory techniques forsingle product versus multipleproducts for selected NWFPs. Aninventory will be made for six species(Uapaca kirkiana, Anisophylleaboehmii, Parinari curatelifolia,Strychnos cocculoides, Rhynchosiainsignis and Satyria siva) in MwekeraNational Forest, Zambia.The firstinventory will use systematic samplingand enumerate all species.Then threeto six other inventories will beundertaken depending on thecharacteristics of the species found inthe study sites.

Case study No. 3. The aim is to developmethods for estimating averagedensities and fruit yields of baobabtrees. An inventory will be made ofbaobab tree (Adansonia digitata)density and fruit yields of individualtrees to enable resource planning ofthe trees’ fruit production. Suitable andappropriate resource inventorytechniques for NWFPs to estimateplant densities (combination of localknowledge and known adaptiveclumped sampling as assessmentmethods) will be identified andselected. During the fieldwork, non-conventional forestry samplingmethods will also be used for thequantification of fruit yield per tree.

Consultation d’experts, pays francophones d’AfriqueUne consultation d’experts de pays ACPfrancophones d’Afrique sur l’évaluationdes ressources des PFNL s’est tenue du12 au 15 février 2002 à Yaoundé,Cameroun. Les co-organisateurs de laréunion étaient la Division des produitsforestiers de la FAO, le Bureau de laFAO au Cameroun, le Ministère del’environnement et des forêts et leCentre pour la recherche forestièreinternationale (CIFOR).

Le but de la Composante n° 4 duprogramme de l’Union européenne surles produits forestiers non-ligneux (PFNL)est de contribuer au soutien de la gestiondurable des forêts, dans les pays ACPd’Afrique. Le développement des guidespratiques d’inventaire des PFNL ainsi quele suivi du test d’expérimentation de ceux-ci constitueront l’essentiel de cettecontribution.

Le but de tels guides est de permettreaux administrations nationales des forêtset d’autres dépositaires appropriésd’améliorer et d’assurer un suivi régulierdes ressources fournissant les PFNL,ainsi qu’un développement soutenabledes régimes de récoltes de ces produits,notamment en faveur des communautéslocales.

En parallèle avec d’autres projets,deux réunions d’experts ont étéplanifiées en vue de:

• revoir les méthodes courantes utiliséespour l’élaboration des guidesd’inventaire;

• contribuer à l’amélioration de l’avant-projet sur les guides d’inventaire desPFNL en cours d’élaboration; et

• partager des expériences personnelleset institutionnelles sur les inventairesdes PFNL.

Les objectifs générauxDévelopper des guides pratiques pourl’évaluation des ressources des PFNLafin de contribuer à une gestion soutenuedes forêts dans les pays ACP d’Afrique.

Objectifs spécifiquesLa réunion de consultation avec lesexperts des pays ACP francophonesd’Afrique visait les objectifs spécifiquessuivants:

• Informer les experts sur les objectifs duprojet GCP/RAF/354/EC et présenterles résultats de la revue littéraire sur lesméthodes courantes ainsi quel’approche proposée pour ledéveloppement des guides d’inventairedes produits forestiers non ligneux ycompris les documents techniquespréparés à cet effet.

• Revoir et modifier l’ébauche des guidespratiques d’inventaire des produitsforestiers non ligneux et améliorer sipossible l’approche méthodologiqueproposée pour la conception desguides plus appropriées pourl’inventaire de telles ressources.

• Identifier des problèmes se posant lorsde la conception des guidesd’inventaire des produits forestiers nonligneux et suggérer des solutionspotentielles pour résoudre cesproblèmes.

• Valider les résultats des travaux deLusaka sur les sujets thématiques telsque les clés scientifiques, les idéesdirectrices pour la conduite des étudesde cas pour le test des protocoles et lesgrandes lignes du format deprésentation du document final desguides.

• Identifier quatre produits dans des paysdifférents pour le test sur les problèmesprioritaires relatifs à l’application et lafiabilité des protocoles d’inventaireproposés par la consultante de la FAO.

• Enfin créer un partenariat entre les

experts pour faciliter les échangesd’expérience et de connaissance surce nouveau secteur émergent qui estcelui des inventaires des produitsforestiers non ligneux.

La rencontre de Yaoundé a été unvéritable succès au regard des objectifsqui sont atteints, notamment laparticipation massive des experts dont lenombre atteignait le double de ce quiétait initialement prévu (30 personnes aulieu de 15) et, surtout, de la médiation del’événement par les moyens decommunications mobilisées par lesautorités locales.

Pour plus de détails, veuillez contacter:

François Ndeckere-Ziangba,

Programme PFNL de la FAO.

Mél.: [email protected]

Resource assessment of non-wood forestproducts. Experience and biometricprinciples – new publication in FAO’sNWFP seriesA new publication in FAO’s NWFP seriesis intended as reference material forpractitioners considering inventory ofNWFP resources. Through review andanalysis of experience it provides anoverview of biometric issues in thedesign of NWFP inventory in thefollowing areas:

• a description of the range ofapproaches used and developed todate and their biometric adequacy;and


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• a suggested method for selectingappropriate biometric methods forresource quantification in differentsituations and for different products.

This publication will be of most interestto people with some previous knowledgeof the basics of inventory. It is based onthe outputs of Forest ResearchProgramme (FRP) pre-project ZF0077(of the United Kingdom Department forInternational Development [DFID]) on thebiometrics of current NWFP resourceassessment methods. This projectorganized a workshop which broughttogether a range of people interested inNWFP assessment to discuss the needfor quantitative assessments and todecide on priority research themes. Theworkshop was held in Rome in May2000 and was hosted by the EuropeanTropical Forest Research Network

(ETFRN) and FAO. The workshopendorsed the findings of the review andprovided the impetus for the publicationof this paper.

Jennifer Wong wrote the review paperand the final draft of the publication wasprepared by Jennifer Wong, KirstiThornber and Nell Baker. FAO undertookthe publishing in its Non-Wood ForestProducts series, within the framework ofa current partnership programme withthe European Commission aimed atdeveloping methodologies for NWFPassessment.

The publication has been translatedinto French and Spanish and isaccompanied by a trilingual CD-ROM.

Copies of all three versions can bepurchased from FAO’s Sales andMarketing Group ([email protected]).


François Ndeckere-Ziangba,

FAO NWFP Programme.

E-mail: [email protected]


10


ÉTUDES DE CAS

Les quatre études de cas ci-dessousont été proposées pour le testsouplesse et de flexibilité sur le terraindes protocoles d’inventaire des PFNLavant d’être inclus dans le documentfinal des guides d’inventaire desPFNL. Pour réaliser le programme del’étude, le consultant devra se servirdu document de protocole d’inventaireélaboré dans le cadre de la préparationdes guides d’inventaire des PFNLd’une part et, d’autre part, la notice surles idées suggérées par la Réunion deconsultation des experts de Yaoundé.Étude de cas n° 1. Estimation de laquantité des feuilles de Combretummicranthum disponible pour leprélèvement. Le but de l’étude, quisera réalisée au Bénin, est dequantifier la masse foliaire des feuillespar unité de surface et hauteurmoyenne par la méthoded’échantillonnage aléatoire à surfacefixe carrée de 1 000 m2 (31,62x31,62 m)sans compromettre à la survie de laressource.

Étude de cas n° 2. Estimation de laquantité des écorces de Pausynlarayohimbe. Ainsi l’étude visera àdévelopper des techniques dequantification de l’écorce du Yohimbéau niveau des tiges et des branches dela ressource et comparer laproductivité de celles-ci avec du fût(tronc). Cette étude, qui sera réaliséeau Cameroun, permettra de déterminerla quantité optimale de produit àprélever sur une tige tout en

garantissant la pérennité de laressource.Étude de cas n° 3. Développementd’une méthode pour la récolte deslianes (Gnetum sp.) en vue d’assurerune gestion durable de ce produit. Leconsultant chargé de mener l’étudeveillera à développer une méthode dequantification de la ressource et latester sur le terrain en vue de savalidation pour assurer une gestiondurable du produit dans la région dubassin du Congo. Cette étude seraréalisée dans la Forêt de Ngotto enRépublique centrafricaine.Étude de cas n° 4. Techniques dequantification des exsudats et plusprécisément de la gomme de Sterculiasetigera. L’objet de l’étude sera dedéterminer la production saisonnièreen gomme dans une parcelleinventoriée (à partir du nombre depieds disponibles par chasse dediamètre). Les conclusions de cetteétude, qui sera menée au Tchad,permettront de proposer une approchepour la gestion soutenable de cetteressource.

Combretum micranthum

ANTICONVULSANTACTIVITY OF INDIAN HERB

Scientists from Nagpur University, India,have found that the compound triterpeneextracted from Rubia cordifolia, aclimbing herb that grows extensively inthe Himalayas and the northwestern hillsof India, possesses considerableanticonvulsant activity. The teamcollected dried roots and rhizomes ofRubia, prepared an extract in acetone,and fractionated triterpene crystals outfrom it. The scientists reported the detailsof their procedures in the Indian Journalof Experimental Biology and said that thetriterpene crystals produced anantidepressant effect on the centralnervous system. (Source: MFP News,Vol. XI, No. 4 [October-December 2001].)

ASOCIACIÓN PARA LACONSERVACIÓN DE LACUENCA AMAZÓNICA

FLa Asociación para la Conservación dela Cuenca Amazónica (ACCA), a travésde su proyecto «Conservandocastañales», viene trabajando desde1997 en el desarrollo del manejo debosques de castaña en Madre de Dios,Perú, y ha generando resultados deinvestigación básica y aplicada así comopolíticas para promover la conservaciónde los bosques de castaña a través delmanejo sostenible de los mismos.

«Manejando bien tu castañal» y«Mejoramiento del sistema de cosechade castaña (Betholletia excelsa) enMadre de Dios y sus impactos en laeconomía del productor castañero» sonfrutos del programa «Mejoramiento desistemas de cosecha de castaña enMadre de Dios», un componente delproyecto «Conservando castañales»,dedicado a la implementación, difusión ycapacitación del manejo forestal en losbosques castañeros. El proyecto ha sidoejecutado por ACCA en consorcio con laAsociación de Extractivistas de Castañade Madre de Dios (ASECAM) y elInstituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales(INRENA), y ha recibido el apoyofinanciero de la Agencia para elDesarrollo Internacional de los EstadosUnidos (USAID) a través de suprograma de donaciones BIOFOR.

Estos manuales recogen algunasexperiencias de manejo en el

aprovechamiento de la castaña dentrodel bosque, así como el mejoramiento delos sistemas de transporte, recolección yalmacenamiento destinados a minimizarlos costos de producción y mejorar lacalidad del producto.

Para más información, dirigirse a:

Mónica Romo, Directora de Proyecto,

Asociación para la Conservación

de la Cuenca Amazónica (ACCA),

Calle Cuzco N° 499, Puerto Maldonado,

Madre de Dios, Perú.

Fax: +51 84 573227;

correo electrónico:

[email protected]

[Véase mayor información en la sección

Publications of Interest.]

AYURVEDA

The Ayurvedic healing system has itsorigins in India and has been practisedfor thousands of years. The final goal isperfect health. The system uses carefulapplication of natural healing methods,e.g. herbs, minerals, healthy nutrition, etc.

Demand for Ayurvedic medicines on riseIf Nepal utilizes its abundant potential inAyurvedic science, considerable foreigncurrency could be earned by sellingAyurvedic medicines abroad. Moreover, itwould also help replace the huge amountof allopathic medicines the countryimports each year.

According to a survey conducted bythe Industrial Information Centre (ICC),Nepal imports NRs 7 billion worth ofallopathic medicines each year. Of this,up to 25 percent is spent on importingAyurvedic medicines.

The people practising Ayurvedicscience see plenty of opportunities todevelop this as a major source forearning foreign currency. In view of itsgeography, Nepal could be a centre forunique Ayurvedic treatment, if themethods of treatment are modernized.

Ram Narayan Shah, Managing Directorat Singhadurbar Vaidya Khana, says thatthe demand for Ayurvedic medicines is onthe rise owing to the low risks or the


11

N E W S A N D N O T E S

“Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP)consist of goods of biological originother than wood, derived fromforests, other wooded land and treesoutside forests.”

"Les produits forestiers non ligneuxsont des biens d’origine biologiqueautres que le bois, dérivés des forêts,des autres terres boisées, et desarbres hors forêts."

"Productos forestales no madererosson los bienes de origen biológicodistintos de la madera derivados delos bosques, de otras tierrasboscosas y de los árboles fuera delos bosques."

(FAO’s working definition)

Rubia cordifolia

Man

ejan

do b

ien

tu c

asta

ñal

absence of any side effects and theireasy availability. Shah considers that theproduction of herbal medicines is notenough to fulfil internal demand. Althoughthe traditional medical practitioner orVaidya and Ayurvedic doctor or Kavirajprescribe herbal medicines produced inthe country, they have no other optionthan to sell medicines imported fromacross the border. According to ICC,many herbal medicines (such as Chiraito,Amala, Pachaunle, Jatamashi, Harro andPakhanbet) are exported to India and thefinished products are re-imported intoNepal. If Nepal could do the processing, itcould boost the country’s economy.

Shah admits that there is a need forresearch into the processing ofAyurvedic medicines. The SinghadurbarVaidya Khana is the biggest Ayurvedicmanufacturer in the country andproduces medicines amounting toroughly NRs 12.5 million each year.

In the Ninth Five-year Plan (2054-2059), the government has accordeddue priority to promote Ayurved in thecountry. In the upcoming Tenth Five-yearPlan (2059-2063), the government is inthe process of giving extra emphasis tothe development of Ayurved.

A regional summit at the South AsianAssociation for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) level on Ayurved was held inNepal in 1991. The summit had prepareda framework to prepare a commonagenda for the development of Ayurvedicscience. However, so far nothing hasbeen done. An independent survey hasshown that the demand for NepaleseAyurvedic medicines in Europe and theUnited States is also on the rise.(Source: Extracted from The RisingNepal, 23 December 2001, quoted in<tpp-tibmed-plants> Vol. 3, No. 4[October-December 2001].)

BIOPROSPECTINGOR BIOPIRACY?

Biopirates raid treesThe bintangor tree, which grows inswampy ground in the Malaysian part ofBorneo, may have its uses. But it certainlydoes not look as if it is worth aboutUS$360 million. It looks like what it is – arubber tree that grows to a height of about10 m, with a diameter of 12.5 cm and longwaxy leaves.

The native Dyak people, who still live inthe jungle in the Malaysian state ofSarawak, know that the poisonous latexthat oozes from it can be used for stunningfish, and that a poultice made from thebark will ease headaches and skin rashes.But even after an American scientistturned up and took away samples, none ofthe Dyaks realized what vast potentialriches the tree contains.

But, if tests carried out in the UnitedStates are to be believed, the humblebintangor contains buried treasure: atreatment for HIV and AIDS. Clinical trialsshow that a drug called Calanolide A,originally extracted from the tree’s latex,reduces the levels of the AIDS virus in theblood. It also works against tuberculosis.The drug is several years away frombeing sold commercially, but if it is – andif it is as profitable as other anti-HIV drugs– it could earn as much as US$360million a year. And the Dyaks may not seea penny.

The discovery of Calanolide A in theSarawak jungles is one of the greatsuccesses of a new profession:

bioprospecting. Just as treasure huntersin the past panned silt on the beds ofstreams in search of gold, sobioprospectors sift through living matter insearch of equally lucrative commodities.The most lucrative area ofbiosprospecting is in pharmaceuticals,and it is here too that the most pointedethical questions are being raised.

To growing numbers of people, inSarawak and around the world, much ofwhat passes for scientific research isactually an act of biological copyrightinfringement perpetrated upon nativepeople – not so much bioprospecting asbiopiracy. The issues are legally, ethicallyand politically complex, and in Sarawakthey are being debated fiercely.

The vast mass of the earth’s mostbiologically diverse material is found indeveloping countries – above all in tropicalrain forests along the equatorial belt of theAmazon, central Africa and SoutheastAsia. But, ironically, the scientific expertisenecessary to exploit it is overwhelminglyfound in the developed world.

In the 1980s – when Calanolide A wasdiscovered by a pharmacologist workingfor the United States National CancerInstitute – scientists were free to comeand go. Then, in 1993, the internationalConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD)came into effect. The convention, whichhas been adopted by 179 countries – theUnited States being the most striking non-signatory – recognizes the sovereign rightof each country to regulate the use of itsown biological resources. It is on this basisthat the state government of Sarawakfounded the Sarawak Biodiversity Council(SBC) to monitor and licensebioprospectors and stamp out biopirates.

In the two and half years of itsexistence, the SBC has received about100 requests for prospecting licences.Ninety percent were granted, althoughoften with strict provisos. In all cases, theforeign researchers are required to sharetheir knowledge with the state of Sarawak.

Even though Calanolide A wasdiscovered before the CBD came intoeffect, it has turned out well for Sarawak.The pharmaceutical company thatsynthesized the drug has entered into a


12


What is equivalent to the biodiversityhere, to the things that surround us,is my life. If you took these thingsaway, it would be like taking part ofmy life, and then my survival wouldbe questionable.

(Pera, Bakalaharil tribe, Botswana)(Source: Biodiversity – a crucial issuefor the world’s poor. DFID, UK. ISBN1-86192-341-4.)

joint venture with the government,meaning that 50 percent of any futureprofits will return to Sarawak. Other findsmay be imminent. Sarawak’s chiefminister, Taib Mahmud, recentlyannounced the discovery of a junglesubstance that may provide a treatmentfor prostate cancer.

But not everyone is happy. “The peoplewho make money out of it will be the usualones: politicians, rich businessmen. Itwon’t be the local people,” says MarkBujang of the Borneo Resource Institute, anon-governmental group lobbying for theDyaks’ rights. Mr Bujang fears thatbioprospecting will be like logging.Although the state government promisesbenefits for all, the people at the bottomsuffer the disadvantages but not the gains.Mr Bujang would like to see local peoplebeing trained to do this kind of researchthemselves and to apply the research totheir own traditional knowledge.

But where does traditional knowledgeintersect with scientific knowledge? TheDyaks may have used the bintangor treefor their headaches, but they would neverhave isolated Calanolide A. “What thecommunities want is a fair share from thebenefits that arise from research,” MrBujang said. “Their land has been takenaway, then their forest has been takenaway. Now they take away their traditionalmedicine.” (Source: The Independent, 2August 2001.)

From the jungle to the clinicIn a clinical trial in the United States,people infected with HIV, the virus thatcauses AIDS, are receiving anexperimental drug that has its roots in therain forests of Malaysia. The results so far

are promising. The drug, called CalanolideA, reduces the levels of humanimmunodeficiency virus in the blood. It isalso simple to administer and effectiveagainst strains of HIV that quickly becameresistant to other drugs. It even showssigns of effectiveness againsttuberculosis, a major killer of HIV carriersin the developing world. If it is provedsuccessful and commercialized, the drugcould be worth US$200 million to $400million per year, in line with the sales ofcomparable anti-HIV drugs.

The journey of Calanolide A from therain forest to the market has been pavedby a pioneering partnership between anAmerican pharmaceutical firm and aMalaysian state government. It is also acase study on how the discovery ofnatural compounds now offers financialand technical rewards unimaginable 20years ago to the countries in which thecompounds were found.

The drug’s remarkable journey began in1987, when researchers from theUniversity of Illinois in Chicago roamedthe jungles of the East Malaysian state ofSarawak, collecting plant samples for theUnited States National Cancer Institute(NCI). They were hoping to find naturallyoccurring compounds that could bedeveloped into anti-cancer drugs. Whatthey found instead was a substance fromthe bintangor tree (Calophyllumlanigerum) that in NCI research showedpromising activity against HIV.

Since NCI only conducts initialresearch, it regularly passes on worldwiderights for specific compounds to privatefirms. NCI passes the rights to CalanolideA to a small American company,MediChem Research, which hadpreviously worked on another compoundfrom the institute. But MediChem lackedthe funds to develop Calanolide A. So, in1996, it formed an unprecedentedpartnership with the state government ofSarawak, which agreed to finance the firststages of Calanolide A’s clinicaldevelopment. A fifty-fifty joint venture –Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals –based in Illinois, United States, was born.Profits from future sales of the drug will bedivided equally between the partners.

The Sarawak government’s continuinginvestment is estimated to be US$100million to $200 million by the time thedrug is commercialized, and it will bethree to eight years before Sarawak seesa return on its investment, if at all.Malaysian scientists have receivedtraining at MediChem and some of themwill staff a new drug-screening anddiscovery facility that is being added tothe government-funded SarawakBiodiversity Centre in Kuching.

However, as Sarawak MediChemprepares for the third and final phase ofclinical trials, it is uncertain whether theSarawak government will be able toprovide all of the US$25 million needed.To obtain more funding the company hasinvited other investors to come on board.Additional investors would dilute theSarawak government’s share of futureroyalties. But the actual and potentialbenefits Sarawak enjoys from this deal arealready a far cry from the past experienceof source countries.

Historically, Western plant explorers feltno obligation to compensate the countriesin which they found new drug compounds.But there has been a growing awarenessby biodiversity-rich but cash-poorcountries of the value of their naturalresources. In the mid-1980s, tropicalcountries began to argue forcompensation. This spurred the NationalCancer Institute to revise its agreementswith the countries in which its scientistsexplored. Starting in 1991, NCI requiredcompanies taking up NCI-sponsoredresearch to negotiate agreements forbenefit sharing with source countries.Thus, MediChem was required tonegotiate benefit sharing with theSarawak government. Forming a businesspartnership with the Sarawak government,instead of with another pharmaceuticalcompany, was also a bonus: it meant justone set of negotiations for MediChem,instead of two.

If Sarawak MediChem is an innovativemodel for profiting from biodiversity, it alsooffers a cautionary tale: the Calophyllumlanigerum tree from which materials werecollected in 1987 had been chopped downby the time a second expedition was


13


Calophyllum lanigerum, germination

In a declaration after three days ofmeetings on the eastern edge of theAmazon in early December 2001,shamans from a tenth of Brazil’s tribescalled on the government to “createpunishment mechanisms to deter therobbery of our biodiversity”. Theysuggested that it might even benecessary to impose a total “moratoriumon the commercial exploitation oftraditional knowledge of geneticresources” until a more equitable systemcould be created. “We’re not againstscience, but we also don’t want to be justsuppliers of data,” said Marcos Terena, amember of the Terena tribe and anorganizer of the conference. “We want tobe part of the whole process, fromresearch to the economic results.”

The system favoured by the BrazilianGovernment is that of a centralizeddatabank that would store the knowledgeaccumulated by “traditional scientists”, asthe shamans are sometimes called here.Any researcher wanting to make use ofthat information would have to pay aninitial access fee, which would befollowed by regular payments during theresearch process and royalties if the finalresult were a commercially viable drug.

For the most part, the promise ofmiracle drugs made from jungle plantsremains elusive, because of the costlyand lengthy research process required.But during the conference, BrazilianGovernment officials and advocates forthe indigenous peoples complained ofwhat they described as a pattern ofundue appropriation of native plants andbacteria and even blood samples fromindigenous peoples.

A Japanese pharmaceutical company,for example, has sought to patent anextract derived from a root calledmuirapuama, considered an aphrodisiacin Brazil. In addition, an Americanbusinessman tried to patent ayahuasca,a hallucinogen that is used for religiouspurposes by Amazon shamans but alsothought to have therapeutic effects.

But pharmaceutical companies andother research institutions in the UnitedStates and Europe say that none of theiractivities are illegal under Brazilian or

international patent law. In 1992, anInternational Convention on BiologicalDiversity that granted some patentprotections to “traditional knowledge” wasnegotiated at a United Nationsconference in Rio de Janeiro. The UnitedStates, however, has yet to ratify theaccord, in part because of lobbying inCongress by the pharmaceutical lobby.

Over the long term, Brazil wants muchof the research on medicinal plants andthe manufacture of any drugs derivedfrom them to take place on its ownterritory. Hoping to foster that kind ofresearch here, an Amazon BiotechnologyCenter is now under construction inManaus, in the heart of the jungle.Scheduled to open in April 2002, thecentre will have 22 laboratories, and itsdirectors hope to attract foreigninvestment and partners.

At the same time, Brazil is pressing foran overhaul of the international rulesgoverning intellectual property rights sothat more protections can be extended toits indigenous peoples. But overcomingthe mutual mistrust between Braziliansand foreign researchers may prove to bethe most difficult task of all. (Source: NewYork Times, 23 December 2001, quotedin the RECOFTC e-letter 2002.1.)

mounted in 1993. Samples taken fromother trees of the same species were notas high in Calanolide A, so MediChem hadto synthesize the compound before itcould continue with its research. It is avivid lesson that the conservation ofbiodiversity is a prerequisite for itsprofitability. (Source: Far EasternEconomic Review, 14 June 2001.)

Brazil sees promise in jungle plants, but tribes see perilThe Brazilian Government, increasinglyfearful of what it regards as “biopiracy”by foreign pharmaceutical companies,universities and laboratories, is movingto impose stricter controls on medicinalplants in the Amazon region. The effort ismotivated largely by a desire to buildand profit from a domestic biotechnologyindustry instead of allowing non-Brazilians to get most of the benefits.But the government is also facinggrowing pressure from shamans andelders of the 230 indigenous peoples ofBrazil, who worry that they are losingcontrol of tribal wisdom and who alsowant a share of any revenue.

Brazil has nearly a quarter of theworld’s plant species. Many species growonly in Brazil and have yet to be tested byWestern science, even though they havebeen used for thousands of years by theindigenous peoples to treat a variety ofailments. That gives Brazil a prominencein biotechnology regulation far beyondthat of any other country in the tropics,the region many scientists view asperhaps the most promising for thedevelopment of new drugs.


14


Muirapuama

To me, biodiversity is all the beingsthat are related in nature: man,animals and plants, even vegetables,rivers, seas, animals in the jungle andall the beliefs we have kept from ourancestors and from our dreams.Wisdom itself is also a part ofbiodiversity.

(Piedad Cabascango from Ecuador)(Source: Biodiversity – a crucial issuefor the world’s poor. DFID, UK. ISBN1-86192-341-4.)

enable the author to write information intothe shared database, much as a group ofauthors write chapters for a book, exceptthat the “book” we are writing is a publicdatabase on the Internet. This processuses methods and tools invented by FAO,which allow editors (not only webmasters)to write hypertext directly. Technicalauthors, e.g. FAO staff members, publishtheir shared knowledge under a bannerthat displays the logo of the sponsoringinstitution. In this way, EcoPort is acollection of records, each owned,controlled and displayed by a separateauthor or institution, but all using theintegrating tools of EcoPort and sharingeach other’s contributions and resources,such as pictures entered into thecommunal EcoPort picture database.Data quality is maintained by the sameprocess of peer review that has keptscientific publishing going ever since itstarted. All changes are notified to othercommunity members. This makes all of us“quality controllers”. An automatic e-mailnotification system informs a network ofGatekeepers and the EcoPort Supervisorwhen changes are made. Since eachcontributor’s shared information isdisplayed under his or her own bannerand logo, ownership and responsibility gohand in hand and the whole process isopen to public scrutiny on the Internet.We have clearly demonstrated thatsharing and generosity does not threatenidentity or responsibility and professionalgoodwill.

As we all put sharing ahead ofcopyright and many other territorialaspects that unnecessarily increase thetransaction costs associated with usingdata, our pooled knowledge has grownvery rapidly. Furthermore, since manyusers either do not have Internet accessor have slow and expensive connections,we will, in future, be distributing EcoPortdata sets on free CD-ROMs as well.Many of these records need editors.

If you are interested, please send anemail to: [email protected]. We willexplain the procedure for registering inorder to contribute your information toEcoPort. (Contributed by: Peter Griffee,FAO, Rome.)

ECOPORT – ACCESS PORTALTO ECOLOGY KNOWLEDGEFOR NATURAL RESOURCEMANAGERS

In 1998, FAO created a Global PlantProduction and Protection InformationSystem (GPPIS) which established anetwork of individuals and institutions whoagreed to share freely their separateknowledge to create a communallyowned database on the Internet.

Very soon we realized the limitations ofseeing the world only in terms of pestsand crops, and decided that we need topractise holistic ecology andinterdisciplinary integration ascomprehensively as we preach it.Accordingly, FAO formed a consortiumwith the University of Florida (UF) and theNational Museum of Natural History of theSmithsonian Institution (SI) in the UnitedStates to build EcoPort: a service similarto GPPIS, but this time widened toecology as cause to build on the pooledinformation power and institutionalperspectives and mandates of FAO, UFand SI as a foundation to exploit anddeliver the benefits of the Internet. WhileEcoPort operates under the auspices ofFAO, UF and SI, it is in fact a forum andglobal network of institutions (currently 90)and volunteer, expert authors (currentlyabout 500), who actively contribute theirknowledge to be shared freely throughEcoPort.

EcoPort went public on 1 January 2000and by June 2001, 127 000 entity recordshad been established, including 143 000species of which 42 000 are plants. Thereare more than 516 000 references, 100slide shows, 35 000 glossary terms, 19 000 pictures, 200 hypermemes, 55taxonomic keys, 100 interactive tables,etc. Since going public, the database hasbeen updated at an average daily rate of100 changes per day, made by thecommunity of volunteer experts. The Website serves 1 000 pages per day (about 5 000 “hits” per day) and, for example, thenumber of visitors from Africa amounts tohalf of the total for Europe.

Each contributing author or editorreceives a username and password which


Peter Griffee, Senior Officer, Industrial

Crops, Crop and Grassland Service,

Plant Production and Protection

Division, FAO, Rome, Italy.

E-mail: [email protected];

www.ecoport.org

EQUATOR INITIATIVESEEKS NOMINATIONS FORTROPICAL BIODIVERSITYAWARDS

The Equator Initiative, an innovativeprogramme launched in January 2002 bythe United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) and severalpartners, is seeking nominations for fiveawards recognizing extraordinaryaccomplishments in reducing povertythrough conservation and sustainableuse of biodiversity in the equatorial belt.

The Equator Initiative is designed tosupport the upcoming World Summit onSustainable Development (WSSD) inJohannesburg, South Africa and theConvention on Biological Diversity.Through recognition of localachievements, fostering South-Southcapacity building, and contributing togenerating and sharing of knowledge, theprogramme aims to promote a worldwidemovement that links efforts to reducepoverty and conserve biodiversity acrossthe tropics.

Partnering with UNDP in the initiativeare the Government of Canada, theInternational Development ResearchCentre and the United NationsFoundation. BrasilConnects and theInternational Council for Local


15



16


are currently offered in ten countries. Allprogrammes are operated by partnerorganizations which have shown astrong commitment to conservation andeducation. Ninety-nine percent of allparticipation fees stay with our partnersto assist in local conservation andeducation projects.

Local guides and biologists are featuredin the study of natural history, rain forestand coral reef ecology, medicinal uses ofnative plants, conservation, landmanagement, local cultures, archaeologyand geology. While most of theprogrammes are customized, standardfield course itineraries can be found on theRainforest and Reef Web site.


Mike Nolan, Rainforest and Reef, 29

Prospect NE Suite #8, Grand Rapids,

Michigan 49503, USA.

Tel./fax: 1 616 7765928;

toll free: 1 877 7693086;


www.rainforestandreef.org

FINGERPRINTING BAMBOO

Phyllostachys (Poaceae) is one of thelargest genera of woody bamboos, withapproximately 75 species. It is widelyused in the temperate zone, particularlyfor construction, but also in the case oftwo species, Phyllostachys heterocyclaand P. rubromarginata, for edible“bamboo shoots”. In phylogenetics, thebamboos have been problematicbecause they exhibit extremely lowlevels of divergence in sequenced DNA

Environmental Initiatives supported thelaunch, attended by 450 developmentand environmental leaders andambassadors from around the world.

From Brazil to Ecuador, and Indonesiato Kenya, the countries around theequator possess diverse naturalenvironments – from dry, arid deserts tomoist rain forests – and are home to alarge percentage of the world’s poor.Many live on US$1 or less a day, lackaccess to safe drinking-water and remainundernourished. Nonetheless, biologicalriches in the tropics offer amazingopportunities that can create lastingimprovements in people’s lives – such asmarketing local forest products,developing new medicines and foodcrops, ecotourism and other income-generating endeavours.

The deadline for nominations is 15 May2002 and the awards will be presented atthe WSSD from 26 August to 4 September.Award recipients will receive US$30 000,a certificate of recognition and a trophy.The initiative will also enable them tocarry out capacity-building exchangeswith other organizations andcommunities. (Source: Newsfront, 1February 2002.)


Equator Initiative, Environmentally

Sustainable Development Group

Bureau for Development Policy,

United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), One UN Plaza,

New York, NY 10017, USA.

Fax: +1 212 9066973;


www.EquatorInitiative.org

FAOTERM

FAOTERM is a multilingual terminologydatabase in Arabic, Chinese, English,French and Spanish. The database hasbeen developed over many years and waslaunched on the Internet in January 2001.

As at January 2002, FAOTERMconsisted of 54 407 records in English (asthe base language), 51 168 records inFrench, 46 261 in Spanish, 16 492 inArabic and 11 878 in Chinese. It comprisestechnical terminology in FAO’s specializedsubjects: agriculture, biology, forestry,fisheries, economics, statistics, nutrition,etc. A total of 7 615 records compriseofficial titles (bodies) of organizations,institutes, programmes, slogans, expertconsultations, FAO structure, etc.

There are several ongoing meetingswithin FAO specifically discussingforestry and wood-energy terminologyand definitions.

The new five-language FAOTERMdatabase (http://faoterm.fao.org:8080/)has been incorporated into the FAOTerminology site (www.fao.org/faoterm/default.htm). A separate, newly designeddatabase for Names of Countries, nowincorporating all five languages andfollowing United Nations practice,(www.fao.org/faoterm/nocs/html/Default-e.htm) was added to the FAOTerminology site in December 2001.


Ingrid Alldritt, Terminology Officer,

Programming, Reference and Terminology

Group, Meeting Programming and

Documentation Service, GICM, General

Affairs and Information Department,

FAO, Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657056241;


FIELD COURSES IN RAINFOREST AND MARINEECOLOGY

Rainforest and Reef is a non-profitorganization specializing in field coursesin rain forest and marine ecology that


17


regions, so little has been publishedabout their infrageneric relationshipsbased on genetic studies. Scientists atKew and Trinity College, Dublin,however, have obtained good results byapplying one of the recently developedfingerprinting techniques, amplifiedfragment length polymorphisms (AFLP).In addition to finding that the currentlyaccepted taxonomic scheme for thegenus was generally accurate, theywere also able to assess accuratelysome species that had been difficult toplace previously, such as P. sulphurea(which some authors thought was thesame as another). AFLP, therefore,appears to be an ideal technique forgroups in which low levels of geneticdivergence are a problem. (Source: KewScientist, issue No. 20 [October 2001].)

For more information, please contact

the author: Prof. Mark Chase, Royal

Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond,

Surrey TW9 3AB, UK.


www.kew.org

FRUITS FOR THE FUTURE

Tropical fruit-trees are importantmultipurpose species that supplementand improve the quality of diets andprovide fodder, fuel, timber andmedicine for smallholders. Harvestingthese trees enables rural people,particularly women and children, toprovide nutrition for a balanced diet,supplement family incomes andstrengthen food security.The major constraints to the effectiveuse of these crops are access toinformation on use, production andprocessing, and ineffective marketing.

Fruits for the Future is a three-yearproject which aims to redress thisbalance and facilitate technology transferto farmers through media, by distributingextension manuals emphasizingproducts, marketing and processing, aswell as production. Monographs andannotated bibliographies will beproduced to collect and summarize

existing research, in order to make betteruse of existing research results andidentify possible gaps in the knowledgebase for further research.

A group of species has been selectedon the basis of their regional or globalimportance, because there are nocomprehensive compilations ofinformation already in existence andbecause of their suitability for adaptation,income generation, nutrition and foodsecurity, diversification and use inagroforestry systems. They are:

• Ziziphus mauritania (ber)• Tamarindus indica (tamarind)• Dacryodes edulis (African pear)• Adansonia digitata (baobab)• Annona species (cherimoya, sweet

and sour sops, custard apples andother species)

Fruits for the Future is a project of theInternational Centre for UnderutilisedCrops and is funded by the UnitedKingdom Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID).


Angela Hughes, International Centre

for Underutilised Crops, Institute of

Irrigation and Development Studies,

University of Southampton,

Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)2380 677519;


www.soton.ac.uk/~icuc/frunut.htm

JOURNALS ANDNEWSLETTERS

Conservation and SocietyConservation and Society is a newjournal dedicated to the advancement ofthe theory and practice of theconservation of natural resources. Itaims to be a valuable source ofreference material on the problems ofconservation in the Asian geographicalarea. The journal is peer-reviewed, withan interdisciplinary focus drawing onboth the natural and social sciences andcovers basic and applied research inareas including, but not restricted to,political ecology, human-wildlife conflicts,decentralized conservation, conservationpolicy, ecosystem structure andfunctioning, systematics, community andspecies ecology, animal behaviour andbehavioural ecology, landscape ecology,restoration ecology and conservationbiology.


Kamal Bawa, Professor of Biology,

University of Massachusetts, USA.

E-mail: [email protected]; or

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology

and the Environment (ATREE), No. 659,

5th A Main, Hebbal, Bangalore 560 024,

Karnataka, India.

Fax: +91 80 3530070;

e-mail: editor@conservationandsociety

.org or [email protected];

www.conservationandsociety.org

Frui

ts fo

r the

Fut

ure

No.

2 -

Ber

- 20

01

Ber (Ziziphus mauritania Lam.) iscultivated all over the drier parts ofthe Indian subcontinent for its freshfruits, which are rich in vitamins (C, Aand B-complex) and minerals. It canbe successfully cultivated even in themost marginal ecosystems of thesubtropics and tropics. It also existsin wild groves which are widespreadin the warmer parts of India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, central tosouthern Africa and in the northernparts of Australia.

Forest certification newsletterForest certification is an importantinstrument to halt and reverse the lossand degradation of the world’s forestsand the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) is working with governments,industry, local communities andconsumers to encourage sustainableforest management worldwide.

To receive a copy of WWF’s certification

newsletter, please contact:

Ellen von Zitzewitz, European Forest

Policy Officer, WWF-European Policy

Office, Avenue de Tervuren 36, bt. 12,

1040 Brussels, Belgium.

Fax: +32 2 7438819;


www.panda.org/resources/programmes

/epo/publications/forpub.cfm

Forest Integrity Network (FIN) newsletterThe Forest Integrity Network (FIN)newsletter aims to serve the community ofprofessionals concerned about open andeffective governance of forest resources.FIN grew out of a May 2000 workshop atHarvard’s Kennedy School ofGovernment cosponsored by Harvard’sCenter for International Development, theWorld Conservation Union (IUCN) andTransparency International (TI). Theworkshop brought together scholars,activists, and government officialsconcerned about forest corruption. Sincethen, FIN has remained a loose alliance ofcommitted individuals, without formalstructure or funding.


the editor:


www.syenco.com/FINnews1.html

Journal of Tropical Medicinal PlantsMore efforts are required to create anddisseminate scientific knowledge ontropical medicinal plants, includingresearch and development onconservation, utilization, efficacy andsafety of the products used,commercialization, bioprospecting andquality control of drugs for human healthimprovement. This journal provides aninformation platform to publish the resultsthat emerge from various fields of studyand from different parts of the world.


A.N. Rao, Editor-in-Chief.


Natural Product RadianceThe herbal world, its history and itspotential value, make it fascinating tostudy and attractive to use. Tropicalcountries such as India have a richrepository of natural resources.Research on exploration of naturalwealth hidden in the form of herbs,shrubs, micro-organisms, etc, has beenattracting increasing awareness andattention. As a result, products (varyingfrom food, timber and textiles topharmaceuticals and cosmetics) havestarting entering the market. It is indeedessential to disseminate such aknowledge and information explosion ina simplified, user-friendly manner to thetargeted groups. For this reason, theNational Institute of ScienceCommunication (CSIR), New Delhi isproducing Natural Product Radiance, anew bimonthly periodical providinginformation on research papers, specialfeatures, book reviews, Web sites andseminars, etc. related to the herbal andanimal world.

For more information please contact:

Dr (Mrs) Sunita Garg, Scientist,

Wealth of India Division, National

Institute of Science Communication,

Dr K.S. Krishnan Marg

(Near Pusa Gate),

New Delhi 110012, India.

Fax: +91 11 5787062;


Revista Forestal CentroamericanaLa Revista Forestal Centroamericanabrinda una perspectiva regional sobre laconservación, manejo yaprovechamiento de los recursosnaturales. Aborda diversidad de temascomo problemas forestales yambientales de la región, silvicultura,plantaciones, economía, género,taxonomía y práctica forestal, entreotros.


Revista Forestal Centroamericana –

CATIE, 7170 Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Fax: +506 556 6282/1533;

correo electrónico: [email protected]

ó [email protected];

www.catie.ac.cr/informacion/RFCA

Voices from the ForestVoices from the Forest, the bulletin of theNTFP Exchange Programme inSoutheast Asia, aims to provide aplatform for sharing forest community-based NTFP ideas and concerns, mainlythrough practical information and cases.The bulletin is available on the Internet(www.NTFP.org).


Eric van Poederooijen, ProFound,

Hooghiemstraplein 128, 3514 AZ

Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Fax: +31 (0)30 2720878;

www.ThisIsProFound.com


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INTERNATIONALDOCTORAL PROGRAM FORDEVELOPMENT STUDIES

The Center for Development Research(ZEF) in Bonn, Germany, invites highlyqualified, young scientists fromdeveloping countries to participate in itsInternational Doctoral Program forDevelopment Studies. ZEF supportsindividual students with funds for fieldresearch. Fellowships from severalnational and international foundationsand sponsors are offered primarily tostudents from the developing countries.


Dr Gunther Manske, Coordinator,

International Doctoral Program for

Development Studies, Center for

Development Research (ZEF), Walter-

Flex-Str. 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany.

Fax: +49 (0)228 731889;


www.zef.de

INTERNATIONAL YEAROF MOUNTAINS

The official launch of the InternationalYear of Mountains took place at UnitedNations headquarters in New York on 11 December 2001. FAO held its ownlaunch on 15 February 2002 at itsheadquarters in Rome. The event wasattended by about 500 people andattracted more than 20 journalists.

The FAO event and the global launchat United Nations headquarters werepart of a worldwide series of events thathave ushered in the International Year ofMountains. Countries which have heldceremonies to inaugurate theInternational Year include: Bolivia, China(Hong Kong Special AdministrativeRegion), France, Germany, India, Italy,

Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nepal,Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland,the United Kingdom (Scotland) and theUnited Republic of Tanzania.

Information on the International Yearof Mountains activities around the worldcan be found on the national Web sites:

• Australia: www.australianalps.ea.gov.au/iym.html

• Bolivia: www.aim2002bolivia.org/ • Canada: www.yearofmountains.ca/ • France: www.montanea.org/ • Germany: www.berge2002.de• Italy: www.montagna.org/ • Japan: www.iym-japan.org/index.htm• Liechtenstein: www.berge2002.li/

intro_flashless.html• Mexico:

www.conafor.gob.mx/aim.htm• Peru:

www.condesan.org/peruAIM2002/• Switzerland: www.berge2002.ch

(German); www.montagnes2002.ch(French); www.montagna2002.ch(Italian)

• United Kingdom: www.iym.uhi.ac.uk/The International Year of Mountains’

coordination unit prepares an informalnewsletter that is sent out on a monthlybasis to a wide variety of organizationsand individuals interested and involvedin mountain issues and in theInternational Year of Mountains, inparticular. For copies of the newsletter,which is also available in French andSpanish, please contact: LucianaAmbrosiano ([email protected]).


Douglas McGuire, Senior Forest

Conservation Officer, Head,

Coordination Unit – International Year

of Mountains 2002, Forestry

Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di

Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657055137;


www.mountains2002.org

LOS BOSQUES PUEDENCONTRIBUIR AL ALIVIODE LA POBREZA

Se requiere acción para aprovecharahora las maneras en que la actividadforestal puede ayudar a reducir lapobreza. Sin acción, es decir, sininversión en actividades forestalescentradas en las personas, se veránminadas las otras medidas para enfrentarla pobreza y mejorar los medios de vidade los pobres.

La comunidad internacional se hacomprometido en la eliminación de lapobreza. Las metas internacionales dedesarrollo para el año 2015 incluyen lareducción a la mitad del número depersonas afectadas por inseguridadalimentaria y una reducción en laproporción de personas que viven en laextrema pobreza.

Los bosques y los árboles puedenayudar. Los bosques contribuyen a laseguridad alimentaria. Puedenproporcionar oportunidades comercialesy empleo para los pobres. Confrecuencia son aspectos importantespara el desarrollo de un buen gobiernolocal. Un enfoque centrado en laspersonas puede aumentar aún más elimpacto de los bosques y los árboles enla reducción de la pobreza. Lo que serequiere es la remoción de las barrerasque impiden que los bosques y losárboles contribuyan a la subsistencia delos pobres además de sustentar lasoportunidades emergentes.

Una actividad forestal centrada en laspersonas las coloca al centro deldesarrollo y les proporciona los derechosy los medios para manejar los recursosdel bosque y los árboles.

¿Qué obtiene la gente pobre de losárboles y los bosques?

Bienes de subsistencia, tales comoleña, medicinas, madera paraconstrucción, sogas, carne de animalessilvestres, forraje, setas, miel, hojascomestibles, raíces y frutas.

Bienes para la venta, tales como losproductos enumerados antes, artesanías,madera y otros productos de la madera.


19


Beneficios indirectos, tales como tierrapara otros usos, sitios sociales yespirituales, servicios ambientales,incluida la protección de cuencas yconservación de la biodiversidad.

Aproximadamente 1,6 billones depersonas en el mundo dependen parasu subsistencia, en gran parte, de losrecursos forestales. Con la crecientedesigualdad económica, los pobres, másque nunca, requieren salvaguardias ycrecen las demandas sobre los bosquesy los árboles. El cambio acelerado de larealidad mundial representa mayoresretos para los pobres, pero tambiénpuede proporcionar nuevasoportunidades para una subsistenciamejorada sobre la base de la utilizaciónsostenible de los recursos naturales. Sise ejecutan acciones claves, aún losproductores forestales más pobres, loscomerciantes y los trabajadores podránparticipar en iniciativas locales queofrecen perspectivas comerciales.

Los recursos forestales contribuyendirectamente a la subsistencia y puedencomplementar otros componentesimportantes de la reducción de lapobreza a través de la producción dealimentos, la educación y el cuidadoprimario de la salud. El desafío consisteen apoyar aquellos cambios específicosque conducirán a establecer un papelmás decisivo a los recursos forestales ya los árboles en la subsistencia de lospobres. Este desafío requiere accionesinmediatas.

Dependencia de los bosques60 millones de personas indígenas queviven en los bosques húmedos de AméricaLatina, Asia Sudoriental y Africa Occidentaldependen en alto grado de los bosques.350 millones de personas que vivendentro o en las cercanías de bosquesdensos dependen de ellos para susubsistencia o ingresos.1,2 billones de personas en los países endesarrollo utilizan los árboles en lospredios agrícolas para generar alimento ydinero en efectivo.

Beneficios para la subsistencia localproporcionados por la actividad forestalcentrada en las personasDerechos de acceso, control y utilizaciónde los recursos del bosque y los árboles.Mayor participación en las decisionesrelativas a la utilización y manejo de losrecursos del bosque.Menor vulnerabilidad, no sólo a través derecursos forestales seguros sino tambiénpor el mayor peso político.Ingresos de los bienes y servicios delbosque.Mejor gobierno a través de institucioneslocales más eficaces.Asociación para reforzar capacidades.Beneficios directos de los serviciosambientales.Mayor poder de negociación.

Puntos de acción (identificados en el Tallerde Cortevecchia, septiembre de 2001Fortalecimiento de los derechos,capacidades y gobierno.Reducción de la vulnerabilidad.Captura de las oportunidadesemergentes.Trabajando en sociedad.

ConclusiónAgricultura, bosques y reducción de la pobrezaLos árboles prestan numerosos tipos deutilidad agrícola, tales como alimentos,combustible, forraje, fertilizante, sombra,cortavientos, cercos, embalaje,regulación del agua y prevención de laerosión. Los agricultores pobres enNepal, que no tienen la posibilidad paraadquirir fertilizantes, se esfuerzan por

mantener una relación de 3 a 1 entre lastierras forestales y las agrícolas, para detal manera garantizar el suministro deforraje para el ganado y de estiércol parafertilizar sus cultivos.

Salud, bosques y reducción de la pobrezaLos bosques proporcionan medicinas ysuplementos alimentarios esenciales. Unbillón de personas dependen de productosfarmacéuticos derivados de plantasforestales para enfrentar sus necesidadesmedicinales. Las poblaciones que viven allado de los bosques húmedos en Ghanareciben más proteína de los productosforestales que de los cultivos o delganado. En los ambientes áridos, losbosques son esenciales para la seguridadalimentaria en las épocas y años secos.Por lo tanto, la actividad forestal debecaptar las sinergias potenciales entre losdiversos sectores para maximizar elimpacto positivo.

El mensaje es claroLos bosques y los árboles tienen unafunción importante en la lucha para reducirla pobreza. Las iniciativas basadas enmanejo forestal sostenible, como parte delas estrategias de desarrollo rural y desubsistencia, pueden apoyar el buengobierno y aumentar los beneficios paralos pobres. El desafío actual es el dehacer realidad este potencial. (Fuente:Boletín informativo de los programasforestales nacionales, FAO 5(12),Santiago, Chile, diciembre de 2001.)


20


NEW FORESTS PROJECT

The New Forests Project is a people-to-people, direct-action programmeestablished in 1982 in an effort to initiatereforestation and reduce deforestation in“developing countries”. Their informativeWeb site is also available in Spanish.


The New Forests Project, 731 Eighth

Street SE, Washington, DC 20003, USA.

Fax: +1 202 5464784;


www.newforestsproject.com/index.htm

PLANT RESOURCESOF SOUTH-EAST ASIA(PROSEA)

PROSEA is an international programmefocused on Southeast Asia. Its purposeis to make available the wealth ofdispersed knowledge on plant resourcesfor education, extension, research andindustry through a computerized databank and an illustrated multivolumehandbook. A thorough knowledge ofplant resources is essential for humanlife and plays a key role in ecologicallybalanced land-use systems. Extensiveinformation on the plants growing in theregion is needed to enable the plantresources of each country to be usedoptimally.

One of the main objectives ofPROSEA is to publish illustratedmultivolume handbooks. A largeinternational team of experts is invited toprepare the texts on particular species orgenera, which are published in

commodity groups. All taxa are treated ina similar manner with details on uses,distribution, botany, ecology, agronomyor silviculture, genetic resources,diseases, breeding, prospects andliterature.


Agus Rachmat Hadi, Distribution

Officer, PROSEA Network Office, PO

Box 332, Bogor 16122, Indonesia.


[Please see under Publications of Interest

for more information on PROSEA.]

PLANT RESOURCES OFTROPICAL AFRICA (PROTA)

In tropical Africa thousands of plantspecies are found which provide food,fibre, pharmaceutical products, buildingmaterials, fuel, etc. for personal use andfor sale on local, regional or internationalmarkets.

Information on these plant resourcesis stored in an overwhelming and ever-growing amount of literature. For theuser, the information has becomeinaccessible, partly because of its sheervolume and the dispersion in time, partlybecause it is scattered over severalcontinents, is in several languages andin all kinds of publications.

The PROTA programme is an initiativeof Wageningen University, theNetherlands. In cooperation withinstitutes in Africa and Europe, PROTAintends to survey, compile, edit, publishand disseminate existing knowledge onsome 7 000 useful plants of tropicalAfrica. It will build on the experiencesgained by the twin programme PlantResources of South East Asia(PROSEA), 1985-2002. In due coursethe publications will be accessible fromthe PROTA Web site.

The PROTA programme has beendivided into three phases. ThePreliminary Phase (1998-1999) was anin-house exercise by WageningenUniversity. The aim of the PreparatoryPhase (2000-2002) is to“internationalize” the programme and to

establish cooperation with a number ofAfrican and European institutions.PROTA offices are currently being set upin seven African and three Europeancountries, while an international group ofeditors and authors is contributing to thefirst PROTA publications. PROTA’s FirstInternational Workshop (September2002), which will be in both English andFrench, will be instrumental in furtherdefining the organization of theprogramme, including the framework ofthe Web databases. In theImplementation Phase (2003-2012),emphasis is on the actual compilationand editing of the monographs, makingthem widely available in electronic andprinted forms, and also transforming theinformation into derived products.


PROTA Programme, Wageningen

University, PO Box 341, 6700 AH

Wageningen, the Netherlands.


www.prota.org

[Please see under Forthcoming Events for

more information on the First International

Workshop.]

POTENTIAL OILSEEDTREES OF AFRICA

Humankind depends on a very limitednumber of crops to meet the needs ofstaple diets and on a few major non-foodcrops to meet associated needs. Amongthem a small portion of the world’s foodcomes from tree crops. The utilization of


21


importance of forestry research in thecontext of these coping strategies.

The human immunodeficiencyvirus/acquired immunodeficiencysyndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been recognized asan epidemic requiring a multisectoralresponse. The main social cost of thisepidemic is not the direct costs ofmedical care and prevention, but ratherthe costs of lost household output owingto the burden of caring for the sick, theelderly and orphaned children. Forexample, in Uganda, food insecurity andmalnutrition are the most criticalconcerns among female-headed AIDS-affected households, not medicaltreatment and drugs.

As a drastic reduction in thecontinent’s workforce is directlythreatening national food securities,agriculture, the foundation of theregion’s national economies, is currentlybeing acknowledged as a critical focalpoint of the multisectoral response. Forthis reason, recent epidemiologicalstudies have focused on the epidemic’seffects on rural agricultural communitiesand households. These studies suggestthat NTFPs from natural forests andagroforestry systems may be importantcomponents of the coping strategies forHIV/AIDS-affected households.

Despite documentation of householdsocio-economic conditions that suggestspotential intensification of NTFPutilization (specifically, low-laboursupplies), current literature revealsminimal reference to forest and treeresources in HIV/AIDS coping strategies,although their significant roles inmeeting local nutritional demands havejustified recent calls for the integration offorestry and nutrition in policy andplanning. With more credence beinggiven to a multisectoral response to sub-Saharan Africa’s HIV/AIDS epidemic,governments, NGOs and internationalinstitutions should make an effort tounderstand the current and potential roleof NTFPs in HIV/AIDS-affectedhouseholds.

As HIV/AIDS and strategies formitigating its impact have not been a


22


The present status of some of theunderutilized African oil-bearing treespecies, their constraints to utilizationand marketing, are highlighted in arecent paper presented at the thirdInternational Conference of OilseedTrees by N. Haq, ICUC, University ofSouthampton. It is hoped that theexisting information will provide aconsensus to develop an effectiveregional programme on oilseed treespecies for sustainable livelihood andfood security. ICUC is willing to take partin developing such a programme for theeffective utilization of African resources.(Source: Global Newsletter onUnderutilized Crops, June 2001.)

POTENTIAL ROLE OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTSIN THE COPING STRATEGIESOF RURAL HIV/AIDS-AFFECTED HOUSEHOLDSIN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is drasticallyreducing the agricultural workforce ofsub-Saharan Africa, threateninghousehold and national food securities.Contributing to household nutrition andhealth at low labour inputs, NTFPsshould be considered in efforts tomitigate the socio-economic impact ofHIV/AIDS on rural agrarian households.Because there exist few references tothis subject in the literature concernedwith the coping mechanisms ofHIV/AIDS-affected households, a recentpaper is drawing attention to the

a large number of species for variousproducts has not been exploited forsustainable livelihood. The InternationalCentre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC)has initiated a series of programmes onthe domestication and utilization of non-wood forest products, such as jackfruit,mangosteen and pummelo in Asia andVitellaria paradoxa in Africa.

Africa is a rich heritage of usefulindigenous multipurpose tree species.These resources have played animportant role for centuries in feedingpeople, keeping them healthy and givingthem shelter through good years andalso through bad years, particularlywhen drought persisted and crops failed.Many of these multipurpose species areoilseed-bearing trees and are part of theforestry ecosystems. People who livewith this system protect and use themevery day. However, population pressurealong with modern need is destroyingthis system.

Oilseeds constitute an importantgroup of crops of the total globalcropped area. Vegetable oils account forabout 70 percent of the total availabilityof all oils and fats. There are two distincttypes of vegetable oil-yielding crops:perennial and annual crops. In the pastvegetable oils, fats and tallow have beenutilized for food (80 percent) and animalfeed (70 percent and 13 percent in theindustrial sectors).

There is impressive growth in theconsumption of oils and fats worldwide.This will increase further, together withpopulation growth. The increaseddemand for fats and oils can be met bythe African heritage, as has been seenwith the oil-palm’s contribution to worldproduction. There are many perennialspecies, similar to oil-palm and coconut,which provide vegetable oil, not only foruse as cooking oil for the marginalizedwomen and men of the world but alsofor small-scale industries, to generateincome. The uses of these trees areonly known to those who live locally.Several organizations have started togather information on these species fordomestication and for establishing themin agroforestry systems.

focus of rural development workersand/or agricultural staff, the authorshope that their paper conveys the timelyneed for inclusion of forest and treeresources in cost-effective responseefforts to agrarian societies heavilyaffected by HIV/AIDS. (Source:Extracted from a paper prepared byMarc Barany, A.L Hammett, Abdou Seneand Beyhan Amichev, College of NaturalResources, Virginia, USA.)


Mr A.L Hammett, Associate Professor,

College of Natural Resources, Virginia

Tech, Department of Wood Science and

Forest Products, 210 Cheatham Hall

(0323), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061,

USA.

Fax: +1 540 2318176;


SCIENTIFIC BOARDSSOCIETY OF RESEARCHINSTITUTE OF FORESTS& RANGELANDS

The Scientific Boards Society ofResearch Institute of Forests &Rangelands (SBS-RIFR) has recentlybeen formed with some 100 expertmembers. Fields covered include:forestry, forest management, forestharvesting, agroforestry, silviculture,biotechnology, rangelands, medicinalplants, forest health and environmentalpollution, genetic resources,desertification control, forestimprovement, etc.

SBS-RIFR is ready to start jointventure projects with other companiesand organizations in Iran and throughoutthe world.

For more information, please

contact:

Ali Salahi, Research Institute

of Forests & Rangelands, Alborz

Research Center, GPO Box 31585-343,

Karaj, Iran.

Fax: +98 261 6603482;

e-mail: [email protected] or

[email protected]

SUSTAINABLE FOR WHOM?

Sustainable for Whom? is a brochurejointly published by the Taiga RescueNetwork and the Boreal Footprint Projectsummarizing a new report on ForestStewardship Council (FSC) certificationand community benefits. It containsexploratory case studies of four forestcommunities in the boreal or near-borealzone with experience of the FSCcertification. It is hoped that theinformation in the brochure and the full-length report will contribute to increasedawareness of the potential benefits aswell as the limitations of market-basedcertification in relation to forestcommunities and forest peoples.

The full-length report Sustainable forWhom? is available in pdf format at:www.taigarescue.org/publications/reports.shtml


Taiga Rescue Network, Box 116, S-

96223 Jokkmokk, Sweden.


www.taigarescue.org

TRAINING PROGRAMMEON LEADERSHIP ANDADAPTIVE MANAGEMENTIN FOREST ENVIRONMENTS

Collaborative adaptive forestmanagement (CAFM) aims at achievinga balance between the conservation andutilization of forest resources in thepursuit of rural development andsustainable livelihood. Foresters whowork in CAFM, therefore, need abalance of social and technical skillsand insights.

In response to this need, a trainingprogramme of the InternationalAgricultural Centre (IAC) covers thefollowing broad areas of interest:collaboration and decision-makingbetween stakeholders, integrated landuse, sustainable adaptive forestmanagement, biodiversity conservation,poverty reduction, equity andempowerment. The programme offersfive short courses and one seminaraddressing different aspects of CAFM.


IAC, PO Box 88, 6700 AB Wageningen,

the Netherlands.

Fax: +31 317 495395;


www.iac.wageningen-ur.nl


23


The Boreal Footprint Project (BFP) isan American participant of the TaigaRescue Network. BFP aims to reduceAmericans’ ecological footprint on theboreal forests of Canada and Alaskathrough education, advocacy andcampaigning.

contact: Domingo M. Ramirez, Director,

TREES, College of Forestry and Natural

Resources (CFNR), University of the

Philippines Los Baños (UPLB),

College, Laguna, Philippines.


USING LOCALKNOWLEDGE IN NWFPINVENTORY

An interesting North American study thatcontains some lessons for tropicalNWFP assessment is the work that hasbeen done in Canada on inventory forPacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) barkharvested to manufacture a breastcancer drug. As a preliminary to large-scale inventory, a decision needed to bemade about which of two availableforest maps (an ecosystem map and aforest cover map) would provide thebest stratification and whether localknowledge could be used to selectwhich strata should be sampled for yew.A questionnaire was sent to localforesters and ecologists to elicit theirknowledge about the occurrence anddistribution of yew among the mappedunits on each map. The questionnairedata were compiled and used to identifyhigh- and low-probability strata for yewon each map. Field sampling wasweighted so that 80 percent and 20percent of samples were placed in high-and low-probability strata, respectively.

Analysis of the data showed thatoverall estimates of yew populationsproduced using either map as a basisfor stratification were not statisticallydifferent, but the standard errors for theecosystem map were much smaller,indicating that it is more precise andhence a more efficient stratification. Thevalidity of the high and low yewoccurrences strata as determined by thequestionnaire was not challenged ortested in the analysis of results.Presumably this is because they wereconfirmed as accurate. If this is thecase, then the local knowledge wasreliable even though a diverse range ofindividual opinions on yew distribution

TREES INTERNATIONALTRAINING COURSES

With the world’s current environmentalissues and concerns, human resourcedevelopment has been considered asone of the most important componentsthat can help achieve sustainable naturalresources development. Through theyears, the Training Center for TropicalResources and EcosystemsSustainability (TREES) maintains itscommitment to upgrade the knowledge,skills and attitudes of individuals involvedin tropical resources development andecosystems sustainability through itscontinuing education and trainingprogrammes. TREES continues todevelop and conduct training coursesand study tours that keep environmentand natural resource professionalsupdated with recent developments andprepared to meet the challengingdemands of the future.

For the next two years, TREES hasdesigned 12 training courses and onestudy tour that aims to address theneeds of forestry and natural resourcesprofessionals. These training coursesinclude:

• Biodiversity monitoring andassessment

• Forest products marketing• Agroforestry for sustainable

development• Sustainable forest resources

management and project planning.

For more information and a complete

list of all courses available, please

were expressed by the questionnairerespondents.

This study demonstrates a means ofusing local knowledge in the context ofa biometrically sound sampling schemethat does not compromise its integrityand may offer useful lessons for the useof indigenous knowledge in tropicalNWFP inventory. (Source: Resourceassessment of non-wood forestproducts. Experience and biometricprinciples. FAO NWFP No. 13.)


24


The secret of happiness is to admirewithout desiring.

Francis H. BradleyBritish Philosopher (1846-1924)

AGARWOOD

Agarwood, eaglewood, gaharu,aloeswood – these are just a few of thenames for the resinous, fragrant andhighly valuable heartwood produced byand other species of the Indomalesiantree genus Aquilaria. The wealth ofnames for this dark and heavy wood (itsChinese name literally means “wood thatsinks”) reflects its widespread and varieduse over thousands of years. Bothagarwood oil and incense are used fortheir fragrant properties, notably in theNear East. Agarwood incense is used inreligious ceremonies by Buddhists,Hindus and Muslims, while a revival ofthe Koh doh incense ceremony in Japanhas rekindled interest in agarwood inthat country. In Taiwan Province ofChina, agarwood is an aromaticingredient in Chu-yeh Ching and Vo KaPy wine. Although less common,agarwood may also be carved intosculptures, beads and boxes, which aresometimes also used for religiouspurposes.

Accounts of international trade inagarwood date back as early as thethirteenth century, India being one of theearliest sources of agarwood for foreignmarkets. Agarwood is currently traded inlarge quantities: more than 700 tonnes ofagarwood from Aquilaria malaccensiswere reported in international trade in1997. Available trade data reportapproximately 20 countries as exportingand re-exporting agarwood from 1993-1998, with exports from Indonesia andMalaysia taking the lead. Although overalltrade volumes may appear small in“timber trade” terms, they are not small inmonetary terms. Agarwood chips andsegments may sell for several hundred toseveral thousand US dollars perkilogram. The price of oil distilled fromagarwood is generally between US$5 000 and $10 000 per kilogram, butcan be significantly more for agarwood oilof exceptionally high quality.

Unfortunately, the demand foragarwood currently far exceeds theavailable supply, which is naturally

restricted owing to the nature of itsformation – agarwood is only found in asmall percentage of Aquilaria trees ofthose species known to produce it.Although research into the origins ofagarwood is ongoing, it appears that thefragrant resin that permeates theheartwood of some Aquilaria trees isproduced as a response to woundingand/or a fungal infection. It is this resinouswood, or “agarwood”, that is sought, thenon-impregnated wood being consideredtoo soft to be useful for construction.Agarwood is harvested by felling and thensplitting trees open. External signs of thepresence of agarwood are not alwaysobvious. As a result, Aquilaria trees areoften cut down indiscriminately in thesearch for those containing agarwood.The high value of agarwood products isalso stimulating illegal harvest and tradein several range countries.

Populations of eight Aquilaria specieshave already declined to the point wherethey are considered threatenedaccording to the World ConservationUnion (IUCN) Red List Categories. Ofthese, six species are considered at riskfrom overexploitation for agarwood.

In view of the evidence of unsustainableharvest and trade, intergovernmentalaction has been taken to bring theinternational trade in one of thesespecies, Aquilaria malaccensis, withinsustainable levels. A. malaccensis waslisted in Appendix II of the Convention onInternational Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)with effect from February 1995. This listingobliges all CITES member countriesexporting or re-exporting A. malaccensisparts and derivatives (e.g. wood, chips,oil) to issue CITES documents for thoseshipments exported. In the case ofexports from range states, the Conventionstipulates that such permits should onlybe issued once the exporting governmenthas confirmed that the agarwood to beexported was obtained both legally and ina manner not detrimental to the survivalof the species.

The CITES Plants Committeeconsidered it a priority to review theimplementation of the CITES listing for

A. malaccensis during the 1998-2000triennium. Trade Records and Analysis ofFlora and Fauna in Commerce(TRAFFIC) was contracted by the CITESsecretariat to undertake such a review in1998. TRAFFIC’s research initiallyfocused specifically on CITESimplementation. However, as severaldifferent Aquilaria species are in tradeand agarwood is extremely difficult toidentify to the species level, TRAFFIC’sresearch was broadened to encompass amore general review of agarwood useand trade. Information was gatheredthrough: interviews with governmentauthorities, other agarwood researchersand traders; compilation and analysis ofCITES and customs trade data; and areview of available legislation andliterature. Market surveys and visits toharvest sites and processing centreswere undertaken in several countries.

The results of TRAFFIC’s research arereported in the TRAFFIC Network reportHeart of the matter: agarwood use andtrade and CITES implementation forAquilaria malaccensis. The full report canbe downloaded (www.traffic.org/news/agarwood.pdf). (Source: Extracted fromthe executive summary of Heart of thematter: agarwood use and trade andCITES implementation for Aquilariamalaccensis.)


TRAFFIC International, 219c

Huntingdon Road, Cambridge

CB3 ODL, UK.

Fax: +44 1223 277237;


[Please see under Country Compass –

Papua New Guinea – for more information

on agarwood.]


25

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

BAMBOO CHARCOALAND VINEGAR

Bamboo charcoal and vinegar productionis more and more prosperous in Chinaand most of the products are exported toJapan and other countries. Bamboo charcoal has a good market inJapan owing to a felling ban in naturalforests and the good character ofbamboo charcoal. In addition to bamboocharcoal being used for fuel, there areseveral other uses:

• Agriculture. As a carrier of organicmanure and micro-organisms in thesoil, bamboo charcoal can improvethe vigour of the soil.

• Chemicals. Bamboo charcoal can beused as the raw materials of bambooactive carbon. Bamboo charcoalshows strong absorption because ofthe special structure of micro holes ofthe bamboo stem. Tests show that theabsorption properties of bambooactive carbon are extremely good.

• Medicine and health care. Pillows andmats made of bamboo charcoal cansoothe the nerves, relax backachesand control snoring. Bamboo charcoalalso functions as a deodorizer,dehumidifier and fungicide.

• Environment protection. Bamboocharcoal can be used as a waterclarifier, a shield for electromagneticwaves and absorber of poisonousgases. Pollution indoors would beabsorbed if the panels were made of

bamboo charcoal instead of theasbestos flakeboard and plasticboards. Ninety-five percent of thenicotine and other poisonous materialswould be absorbed if cigarette filterswere made of bamboo charcoal.

• Other fields. Bamboo charcoal can bemade into many kinds of compoundmaterials in the material industry. Italso can be made into handicrafts,feed additives and high-capacityrechargeable storage batteries, etc.

Bamboo vinegar consists of 80 percentwater. When it is dehydrated, the vinegarconsists of about 80 to 200 components,or 32% organic acid, 40% phenoliccompound, 3% aldehyde, 5% alkonecompound, 5% alcohol compound, 4%ester compound and 5% others.

Bamboo vinegar is a by-product ofbamboo carbonization. Bamboo vinegarcan be used as soil fungicide, plant rootgrowth promoter and deodorizer, incosmetics, health drinks, medicines, etc.(Contributed by: Jinhe Fu, INBAR, China.)


Dr Jinhe Fu, Program Officer,

International Network for Bamboo and

Rattan (INBAR), Beijing 100101-80, China.

Fax: +86 10 64956983;


www.inbar.int/ or

www.geocities.com/zhuzi.geo/

EDIBLE INSECTS

Edible insects in Ngao Model Forest,ThailandInsects have been consumed by thehuman race for a long time because oftheir availability and high nutritionalvalue. It is estimated that people eat atleast 100 species of insects. The

cooking method for insects varies fromspecies to species and place to place.Some insects are fried in oil, othersroasted directly and some are fermentedwith whisky, while many species areeaten raw. There are different stages ininsect development and each stage,namely egg, larva, pupa and adult, has adifferent method of processing.

Most insect consumption seems to belimited to rural areas at the forestfringes, where it is easy to collect theinsects. In the Ngao Model Forest (NMF)area of Thailand, however, it is not onlythe local people, but also the peoplefrom towns, who collect and consumeinsects. Sometimes, people from outsidethe NMF come and collect insects, notonly for their own consumption, but alsoto sell in the market.

The extent of insect consumption isrising sharply. Earlier, the insects used tobe collected from the wild; it was notnecessary to rear them sinceconsumption was on a small scale.Nowadays, some edible insects arebeing reared for mass production and toreduce collection from their naturalhabitats. But most of the edible insectssuch as the giant cricket, cicada andbamboo worm are still collected from thewild, and only a few species are reared(cricket and some red ants).

In the NMF area, local people collectand consume insects regularly. Theyhave the local knowledge of where andwhen to find insects and the techniquesfor searching and harvesting insects.They use the insects for householdconsumption, and the rest are sold in themarket or along the roadside. Manyedible insect species are harvested inthe NMF area, including giant cricket,cicada, ant, mole cricket, giant waterbug, water scavenger beetle,grasshopper, scarab beetle, etc. Mostare harvested in the rainy season (earlyMay to September). The giant cricket isusually found during June to August.

People usually only eat the eggs andyoung nymphs of red ants. The antsbuild their nest on evergreen trees suchas mango and wood apple. The peakseason for egg production is around


26


Seventy-five percent of the world’spopulation depends primarily ontraditional medicines, many of whichare gathered from the wild. Productsderived from the “sweet wormwood”plant are increasingly important incombating drug-resistant strains ofmalaria, particularly in Africa.(Source: Biodiversity – a crucial issuefor the world’s poor. DFID, UK. ISBN1-86192-341-4.)


27

March-April. Eggs are sold in the marketfor very high prices, about B 10 to 20 forone small heap of eggs.

The mole cricket, giant water bug andwater scavenger beetle always come outduring the rainy season. The mole cricketand water scavenger beetle are also soldin small heaps (30 to 40 individuals) andare priced at B 15 to 20 per heap. Forgiant water bugs, the male has a highervalue than the female, because the malehas a good odour while the female doesnot. The price for males and females inthe market is about B 2.5 and B 1.5 perindividual, respectively. (Source:Extracted from Model Forest ApproachNews, July 2001.)


the author:

Mr Kobsak Wanthongchai, Forest

Research Officer, Forest Insect Pest

Control and Research Center, Ngao,

Lampang 52 110, Thailand.


Mopane wormsMopane worm, the larval stage ofImbrasia belina, has been consumed asa delicacy in most southern Africancountries such as Zimbabwe, SouthAfrica, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi andNamibia since time immemorial. Theedible caterpillars, which are mostlyfound feeding on mopane trees(Colophospermum mopane), are a larvalstage of the Saturniid moth. Full-grownlarvae measure 50 to 80 mm and are fat, spiny, mottled black, yellowish, red-specked caterpillars. Adults are large,brown, heavily scaled moths withconspicuous eye-spots on each wing.Adults have atrophied mouth parts,hence they do not feed.

These edible larvae are widelyharvested in the southern parts ofZimbabwe for food (subsistence) or forsale by the local people. These aredegutted, cleaned, boiled or roasted anddried without any further processing takingplace. Despite the popularity of themopane worm in Zimbabwe, little isknown about its biology and ecology. Aninteresting phenomenon, however, is thatalthough the mopane worm’s favouritehost is mopane, it is not found throughoutits host range in Zimbabwe: it is absent inareas of a mopane veld on basaltpreferring a mopane veld on granite.Mopane worms are also collected frommiombo woodlands, although this isassociated with dimorphism. Its alternativehosts include Brachystegia spiciformis,Julbernadia globiflora and J. paniculata.

Local residents in mopane worm areasof Zimbabwe feel that there has been asteady decline in the insect’s populations.Mopane worms are also disappearingfrom parts of Botswana after heavyharvesting. The economic hardships andchange in urban diets have led to thecommercialization of this resource,resulting in its use going beyond that ofthe subsistence level. It is considered ashaving the potential to generate income tothe resource-poor farmers in areas ofmopane worm abundance. The majorthreats to mopane worm availability noware the effects of late-season burning onmiombo woodlands, overutilization of thecaterpillars, unavailability of hosts owingto deforestation and the cutting of largebranches to collect the resource and thechanges in climate, e.g. drought. InZimbabwe the availability, in general, ofedible caterpillars is reported to havediminished markedly; of the 14 speciescommonly said to have been consumed inthe past, most have decreased inabundance and some are very rare.

A recent study on Zimbabwe hasreported that there have been changes inthe patterns of mopane worm exploitationfor income which has been driven byavailability of the resource, the need forcash and the changes in taste and marketdemands especially from urban dwellerswho have maintained their rural tastes.

Commercialization of mopane worms inmopane worm abundant areas ofZimbabwe has brought about a widerange of social, economic andenvironmental degradation problems. Thestudy recommended that the biology andecology of the mopane worm be studiedas a matter of urgency by the ForestryCommission. With sustainable utilizationbeing one of the current ecologicalcatchwords, the relevant scientificinvestigations will be necessary beforeenlightened inferences on thesustainability and the impact of harvestingon natural mopane worm populations canbe made. At present, the impact ofharvesting and utilization of mopaneworms on the basic reproductive functionsof mopane woodlands is not known.There are already fears of a decline inmopane worm populations in mostsouthern African countries owing tooverutilization. These studies should notbe carried out in isolation from mopanewoodland ecology, as there is already adelicate balance between the insect andits host. The study also recommendedthat mopane woodland ecology should bestudied and that silvicultural managementapproaches incorporating mopane wormharvesting should be developed by theForestry Commission. Non-wood forestproducts (NWFP) generally play a pivotalrole in the sustainable management offorests, thus supporting biodiversity. Theircommercial exploitation has been found tobe less ecologically destructive thantimber harvesting and therefore to havegreater potential for sustainable forestmanagement.

Mopane worms contribute significantlyto rural household economies throughnutrition and health contributions and asan important household food securityresource. Nutritionally, mopane worms arecomparable to and have even higherprotein, fat, carbohydrate and calciumcontents than beef, chicken and milk. Themopane worm’s potential in enterprisedevelopment is actually dependent on thefact that it is a high-protein food source.Nutritional studies of mopane worms inlocal food industries have been carried outin Botswana and South Africa, but not yet


in Zimbabwe. These help to add value tothe product and the full realization of themopane worm potential in the sportingand livestock feeding industries and ininfant food formulation. The potential ofmopane worms in enterprise developmentwill help in employment creation,especially in rural communities whereincome is only limited to agriculture.

Currently not much processing is doneon the raw product, hence its markedabsence on the international market.There is, however, a danger ofoverharvesting of the resource as aresponse to increased demand.Currently the buyers determine theprices because the harvesters have notransport, storage facilities and themarketing is not organized and is doneat the harvesting camps.

The situation at present in Zimbabweregarding NWFPs is marked by a seriousdearth of information, especially for thoseproducts that are consumed locally, e.g.mopane worms. (Source: Pilot Studies –Zimbabwe. Data Collection and Analysisfor Sustainable Forest Management in

ACP Countries – Linking National andInternational Efforts. EC-FAO PartnershipProgramme, 1998-2001.)

HONEY

Apiculture Development ProgrammeApiculture is one of the most attractive andpromising income-generating activities forPROSHIKA-facilitated group membersowing to high returns and low investment.

Since the inception of the ApicultureDevelopment Programme in 1976,PROSHIKA, one of the largest NGOs inBangladesh, has innovated andintroduced a number of new technologiesto modernize apiculture practices inBangladesh. Through its organized groupmembers, PROSHIKA is moving towards

immense success and provencommercial viability, besides reaching itsprime goal – poverty alleviation.

Beekeepers with two melifera coloniescan earn Tk 5 000 to 6 000/year withonly one hour per week. The totalfinancial investment per box is Tk 1 000and each box lasts about ten years.Group members are especiallyinterested as they can run theprogramme at the same time as theirother activities. Besides the RevolvingLoan fund, group members also carryout many apiculture projects with theirsavings, since the capital required insuch projects is very low.

The table below shows the successover the last three years with the activeparticipation of group members ofPROSHIKA.


28


Beekeeping and honey productionComponent 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 Beekeepers (No.) 134 92 95Bee colonies (No.) 808 796 388Bee boxes (No.) 503 237 193Honey production (kg) 16 586 13 562 13 727

Birbal was a day-labourer in BangshiNagar village in the Tangail district ofBangladesh. He did not have any landof his own and had been living in a tinyhut on a piece of land that belonged tothe government. He had to work hardon other people’s farms to provide forhis family of five and had nothing tolook forward to.

The turning point came in 1994when, with PROSHIKA’s help, Birbalorganized a group from his village andnamed it Daridra (the poor). His groupstarted saving Tk 5 as required everymonth until the total savings stood atTk 12 000. During that time, he receivedtraining in apiculture from PROSHIKA,after which he started his beekeepingventure. He bought four boxes with acredit support of Tk 2 000 fromPROSHIKA.

The first year he produced 90 kg ofhoney, worth almost Tk 11 000. Heeasily repaid all the loans from hisearnings and multiplied those fourboxes into ten bee colonies. This timehe produced 200 kg of honey worth Tk 24 000 and earned Tk 4 000 fromselling the colonies. He soon became aman known in his area for selling purehoney.

In 1996 he built a tin-shed house forhis family by selling eight bee boxesfrom his stock of 20 for Tk 8 000. Thatyear his income from selling 240 kg ofhoney reached Tk 28 000. He has nottaken any more assistance fromPROSHIKA since. Beekeeping has beenenough to lead him to brighter days.

Then Birbal invited his brother toparticipate in his enterprise. In 1997,they had 22 bee colonies, which

produced 270 kg of honey worth Tk 37 800. This time he purchased twocows, a goat and some poultry fromthe earnings of the honey and beeboxes. In 1997, his family savingsamounted to Tk 30 000. In 1998, hebought 40 decimal lands from hisearnings and planted seasonal crops toearn even more money. He alsoinstalled a sanitary latrine at his house.Soon he owned 28 bee colonies anddecided to cultivate melifera.

From being a day-labourer, Birbalthus became a self-reliant, well-off manand is now the leader of a PROSHIKA-facilitated group. His group now hassavings of Tk 150 000 and has inspiredseven other members of his group tocome forward with apiculture projects.(Contributed by: A.Z.M. ManzoorRashid, Bangladesh.)

FLOATING ON THE WINGS OF BEES


countries must submit a plan, setting outguarantees regarding the monitoring ofvarious residues including antibiotics,pyrethroids, organochlorines and heavymetals.

For a country to be permitted to exporthoney to the EU, it must first be addedto the list of permitted countries.Zambian honey exporters recentlyformed themselves into a group and,overseen by their Ministry of Agriculture,have successfully applied for Zambia tobe added to the list. (Details of EUdecision 2001/158/EC can be found atwww.forum.europa.eu.int/public/irc/sanco/vets/info/)

Beekeepers working in remote areasof poor countries have good possibilitiesto produce top-quality, non-contaminatedhoney and beeswax. We must ensurethat they also have a fair opportunity toobtain top prices for their premiumproducts. (Source: Beekeeping andDevelopment.)


Ms Nicola Bradbear, Bees for

Development, Troy, Monmouth NP25

4AB, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)16007 16167;


www.planbee.org.uk

MUSHROOMS

Fungi, mushrooms and FAOThe FAO NWFP Programme is currentlyinvolved in various activities related to thesustainable use of fungi. These activitiesinclude:

• Compilation of a global study on Wildedible fungi and rural livelihoods. Thisstudy aims at compiling in one volumewidely scattered information on the

Besides the group-based project forconducting training and experimentingfurther for the development of beerearing, PROSHIKA runs three modelapiaries. The developed varieties ofmelifera bees are reared in theseapiaries through 227 bee colonies. In2001 a total of 20 000 kg of honey wasproduced in these apiaries.


A.Z.M. Manzoor Rashid, Lecturer,

Department of Forestry, Shahjalal

University of Science & Technology,

Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.

E-mail: [email protected] or

[email protected];

or

Information and Documentation

Resource Cell, PROSHIKA, I/1-Ga,

Section-2, Mirpur, Dhaka-1216,

Bangladesh.

Fax: +880 2 8015811;


www.proshika.org/index.htm

Honey market ecoprotectionism?Ecoprotectionism is the concern thatapplying environmental tests to the originof products will provide a new excuse forlimiting the imports of products from poorcountries. Is this happening in the caseof honey imports to the European Union(EU)?

On 12 February 2001, the EUCommission adopted a new decision(2001/158/EC) listing countriesauthorized to import honey into the EU.No African nations are included in thislist and from Asia, only China, India andViet Nam are eligible. The purpose of thelegislation is to prevent honey containingundesirable residues from beingimported into Europe. To be listed,

uses and prospects for thedevelopment of wild edible fungiworldwide. The study is being compiledby CABI Bioscience on behalf of FAO.(For further information, please contactSven Walter, FAO NWFP programme;e-mail: [email protected])

• Compilation of a subregional study onForest-based mushrooms in East andSouthern Africa, which aims atdocumenting and assessingmushrooms and communitymanagement, harvesting and trade.(For further information, please contactMichel Laverdiere, Forestry Officer,FAO Subregional Office, PO Box 3730,Harare, Zimbabwe; e-mail:[email protected])

• Case study on the Assessment of wildedible mushrooms in Malawi. This fieldstudy is being carried out in the contextof the European Commission-FAOPartnership Programme in order tosupport FAO’s activities in thedevelopment of generic NWFPinventory guidelines. (For furtherinformation, please contact FrançoisNdeckere-Ziangba, FAO NWFPProgramme; e-mail:[email protected])

Mushroom studies in ZimbabweMushrooms in indigenous forestsAn extensive literature review wascarried out on the productivity andcontribution of edible mushrooms foundin miombo woodlands to rural householdeconomies. It was observed thatmushrooms occur in flushes during therainy period, from November to April.Mushrooms have been observed to have20 to 40 percent of crude protein, 3 to 28 percent of carbohydrates and a widerange of both macro- and micro-elements. Any assessment of thecontribution of mushrooms to the ruraleconomy should thus consider the totaleconomic value (i.e. both consumed andtraded quantities). Road survey resultsindicated that on average eachhousehold consumed approximately 20 kgof fresh mushrooms per annum. It isestimated that about 10 tonnes of freshmushrooms are exported from miombo

29


Spec

ies

No.

34

- 200

0

woodlands annually, realizing aboutUS$500 000 to corporate organizations.

There is an apparent dearth ofinformation on the productivity ofmushrooms occurring in natural forests,which makes it difficult to assess theircontribution to household incomes.Productivity has in the past beenestimated from the amounts collected bymushroom gatherers, a method that canresult in unreliable data because of thedisparity between forest productivity andamounts harvested. Since most of themushrooms occur in ectomycorrhizalassociations with some specific trees,forest depletion can have significantimpacts on mushroom yields. Of about 60species of edible mushrooms used inZimbabwe, those of the genera Amanita,Cantharellus, Termitomyces and Lactariusare the most preferred for collection.

Pine plantation mushroom (Boletus edulis) Boletus edulis is an edible mushroomcommonly found in pine plantationswhere it grows in symbiotic associationwith the roots of pine trees. A case study(survey) was carried out on three forestestates in the Eastern Highlands ofZimbabwe to assess mushroomproduction from the plantations, and theircontribution to household income for thelocal communities. The findings showthat pruned and thinned stands withslash scattered on the forest floor tend toyield higher volumes of ediblemushrooms. Although mushroomharvesting is a high foreign currencyearner business, its contribution tohousehold income for local communitiesengaged in picking and processingoperations is only at the subsistencelevel. However, the mushroom businesswas observed to have created

employment opportunities mainly towomen (92 percent of the labour force).

Difficulty in obtaining reliablequantitative information on productivitystems from a significant level of illegalmushroom picking in the plantationforests. Further research on mushroomproductivity is recommended in order toincrease the income levels of the ruralcommunities engaged in the pickingoperation. Moreover, educationalprogrammes aimed at identifying otheredible mushrooms on exotic plantationsmust be conducted so as to contribute tothe development of the local mushroompickers.


Sven Walter, FAO NWFP Programme.


[Please also see under International Action

– FAO in the field, for more information on

these case studies.]

Développer des protocoles pour contrôlerdes populations de champignonsUne équipe du Service forestier de laStation de recherche du Nord-ouestPacifique à Corvallis, au Départementde l’agriculture des Etats-Unis (USDA),a développé une méthodologie pourinventorier, évaluer les rendements etcontrôler la production de champignonssauvages comestibles depuis 1993. Leurexpérience et le processus dedéveloppement des idées sont très biendocumentés dans une série depublications et fournissent une étude decas riche d’informations sur lesproblèmes d’inventaire des produitsforestiers qui ne sont pas issus desarbres.

Les problèmes principaux qui seposent à l’équipe de conception viennentdu fait que les champignons cibles(Matsutake, chanterelle et morilles)apparaissent comme des coloniesdispersées, réparties spatialement demanière très inégale, très énigmatique(en grande partie invisible sur le sol) etégalement saisonnières. Il a été reconnudès le début que la distribution inégaleexigerait le développement de nouveauxschémas d’échantillonnage et analyses.

La première tentative d’inventaire autilisé des méthodes empruntées auxétudes sur la diversité des champignonsdans trois forêts étudiées. Dans chaqueforêt, trois emplacements ont été choisispour représenter les trois types devégétation les plus productifs de la forêt.À chaque emplacement, trois zonesd’étude de 225x225 m (5 ha) ont étéchoisies pour représenter l’altitude,l’aspect et l’accessibilité à travers le typede végétation, fournissant ainsi neufsites d’étude dans chacune des troisforêts étudiées. Chaque site a étéentouré par des affichages qui enlimitaient l’accès, et dans chacun d’eux,six échantillons en bande de 2x50 m,marqués de manière permanente, ontété systématiquement placés selon uneorientation aléatoire. Les échantillonsont été mis en place pendant la périodeoù les champignons n’avaient pasfructifié, afin d’éviter de prendreconscience de leur emplacement etd’introduire un biais. Les champignonsont été décrits en mesurant le chapeauet les diamètres des pieds, la distanceverticale du voile au chapeau, ladistance par rapport à l’arbre le plusproche et le volume récolté. Leschapeaux mesurés ont été marquéspour éviter les répétitions. Leséchantillons ont été ré-examinés chaquesemaine pendant la période defructification. Après quelques annéesd’expérience, cette méthode a été engrande partie abandonnée car elle étaittrop chère et demandait trop de temps. Ila été également estimé que la zoned’échantillonnage était bien trop petitepour être correctement représentative dechacune des espèces. Les échantillonsont également été compromis par leprélèvement illégal et le vandalisme,alors que les collecteurs légitimesétaient quant à eux intimidés et nepouvaient pas récolter normalement lesplacettes. De plus, des rapportsmétéorologiques hors-site n’ont pascorrespondu aux rendements. Aprèscette expérience il a été décidé dechanger la méthodologie del’échantillonnage. L’expérience japonaisea suggéré que le contrôle du shiro


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(corps individuel de mycélium ou«château» en japonais) serait utile pourdes champignons Matsutake.Cependant, cette méthodologie est trèsconsommatrice de temps et pourraitseulement être considérée pour destravaux de recherche et pas pour lecontrôle ordinaire. Deux faits nouveauxdans le domaine de la méthodologiedécoulent de cette première expérience.

Il est proposé que le contrôle auniveau régional devrait être réalisé pardes énumérateurs volontaires, choisisparmi les cueilleurs locaux et uneproposition dans ce sens a été faite. Leplan consiste à utiliser des permis derécolte exclusifs, attribués commemotivation aux volontaires pour qu’ilsfassent des relevés détaillés de larécolte à partir de placettesd’échantillons marquées.L’échantillonnage stratifié systématiqueau niveau régional doit être mis enœuvre pour choisir des sites de contrôlelocaux et les données utilisées pourétudier les relations entre la gestionforestière et la productivité deschampignons. Le suivi des sites doit êtrecontrôlé par le personnel du Serviceforestier. Le programme est destiné àêtre volontaire et basé sur unecollaboration flexible et décentralisée,encourageant l’appropriation volontairedu programme.

Pour le Matsutake, une approchecartographique a été adoptée avec deschampignons cartographiés en utilisantdes arbres de référence, qui sontlocalisés au moyen du GPS (GlobalPositioning System). Dans un groupe dechampignons, on inclut les champignonssitués à une distance inférieure à 0.5 m,la distance entre les groupes étant d’aumoins 2 m. Les groupes délimités ontsubi des traitements de récolteexpérimentaux et ont été contrôlés par lepersonnel forestier, avec la coopérationdes cueilleurs locaux qui ont conservéles zones alentours bien exploitées, demanière à décourager d’autres cueilleursopportunistes. La méthode de sélectiondes arbres de référence n’est pasdécrite, mais cette méthode semble êtreun moyen efficace pour échantillonner.

La recherche est toujours en courspour trouver un protocole adapté au suivides populations de champignons. Unmanuel décrivant l’expérience actuelle etprésentant les meilleurs conseils est encours de préparation. (Source: Extrait dela publication Évaluation des ressourcesen produits forestiers non ligneux.Experiénce et principes de biométrie.Produits Forestiers non Ligneux n°13,FAO.)

RATTAN

L’Afrique sur le marché mondial deproduits en rotin: une place dérisoireLe rotin est incontestablement l’un desplus anciens et importants PFNL qui fontl’objet d’un commerce international degrande envergure. Son commercemondial est évalué à près de 6,5 milliards$EU et implique presque tous lescontinents. Dans ce sous-secteur, commedans bien d’autres domaines enviables,l’Afrique se contente des derniers rôles.

L’Asie du Sud-Est a elle seule contrôleplus de deux tiers environ desexportations des produits finis en rotinestimées à plus de 3 milliards $EU par anau cours des années 1990. Lesprincipaux pays concernés sontl’Indonésie, les Philippines, la Malaisie, laThaïlande, la Chine, le Singapour et laRépublique démocratique populaire lao.En guise d’illustration, on peut retenir queles Philippines (moins de 100 000 km2 deforêts) contribuent pour près 250 millions$EU à ce commerce, soit environ 16 pourcent de la valeur de leurs exportationsglobales annuelles. À côté de ces géants,les ténors africains (le Nigéria, leCameroun, le Ghana, la Républiquedémocratique du Congo, la Guinéeéquatoriale, la République-Unie deTanzanie) sont pratiquement invisibles. LeCameroun par exemple (plus de 200 000km2 de forêts) réalise des exportationsannuelles d’articles en rotin de moins de50 000 $EU environ, soit largement moinsde 0,5 pour cent de ses exportationstotales. Au niveau des importations, lespays africains tout comme les ténorsasiatiques suscités ne comptent presquepas, la consommation alimentée par lesflux internationaux étant essentiellementla chasse gardée des pays développés(les importations annuelles d’articles enrotin et matières proches au cours desannées 1990 représentaient auCameroun environ 25 000 $EU contreplus de 30 millions $EU pour les Pays-Bas, par exemple). Compte tenu de lafaiblesse des revenus en Afrique, c’est laquasi-absence des pays africains auniveau des exportations qui suscite le plus

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MUSHROOM WEB SITES

Many links to a wide variety of Websites on mushrooms can be found at:www.phone-soft.com/cyber-world/make-frame.php3?framename=2569i.htm

Fungal JungalThe Fungal Jungal is the Web site ofthe Western Montana MycologicalAssociation (WMMA). The WMMAmission statement is to educatepeople further about fungi, edible andotherwise, encourage sustainable andresponsible mushroom harvest, andpreserve mushroom habitat.www.fungaljungal.org

SilviShroomsA Web site on predicting ediblemushroom productivity using forestcarbon allocation modelling andimmunoassays of ectomycorrhizae. www.fsl.orst.edu/mycology/ss/Index.htm


de curiosité à première vue. Ceci d’autantplus que l’Afrique dispose de quelquesatouts potentiels dont une importantedisponibilité de matière première, le faiblecoût de la main-d’œuvre et la proximitégéographique des grands marchés deconsommation européens et nordaméricains.

Ces avantages relatifs de l’Afrique parrapport à L’Asie du Sud-Est sontmalheureusement annihilés par une foulede lacunes techniques, organisationnelleset commerciales. La faiblesse desfacteurs de production est l’une deslacunes les plus handicapantes. Il s’agitnotamment des techniques et d’outillagesrudimentaires ou archaïques, de l’effectifd’intervenants réduits (deux personnes enmoyenne par unité de transformationcontre plusieurs dizaines aux Philippines,par exemple), des fonds de roulementtrès modestes (inférieur à 50 $EU parunité de transformation) et d’un manquede formation technico-commercialeappropriée pour les acteurs. Cettefaiblesse est à l’origine d’une productionde qualité quelconque ou médiocre(retraits, fissures, fentes, traces debrûlures, attaques biologiques, imitationservile au niveau du dessin). La faiblessedes facteurs de production entraîne aussila fabrication des articles en quantitésréduites (au Cameroun il faut en moyennetrois à quatre mois à une unité detransformation pour exécuter unecommande de 500 petits paniers tandisqu’aux Philippines ce délai ne peut enaucun cas excéder une semaine pour uneunité de transformation de taille moyenne)et non uniformes. Ce qui est contraire auxexigences des circuits de ravitaillement etde distribution moderne débouchant surune consommation de masse.

L’absence de filière d’exportation bienétablie constitue aussi un handicap àgrande portée. Les canaux de ventes àl’extérieur des pays producteurs ducontinent africain sont pour la plupart trèsoccasionnels ou sporadiques et sont lefait des étrangers de passage, desorganisations non gouvernementales(ONG) et des organisations caritativesinternationales. Enfin, le manque demarketing est aussi une des origines de la

position plus que marginale des paysafricains sur le marché mondial d’articlesen rotin.

Face aux pays africains noyés dansces lacunes, on retrouve des pays del’Asie du Sud-Est qui, depuis plusieursdécennies, ont mis en place un puissantarsenal de production et decommercialisation dynamique et efficacefait d’outils, de techniques, de mesures etautres stratégies efficients:

• un dispositif apte à faire face aux fortesdemandes dans des délais courts touten offrant des articles standardisés etde qualité satisfaisante;

• développement de «joint ventures»,mise en place ou utilisation desstructures de promotion efficientes(ASMINDO, CITEM, l’IKEA) et créationdes circuits d’exportation contrôlés pardes professionnels;

• des mesures d’appui desgouvernements (prêts à des tauxfavorables, exemptions fiscales, aide àla formation, transfert de technologies)et des rapports étroits avec des ONGet ATO du Nord qui font la promotiondes articles asiatiques pour diversesraisons.

Au regard de la situation ainsiprésentée, les pays africains doiventnécessairement opérer une véritablerévolution dans le sous-secteur rotin pourespérer tirer parti de la forte demandemondiale de produits finis de ce PFNL.Les partenaires des pays africainsintéressés par la situation des populationsforestières devraient les aider àdévelopper cette activité compte tenu despotentialités de ce PFNL en matièred’emploi, de lutte contre la pauvreté et deconservation des forêts. (Contribution de:Louis Defo, CML, Université de Leiden(bourse WOTRO), Pays-Bas et Universitéde Yaoundé, BP 8297, Yaoundé,Cameroun; mél.: [email protected])

FAO and rattanRattan proceedingsThe proceedings of the ExpertConsultation on Rattan Development,which was held in Rome from 5 to 7December 2000, have now beenpublished in FAO’s Non-Wood Forest

Products series as Rattan. Currentresearch issues and prospects forconservation and sustainabledevelopment.

Printed copies of this publication areavailable through FAO’s Sales andMarketing Group ([email protected]); the electronic version isavailable at: www.fao.org/docrep/003/y2783e/y2783e00.htm

UnasylvaWorldwide, hundreds of millions ofpeople trade in or use rattan forpurposes ranging from furniture – thebest-known rattan product – to walkingsticks, umbrella handles, baskets,matting, hats, ropes, birdcages, fishtraps and numerous other local uses.However, rattan resources (whichcomprise some 600 species), throughouttheir natural range in the tropical forestsof Asia and Africa, are being depletedthrough overexploitation, poor forestmanagement and loss of forest habitats.

A recent issue of Unasylva spotlightsthis important but perhapsunderappreciated non-wood forestproduct. The articles in this issue haveall been adapted from papers presentedat the Expert Consultation on RattanDevelopment, which was held in Romefrom 5 to 7 December 2000 to assessthe current status of the resource and itsutilization, identify the major issuesfacing the rattan industry and formulaterecommendations for promotingeconomic and technical cooperation forthe development of rattan globally. Thecomplete papers have been published inthe proceedings.

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A problem underlined by the expertconsultation, and voiced by manyauthors in this issue, is the absence ofreliable statistics on rattan at all levels.National forest inventories, with fewexceptions, do not include rattan, andquantitative information on the resourcebase and volume and value of trade isscarce.

Collection of statistics and exchangeof information on rattan are among themain objectives of the InternationalNetwork on Bamboo and Rattan(INBAR), established in 1997 with aglobal mandate to promote thedevelopment of bamboo and rattan forsocio-economic and environmental well-being. In addition, international agenciessuch as the Center for InternationalForestry Research (CIFOR), theInternational Tropical TimberOrganization (ITTO), the InternationalPlant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI) and FAO deal with rattan, eitherthrough specific programmes orindirectly in their livelihood supportprogrammes.

Given its economic, ecological andsocio-cultural importance to a largenumber of people in the world, there isan urgent need to ensure a sustainablesupply of rattan. Attention to propertyrights, quality improvement, control ofillegal harvesting, market information,prevention of post-harvest losses andsupportive tax policies are recommendedto help improve benefits to harvestersand producers, providing an incentive tomaintain the resource sustainably.(Source: Unaysylva, No. 205.)

Development of rattan for edible shootsin the Lao People’s Democratic RepublicAlthough globally rattan is seenprincipally as a cane-producing plant, inthe Lao People’s Democratic Republic(and also in northeastern Thailand)rattans also supply edible shoot tips.These are consumed locally or exportedto Southeast Asian communities inFrance, the United States andelsewhere.

The trade in edible rattan shoots fromwild plants is large, unquantified andessentially unregulated. Daemonoropsjenkinsiana thrives in the north of thecountry in areas of shifting cultivationand appears to be the main source ofshoots for the markets there. Itsprofusely clustering clumps survive fire,deforestation and repeated shootremoval very well. The cane of thisspecies is not highly sought after, sotrade in its shoots has little effect onoverall commercial cane production.However, in some places valuable cane-producing species are targeted, and thistrade is of greater concern.

Rattan plantation development isbeginning to get under way in thecountry, and plantations for edible shootproduction are a dynamically growingsubsector. Small-scale nursery trials havebeen made for six or seven species withcommercial potential. Only one or twovery small trials of plantations for caneproduction have begun, but one species(Calamus tenuis) has already become amajor commercial success in plantationsfor edible shoot production. Many fieldsbegin producing saleable shoots only ayear or so after planting and can then beharvested monthly for many yearsthereafter, offering a return that iscompetitive with rice production. Rattanprefers sites where regular floodingwould damage most other crops.

In the Lao People’s DemocraticRepublic the techniques for rattancultivation for edible shoot productionwere first developed in 1994, inspired bylarge-scale commercial planting inThailand of three species (mainlyCalamus viminalis with some Calamussiamensis and C. tenuis) which began

three years earlier. It is estimated thatmore than 50 planters have plantedareas of more than 100 ha in at leastfive provinces.

The outlook for expanding edibleshoot production is much better than thatfor cane production. There is a largedomestic market, and the Lao People’sDemocratic Republic competes only withThailand in supplying the export market.Furthermore, planting is spreadingrapidly without the need of special policysupport because, unlike cane, shoots ofC. tenuis offer a rapid and proven returnon the open market.

The edible shoot sector seems to bethe most promising area for support ofrattan development. The Lao ForestryResearch Centre and Oxford Universityand Kew Gardens in the United Kingdomhave drawn up a programme for whichfunds are currently being sought.

The shoot subsector could also offersome spin-off benefits for the canesector. The plantations have littlepotential for conversion to caneproduction because the rattan is grownin open sun with no available climbingsupports. However, the abundance ofcheap seedlings and the widespreadexpertise in growing these species willmake cane plantations easier toestablish if economic conditions becomeattractive in the future. (Source:Unasylva, No. 205.)


Mr Tom Evans, Researcher, The Darwin

Initiative, Lao Rattan Research Project,

Oxford Forestry Institute, Oxford, UK.

33


BANGLADESH

Rare and endangered economic plants of BangladeshPlants of economic and medicinal valuewere once abundant in the forests ofBangladesh. But, unfortunately, theseimportant resources are getting rarer dayby day. Unless immediate attention isgiven, the country may lose theseimportant and useful resources forever.

Forest land is decreasing at analarming rate and in that context theForest Department of Bangladeshcannot provide land for any plantsexcept for commercially importanttimber-yielding species in normalplantation programmes. As a result,other economic plants are becomingrarer in the forest area.

Herbal medicines are still a mostpopular and accepted way of treatmentfor the vast majority of people (tribal) inrural and hilly areas across the country.It is part of their belief and culturalheritage. Therefore, to meet the needs ofthese people in remote areas whereherbal medicines are their only form ofremedy, we cannot but emphasizeconservation and extension of cultivationof economic plants of medicinal andother values. In that context, thequestion is how can the problem be met,as these are not priority species in thenormal plantation programme of theForest Department? The only way iscommunity-based forestry programmeswhere these important economic plantscan easily be included. If this is done, itwill not only serve the people but willalso save these important resourcesfrom extinction.

To achieve this, some important andwidely used economic plants should beincluded in community-oriented forestryprogrammes. A short list of threatenedmultipurpose economic plants of socio-economic importance is given in thetable.

It is high time that initiatives weretaken to protect our valuable economicplants from extinction in order to servethe ailments of the rural poor of

Bangladesh. (Contributed by: A.Z.M.Manzoor Rashid, Lecturer, Departmentof Forestry, Shahjalal Science &Technology University, Sylhet-3114,Bangladesh; e-mail: [email protected] [email protected])

BRAZIL

Preliminary study into NTFPs at a newecological reserve in southeastern BrazilThe Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu(REGUA) is located in the Serra do Marmountain range, approximately two hoursnortheast of Rio de Janeiro by car.Encompassing 7 385 ha and an altitudinalrange of 35 to 2 100 m, this Atlantic rainforest reserve was created to preservepermanently one of the biologically richestand most important examples of thisextraordinary forest type remaining.

A preliminary study was conductedfrom September 2000 to March 2001 to

assess the potential for REGUA toprovide local employment through thedevelopment of selected non-timber forestproducts (NTFP). As part of this study intopotential NTFPs, local interviews wereconducted with community elders duringthe second half of 2000 to ascertain thelevel of knowledge regarding traditionalplant use and to identify species worthy offurther study. Sadly, little ethnobotanicalknowledge exists to date. Although NTFPstudies have been conducted on theAtlantic rain forest, they are few and,given the wide intersite variation in floradue to differences in aspect, altitude andmicroclimate, of little use until aninventory of the reserve’s flora has beenconducted. It is hoped that the researchteam from the Jardim Botânico in Rio deJaneiro will undertake such an inventoryin the near future.

Identification of potential NTFPs,therefore, is difficult at present, althoughexploration of the reserve has suggestedseveral possible avenues ofinvestigation. The forest contains a richdiversity of begonias, ferns andheliconias, all with a potential market asornamental or houseplants. Owing totheir ease of cultivation, begonias wouldseem to offer the most promise. Giventhe reserve’s proximity to a major urbanmarket (Rio de Janeiro), the sale ofornamental and houseplants cultivatedfrom forest species may prove to be avaluable source of income for thereserve and the local population.

REGUA was established underBrazilian legislation in 1998 and ismanaged in association with the localcommunities centred around the villageof Guapiaçu. The reserve is supportedby and is a project of the BrazilianAtlantic Rainforest Trust, a UnitedKingdom-registered charity committed tothe preservation of this unique andhighly threatened environment. REGUApublishes a quarterly newsletter whichincludes regular articles about thereserve’s conservation, research,environmental education and communityoutreach programmes. (Contributed by:Simon Comerford, Temporary SiteManager, June 2000-March 2001.)


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C O U N T R Y C O M P A S S

Plants with economic value Local name Scientific name Haritaki Terminalia chebulaBohera Terminalia belericaAmlaki Emblica officinalisArjun Terminalia arjunaKhair Acacia catechuNeem Azadirachta indicaChalmogra Hydnocarpus kurjiiBel Aegle marmelosAshok Saraca indicaTetul Tamarindus indica

For further information about REGUA,

or to subscribe to the newsletter,

please contact: Stephen Knapp, Project

Director, REGUA Administrative Office, 1

Compton Cottages, Upper Norton,

West Sussex PO20 9DZ, UK.

Tel./fax: +44 (0)1243 601029;

e-mail:

[email protected]. co.uk;

www.regua.org

Ashaninka Indians will manage ecologicalhotel in Acre The Ashaninka Indians will be the firstindigenous community in Brazil to run asmall ecological hotel. The hotel, whichwill be located in the MarechalThaumaturgo region in the extreme westof Acre, close to the border with Peru, willbegin to be constructed in the next fewdays on the banks of the Amonia river.

In Pará, in the Altamira region,Tataquara Hotel is already in operation. Itis administered by the cooperativeAmazoncoop, which involves theparticipation of the Arawete Indians. Thecooperative was created four years agoto help develop economic activities whichwould guarantee the Indians’ survival.The cooperative also manufacturescopaiba oil, which it exports to the UnitedKingdom-based Body Shop chain.

The Ashaninka hotel is being financedby the state government of Acre withresources from the National Social andEconomic Development Bank (BNDES).It will accommodate up to 40 people ineight chalets. The head of the BrazilianIndian Foundation (FUNAI) in the statesaid that the proposal is to create acentre for the study of traditionalknowledge.

not take over the entire mountain. By thisdemarcation, no farms can cultivateabove 1 000 m on the mountain slopes.The farm/forest boundary is 4 m wide anda total of 40 km have so far beendemarcated. Traditional boundary markers(dracaena) have already been planted on30 km of the demarcated boundary. Patrolteams are being set up in areas wheredemarcation has been accomplished tomake sure people do not encroach on theconserved areas within the boundary.Here again, the chiefs will be on thefrontline, moving around their villages,sensitizing their people. Each chief leadshis village demarcation team and is thereto resolve any conflicts that arise.

When demarcation is completed, theconserved forest will be gazetted, mapswill be produced and communitymanagement plans drawn up. However,WWF’s funding for the Mount KupeForest Project has now run out, and morefunds are being sought to help the chiefsensure the ongoing protection of thisimportant area. (Source: www.panda.org/news/features/story.cfm?id=2681, inRECOFTC e-letter 2002.3.)

Quelques plantes à fruits comestibles dela Réserve Forestière des Monts Rumpi(RFMR) sud-ouest du CamerounUne étude des plantes à fruitscomestibles a été menée entre juin etseptembre 1997 dans la Réserveforestière des Monts Rumpi (RFMR)située dans le sud-ouest du Camerounqui regorge d’une grande variété deressources naturelles et plusparticulièrement d’espèces animales etvégétales. Dans sept villages (Meta,Iyombo, Madie, Dikome-Balue, Kita,


35


A further two hotels are planned in Acre.BNDES is investing a total of

$R 1.1 million in the project. (Source:Amazon News, 7 February 2002[[email protected]].)

CAMEROON

Community leaders’ forum Is playingleading conservation roleNyasoso-Cameroon-Mount Kupe, insouthwestern Cameroon, is one of thelast remaining areas of montane forest inCameroon. Extending over an area ofabout 30 km2, and rising to an altitude of2 050 m, the mountain is covered inpristine forest. It is home to many rareand unique species. It is also a place ofgreat importance to the Bakossi people,for whom it provides food, water,medicine and building materials – as wellas being the sacred home of theirancestors.

However the proximity of the mountainto a major highway has encouraged anongoing influx of non-native people fromother parts of the country into the area.The population around the Mount Kupeconservation site is now estimated at140 000, spread over an area of 350 km2. Subsistence farming is quiteintensive in the forests along themountain slopes, with some farms beingfound at an altitude of 1 000 m.

The use of the forest by thisincreasing population together withattempts to derive subsistence from thenatural resource base of the areaconstitute important threats to theconservation of wildlife and plants in theforest and the mountain.

To address some of the issues facingthe mountain and the people who livearound it, the Kupe All Chiefs Meeting,representing 19 village communities fromthe area, meets regularly to discussproblems facing the natural environmentand to mobilize the local people to seeksolutions to them.

The WWF Coastal Forest Programmehas been working with the local people todemarcate a farm/forest boundary aroundthe mountain and ensure that farms do

Monsongisele Ngolo et Meka), 10 à 20pour cent des ménages ont été interrogéset un total de neuf plantes à fruitscomestibles ont été identifiées. L’enquêtea révélé la présence de plusieurs taxonsà fruits comestibles dans ce site (plus de1 000 espèces). Cependant,l’identification précise et la promotion deces plantes à fruits comestibles, quiconstituent pour les villages proches de laréserve la troisième source de revenuaprès l’agriculture et la chasse, posentencore quelques problèmes. Il s’agitnotamment de la crise économique quetraverse le Cameroun, de manque deroute pour l’écoulement des produitsvivriers et de l’interdiction de chasse dansles aires protégées.

Les espèces suivantes ont étéretenues sur plus de 20 fruits qui sontrécoltés et consommés par les habitantsde la périphérie de la RFMR:

• Irvingia gabonensis (manguesauvage). Il existe deux variétés decette espèce; I. gabonensis var.gabonensis et I. gabonensis var.excelsa. La poudre des cotylédons deces deux variétés est utilisée dans lapréparation d’une soupe gluante trèsappréciée dans la plupart des régionsd’Afrique. Ces graines rentrent aussidans la fabrication de divers produitstels que les savons et les produitscosmétiques et pharmaceutiques.

• Cola lepidota (cola du singe). Sonpéricarpe blanc mou et sucré est trèsconsommé dans la région. L’huileextraite des fruits secs est utiliséedans la cuisson des aliments, dans letraitement des plaies, des brûlures,des douleurs rhumatismales et desvers ronds. Elle est aussi utiliséecomme vermifuge.

• Tetracarpidium conophorum (acajou).L’endosperme est huileux et estcommunément bouilli et consommé.L’huile extraite des graines est aussiutilisée dans la cuisson des aliments.

• Garcinia kola (cola amer). Lesgraines sont mâchées en dépit deleur goût très amer. Elles sontutilisées en médecine traditionnelledans le traitement de plusieursmaladies (l’écorce de la tige est

utilisée comme purgatif et dans letraitement des tumeurs) et sont aussiutilisées pour soigner le rhum decerveau ou de poitrine et la toux.Elles sont aussi mâchées commeaphrodisiaque.

• Ricinodendron heudelotii (njangsa).Les fruits écrasés sont utilisés commeépice pour assaisonner les soupes.Le latex et les feuilles sont localementutilisés comme purgatif.

• Piper guineense (piment sauvage).Les fruits et les feuilles secs sontutilisés comme épices pourassaisonner les soupes. En médecinetraditionnelle, les feuilles et les fruitssont utilisés dans le traitement de latoux, les graines sont utilisées dans letraitement des douleurs d’estomac etcomme antibactérien. Les feuilles, lesracines et les graines sontincorporées dans les préparationspour le traitement de diversesmaladies infectieuses. L’huile extraitedes fruits contribue à la productiondes savons et des parfums.

• Afrostyrax lepidophyllus (oignon depays). Le fruit est une noix sècheindéhiscente, à graine unique, avecun exocarpe brun et dur. Il dégageune odeur caractéristique de l’oignon.Les fruits écrasés sont utilisés pourassaisonner les aliments.

• Dacryodes eludis (safou, prune,beurre sauvage). Les fruits sontbouillis et le mésocarpe consommé.

• Cola acuminata (noix de cola). Lesgraines sont mâchées pour stimuler lesystème nerveux. Elles sont aussiutilisées pour couper l’appétit.

Cependant les fruits d’Irvingiagabonensis et d’Afrostyrax lepidophyllussont les plus récoltés par rapport auxPiper guineense, Dacryodes eludis etCola acuminata. Ces différences auniveau des récoltes et des ventess’expliquent par l’usage de chacun desfruits.

Le paradoxe c’est que tout le potentielde la production des fruits comestiblesde la RFMR n’est pas suffisammentexploité. À la sous-estimation de ladiversité des fruits s’ajoutent le manqued’informations et le risque lié à la

destruction progressive de la forêt. Orl’afflux des commerçants de fruits venantdu Nigeria devrait faire en sorte que larécolte de ces fruits profite à l’économiede ces villages.

Cet article, une sorte d’éveil deconscience, a permis d’inventorierquelques plantes à fruits comestiblesrencontrées dans la Réserve forestièredes Monts Rumpi, mais surtout demettre en avant l’importance de cesressources pour les régionsavoisinantes. (Source: Département debiologie végétale, Faculté des sciences,Université de Dschang, BP 67, Dschang,Cameroun.)

CANADA

Northern Forest Diversification CentreThe Northern Forest DiversificationCentre (NFDC) is a subsidiary ofKeewatin Community College and islocated in The Pas, about 600 km northof Winnipeg. It currently operates as ademonstration project funded byWestern Economic Diversification andthe Province of Manitoba.

Keewatin Community College’sgeographic territory covers all ofManitoba north of the 53rd parallel. Thisregion comprises five urban centres andapproximately 65 remote or semi-remotecommunities. The total population of theregion is 79 000, of which approximately50 percent are of aboriginal descent,residing predominantly in the remotecommunities. Keewatin CommunityCollege operates two campuses, fiveregional centres and training sites inseveral other communities, dependingupon demand.


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Cola acuminata

The programme targets unemployedor underemployed residents of remotecommunities in northern Manitoba. Whilethere are no population restrictionsplaced on participating in theprogramme, the programme’s focus onremote communities means that almostall participants are aboriginal. In addition,more than 75 percent of programmeparticipants to date have been women.

The NFDC’s conceptual base is to linkthe demand for wild, natural productsand ecologically harmonious recreationalexperiences with the need to createsustainable and culturally appropriateemployment opportunities in remotecommunities. Economic forecastersindicate that the potential of these twoemergent industries – the non-timberforest products industry and ecotourism– is to achieve a fourfold increase.

Non-timber forest products (NTFP)typically refer to a wide variety ofproducts derived from forests, includingaromatics, cones and seeds, forestbotanicals, nutriceuticals, wild flowerhoney, conifer boughs, wide rice, berries,maple and birch sap products,mushrooms and medicinal herbs. Whilethe term NTFP is relatively unknown, aconsumer simply has to walk into anycraft store, pharmacy, supermarket,garden centre, florist shop, gift stand,market garden or health food store tosee the many uses of NTFPs.

Ecotourism is an economic activity atthe heart of the “green economy”, wheretourist dollars turn local people intoentrepreneurs and partners inconservation. Ecotourism depends uponlocal resources, wisdom and expertise,and translates these into economicadvantage at the local level. Indeed, thedefinition of ecotourism is “…responsible travel to natural areas whichconserves the environment andimproves the welfare of local people”.

Both of these industries are based onthe sustainable use of local products andenvironments in a way that is compatiblewith the skills, knowledge, culture andaspirations of residents of remotecommunities. Furthermore, the long-termviability of these two industries is

founded upon conserving – evenenhancing – the biodiversity of thenatural environment to the greatestextent possible. With 51 percent of itslandmass covered by boreal forest,Manitoba is a veritable storehouse ofNTFPs. Its rich history and culture, hugeexpanses of unspoiled wilderness andlakes and diverse ecosystems rangingfrom prairie to tundra provide Manitobawith the potential to become anecotourist’s paradise.

Linking the supply of these naturalresources to the growing demand thatexists for them, and to do so in waysthat create sustainability and maximumbenefit for those who live closest to theresource, is the vision of the NFDC.

In keeping with the community collegemission, the NFDC aims to providelearning that will restore the self-respectand self-sufficiency of adults who havebeen culturally and economicallymarginalized through inappropriatesocial and economic change.

The NFDC is an innovative communityeconomic development model. It directlylinks adult learning with incomegeneration, while also sustaining localcultural values, enhancing individual self-respect, re-establishing traditionalharvesting practices and returningincome to the community.


Mr Doug Lauvstad, Director, Planning

and External Relations, PO Box 3000,

The Pas, Manitoba R9A 1M7, Canada.

Fax: +1 204 6237316;


Medicinal Plant Project, CanadaFor the past year, a variety of commerciallyvaluable medicinal and nutraceuticalbotanicals have been cultivated on asection of BC (British Colombia) Hydro’sright of way on the Sunshine Coast, aspart of the Medicinal Plant project.

The purpose of the Medicinal Plantproject is to:

• showcase the commercial potential ofcultivating medicinal and nutraceuticalbotanicals;

• show the compatible uses of BCHydro’s rights of way;

• encourage private sector growers,small landholders and First Nations todevelop their own medicinal plantoperations;

• discourage unregulated commercialharvesting of wild plant species fromBritish Colombian forests, which cancause significant environmentaldamage; and

• demonstrate alternative forestpractice methods that can be adoptedthroughout the province.

Maintaining its rights of way andpromoting low-growing plant specieshelps BC Hydro increase safety andreliability by reducing the number ofpower outages caused by trees andbranches coming in contact with powerlines. Medicinal plants demonstrate thecompany’s commitment to environmentalsustainability and compatible uses of itsrights of way. BC Hydro is contributing$150 000 to help fund the MP project,which involves growing selected,commercially viable, botanical speciesincluding Echinacea, St John’s wort,mullein and devil’s club. These speciesare well suited to the unique combinationof conditions found on the rights of way,require minimal tending once establishedand are in demand as cash crops.Shade-tolerant medicinal plants are alsobeing grown on the periphery of the right-of-way corridor. Both native and non-native plants and fungi with a variety ofbeneficial properties have been planted.

The final report of this medicinal plantproject is available from: [email protected] (Contributed by: RusselWills; e-mail [email protected])


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North Island non-timber forest productsprojects The Inner Coast Natural ResourceCentre (ICNRC) has been at theforefront of NTFP development on NorthIsland (Vancouver) since its formation in1997. With the help of external partnerssuch as the University of Victoria and theRoyal Roads University, ICNRC hassponsored two NTFP workshops, aregional strategy session and a majorNTFP demonstration project.

From these projects, the followingissues were identified:

• significant potential for NTFP-basedeconomic development;

• concern about the possibility ofoverexploitation of yet another set ofnatural resources;

• lack of information about, andmanagement of, the sector;

• potential implications of NTFPindustry expansion for First Nations.

One of the strongest issues thatemerged from the first NTFP workshop in1998 was the conviction that in BritishColumbia there is still an opportunity to“get this industry right”.

Subsequent projects have helped laythe groundwork for the development ofnew business and employmentopportunities. The most recent NTFPdemonstration project sponsored byICNRC in 2000-2001 played a role in:

• the creation of two to three newbusinesses;

• the creation of approximately 20 jobsin the region (both seasonal and full-time);

• the expansion/enhancement of threeexisting enterprises;

• the development of an NTFPinventory methodology.

Many of those who benefited from theproject were First Nations residents andothers impacted by downturns in thetraditional forestry and fishing sectors.Perhaps most important, thedemonstration project served as afoundation for further NTFP work onNorth Island, such as the currentIntegrated Demonstration Project forNon-Timber Forest Products led by RoyalRoads University.

The ICNRC hopes to provide arepository for information gatheredthrough this project (e.g. reports, maps)and to help communicate project resultsthrough their Web site.


Darcy A. Mitchell, Adjunct Professor,

Royal Roads University, Project Leader,

Box 32, Sointula, BC, Canada.

Fax: +1 250 9736168;

www.icnrc.org

CHILE

Innovación tecnológica y comercial deProductos Forestales No Madereros(PFNM) en ChileEn Chile tenemos una amplia variedadde PFNM que constituyeron losalimentos, medicinas y utensilios quetuvieron los primeros habitantes delpaís. Hoy aún son de una importanciacapital, ya que más de la mitad de lapoblación tiene como ayuda medicinalde primera necesidad el uso de plantasmedicinales, yerbas, cortezas, frutos,hojas, y otros productos se utilizan como

materiales de construcción, tejido yalimento. Grupos étnicos, como lospehuenches, utilizan el pehuén o piñónde la araucaria como su principalalimento. Tradicionalmente también hahabido un desconocimiento oficial delaporte de los PFNM a la economíanacional, local y especialmente rural, y ala alimentación de vastos sectores de lapoblación, generalmente los máspobres, y de su contribución comofuente de trabajo a más de 200 000personas en zonas deprimidas y enépocas de mayor escasez de trabajo.

El presente proyecto apunta acontribuir a la formalización y expansiónde la actividad económica que genera lautilización racional de los PFNM. Elobjetivo general es "perfeccionar lagestión tecnológica y comercial de losPFNM asociados a la actividad silvícolanacional, e incrementar su productividady rentabilidad en función de la demandade los mercados nacionales einternacionales".

El proyecto contempla en su esquemametodológico, la obtención, análisis yvalidación del conocimiento de lossistemas productivos derivados delbosque, a partir del actual estado dedesarrollo de las diferentes cadenasproductivas. Se espera obtenerinformación del conjunto de los PFNM,para luego focalizar las investigaciones ydesarrollo hacia uno o dos productosseleccionados entre los de mayorrelevancia e importancia económica.

Las investigaciones pertinentescomprenden el análisis de todos loseslabones de la cadena productiva de losproductos seleccionados, de aspectos debiología y ecología de la especie,silvicultura y manejo, y de los métodos derecolección y cosecha, los tratamientospre y post cosecha, manipulación,normalización, comercialización yescalamiento más adecuado, paratransferir luego este conocimiento a losactores involucrados en el tema.

Participarán en este proyecto dosinstitutos de investigación y desarrollo(INFOR e INTEC-Chile) que disponen deamplios conocimientos y experiencia enel sector forestal, en general, y en los


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“BENEATH THE TREES”

To receive a copy of beneath theTrees, the North Island Non-TimberForest Products Newsletter, pleasecontact:Diane Carley, CommunicationsCoordinator, NTFP DemonstrationProject, Box 32, Sointula, BC, Canada. Fax: +1 250 9736168; e-mail: [email protected]

PFNM, en particular. Se ha incorporado,además, a un grupo de empresas,grupos campesinos y étnicos, einstituciones nacionales como CONAF,INDAP, CONADI, que han participadoactivamente tanto en la formulación y,como se espera, en la ejecución delproyecto. Diversas institucionesextranjeras brindarán su apoyo a travésde asistencia técnica y asesorías enmaterias pertinentes; tal es el caso de laFAO, de la Academia China de CienciasForestales(CAF), de la Red Internacionaldel Bambú y Ratán (INBAR) y deentidades de Europa y Asia interesadasen el desarrollo y conservaciónarmonioso de los bosques nativos.

La metodología de transferenciaconsidera la capacitación y articulaciónentre operadores forestales, empresasvinculadas, organizaciones einstituciones. Se utilizarán técnicastradicionales de difusión comoseminarios, días de campo, charlas,exposiciones, y métodos más modernosya antes señalados. Además, seutilizarán los medios de difusión eintercambio utilizando tecnologíaactualizada, estableciendo una páginaWeb del proyecto y difundiendo a travésde la actual Red de PFNM que opera enel servidor de INTEC-Chile, así comoutilizando la Plataforma de Educación aDistancia de ésta institución. Seproducirán además CD-ROM conmaterial recopilado por el proyecto quese pondrá a disposición de los usuarios.(Contribución de: G. Valdebenito R.)


Gerardo Valdebenito R., Director de

Proyecto, Instituto Forestal de Chile,

Huérfanos 554, Santiago, Chile.

Fax: +56 2 6381286;

correo electrónico: [email protected];

www.infor.cl

HONDURAS

The creation of markets and trade playsa central role in strategies that aim atmerging conservation goals withimproved local welfare. But increasedwealth and exposure to markets mayhave unforeseen side effects. JosefienDemmer and Han Overman studiedthese effects among Tawahka Indians inHonduras and Tropenbos Internationalhas published the results.

The Tawahka Asangi BiosphereReserve in Honduras was created in1999 to reconcile the conservation ofbiodiversity with sustainable use and theprotection of indigenous land rights.Despite this protected status, theTawahka territory is not free from theeffects of the market. The results of thisstudy suggest that people intensify theiruse of forest resources as their links withoutside economies and wealth arestrengthened.

Increasing levels of wealth andintegration into the market appear toresult in higher per capita pressure onforest resources. Some species facemore pressure than others, however.Plants that provide thatch and timber forcanoes and board, in particular, facemore intensive exploitation with increasedintegration and wealth, while red brocketdeer, peccaries, spider monkeys andsome birds are among the animalspecies that are more intensively hunted.

The effects of integration into marketscannot be assessed, however, on thebasis of extraction data alone. Theauthors argue that the effects of income-generating forest use and increases inthe area of cultivated land should alsobe taken into account. For example,cash generated by ecotourism may havenegative side effects on the forest,because of agricultural expansion.

There are also the dynamics offoraging economies. Most of thewealthier and more integrated Tawahkahouseholds have abandoned forest-based activities for more profitableoccupations (e.g. agriculture, shops,wage labour). It is also highly probablethat more prosperous communitiesincrease in population size. The authorstherefore conclude that increasing wealthand integration into markets are likely tolead to the concentration of people inone place, as well as to higher rates ofper capita consumption. They expectthat “sooner or later, the need formanagement and collectively acceptedagreements on forest resource use willbe required.”

In order to reduce pressure on certainspecies, the two researchers suggest:

• exploring the possibilities for settingup pig farms;

• discouraging sales of canoes andboards to outsiders;

• establishing mixed tree plantationsand introducing wood preservatives,lesser known species and Amazoniancanoe-building techniques.

Demmer and Overman demonstratethat the annual value of the forestaccruing to the Tawahka ranges fromUS$17.8 to $23.7 per hectare. Thiscombined value of consumption and thesale of forest goods is only a smallfraction of the value that the globalcommunity attaches to services of theforest such as climate regulation, CO2

absorption and erosion reduction. Thisleads to the conclusion that the globalcommunity should considercompensating villagers for foregonebenefits if they would be willing to refrainfrom activities that lead to deforestationand forest depletion. This would increasethe financial incentives for conservationas well as raise local welfare. Thespecifics of such mechanisms should benegotiated between policy-makers,NGOs and indigenous groups. Demmerand Overman believe that this could bea promising long-term managementstrategy for indigenous reserves,because it covers the direct interests ofthe stakeholders. (J. Demmer and H.


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Overman. 2001. Indigenous peopleconserving the rain forest? The effect ofwealth and markets on the economicbehaviour of Tawahka Amerindians inHonduras. Tropenbos Series 19.Tropenbos International, Wageningen,the Netherlands. ISBN 90-5113-053-8.)

This publication can be ordered from:

Tropenbos International, PO Box 232,

6700 AE Wageningen, the Netherlands.

Fax: +31 317 495520;


www.tropenbos.nl

INDIA

The Atavi (Atavika) forest tribes derivetheir livelihood in most part from theforest, as is evident from their life style –eating, clothes and household design,etc. The forests and tribals live inharmony in what might be called theanthroposylvan ecosystem; the forest isa living complex and so is humankind.More than 90 percent of their needs aremet through the collection, consumptionand sale of NTFPs, which not onlyprovide sporadic support by providingshort-term monetary gain, but also byproviding employment to all, irrespectiveof caste, creed, age, sex and economicviability over the year.

The contribution of NTFPs to the foodsecurity base of the hill dwellers is quitesignificant year-round in terms of supplyof leaves, fruits, roots, tubers and barks.By and large, these products aresustained to a close market economy ofthe tribals, where collection, valueaddition and disposal are carried out atthe local level. These products aremostly sold in raw form with a little value

addition through sun drying or no valueaddition at the primary collectors’ level.Marketing linkage for these products isavailable at the village level in the formof badla deeds, i.e. exchange of NTFPsagainst essential goods such as salt,kerosene and chilli.

NTFPs constitute the major produceon which tribals are dependent. Thelivelihoods of people in the surroundingforest areas in general are intricatelylinked with the availability of NTFPs.

A recent paper by Susanta KumarBarik attempts to serve two purposes. Itsets out the contribution of a broadrange of NTFPs, especially mahua,tamarind and hill brooms, and also towhat degree they contribute to thesustenance on the tribal livelihoods.


Susanta Kumar Barik, Research Officer,

ODI, M.P. Livelihoods Option Project, E-

8/19, Basant kunj, Arera Colony, Bhopal

(M.P.), India.


Institutional and socio-economic factorsand enabling policies for NTFP-baseddevelopment in northeastern IndiaThe purpose of a recent paper byMadhav Kharki on NTFP enablingpolicies in northeastern India was toraise some basic issues and postulate afew ideas in the context of exploring anddefining new approaches todevelopment planning and projectimplementation in northeastern India. Itis based on the premise thatdevelopment of a pristine, biodiversityrich and culturally sensitive region suchas the northeast is a serious anddelicate affair. This region, which has sofar failed to institute a system ofsustainable management of its vastnatural resources for the welfare of itspeople, lags far behind on thedevelopment ladder in comparison withother Indian states and needs fast-paced development efforts. However,appropriate development of thenortheastern region, aimed atsustainable improvements in the qualityof life of the local people, may need a

different approach, one which isintegrated and holistic on multiple frontssuch as: internalization of environmentalconsiderations in development planning,improving knowledge of and informationon the realizable potential of the region’snatural resources, clear understandingof the suitable approach and concreteoperationalization of community-basedplanning and a decision-makingframework. The sustainable productionand conservation of forest products,especially NTFPs, are influenced by anumber of factors, largely socio-economic and institutional in nature.Unsustainable harvesting of the plantmaterials from the wild by collectors,mostly for sale in outside markets, andpeople’s lack of awareness about thereal value of the resources, are twoimportant causes of overharvesting.

The paper is organized in five parts.Part one describes the dilemma facedby northeastern states betweendevelopment goals and environmentimperatives. Part two talks about theforestry sector being the lead sector andthe comparative advantage enjoyed byNTFPs for basing the region’sdevelopment. Part three argues for anincentive-based management approachfor pushing individuals, groups, clansand local self-government units intomanaging NTFPs to generate maximumbenefits. Part four lays emphasis ondeveloping an enabling institutional andpolicy framework, specifically a statetenure system so that the realstakeholders, such as tillers or theconservers of the resource, have secureaccess to the resources and obtain themaximum benefit from the investment inland.

For copies of a full transcript or for

more information, please contact:

Madhav Kharki, Regional Program

Coordinator, Medicinal & Aromatic

Plants Program in Asia (MAPPA), (IDRC,

Canada; SARO), 208, Jor Bagh, New

Delhi 110003, India.

Fax: +91 11 4622707;


www.idrc.ca/saro


40


Biodiversity-based products for povertyalleviation in Madhya PradeshForests are nature’s greatest gift tohumankind. Since time immemorial,humans have depended upon forests fortheir various needs, be it food, fodder,fibres, fertilizers, medicine andconstruction material, etc. A recent studycarried out by Peoples for Animals (PFA)discusses the “back to nature” trend andthe consequent rejuvenated worldwideinterest in “minor forest products”. PFAargues that this is a misnomer since itindicates a secondary status to thesegroups of products in comparison withtimber, while in reality it is just theopposite as biodiversity-based productsare the basis for a multibillion-dollarindustry worldwide.

Internationally these are better referredto as “non-wood forest products (NWFP)”or “non-timber forest products (NTFP)”and are defined as “including all goods ofbiological origin, as well as services,derived from forest or any land undersimilar use and exclude wood in all itsforms”. This definition does notdistinguish between the biodiversity-based product available wild in natureand the one that is cultivated. Thedefinition of biodiversity-based products,however, has been amended:Government of Madhya Pradesh CircularNo. F-26/8/97/10-3 dated 15/5/1998defines the term “minor forest produce”as “non wood forest produce, which canbe exploited without harming the forestand will not include minerals as well asforest animals or animal parts”.

Generally, the term biodiversity-basedproduct is considered to be synonymouswith medicinal and aromatic plants, but in

reality the term biodiversity-basedproduct includes a wide array of productsfrom the plant and animal kingdoms andhaving varied uses. According to oneclassification, biodiversity-based producecovers nine broad and 17 subcategoriesof products. The nine broad categoriescomprise: edible plant and plant parts,fatty oils (edible and non edible), gums,resins, oleoresins, seed gums, etc.,medicinal plants, tans and dyes, fibre andflosses including grasses, bamboos andcanes, petroleum substitutes, andmiscellaneous biodiversity-basedproducts (products of animal and plantorigin, floral and decorative crafts, etc.).

The above classification, however,excludes ecotourism, which has recentlycaught the imagination of planners andtourists alike and is likely to emerge asan important forest-dependentcommercial activity in the service sector.(Source: Extracted from the executivesummary of the research study, Bio-diversity based products for povertyalleviation in Madhya Pradesh.)


Dr R. Sugandhi, Senior Research

Officer and President, Peoples for

Animals, 179, Kalpana Nagar, Raisen

Road, Bhopal (M.P.) 462 021, India.


JORDAN

Jordan women’s cooperative protectsAjloun forest and changes livesThe women’s cooperative of Jabal AlAkhdar and Khshaibeh, two villages innorthern Jordan, is taking a pioneeringpath leading to bigger roles in decision-making, new income-earningopportunities and more protection for thearea’s endangered Ajloun forest.

A US$31 000 grant from the UNDPGlobal Environmental Facility SmallGrants Programme (SGP) has helped the140 members of the cooperative improvetheir livelihoods and communities whileprotecting the environment.

Since some villages still do not allowwomen to work or participate in income-generating activities “our cooperativerepresents a step forward, not onlysupporting women as economicparticipants, but also empowering themto be active decision-makers in thecommunity and at home,” said JehadAmarat, head of the cooperative in JabalAl Akhdar.

The cooperative producesenvironmental education materials andhas created a pool of trainers on forestmanagement and environmental issues.This helps create awareness amongschoolchildren, parents and teachers ofthe importance of preserving theenvironment. Members also constructcisterns, used with drip irrigationsystems, and carry out land reclamationactivities.

‘‘I got a loan of US$280 from thecooperative to finance planting trees andthyme seedlings and to buy pipes forirrigation and water tanks,” said oneparticipant. After paying back the loan,she got a second one to raise turkeys,chickens and rabbits, and also receivedtraining, focusing on irrigation and thymecultivation. “Many women came to merequesting information,” she said. “I toldthem what I’d learned, and nearly tenhave started their own projects.” Lastyear she harvested 110 kg of thyme andsold some to neighbours. They dried andpacked it and sold it in the market.

The Ministry of Agriculture, recognizingthe cooperative’s achievements, hasallocated it land for a permanent officeand authorized the group to use a tenthof a hectare in the national forest reservefor tree conservation and environmentallysound income-generating activities,including beekeeping and harvesting wildsumac, used as a spice.

The national SGP coordinator in Jordanreported that in three years, throughactivities financed by SGP, almost half of


41


the people in the villages have increasedtheir income and around 80 percent havereliable access to water at home. Theinitiative also cooperates with a localwatershed management project, whichprovided five specialists who workedclosely with the local people. (Source:Newsfront, UNDP, 31 January 2002.)

KENYA

There’s more to natural forests than just timberThe economic value of indigenous forestresources has often been defined interms of timber and wood-basedproducts. While timber is thepredominant commercial product fromforests, increased attention is nowturning to the role of non-timber forestproducts. These products include food,medicinal plants, fodder, fuelwood andcharcoal. Others are soil, sand,mushrooms, game meat and honey.

Although these products are notreflected in the national statistics on forestproducts, they are particularly important toforest-dwellers and communities livingadjacent to forests. In Kenya, about 2.9million people live within 5 km of anindigenous forest. Of these, 70 000households are adjacent to dry-zoneforests. The number is much higher whentree utilization in the arid and semi-aridzones is considered. Indigenous forestsalso produce other benefits which aredifficult to measure, including biological

diversity, water, climate amelioration andtourist attractions. Apart from subsistence,there is growing evidence ofcommercialization of products such ashoney and herbal medicines.

Forest products form a significant partof the household economy in manyareas. It is estimated that the averageforest-adjacent household earns KSh 9 020, KSh 7 650 and KSh 2 270yearly from forest use in Kakamega,Arabuko-Sokoke and Mau, respectively.The corresponding value for the forest-dwelling Ogieks is KSh 17 300. [US$1 =KSh 79.6, November 2001.]

Forest-harvested foods may constitutea regular and integrated part of ahousehold’s diet. The fruit of the“sausage” tree, Kigelia abyssinica, iscommonly used by communities aroundMt Kenya to make the famous muratinabrew and coconut palms are the sourceof mnazi at the coast.

On the other hand, wild animals arethe source of meat, hides and skins. TheMijikenda of Arabuko-Sokoke regularlyhunt up to 50 species of forest birds andanimals.

Surveys done in the 1990s by theKenya Indigenous Forest Conservationproject established that the monetaryvalues for the major forest products –fibres, grazing, honey, hunting and others– amounted to KSh 149.7 million, KSh 322.3 million, KSh 139.2 million,KSh 172.2 million and KSh 68.9 million,respectively. On a national scale, theseconclusions implied a total annual valueof KSh 850 million.

The oils and resins industry isconsidered to have good commercialpotential. Acacia senegal, which is foundin arid areas, produces gum arabic, avaluable additive in beer, confectioneryand pharmaceuticals. A resin ofcommercial value is oleoresin, which isobtained from Pinus species.

Rosin Kenya Limited producesoleoresin and is the sole supplier to thepulp and the paper industry in Kenya.Despite a ban on its harvesting, aloeextract is illegally obtained and used inthe pharmaceutical and cosmeticindustries.

All indigenous forests in Kenya arethreatened because unsustainablecommercial harvesting has resulted inwidespread destruction. This is the casewith Prunus africana, which is in highdemand for export, mainly to the UnitedStates. Extracts from the bark are usedclinically for the treatment of prostateailments. The result is that the species isnow severely depleted and in urgentneed of conservation measures.

In spite of a government ban, Aloespecies have also been overexploited fortheir leaf extract, which is used widely inthe treatment of human and livestockailments, and some are on the verge ofextinction.

Hunting is now on the wane in someregions largely because of declininganimal populations.

Owing to limited indigenous forestareas in Kenya, the focus is now shiftingto the pros and cons of exploiting theseresources in relation to crucial questionsrelated to the ecology of non-timber forestproducts. These questions would definethe ecological bottom-line of non-timberforest resource exploitation, and it wouldbe unwise to continue ignoring them.

Valuable as they are, it would only beprudent to extract non-timber resourcesin a sustainable manner. (Source: DailyNation, 29 November 2001.)

Indigenous Food Plants ProgrammeWith its extensive galleries, exhibitslibrary, education and research resources,including ethnographic, botanical,zoological and archaeological collections,the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) iswell-positioned to act on its mission to“collect, document and preserve, to studyand present our past and present culturaland natural heritage and to enhanceknowledge, appreciation, respect,management and use of these resourcesfor the benefit of Kenya and the world”. Inall its activities it supports the biologicaland cultural diversity of eastern Africa,through research, conservation,information documentation anddissemination, and education activities.

Based within the NMK, the EastAfrican Herbarium holds the largest


42


Fund

ació

n Es

pavé

botanical collection in tropical Africacomprising more than 700 000 plantspecimens, used for regional studies ofplant taxonomy and related studies suchas plant distribution (e.g. Forest CoastalSurvey) and plant use (e.g. IndigenousFood Plants Programme).

Patrick Maundu, Grace Ngugi andChristine Kabuye worked for many yearson the Indigenous Food PlantsProgramme, which documented many ofthe edible plant species of Kenya,especially ones that are gathered in the“wild”. One result is the fact-filled volumeTraditional food plants of Kenya,published by the National Museums ofKenya in 1999.(Source: People and Plants Handbook,issue 7 [September 2001].)


Patrick M. Maundu, Centre for

Biodiversity, National Museums of

Kenya, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya .

Fax: +254 2 741424;


[email protected];

www.museums.or.ke

LAO PEOPLE’SDEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Non-timber forest products boost ruralincomesNon-timber forest products have thepotential to contribute substantially to thenational economy, especially if they areused in a sustainable way. Peoplethroughout the country earn about US$5per year selling products collected fromnatural forests. This is the official figuresince the unofficial one is not known.

It is popularly recognized that ruralpeople, who comprise about 80 percentof the national population, rely on thebiodiversity of local forests. Merchantsmake a profitable trade purchasingproducts from rural people withnegotiable prices. Most people collectproducts from the forest without thinkingabout their protection. An important partof sustaining natural resources iseducating people to know when to easethe exploitation of precious materials.Many people also know very little aboutthe tremendous potential of forestmaterials and NTFPs are beingthreatened owing to careless harvestingmethods and an increasing population.

The government, therefore, establishedthe Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP)

Project to help rural people discoversustainable and beneficial ways todevelop the resources that form a part oftheir traditional lifestyles. This latestinitiative is being sponsored by theNetherlands Government and executedby the Lao Government.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN)has implemented a pilot project inOudomsay, Champassak and Saravanprovinces, aimed at creating examples ofthe efficient use of NTFPs in order toprovide a sustainable future for thecountry and its natural resources. Theproject found there are more NTFPs inthe north than in any other part of thecountry. Most of the products, such asbitter bamboo shoots, benzoin, toud tienand cardamom are exported to China.

In Champassak, the projectconcentrated on protecting and usingNTFPs. The project has successfullyencouraged local people to groweaglewood, a fragrant tree used inmedicine and perfume production. Morethan 30 ha of eaglewood have beenplanted in Champassak; other parts of thecountry are also growing it in anenthusiastic manner. Project officialsbelieve that in the next ten years peoplewho grow the wood will be very wealthyowing to the high price that one litre of oildistilled from eaglewood brings. Theproject has focused on utilizing NTFPsfrom national conservation areas inSaravan province, in which 50 familiesearn their living.

Besides conservation activities, theproject is also involved in trading byorganizing meetings to create a productunderstanding among the local merchantsand producers in order to prepare thesebusinesses for entry into the worldmarket. Demand for cardamom, benzoin,eaglewood and bong bark is high in theworld market.

The project will explore the problems,needs and opportunities related todeveloping forest resources, in pilotprojects carried out all over the LaoPeople’s Democratic Republic during thepast six years. The project will facilitatediscussions into the future of Lao naturalresources, and forest products in


43


Many traditional plant foods arecharacteristically energy-rich and playa crucial nutritional role during hungerperiods. They may be equally importantduring periods when people have lesstime for food preparation, such asduring peak agricultural seasons, or inarid regions where seasonal food-supply fluctuations are particularlyacute. Commelina spp., for example, isstrategically available at the beginningof the rainy season before otherspecies can be harvested …

… Many traditional food plantsgrow wild. Therefore, where they areaccessible, they can be collected freelyand are thus are available to everyone,including the poor. But these traditionalvegetables may also conveniently begrown within the homestead in kitchenor home gardens …

... All wild species treated in thisbook are occasionally consciouslyprotected by the communities in areaswhere they occur and therefore areoften spared when vegetation is beingcleared. A few may also be managed intheir natural habitat, while in otherspecies seeds, saplings, cuttings orother parts of the plant are collected forpropagation in fields or home gardens.

particular. According to the Director of theNTFP project, the lessons gained fromthese pilot projects will enhance the abilityof all provinces, at the district level, todevelop, sustain and benefit from Laoforest resources. (Source: VientianeTimes, 5 April 2001.)

Forest for when the rice runs outTo the people living in the Lao uplandsbeing poor means using up all their riceand having no cash or cattle they can sellto buy more rice. When that happensthey turn to the forest. They hunt, fishand harvest wild cardamom, bambooshoots and vegetables, as well as resins,rattan canes and other products. Theyconsume some of these directly. Othersthey sell to buy rice. In many remoteupland villages these products provide 40to 60 percent of household incomes. Forthe poorest families the percentage isoften much higher. Forest products havetraditionally been available when peopleneed them the most.

For many of these people life is gettingharder. Owing to population growth,government policies and outsidersencroaching on their forest many familiesnow have less land where they canpractice shifting cultivation. Overharvestinghas depleted many forest products.

John Raintree and Viloune Soydararecently wrote a report on the “Humanecology and rural livelihoods of Laos”.They argue that while the LaoGovernment says all the right thingsabout the problems, it has yet toimplement effective policies to deal withthem. The Lao Land Allocationprogramme, which regulates wherefarmers can practise shifting cultivation,

needs to be more flexible andparticipatory and focus more on land-useplanning, rather than on allocating specificplots to farmers. The government’scommunity forestry policies should focusmore on the secondary and degradedforests on which poor people depend.The government should also ensure thatpolicies concerning NTFPs do not lead togreater overharvesting of those resourcesor increase the competition between poorpeople and powerful interest groups.

Without ongoing access to forestresources, poor people in the Laouplands will go hungry. When they run out

of rice they go to the forest. When theyrun out of forest, where will they go?

To request a free electronic copy of thepaper or to send comments or queries tothe author, please contact John Raintreeat: [email protected]

A useful new report, Lao PDR,Production Forest Policy, prepared by theWorld Bank, SIDA and the Lao andFinnish Governments, can be found atthe World Bank Web site(www.worldbank.org/html;extdr/regions.htm). (Source:David Kaimowitz, Polex Listserve[[email protected]].)


44


Species Habitat Medicinal uses Alianthis West mountains of Mount, Powdered bark used to treataltissima Lebanon between 0 and intestinal tapeworms and for

2 000 m altitude; in Bekaa, South dysentery and other stomach Riyyak and in southern Lebanon trouble

Ceratonia Coastal areas and on the inferior The pulp has antidiarrhoeasiliqua slopes of coastal mountains, properties, the gum serves as

between 0 and 1 000 m altitude a suspending agent, absorbent demulcent, lubricant

Clematis Localized in the northern part External usage against varicosevitalba of the country, between 0 and ulcers

1 000 m altitudeCupressus West and east mountains of Mostly used to treat bloodsempervirens Mount Lebanon, between 300 circulation disorders

and 2 000 m altitudeFicus carica Spontaneous LaxativeFraxinus ornus Between 0 and 2 000 m altitude The extracted mannitol is used as an

osmotic diuretic and as an excipientJuglans regia West mountains of Mount Lebanon, Leaves are astringent eupeptic

between 300 and 2 000 m altitude; with a hypoglycaemia action. The in Bekaa, South of Zahleh, towards extracted juglone is antiseptic andBaalbek and in Hermon keratinizing

Juniperus sp. Between 1 000 and 2 800 m altitude Diuretic and eupepticLaurus nobilis Coastal areas, between 0 and External usage, stimulant

2 000 m, and southern LebanonMelia Coastal areas and mountains, up to Anthelmintic remedy for intestinalazedarach 1 000 m altitude worms and parasitic skin diseasesMyrtus West mountains of Mount Lebanon, Mostly antiseptic, for pectoralcommunis between 0 and 1 500 m (respiratory) infectionsQuercus West mountains of Mount Lebanon, Astringent for external and internalinfectoria up to 1 600 m altitude usageRhamnus West mountains of Mount Lebanon, Laxative and purgativecathartica between 1 400 and 2 000 m altitudeUlmis minor Subspontaneous Tonic, astringent

LEBANON

There’s more to natural forests than just timberThe following primary trees found in Lebanon have reported or suspected medicinalproperties.

Not all of the these plants areaccepted as official medicinal plants inthe pharmacopoeias and some reflectthe traditional usage. Nevertheless, thereis a growing market in the Western worldfor the use of natural medicines inpreference to synthetic pharmaceuticals.International pharmaceutical companiesare ready to spend millions of dollars forclinical trials and for the development ofnew and naturally based drugs.

The estimated market value ofmedicinal and aromatic plants producedby forests in Lebanon is US$18.6 millionbased on 1994 figures. The variedLebanon climate had led to a richabundance of many wild plant species,including medicinal trees. However, onlyrecently has a study on the possibleuses and potential of those plants beenundertaken. An agreement has recentlybeen signed between Earth University inCosta Rica and the Faculty of Agricultureand Food Sciences of the AmericanUniversity of Beirut, which aims atexploring the efficacy of someendogenous medicinal plant species andthe commercial development of newdrugs based on these species. (Source:Extracted from the report of the follow-upmeeting for the development andcoordination of regional activities on non-wood forest products in the Near East.)

MALAYSIA

Forest tribes plead for their rights The controversy over the destruction ofrain forests is a real and immediateproblem for the indigenous tribal peopleof Sarawak State of Malaysia, accordingto one of the tribe’s representatives. Twotribal members were in Japan in October2001 to talk about the continueddestruction of the world’s oldest rainforest.

One of them, Pedapaan, remembersthe days when his nomadic Penan tribe,natives of Borneo and believed to be thelast hunter-gatherers on earth, wanderedthe forest in bands and hunted for food.They built light, thatched shelters ofbamboo or softwood, hunted animals and

gathered sago palm, from which theypounded out a starchy paste. Pedapaansaid that they did not have to bringanything into the forest becauseeverything that was needed was there,the pitcher plant became pots and pansfor cooking, and if they became ill, theyknew which plants would cure disease ortreat injuries. In addition, they did not killmore animals than were needed for food.

That life and the orderly rule of thenomads are gone forever. One day inthe mid-1980s, Pedapaan and his tribe’speople had their first encounter withchainsaws, bulldozers and loggingcompany men. The logging companythen showed the Penans a map and toldthem that the forest did not belong to thePenans, but to the logging company.Their traditional culture and livelihoodwere suddenly forced into a neweconomy, which was unable to embracetheir desires and rights.

The state government offeredindigenous people longhouses to settlein and farmland to cultivate. ButPedapaan claims that agriculture hadnever been part of their tradition and thatthe longhouses were uncomfortable.Logging caused river contamination andfish became scarce. Poisoned water ledto a rise in the deaths of children. Theloud noise of chainsaws and bulldozersscared away the animals they hunted. In1987, Pedapaan and his friendsblockaded the road in an attempt to stoploggers from entering the forest.

He and his wife were later arrested, aswere 103 others on different occasions,for protesting against logging.Pedapaan’s trial is ongoing. Arrestsdeprive the indigenous people of much-needed work, and payments to lawyersare more than they can afford. Accordingto an NGO, 2.8 million hectares of forest– more than five times the entire area ofTokyo – were destroyed in Malaysia.This area included most of the forestwhere the Penans lived. Japan was thelargest importer of Malaysian timber in1999, consuming nearly a third of thetimber exported from that country.

“What we want now is for thegovernment to recognize our right to

land,” Pedapaan said. “Big companiesare logging even young trees these daysand it is impossible for us to go back toour traditional way of life.”

An overlooked facet of the Penans istheir wide knowledge of medicinal plants.According to Wade Davis, who hasstudied 20 tribes of the Amazon andSouth America, the knowledge of theforest by the Penans surpasses all ofthem. According to Pedapaan, there hasbeen no request from the government forhis people to share their knowledge,which will eventually be lost when theplants disappear from the forest, makingit impossible for the knowledge to bepassed on to young Penans. (Source:Daily Yomiuri, 12 December 2001 inRECOFTC e-letter 2001.16.)

MOROCCO

An argan oil cooperative is changingwomen’s lives in Morocco A cooperative (of 50 women) runexclusively by women in Tamanar, in theEssaouira region of Morocco, hasintegrated itself into the economy bycapitalizing on a piece of ancestralknowledge.

The key is the argan or Moroccanironwood, a long-lived tree that growsnowhere but in Morocco. Today it isthreatened: in less than a century, morethan a third of the argan forest hasdisappeared. Yet, with 20 million treescovering 800 000 ha, it is the second mostimportant forest species in Morocco and,although neglected, is a very valuableresource. The argan holds great promiseas an oil-producer and constitutes averitable “green curtain” against the


45


relentless onslaught of the desert. Aboveall, it represents a source of income forpeople on the margins of society whohave few other means of livelihood: infact, the forest can provide subsistence foras many as 3 million people.

At the heart of the struggle to preservethis tree, on which so many womencondemned to poverty have pinned theirhopes, stands a researcher from theFaculty of Sciences at Rabat, ZoubidaCharrouf and a research projectsupported by the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre (IDRC).This project has two objectives: topreserve the argan forest by finding asustainable economic use for itsproducts, and to improve the social andeconomic status of rural women. Towardsthis end, the British Embassy has helpedpurchase equipment for the cooperative.

Traditional knowledge in the form of asimple gesture repeated thousands oftimes is key to the project’s success.Since time immemorial, the women wholive in arid regions – particularly insouthwestern Morocco – have dependedon this almost mythical tree. Its wood isused as fuel, its leaves and seeds asfeed for goats. The tree has medicinalproperties and its oil both nourishes andbeautifies. Indeed, argan oil is reputed forits almost magical powers, but extractingit is difficult and time-consuming. Dr Charrouf’s idea was to form acooperative among the destitute andilliterate women who depend on theargan, help them mechanize the processand sell their output so they can earn adecent living. From this idea was bornthe argan oil cooperative. Today itemploys nearly 50 women on a full-timebasis and another 100 part-time, and hasthe distinction of being the first female-run argan oil cooperative in Morocco.

Life for women in Tamanar haschanged, slowly but surely. The arganand its products are sources of hope, forwomen, for the region, and for thestruggle against desertification sincecooperative members are also helping toreplant the argan forest: each hascommitted herself to planting ten trees ayear. Local tourism has also received a

boost, and close to 100 people comeevery day to visit the cooperative.

Tamanar has become the capital ofthe argan industry, thanks to themechanization of production. The Berberwomen no longer have to put in 20 hoursof backbreaking work to extract a litre ofoil. All of this success is due strictly tothe efforts of women.

The Amal cooperative now has twosister organizations in the argan forest,one at Tidzi and the other at Mesti. Bothhave benefited from IDRC’s support aswell as that of other fundingorganizations, including the CanadianInternational Development Agency.


Prof. Zoubida Charrouf, Département de

Chimie, Faculté des Sciences,

Université Mohammed V, Avenue Ibn

Batouta, BP 1014, Rabat RP, Morocco.

Fax: +212 37 713279;


www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_englis

h.cfm?article_num=883;

http://users.casanet.net.ma/arganier/

NEPAL

Medicinal plant garden The Nepal Eco essential MedicinalPlants Society (NEEM), an NGO basedin a remote area of Nepal, is looking forfunding for a small project in Nepalganjthat aims to:

• establish a medicinal plant garden forfuture generations;

• conserve biodiversity of tropicalmedicinal and aromatic plants;

• establish a green park in the heart ofNepalganj city;

• establish a live germplasm bank. Nepalganj is famous for its NTFP trade.

Nearly 60 percent of the whole NTFPtrade in Nepal is carried out here. Thisdistrict was previously known for its denseforest, but deforestation has caused thedepletion of NTFP-producing trees andNTFP collection is now very poor in thisarea. The medicinal plants of the Teraiare extremely important in the treatmentof common ailments and people use themfrequently for household remedies. Theavailability of such plants is becomingscarce, however, and local knowledge onusing these plants is not being passeddown to new generations.

An area of 3 ha is lying fallow inNepalganj (in western Nepal) and thelandowners, the Cremation GroundManagement Committee, are eager todevelop it as a medicinal plant garden.There are many sacred plants that arenecessary for ritual work in the Hinduculture, but as a result of deforestationsuch plants are now rare.

To meet this demand, the NEEMSociety in coordination with theCremation Ground ManagementCommittee has proposed a park-cum-medicinal plant garden. It will not onlywork as a conservatory, but also as agermplasm bank and an environmentpurifier. The medicinal plant garden willrestore traditional knowledge of healingand also the Hindu rituals which havebeen abandoned owing to the scarcity ofthe necessary plant materials.


Mr Rabindra N. Shukla, Nepal Eco

essential Medicinal Plants Society

(NEEM Society), Tribhuwan Chowk

(East), Salyani Bagia, Nepalganj

(Banke), Nepal.



46


Helping poor communities in Nepalbenefit from tourismPoor communities near some of Nepal’sprime tourist destinations stand to reapgreater economic benefits with help froman expanding programme. The initiativehelps to reorient tourism policies to helprural communities where lower castesand ethnic minorities face poverty anddiscrimination, and aims to develop localstrategies to attract tourists to villages inways that are in harmony with localcultures and environments.

The programme began in 2001 inthree popular tourist destinations withgreat potential for nearby communities:Dolpa, Lumbini and Chitwan. Supportfrom the United Kingdom Department forInternational Development (DFID) willenable the inclusion of three morecommunities near tourist destinations inmountainous districts: Sagarmatha, theNepali name for Mount Everest, is hometo a national park near the world’shighest peak; Kanchenjunga, in the east,and Langtang, near Kathmandu, are alsopopular tourist areas.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism andCivil Aviation, working with UNDP, playsa key role in implementing the project, inpartnership with the Ministry of Finance.DFID is providing US$4.1 million for thenew phase, building on more than US$1 million in support from theNetherlands Development Organization(SNV) for the first phase. (Source:Newsfront, UNDP, 17 January 2002.)


Sangita Khadka, UNDP, Nepal.


Trygve Olfarnes, UNDP

Communications Office.


NTFPs and poverty alleviation in NepalPoverty alleviation has found its placetime and again as the goal of nationalplans and policies with very little successon the ground. The nature of poverty isdiverse, as are its causes and victims;therefore the strategies to overcomepoverty should also be diverse,recognizing the difference of people andtheir opportunities for sustainable livingstandards. Nepalese people are poorbecause they have not acquired essentialassets since they live in remote areaswhere the resources available have notbeen properly identified and utilized.

Poverty is not only an income-determined outcome and thereforeincreasing attention is now placed on thecapability factors of poverty. It is amultidimensional phenomenon and it isalways difficult to disentangle its causesand consequences. The nature andquality of governance largely determinesthe results of development efforts andsuccess of poverty strategies, irrespectiveof the quality of design and amount ofinvestment.

Nepal is well known for its rich and vastbiodiversity. Owing to the country’sdiverse climatic zones, non-timber forestproducts (NTFP) are distributed in allbioclimatic zones ranging from tropical toalpine. Collection and marketing of NTFPshas become a way of life for poor peoplein hilly areas to meet their daily needs.

The Terai also has different types ofNTFPs which are as yet unexploited, butwhich are being destroyed as people areunaware of their importance. In the past,Terai forests were valued primarily as asource of timber, but now the harvestingof timber has either been banned orrestricted. Therefore, the NTFPs of theTerai have tremendous potential forgenerating employment for ruralcommunities during the lean months ofagriculture. If the value of these productsin terms of variety, volume and socio-economy is properly assessed, it will farexceed that of wood and timber.

NTFPs have been vitally important tothe forest-dwellers and rural communitiesand can play a very vital role in povertyalleviation in Nepal. Many forest products

that are used as staple food are alsoused as the sources of income, e.g.tannic acid, dyes, honey, nuts, fruit,mushrooms, oilseeds, insects, foragecrops, medicines, genetic resources, etc.

It is necessary to identify and makeproper use of such resources. Withsimple processing they can fetch a verygood price in domestic markets andreplace the import of similar productsfrom other countries. For example, palmoil is imported for the soap and detergentindustry while the seeds of sal, kusum,mahuwa and other fatty oil-producingtrees in Nepal are being destroyed.

There are difficulties in developingmarkets and systems of production, but,with some effort, NTFPs may representa sustainable utilization of forestresources with minimal environmentalimpacts. Such resources may form thebasis of both small- and large-scaleprocessing industries. The utilization andmanagement of NTFPs should, as far aspossible, be delegated to the localpopulation.

Present situation of the resourcesRural people use their spare time tocollect NTFPs; therefore, the collectionand quantity of NTFPs depends upontime available and not just ecologicalconditions. The resources areunderutilized, overutilized or unutilizedaccording to the prevailing conditions.The resources known to have a highmarket value are overexploited whilethose that are less known or whoseeconomic value is unknown areunderutilized or unutilized, even thoughthey could provide a good income for thelocal people. There is no system thatprovides information about value,collection method, collection time,techniques and market information onthese resources. Hence the less knownor unknown resources are beingdestroyed. This is the same with thecultivation of NTFPs. The most exploitedNTFPs are recommended for cultivationbut information on agrotechnology,markets, harvesting and primaryprocessing of such herbs is not easilyavailable, and thus the collection and


47


production of herbs is also affected.There is an NTFP network but what it isand how it works is unknown to the layperson. There are many regulatoryauthorities but practically none forpromotional activity.

Ban on herbsIn spite of a government ban on the rawexport of certain NTFPs, some herbs areregularly collected in large quantities. It isgenerally considered that the herbbusiness has been monopolized by somewholesalers, but in reality it is the trade ofbanned items that has beenmonopolized, not only in the Terai butalso from its source of collection. Theillegal trade of banned herbs hasflourished and people related to it profitwhile the poor rural collectors earn apittance. The ban results in losses ofgovernment royalties, a spurious supplyof raw materials and either smuggling ordestruction of resources.

Providing jobs and employmentDespite the considerable value of NTFPs,this aspect of tropical forestry has in factbeen underestimated. At present, it is theonly source providing income to a vastmajority of the population. Syntheticsubstitutes have ousted many naturalproducts from the markets. But properlyutilizing NTFPs in the country couldreverse the situation. The variety ofNTFPs is so vast that they can generateopportunities for both rural people andindustrialists.

Recommendations• The authorities concerned shouldimplement an information system ondifferent aspects of NTFP utilization.

• Government interference in thetransportation, processing andmarketing should be minimal.

• Unnecessary taxation by VillageDevelopment Committees,the DistrictDevelopment Committee and otherorganizations should be abolished.

• A legal way to promote the cultivationof NTFPs should be made; theproduction of NTFPs in farms shouldbe treated as agricultural crops.

• A marketing network to provide marketinformation to traders, producers andcollectors should be established.

• Permission for the collection ofbanned items should be controlled andsuch items should be collectedsustainably by government authoritiesdirectly or indirectly.

• Products harvested and used bypeople in rural areas that are part oftheir subsistence economy should beidentified and promoted.

• Products that yield a return when soldon local, national and internationalmarkets should be promoted.

• Potential value in relation toecotourism and genetic resourcesshould be studied and identified.

Only some NTFPs are directly used asfood, but the economic prosperity to thepeople as a result of proper utilization ofNTFPs will be directly used by themajority of people. (Source: Extractedfrom a contribution by Rabindra NShukla, Nepal.)


Rabindra N. Shukla, Herbs Production &

Processing Co. Ltd, Salyani Bagia,

Nepalganj, Banke, Nepal.

Fax: +977 81 22762;

e-mail: herbs @mos.com.np

NIGERIAAn economic analysis of women’sdependence on forest resources in the rainforest communities of southeastern Nigeria The contribution of non-timber forestproducts (NTFP) to household income,employment and livelihood improvementopportunities of rural women wasassessed by the participatory ruralappraisal (PRA) and householdquestionnaire survey techniques. Analysis

of field data revealed that rural womenderive more income from forest productgathering than from non-forest-relatedactivities, with forest products accountingfor 56 percent of total monthly incomeand non-forest-related activitiesaccounting for 44 percent. A multipleregression analysis of these forestproducts indicates that Irvingiagabonensis (bush mango), Elaeisguineensis (oil palm), Achantinamarginata (snail) and Gnetum africanum(afang) accounted for the highestproduction of rural women’s total monthlyincome from NTFP sources with valuesof about N 4 464, N 3 571, N 2 602 andN 2 865, respectively. The implicationsare that these NTFPs should beexploited on a sustainable basis,otherwise a decline in their stock wouldgreatly affect the socio-economiclivelihood of rural women.

It is therefore recommended thatsustainable forest management practicesshould not underestimate NTFPresources as against the present focuson timber resources. More conservationefforts should be focused on thesustainability of the NTFPs that are mostsignificant to rural earnings, if povertyalleviation is to become an integralcomponent of sustainable forestmanagement programmes. (Source:Global Journal of Pure and AppliedSciences, 7(2): 345-350 [2001].)


the authors:

F.E. Bisong and A.O. Ajake, Department

of Geography and Regional Planning,

University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.

PAKISTAN

Mazri palm, a unique NWFP of Pakistan Dwarf palm (Nanorohpes ritchiana), locallycalled “mazri”, is a hardy fibre plantbelonging to the wide group of palms.Mazri is usually a stemless, gregariousand low-growing shrub which generallygrows in low arid mountainous areas up to1 524 m. It is the hardiest of all palmspecies and can tolerate temperatures


48


ranging from -20°C to 50°C. The shrubcan produce leaves up to the age of 50and, under favourable circumstances,develops a trunk reaching approximately4.3 m in height. It is xerophytic in natureand propagated by means of seeds orrhizomes. The associated flora are Acaciamodesta, Monotheca buxifolia andZizyphus nummularia among the shrubssacrum, sanatha (Dodonica viscosa) andRhazia stricta.

Mazri leaves are used to make a varietyof products: ropes, mats, hand fans,sandals, baskets, hats, pouches, groomsand other articles of daily use. The driedtrunk and foliage are used as fuel.

The Kohat Mazri Act was introduced in1954 to protect the mazri plantation andto legalize the trade associated withmazri and its products. The act isenforced on all types of land in Kohatand Hangu (communal, private,government) where mazri grows. Permitsare issued against production annually.Harvesting is carried out from 15October to 15 April. The royaltiesgenerated from tenders or permits aredistributed, with 80 percent going to thecommunity and 20 percent to the forestdepartment as service charges.

According to a survey, 8 to 10 percentof the people in the Kohat forest divisionare engaged in home-based mazriindustries, including traders, producers,retailers and importers.

Women’s roleWomen play an active role in mazri,manufacturing finished products. Most ofthe collection and harvesting is also thetask of rural women. Women areinvolved in supplementing householdincome for their families, but their directinvolvement in income generation can beseen in mazri items. Women belongingto low-income families make ropes, fans,baskets and mats and sell them to thelicence holder traders.

ProblemsMazri palm is a source of income formany poor families in Kohat but thisunique source is dwindling owing to thefollowing reasons:

• Mazri grows on shamilat land. Afghancamps were entrenched on shamilatland and the mazri was totally uprootedto build mud houses. The remainderwas also depleted for use as fuel andfodder, a practice that was rarelycarried out by the local population.

• Migration from tribal areas and landlevelling for agricultural land.

• Poor technology and training forproducers, lack of information onmarketing, high transportation costsand the low profile of womenproducers are also problems.

• High importance of the intermediary. The low importance given to NWFPs

at the provincial level is also a reason,since the focus is more on timber, whichdefuses the importance of conservationthrough the sustainable production ofNWFPs.

ConclusionThe sustainable production of mazriresources is essential for thedevelopment of that industry, which mustbe viewed from the perspective of thefuture demand for mazri products andpossible sources of supply. As thepopulation increases, the demand formazri can be expected to increase. Onthe production side, population increase,agricultural land expansion,industrialization and other developmentactivities will lead to a further reductionof forest areas. This probably means afall in the production of natural forestresources, including mazri. However, iflarge-scale mazri commercial planting iscarried out at the same time, thepossibility of a glut on the market cannotbe ruled out. (Contributed by: TanveerAhmad, Pakistan.)


Tanveer Ahmad, Social Section,

Forest Management Center,

Forest Department, Palosi Road

Peshawar, Pakistan.


PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Some aspects of the eaglewood trade inPapua New Guinea The trade in Gyrinops and/or Aquilariaspp. (eaglewood, agarwood, or“gaharu”, the Indonesian name) wasprobably initiated by Asian buyers in thelate 1980s and early 1990s. Earlybuyers were Chinese Malaysians andIndonesians based in West Papua.

Two companies in the trade,Eaglewood (PNG) Ltd and A. & F.Forest Products Ltd, have been issuedlicences by the Papua New GuineaForest Authority. The annual licence feeis K 1 000 [K 1 = US$0.28, October2001]. The legal buyers and tradersoften fly into collection sites in order tobuy gaharu directly from local collectors.

Illegal trade (smuggling) in gaharu isestimated to be much larger than thelegal trade – probably 90 percent of thetrade is illegal. This is because “super-super black” grade is believed to fetchas much as K 3 000/kg in Jayapura,about three times the local buying price.

Traders include West Papuans,resource owners themselves and almostanyone who can grade gaharu very well.Mistakes in grading can prove costly.Today the trade is so profitable that it ispossible that corrupt governmentofficials are involved in the illegal trade.

Formation, collection and preparation ofeaglewood in Papua New GuineaAgarwood formation is part of apathological process in the stem or mainbranches where an injury has occurred.Fungi are involved in the process, butthe process itself is not yet fullyunderstood. Damage by boring insectsis often associated with the infection. Itis believed that the tree is first attackedand weakened by a pathogenic fungus.


49


Infection by a second fungus causes theformation of agarwood, but it is unclearwhether it is a product of the fungus orthe tree. The fungi implicated in theformation of agarwood in Aquilariamalaccensis and A. sinensis areCytosphaera mangiferae and Melanotusflavolives, respectively.

Field collectors locate promisinggaharu pockets by looking for holes in atree where ants or termites can be seen.They also look for oil residues on thescar when branches are removed. Thestandard procedure then is to cut intothe wood at this point with a bush knifeand estimate the thickness of thediscoloured wood to ascertain ifharvesting is practicable. If promising,the overburden wood is stripped awayand the gaharu extracted. It is notalways necessary to fell the tree, andthere are opportunities for the resourceto be managed sustainably.

Nevertheless, bush knives and axesare often used to cut down trees insearch of gaharu. The heartwood isreasonably soft and white and thebrownish to black gaharu product iseasily discerned. A tree rich in high-grade gaharu can be smelt from adistance of up to 50 m. Families can beinvolved in harvesting, but morecommonly men do this work. In someareas women are the main collectors ifmen are otherwise engaged in huntingfor food. High-quality gaharu can beobtained from roots as small as 7 to 8 cm in diameter, and roots aresometimes excavated.

Collection is usually hard work. It cantake two to three months for one personto collect 1 kg of wood in the SepikPlains. However, in a “super black” areait can sometimes take as little as oneday to collect 0.5 kg.

After harvesting the collector takesthe gaharu home and using sharp smallknives, pieces of broken glass or specialcompany-issued hooked knivesremoves unwanted pieces of wood.Resource owners (i.e. villagers) andbuyers store the gaharu product in blackplastic to avoid loss of the valuablearomatic oil.

Grades of eaglewoodGaharu is classified in various gradingsystems that differ according to theproduct being traded and the country inwhich the trade is taking place. Oneinternational method for grading used inthe Papua New Guinea trade is basedmainly on colour, in which there are fivegrades listed in order of priority: 1. Super-super black; 2. super black; 3. A grade; 4. B grade; and 5. C grade. Eaglewood(PNG) Ltd buys on the five-gradeinternational system. Asian field buyerstend to buy on a simplified three-gradesystem: 1. A grade (super-super black); 2. B grade (super black); and 3. C grade(everything else). Rejected gaharu (alsotermed D grade) is collected by the tonneand stored before eventual sale as a verylow-grade product. There is a tendency forbuyers to “reduce” the grade at the buyingpoint and then upgrade the material forlater on-sale. This may involve the fieldbuyer having to trim imperfections fromthe wood before resale in an attempt toimprove the quality of the product.

Burning gaharu chips is a sure way tograde gaharu appropriately, butexperienced buyers do not need to usethis method. Brown chips burn with astrong flame, while black gaharu burnsfor a shorter time before the flame diesand smoke comes off for a long period.Burning can be used to identify Phaleriaspp., as the smoke smells bitter andunpleasant.

Buying from field collectorsIn mid-1999, agents generally paid fieldcollectors K 150/kg for super black grade

gaharu, K 100/kg for ordinary black andK 20/kg for low grade. From August toOctober 2000, legal buyers in PapuaNew Guinea were paying K 500/kg for A grade, K 300/kg for B grade, K 150/kgfor C grade and less than K 50/kg for D grade (the reject grade). More recently, A grade may fetch K 1 000 to K 1 200/kg(A. & F. Forest Products). Some licensedbuyers are losing their establishedcustomers to other buyers who areprepared to pay more for the product.

In the Upper Sepik area local peoplelive at a subsistence level and sufferfrom a lack of government services andtrade stores for purchasing goods. Herelocal people have bartered gaharu forgoods such as clothes, radios, soap, saltand batteries for torches used in hunting.

All buyers are aware of adulteratedgaharu, which is a tactic used bycollectors to increase either weight orcolour. For example, some collectorsmay soak gaharu in black oil or water, orput samples in mud. Collectors may mixPhaleria chips with gaharu to confusebuyers when sorting many chips.

Issues in conservation and sustainabilityThe Papua New Guinea Forest Authority,through the Forest Research Institute, andCSIRO Forestry and Forest Products areworking together to conserve anddomesticate Papua New Guinea’sindigenous forest species. Part of thisproject involves the development of aconservation and management strategyfor eaglewood in the country. Participatoryrural appraisal (PRA) will be undertakenwith individuals and specific villagecommunities in areas where eaglewoodoccurs naturally. The PRA will assist inascertaining local views on the biology ofeaglewood, folk varieties, usefulness andpossible means of management andconservation. Land tenure issuesimpacting on germplasm conservation andcommunity-level plantation developmentwill be investigated. This survey will buildon the work already undertaken byTRAFFIC Oceania and the South PacificProgram, and further collaborativeresearch on and development ofeaglewood will be undertaken.


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There remain substantial gaps in theavailable information on eaglewood, bothin Papua New Guinea andinternationally. In Papua New Guinea,some of the key issues that must beaddressed are listed below.

Taxonomy and inventories• Reappraisal of the taxonomy of the

various genera and species tradedunder the common name ofeaglewood.

• Inventories to ascertain the location,area, status and condition of nativestands.

• Customary ownership of stands andindividual trees.

• Conservation and management• An awareness campaign on “best

practice” for the sustainable utilizationand management of eaglewood.

• The possible rates of destruction oftrees.

• Whether the species is rare,endangered or common.

• Prospects for domestication.• Prospects for the management of

natural stands for the conservation ofbiodiversity.

• Prospects for the management ofnatural stands for sustainableproduction.

• Mechanisms for listing the range ofeaglewood genera and species underCITES.

Propagation and plantation management• Seed collection, treatment and storage.• Nursery practices.• Establishment and management ofplantations for sustainableproduction.

Production and economics of eaglewood• Methods to determine quantities andqualities of agarwood in the standingtree.

• Techniques for artificial stimulation ofeaglewood oil production.

• Standardized techniques for gradinggaharu to assist villagers and thetrade involved in marketing.

• Business plans to enable villagers totrade effectively within the industry.

• Methods for inducing the productionof high-quality grades in natural andplanted trees.

• Effective, efficient and lessdestructive collection methods.

• Trends in short-term prices.• Possible impacts of greater suppliesfrom plantations on long-term prices.

(Source: Extracted from Some aspectsof the eaglewood trade in Papua NewGuinea, by M. Singadan, W. Yelu, J.Beko, D. Bosimbi and D.J. Boland. )


Forest Research Institute, Lae, Papua

New Guinea; or CSIRO Forestry and

Forest Products, PO Box E4008,

Kingston 2604, ACT, Australia.


Sustainable management of Papua NewGuinea’s agarwood resourceOver the past five years, Papua NewGuinea’s lowland forests have been thesetting for a new “gold rush” as localcommunities have begun searching for anaromatic wood previously unknown in thecountry. Already heavily exploited in therest of the world and with eight speciesalready considered threatened, a report byTRAFFIC Oceania and WWF SouthPacific is urging for action to be taken nowin what could be the world’s last frontierfor substantial wild stocks of agarwood.

Agarwood (also known as aloeswood,eaglewood or gaharu) has been tradedsince biblical times for cultural, medicinaland aromatic purposes. Agarwood-producing species are found from Indiaeastwards to the island of New Guinea,

including all Southeast Asian countriesand north to Hainan Island in southernChina. In Papua New Guinea, which is theknown eastern extreme of the agarwood-producing species’ range, the high localprices for top-grade agarwood suggestthat, if managed correctly, it could providelocal communities with a viable eco-enterprise option to replace the promisedbenefits of industrial logging agreements.

With this potential in mind, TRAFFICOceania and WWF South PacificProgramme initiated research into thisburgeoning harvest and trade earlier thisyear. Unexploited stands of agarwoodstill exist in Papua New Guinea. In areaswhere harvesting has begun, villages arestill learning how to extract gaharu andmanage the trees. Papua New Guineatherefore provides a unique opportunityto promote the establishment of asustainable gaharu industry.

Ayurvedic, Tibetan and East Asianpharmacopœias value agarwood for itsability to treat a range of disordersincluding pleurisy, asthma, rheumatismand jaundice. Muslims, Buddhists andHindus use agarwood incense in religiousceremonies and as a customary perfume.Agarwood essences are used to fragrancesoaps and shampoos and the popularityof highly priced essential oils reinforcesthe value of agarwood derivatives.

Agarwood is found naturally in only asmall percentage of trees in theThymeleaceae family – with the highest-grade “product” usually harvested fromcertain species in the genus Aquilaria.However, the TRAFFIC/WWF studyidentified a related species, Gyrinopsledermannii as producing this fragrantheartwood for the first time. Like otheragarwood species, only about 10 percentof mature G. ledermannii trees are likelyto produce the fragrant resin that leadsto agarwood formation in the heartwood.External signs of agarwood are notobvious, which often leads toindiscriminate felling of trees in thesearch for darker wood inside.

The high value of agarwood isstimulating overharvesting and illegaltrade in many other parts of the world.Populations of eight species of Aquilaria


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are already considered threatened, ofwhich six are threatened byoverexploitation.

Further research is planned for bothPapua New Guinea and Irian Jaya (alsoknown as West Papua) in Indonesia tounderstand better the diversity ofagarwood-producing species, theharvest and trade dynamics, and todevelop a strategy that balancesconservation management with thepotential to generate long-term income.

TRAFFIC and WWF have beendiscussing the ramifications of this tradewith the Inter-Agency Committeecomprising Papua New Guinea’sNational Forestry Service, ForestResearch Institute, Office of Environmentand Conservation and Internal RevenueCommission. Discussions so far havefocused on policy interventions that willpromote best-practice management ofharvest and trade. On the Indonesianside of the border, TRAFFIC has begunanalysing the current trade dynamics inIrian Jaya in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia’s Sahul programme. (Source:Extracted from The final frontier: towardssustainable management of Papua NewGuinea’s agarwood resource, by FrankZich and James Compton, a report ofTRAFFIC Oceania in conjunction withWWF’s South Pacific Programme.)


TRAFFIC Oceania, Regional Office, PO

Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia.

Fax: +61 2 92121794;


www.traffic.org/news/agar2.pdf

[Please see under Products and Markets

for more information on agarwood.]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Russian berries to quench EU thirstThe next time you’re stuck in asupermarket in Western Europe thirstingfor some mors, don’t panic: Russia’s ill-defined national berry drink could beright in front of you. That is becauseChudo-Yagoda, or Wonder Berry, hasbecome the first Russian product to be

given the green light by the BritishRetailer Consortium (BRC).

Nearly every major food retailerworldwide requires an independentcertificate of quality before it will useown-label suppliers, and the so-called“technical standard” certificate of theBRC, which represents 90 percent of allBritish retailers, is one of the mostprestigious, industry players say.

The maker of Wonder Berry, juice anddairy giant Wimm-Bill-Dann, calls gettingBRC approval for one of its products –which entails a thorough inspection ofproduction facilities and technologies – amajor development in its quest toexpand its exporting operations aroundthe world. Wimm-Bill-Dann already sellssmall amounts of Wonder Berry inspeciality stores in several countries,such as the Netherlands, Germany,Israel, Mongolia and Canada. But thenew certificate will be a big bargainingchip in its current negotiations with theUnited Kingdom, France, Australia andthe Scandinavian countries, said WBDspokesperson Yulia Belova.

Belova said that the reason hercompany chose mors – a sort of berrycompote without the chunks – to be itsfirst internationally certified product wassimply because of its uniqueness. “Afterextensive marketing research wedecided that mors would be the firstWBD product on the international marketbecause it has no analogue.”

Wonder Berry is produced fromberries collected in the Russia forests,not cultivated. A similar product is alsoproduced in Ireland, but it is notexported. (Source: Extracted from theMoscow Times, 6 June 2001, reported inTaiga ntfp listserve.)

SOMALIA

Boswellia from Somalia, a source of high-quality frankincenseFrankincense is the oleo-gum-resinharvested from several different treesbelonging to the genus Boswellia. Theresin is formed in cavities within the treebark and is released when the bark tissueis damaged. This is part of the plant’snatural defence mechanism. By “tapping”the tree deliberately, people have beenharvesting this resin for many centuries.There is a distinct lack of knowledge aboutthe species in regard to their botany,taxonomy and distribution, althoughclarification has been attempted severaltimes in the past. There is much variationin the species in regard to leaf shape,inflorescence and fruits, number ofbranches, and size and shape of the trunk.The trunks have distinct swollen baseswhich, it must be assumed, help in theuptake and storage of water and minerals.All these adaptations allow the trees tocope with the extreme environmentalconditions under which they grow.

Two species important for theiressential oils are found growing inSomalia, Boswellia sacra (syn. B. carteri)and Boswellia frereana. The territorieswhere these trees grow are divided upinto xiji (a Somalian term indicating anarea of land controlled by one specificfamily for the purpose of harvesting theresin). Traditionally, these areas belongto one family group, and are handeddown through the generations.

Boswellia sacra is found in northernSomalia, Ethiopia, southern Yemen andOman. It grows on hills, gullies and cliffsup to an altitude of 1 230 m and 200 kminland from the coast. As the trees aremore abundant in the harsher, steeper,less accessible regions, they have notbeen exploited as much as those of B.frereana which grow in more accessibleplaces. The harvest season lasts for eightmonths, from March to October. A tappingis made every 15 to 20 days in a cyclicalharvest, which enables about tenharvests per season. This type of resindoes not tend to run down the bark, and


52


upon ripening it becomes a transparentyellow colour. Collected resin can beeither deep yellow, reddish or pale whiteand translucent in colour, and is knownlocally as beeyo. It is used mainly asreligious incense as well as in theEuropean flavour and fragrance industry.

Boswellia frereana is native to northernSomalia. It is found only in coastal sites,often on steep vertical slopes to a heightof 750 m above sea level. This speciesprefers a hotter, more humid climate andrequires good supplies of water. Theharvest season starts in late August witha tapping made about every 25 to 35days. This longer time lapse betweentappings is due to the lower temperaturesincreasing the time it takes for the resin tomature.

The resin runs down the bark to formlong valuable “tears”, which are harvestedannually at the end of the season. Thisresin is of superior quality owing to itslemon scent, sweet taste and pale topaz-yellow colour and is known locally asmeydi. It is used widely as a type ofchewing gum as it is considerably lessbitter than B. sacra. On the open market itcommands twice the price of beeyo. It ispossible to find the two species growingtogether in areas where the upper growthlimits of B. frereana cross the lowergrowth limits of B. sacra. The trees arenot harvested until they are five to sevenyears old when they will be 4 to 5 m highwith 15 cm diameter trunks. Traditionaltapping methods are still used today, butthere is now potential for increased yieldby improvement of these methods, oreven the introduction of chemical flowenhancers, similar to those used in rubberproduction. Harvesting is extremelydifficult because of the dangerous and noteasily accessible terrain. Tough physicaldemands are made on the harvesters,who work in high temperatures in regionswith poor road systems. The resin istaken back to the village, where womenwork long hours sorting the resinaccording to colour, size and shape. B.sacra (beeyo) is graded by colour intored, white or mixed. B. frereana (meydi) isgraded according to colour and also thesize of the “tears”.

Frankincense resin is a naturalrenewable resource that provides a livingfor a great number of Somalis. Somalia isthe only country identified as having B.frereana growing naturally that producesthe precious meydi resin. At present, anIrish development organization,Progressive Interventions, is working inSomalia with the remit of looking at waysto increase the income of local collectors.

The resins from several species ofBoswellia are traded as frankincense withsources from many countries within theAfrican continent as well as the Near Eastand South Asia. Industrial distilleries willbuy resin from a mixture of species andgrades. If their sorting systems are notstrictly quality controlled, the distillation ofmixed batches of resin will occur.Moreover, differences in distillationmethods can produce oils of differentqualities. They can be deterpenized byredistillation and also adulterated. This alladds to the general confusion in what issold as frankincense oil in the generalmarket place.

In the Plant Biology Department at theScottish Agricultural College, researchwas carried out involving the distilling ofauthentic resin samples from Somalia,and assessing oil yield and quality byGC analyses.

It must be remembered that the resin isa naturally produced plant material,growing under uncontrolled conditions,and as such will exhibit much variation. Itmay be that an inexperienced traderwould find it extremely difficult todifferentiate between the different sourcesand species. This variation was alsoapparent in the chemical composition ofthe distilled oil. (Source: Medicinal PlantConservation, vol. 7, 1 August 2001.)


the authors:

Katerina P. Svoboda, Janice Hampson

or Lorna Hill, Aromatic and Medicinal

Plant Group, Scottish Agricultural

College (SAC), Auchincruive, Ayr KA6

5HW, Scotland, UK.

Fax: +44 1292 525314;

e-mail: [email protected] uk; or

j.hampson@au sac.ac.uk

SOUTH AFRICA

Medicinal plantsAlmost every city and town in South Africahas some form of trade in plants formedicinal or cultural purposes, most oftenthrough informal street markets or smallshops known as Amayeza stores(amayeza is the Xhosa word for medicine)or as Muthi shops in KwaZulu-Natal.

A survey carried out in 2000 of thetrade of medicinal plants in the six largesturban centres of Eastern Cape Provincehas revealed some startling results.Based on 282 informants’ lists of their tenmost frequently traded species, no fewerthan 166 plant species were recorded asregularly harvested from wild populationsand sold for medicinal and culturalpurposes. It is estimated that 435 tonnesof wild-harvested plant material is tradedin the six city centres in Eastern CapeProvince alone every year, generating anincome of US$2.43 million per annum. Aslucrative as this may sound, it is sharedamong so many traders that the averagemonthly income per capita is betweenapproximately US$19 and $64.

Medicinal plants are harvestedregularly, with little or no control ormanagement in communal areas andState-owned land in Eastern CapeProvince. No plants are cultivated and allmaterial is wild-harvested. Currentlegislation (National Forests Act 1998)allows for the harvesting of plant materialfor subsistence use only and this isrestricted to what the harvester can carrywithout containers. The Department ofWater Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) hasadopted a policy of sustainable


53


Boswellia carteri

harvesting by means of community-based management programmes. The“new” (post 1994) conservationlegislation is excellent and allows forboth community access as well as strictlaw enforcement where necessary.Unfortunately, there are as yet nomanagement structures in place and thepresent harvesting rates are uncontrolledand far from sustainable. Provincialconservation authorities and DWAF arecritically understaffed and lack thecapacity to manage previously restrictedareas, much less communal land.(Source: The trade in medicinal plants inthe Eastern Cape Province, South Africain TRAFFIC Bulletin, 19(1) [2001].)


the authors: Tony Dold, Selmar

Schonland Herbarium, Rhodes

University Botany Department, PO Box

101, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.


or Michelle Cocks, Institute for Social

and Economic Research (ISER),

Rhodes University, PO Box 94,

Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.

Sustaining Natural Resources in AfricanEnvironments (SUNRAE)SUNRAE is an acronym that aptlydescribes the focus of this researchprogramme: Sustaining NaturalResources in African Environments. Theprogramme is an initiative of the Centrefor African Ecology of the University ofthe Witwatersrand, South Africa.

SUNRAE is permanently based at theWits Rural Facility, a university researchfacility in the central lowveld of NorthernProvince, near Kruger National Park. Thisregion of South Africa is characterized bydense rural populations of the formerblack homelands created during SouthAfrica’s apartheid past, juxtaposed withostensibly élitist private game reservesand State conservation areas, all within asemi-arid savannah environment.

The rural populations depend heavilyon communal lands for indigenous naturalresources, such as fruits, edible herbs,plant parts for medicines, animals formeat, wood for fuel, and timber for

construction. Recent research conductedby SUNRAE has shown that thesecommunities still place considerable valueon cultural, social and environmentalservices provided by biodiversity in areas.Many communities face an acute shortageof some of these resources, and the linksbetween poverty and environmentaldecline are readily apparent.

Against this backdrop, the objectivesof SUNRAE are to:

• conduct applied research around theissues of sustainable utilization andmanagement of indigenous resourcesin semi-arid communal woodlands;

• develop human resources capable ofunderstanding and addressing theissues of rural development andresource conservation across thehuman-environment interface;

• synthesize and disseminate suchinformation and knowledge to ruralcommunities, decision-makers,landowners and policy-makers.

Since 1992, more than 90 journalarticles, reports, proceedings and theseshave been compiled by SUNRAE. Thiswork has shed new light on manyaspects of the ecology and managementof communal lands. It has also raisedawareness of key issues on thesustainable management of naturalresources in communal lands in thesemi-arid savannahs of South Africa.

SUNRAE is also a partner incommunity development andconservation projects such as theEndangered Wildlife Trust’s MakulekeTraining programme, and the Kruger toCanyons Biosphere Reserve.


Mr Wayne Twine, Wits Rural Facility,

Private Bag X420, Acornhoek, 1360,

South Africa.

Fax: +27 15 7933992;


THAILAND

Alternatives to national parks Alternatives to national parks should beconsidered in order to conserve bothforests and people’s livelihoods,academics say. Thirty-six NGOs at arecent seminar to review the ForestryDepartment’s 40-year management ofnational parks agreed the parks had hurtthe lives of people living in and aroundforests. Academics at the meeting saidan appropriate model for forestconservation should allow for both publicuse and forest protection.

Somsak Sukwong, of the RegionalCommunity Forestry Training Centre(RECOFTC) for Asia and the Pacific,argued that the poor in the countrysideneeded to live on resources from theforests, while Somkiat Pongpaiboon, ofthe Rajabhat Institute at NakhonRatchasima, said that national parkmanagement had ignored the fact thatThailand was an agricultural country.“Conservation per se, where the stateremoves the people and takes chargeover their land, should be ended,’’ MrSomkiat added.

Suraphol Duangkhae, of Wildlife FundThailand, said the Forestry Departmentshould retain management of nationalparks. Areas outside national parksshould be cared for by the public tocomplement the department’s work. Hesaid that it was important to bear in mindthat it will not be easy to keep movingpeople out of their land and that analliance of people and the departmentwill be the key to better conservation.

IUCN-World Conservation Unionrepresentative, Piyathip Eaowpanich,considered that Thailand’s managementof its forests was at the stricter end ofconservation and that a combination ofdifferent kinds of protected areas other


54


than national parks would allow peopleto make use of forests.

The academics agreed that theproposed Community Forest Act, whichis being revised by the Senate, would beone of the keys to better management.(Source: Bangkok Post, 6 January 2002,in RECOFTC e-letter 2002.2.)

TURKEY

Chestnuts in Turkey: brief introductorypaper about chestnut in Turkey especiallyas a non-wood forest productThe chestnut is probably the mostimportant nut crop found throughoutTurkey’s forests. It has been cultivatedand consumed for several centuries.Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) isthe only native species of the genus inTurkey and its centre of origin is believedto be eastern Turkey or Caucasus.

In Turkey, chestnut covers 29 892 haand, according to the Forest Code, isconsidered to be a forest tree and ismainly found in forests. According toForest Management Plan statistics, 87 percent of chestnuts are high forest;the rest are coppice forest. The growingstock is 6 660 722 m3 in high forest and2 114 846 steres in coppices. Treesoutside the forest are negligible.

In general, chestnut is used for its nut.But, in addition to this, its hardwood timberis used for construction materials and itsflowers for apiculture – some counties arefamous for their chestnut honey.

Geographical distributionThe ten main counties in which thechestnut is found are in the Black Searegion, with the exception of Izmir. Butthe nuts are generally produced in theMarmara and Aegean regions. It ispossible to say, therefore, that thechestnuts found in the Black Sea regionare natural.

Nut productionAccording to the statistics for the last 20years, Turkey’s annual crop yield hasgrown to 68 625 tonnes, an increase of28 kg of nuts per tree.

ExportTurkey exports more than a tenth of thetotal amount of chestnut nuts to morethan 55 countries, the main customersbeing Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia,Jordan (from the Near East), and Italy,Greece, Germany, the United Kingdom,Austria and France (from Europe). Forthe ten years from 1990 to 1999, inexchange for the 62.641 tonnes ofchestnuts exported, Turkey earnedUS$67 million, which means thatTurkey’s annual export is 6 000 tonnesworth US$6.7 million. The price ofexported nuts is approximately US$1 perkilogram without processing.

Internal consumptionAccording to official figures collected fromAnkara, internal chestnut consumption isestimated to be 47 387 tonnes annually.The nut is consumed in Turkey in thedifferent ways shown in the table below:

Total Income from chestnutsThe total annual income from chestnuts,including export, internal consumptionand unrecorded consumption, can becalculated as follows: Export. US$6 679 623 equivalent to 6 264tonnes (average for last ten years).Internal consumption. US$94 774 000equivalent to 47 387 tonnes product (theaverage price of the nut has been

accepted at a retail price of US$2/kg).Unrecorded internal consumption. Theexport and official internal consumptionamount to 53 651 tonnes, but nutproduction is 68 652 tonnes annually.Therefore, the difference between thetwo figures is unrecorded consumption.If we assume that these products wereconsumed at a minimum US$1/kg,US$14 973 000 equivalent to 14.973tonnes have been earned.As a consequence, the total income ofchestnut nuts can be calculated:Export US$6 679 623Internal consumption US$94 774 000Unrecorded internal consumption US$14 973 000Total US$116 426 623


Ismail Belen, Forest Engineer, General

Directorate of Forestry, OGM APK Daire

Ba_kanlı_ı 1 Nolu Bina,

06560 Gazi-Ankara, Turkey.

Fax: +90 312 2227336;


UGANDA

Uganda Forestry AssociationThe overall objective of the UgandaForestry Association (UFA) is “to ensure asustainable forestry sector that isaccorded its rightful role in contributing tothe socio-economic development throughproduction of indispensable goods andservices”. This will be achieved throughthe following specific objectives:

• to create and maintain proper publicunderstanding of the value and thevital role forests play in our daily lives;

• to serve as an advocacy channel forforestry issues and create a forum forexchange of ideas among forestersand other interested partiesthroughout Uganda;

• to promote the effective protection,production and utilization of Uganda’sforest resources and in accordancewith relevant internationalconventions/agreements;

• to work as far as possible for thestandardization of information


55


Chestnut product Price (US$/kg) Raw product 1.5 (average)(sold in markets)Roasted (sold on 6streets by street sellers)Candied 20

collection, storage, retrieval,dissemination and utilization systemfor the forestry sector.

In order to achieve these objectives, UFAhas developed a three-year, five-component project proposal “Improvingthe value of forests and trees In Uganda”to carry out the following activities,including non-wood forest products:

• information and databaseestablishment and disseminationincluding advocacy;

• research and training;• promoting quality products;• promoting tree growing in Uganda;• providing consultancy services.

UFA would like to collaborate with otherinternational agencies wishing to work inthe developing world.


The Administrator, Uganda Forestry

Association, PO Box 27667,

Kampala, Uganda.

Tel./fax: +256 41 340442;

e-mail c/o: [email protected]

Branching Out An electronic version of Branching Out,the Forest Sector Newsletter of Uganda,can be obtained from Gaster KawuubyeKiyingi, Information Officer, UgandaForest Sector Coordination Secretariat,Ministry of Water, Lands andEnvironment, PO Box 27314, Kampala,Uganda;fax: +256 (0)41 340683;e-mail: [email protected];[email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM

Forest FootprintThe World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)has recently published the UnitedKingdom’s Forest Footprint. The UnitedKingdom is the world’s second largestimporter of forest products, importing 85 percent of its needs. The Minister forthe Environment has pledged to reformthe government procurement of forestproducts to source more ForestStewardship Council-certified products

and to promote responsible forestry onthe estimated 6.4 million hectares ofoverseas forests needed to supply theUnited Kingdom market. (Source: TaigaNews, Winter 2001.)

UNITED REPUBLICOF TANZANIA

Preserving traditionForests and woodlands cover over athird of the total land area of the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania, and are the mainsource of fuel, timber, fruits and otherfoods for many rural communities. Morethan 50 indigenous wild fruits grow in themiombo woodlands alone, whichdominate the west and south of thecountry. They offer valuable nutrients torural families, but less than half the fruitis collected, leaving the rest to rot in theforest or be eaten by monkeys.

The International Centre for Researchin Agroforestry (ICRAF) is working withlocal women’s groups and the TanzanianWomen Leaders in Agriculture andEnvironment (TAWLAE) to increaseawareness of the high nutritional value ofthese indigenous fruits, and enable thewomen to maximize their potential forincome generation through themanufacture and sale of jam, wine andjuice. (Source: Global Newsletter onUnderutilized Crops, June 2001.)

VIET NAM

Social Forestry Development Project(SFDP) Song Da The SFDP Song Da project is beingfinanced by the Federal German Ministryfor Economic Cooperation andDevelopment, BMZ. The project, whichstarted in 1993 and has a totalimplementation period of 12 years, wasinitiated as a watershed protectionmeasure in the Song Da watershed. Theproject goal is that “the living conditions ofthe local population in the Song Da regionare improved in accord with a stabilizationof the ecology”. The project purpose isthat “(rural) communities in Son La and

Lai Chau provinces manage their naturalresources in an ecologically, economicallyand socially sustainable way”. The targetgroups are the local populations in the twoprovinces, which comprise a largepercentage of ethnic minorities (mainlyThai and H’mong).

The project is working in five areas: a) participatory land use planning and landallocation; b) methodology for participatoryvillage development planning; c) improvedtechnical and organizational options; d) technical procedures for natural forestregeneration; and e) establishment of aneeds-oriented extension concept.


Ms Huong Lien, SFDP PR Coordinator,

GPO Box 407, Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Fax: +84 4 214765;


[email protected]

ZIMBABWE

Social benefits of natural woodlands andeucalyptus woodlots in Mukarakate,northeastern ZimbabweThe social benefits of indigenousmiombo woodland resources and exoticEucalyptus camaldulensis woodlots wereinvestigated in Mukarakate, northeasternZimbabwe. The availability of woodlandresources and the importance of thoseresources to different social classes andgenders were studied by usingparticipatory rural appraisal methods.Semi-structured interviews were used toclarify the benefits from naturalwoodlands and exotic plantations, aswell as any management problems foreucalyptus woodlots owned by privateindividuals, educational institutions andwoodlot cooperatives. Interviews ofeucalyptus woodlot owners in two typical


56


villages were conducted betweenJanuary 1998 and November 1999.

The availability of most woodlandresources had decreased very rapidlybetween 1980 and 1998 and are likely tocontinue decreasing in the future. Thishas caused problems especially for thepoor and women because they were theprimary users of many of the non-woodforest products (NWFP) from the miombowoodlands, and these products weregetting more and more difficult to find inthe area. People from all social classeshad established eucalyptus woodlots inthe 1980s, but these woodlots were notable to provide substitutes for many of theNWFPs that had come from miombowoodlands. (Source: Forests, Trees andLivelihoods, 11(1): 29-45 [2001].)


the author: T.M. Tyynela, Faculty of

Forestry, University of Joensuu, PO

Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland.

[Please see under Products and Markets –

Mushrooms – for more information on

Zimbabwe.]

Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources Through their keen and activeZimbabwean fieldworkers and awarenessof local resource needs, the SouthernAlliance for Indigenous Resources(SAFIRE) has established field projectswhich deal with people-plant interactionsaway from the Zambezi valley geographicfocus of the better known and longerestablished CAMPFIRE programme.Examples are its research on ilala(Hypahaene coriacea) palm harvesters,baobab fibre, oil and nutriceuticals, therole of the musau tree (Ziziphusmauritiana) in household economies,traditional uses of, and economicopportunities from, makoni herbal tea(Fadogia ancylantha), and work withcommunities in the Chipinge area on re-establishment and agroforestry productionof the medicinal tree muranga (Warburgiasalutaris). With support from the Peopleand Plants Initiative, SAFIRE is thenational contact point for the ZimbabweEthnobotany Network (ZEN), which linksinto the African Ethnobotany Network of

the Association for the Study of the Floraof Tropical Africa (AETFAT).

SAFIRE was established in 1994through the collaboration of several localand international NGOs. SAFIRE’s missionis to facilitate the development andapplication of innovative approaches todiversify and improve rural livelihoods,based on the utilization, commercializationand sustainable management of naturalresources. As a “plants” counterpoint to theCAMPFIRE programme, which focusesprimarily on large mammals, SAFIREdraws attention to the value of woodlandsto local people. Its main goals are topromote the establishment of naturalresource-based enterprises, and to supportthe development of land use alternativesderived from these enterprises.

SAFIRE’s Managing our IndigenousTree Inheritance programme focuses onthe economic development of communalareas based on sustainable andproductive use of natural resources,especially from woodlands. There are fourbroad areas of focus: a) enterprisepromotion and development; b) naturalresource management at the communitylevel; c) institutional development amongtraditional leadership and modern localgovernance structures; and d) naturalresource policy development at the localand national levels. The programme isknown by the acronym MITI, meaning“trees” in the local Shona language.

Since its initiation in 1997, MITI hassought to develop a range of naturalplant products, identify and exploremarket opportunities for those products,build production and processing capacitywithin local communities, and developalternative methodologies for assessingthe volume and sustainable offtakelevels of the plant resources that formthe basis for these products.

The MITI project works withcommunities in five districts in easternZimbabwe. To date, it has identified morethan 40 different enterprise opportunitiesbased on natural products, and hasfacilitated the development of enterprisesbenefiting more than 10 000 people. Atpresent, the project is moving towards asecond phase, in which it will focus on a

narrower range of products, while hopingto develop them all the way to exportquality and production.

SAFIRE hosts several national andregional initiatives aimed at promotingnatural product development andmarketing. These include the MiomboForum, which supports alternative tradeand ecolabelling for products derived frommiombo woodlands in five countries insouthern and eastern Africa; and theSouthern African Natural Products TradeAssociation (SANProTA), which facilitatesproduct and market research anddevelopment for forest or veld productsfrom Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambiaand Zimbabwe.

(Source: People and Plants Handbook,issue 6, May 2001.)


Mr Gus Le Breton, Director, Southern

Alliance for Indigenous Resources, PO

Box BE 398, Belvedere, Harare,

Zimbabwe.

Fax: +263 4 790470;



57


One of the projects that SAFIRE hasbeen working on with support from thePeople and Plants Initiative is thereintroduction of a medicinal treespecies, Warburgia salutaris, locallyknown as muranga, which is the mostimportant traditional medicine inZimbabwe. An economic analysis fromthis pilot project of Warburgiareintroduction, as well as of marketprice data from a survey of local herbalmedicine markets, strongly suggeststhat the reintroduction of Warburgiasalutaris in southeastern Zimbabwehas great potential to enhanceconservation of an endangered speciesand, simultaneously, improve thelivelihoods of local rural people. T.E. Veeman et al. (in press). Murangareturns: the economics of productionof a rare medicinal plant species re-introduced in southeastern Zimbabwe.Advances in Economics Botany.

DANISH ECOLABELLINGCAMPAIGN FORGES AHEAD

The Danish Government’s informationcampaign on ecolabelling, launched in2001, has now entered its second phase,the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has announced. The first stagesaw public recognition of the EuropeanUnion “Flower” symbol and of the Nordic“Swan” label increase substantially andalso resulted in rises of up to 50 percentin sales of ecolabelled products, theagency said in a statement. Thecampaign will now focus on increasingthe range and turnover of ecolabelledgoods. (Source: Environment Daily,1091, 29 October 2001.)

SE CREÓ LA PRIMERA ÁREADE CONSERVACIÓN PRIVADA

El bosque seco lambayecano deChaparrí es, desde el pasado 27 dediciembre, la primera área naturalprotegida de conservación privada delPerú. Su gestión es obra exclusiva de losintegrantes de la comunidad campesinade Santa Catalina de Chongoyape queaspiran a convertir a Chaparrí en unejemplo de conservación para lascomunidades del país y en un factorimportante de su propio desarrollo social.

La nueva área protegida privada hasido creada mediante la ResoluciónMinisterial N° 1.324-AG-2001, con laopinión favorable de la Dirección Generalde Áreas Naturales Protegidas delInstituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales(INRENA) y que será administrada poresta comunidad campesina luego cumplir

con los requisitos exigidos por elINRENA, en consonancia con lalegislación vigente sobre áreasprotegidas.

Según el expediente técnicopresentado por la comunidad de SantaCatalina, Chaparrí protegerá los bosquesy las especies de fauna existentes ydesarrollará planes de manejo para larehabilitación y reintroducción deespecies de flora silvestre amenazadas yen peligro de extinción.

El área de conservación privadaChaparrí tiene una extensión de 34 413hectáreas, ubicadas en el distrito deChongoyape, provincia de Chiclayo,departamento de Lambayeque, y en losdistritos de Llama y Miracosta, provinciade Chota, departamento de Cajamarca.

Las especies de flora másrepresentativas suman más de 50 entrelas que se incluyen el sapote, hualtaco,overo, algarrobo, faique, angolo,chamico, caña brava, lipe, tres especiessilvestres de tomates, una variedad defrutales nativos, así como un grupo de 7especies que aún no han sidoidentificadas científicamente. (Fuente:Econews, 10 de enero de 2002.)

GORILLA-BASED TOURISM:A REALISTIC SOURCEOF COMMUNITY INCOMEIN CAMEROON?

In the southern forest belt of Cameroona trial is under way to develop a“community-based gorilla research andtourism site”. This is taking place withinthe context of government policy toinvolve local populations in themanagement of wildlife, and is anattempt to address the desire of a localcommunity to develop some sort oftourism in and around their communityforest. A recent case study of the villagesof Koungoulou and Karagoua inCameroon by Elias Djoh and Mark vander Wal discusses some fundamentalquestions related to the feasibility of thetrial, such as the difficulty of workingwithin existing legislation, the need tohabituate the gorillas to the presence of

humans, and the problem of helping thecommunity to organize such an activityeffectively.

There is an ongoing debate inCameroon concerning the sustainablemanagement of wildlife, the involvementof local populations in natural resourcemanagement, and activities that cangenerate sustainable income for thosepopulations.

In the Lomié region and throughout thehumid forest belt of southern and easternCameroon, agriculture (especially cocoaand coffee) used to be the favouredsource of income for farmers. However,with the end of State subsidies and adrastic fall in the market price of theseproducts, local people have turned tohunting (all of which, according to currentlegislation, is illegal “poaching”) in orderto meet their needs. Although industriallogging within the “agroforestry” zoneundoubtedly provides an income for theState and populations living adjacent toconcessions, the impact of this income atvillage level is very minor.

Given this situation, the government,non-governmental organizations (NGOs)and projects have put emphasis onworking with the local populations to findother activities which could generatemore sustainable income to compete withhunting and logging. In this respect, localpeople can potentially benefit fromCameroon’s forestry policy, which givesthem the right to apply for and managecommunity forests and communityhunting zones according to establishednorms and procedures. Although theareas concerned are not large, this isnevertheless an achievement for thepopulations, allowing them to take theirown decisions about the use of the forest.

Two villages, Karagoua andKoungoulou, have included thedevelopment of tourism in their forestmanagement objectives, and specificallytourism to observe gorillas in their naturalhabitat. This initiative is supported by alocal NGO, Centre international d’appuiau développement (CIAD), which,together with local populations, hasinitiated a gorilla habituation trial in thevillage forest area. In the long term, the


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aim is to develop a site for tourism andscientific research where the gorillas willbe protected and habituated to thepresence of humans in their environment.

The authors explore the potentialbenefits, problems and constraints of thisproposal and present their first resultsand impressions. They conclude that, inthe case of Lomié, it is clearly possible tohabituate one or several groups ofgorillas, although the habituation processtakes time. Locally, it is often comparedto the establishment of an oil palmplantation: four years of time and energymust be invested before the first palmnuts can be harvested. Thus, it willrequire patience and perseverancebefore the gorillas are habituated and theinvestment begins to show returns. Giventhe need to diversify local sources ofincome, the authors still firmly believethat it is worth attempting despite theproblems encountered. The biggestquestion is whether the populationsconcerned are capable of organizingthemselves to manage this communityactivity. Once they are well organized, itwill represent a more sustainable sourceof income, in contrast to the sporadicincome from the sales of standingvolume. There are, however, severalother questions which remainunanswered: how will this money (theincome from a community activityconducted by several villages) bemanaged? Will the activity have apositive impact on the conservation ofgorillas as a species in Cameroon? Orwill the gorillas still be hunted in the partof the forest that is not involved in thishabituation trial? (Source: RuralDevelopment Forestry Network paper25e, July 2001.)


the authors:

Elias Djoh, Director, Centre

international d’appui au

développement, PO Box 24, Lomié,

Cameroon.


or Mark van der Wal, SNV Cameroon,

PO Box 1239, Yaoundé, Cameroon.


KUMROSE COMMUNITYFOREST, NEPAL

Fifteen years ago, Nepal’s KumroseCommunity Forest was 25 ha of barrenland. Once part of the vast Chitwanjungle, the forests had been cleared byloggers and a government resettlementcampaign. Then, in the late 1980s, thecommunity got together to plant treesand recreate the once-lush jungles of thearea. Today the Kumrose CommunityForest is a 1 050 ha patch of jungle thatgenerates NRs 1.5 million annually fromtourists visiting the area for elephantrides and nature walks.

Kumrose does not rival the nearbyRoyal Chitwan National Park, but it hasshown that human intervention can bringback the nature that human interventiondestroyed – and it can work for thebenefit of nearby villages and raise theirstandard of living. Park and people neednot be in conflict.

Hira Bahadur Gurung, who chairs theforest conservation group, said that inthe past the floods from the Rapti riverused to wreak havoc in Kumrose andseven other villages. Tree plantationswere started on the barren banks of theriver to prevent floods; now there are nofloods, the trees hold the soil togetherand the farms are more fertile.

Today, nearly 1 200 households in thevicinity benefit directly from the Kumroseforest, which helps meet their fuelwood,timber, fodder and thatch needs. Withthe restoration of the forests, wildlifefrom the Royal Chitwan National Park

has also started sneaking into theKumrose forest. The Asiatic one-hornedrhinoceros and the Bengal tiger bothroam the forest, and this brings intourists keen to ride on elephant back tocatch a glimpse of the rare beasts, or goon jungle walks or even camp out.

The Kumrose Community Forest is aremarkable success story of howcommunity forestry and conservation cango together. The village collects feesfrom the rides and ploughs the moneydirectly into further conservation work.Biogas plants have been installed inmany households as an alternativesource of energy and villagers areencouraged to use less fuelwood fromthe forest.

Curious visitors to the communityforest have also encouraged local micro-entrepreneurship, and the success ofpreservation efforts has encouragedpeople to start community enterprises.The users’ group of the KumroseCommunity Forest, together with theVillage Development Committee,recently constructed a machan (viewingtower) that can accommodate eightvisitors at a time. The machan offersvisitors a chance to experience junglelife at night and, in the daytime, theopportunity to observe animals and birdsin a peaceful setting.

With the growth of the forest andresident wildlife in Kumrose, there hasbeen a surge in the community’sawareness of conservation. Villagershave realized they are the immediatebeneficiaries of the revenue generatedby visiting tourists. There is somenervousness about the wild animals theirforest now attracts, especially sincecrops are damaged by rhinos and wildelephants and livestock killed byleopards. Initially, when faced with thereforestation plans, not everyone was sosanguine and local people were afraidthat wild animals from the nearby RoyalChitwan National Park would make thispatch of forest their home and causemore trouble to local farmers.

Now there is none of the hostility inKumrose towards wildlife often seen inother conservation areas of Nepal.


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Losses from wild animals are toleratedbecause of the benefits they bring.

The Kumrose Community Foreststarted 15 years ago as a Panchayat-protected forest, but in 1995 it wasregistered as a community forest andhas been functioning according to thegovernment’s forestry regulations, whichhand over decision-making on protectionand management to the forest usergroups set up by the village developmentcommittees.

The Kumrose Community Forest isshortly completing its terms under thejurisdiction of the district forest authority,and is in the process of being registeredas a buffer zone of the Royal ChitwanNational Park. Once it is declared abuffer, it will benefit from the park’sconservation efforts, and in turncontribute grassroots support for thepark.

This is a vital part of the modernapproach to conservation, and will bethe strategy behind the Terai ArcLandscape (TAL), a new conservationapproach being designed by the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF) to joinconservation efforts in the Nepal Teraiand India. TAL aims to connectcommunity forests, protected forests, 11protected areas and national parks inNepal and India to facilitate migration oflarge mammals such as tigers, rhinosand Asian elephants. This would ensuretheir natural roaming patterns alongjungle corridors and ensure their long-term survival. (Source: Nepali Times,66, 2-8 November 2001;www.nepalnews.com.np/ntimes/issue66/villagevoice.htm)


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NATURE RESERVE IN VIETNAM: NA HANG DAMTHREATENS FORESTS,PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey isendemic to northern Viet Nam and is oneof the world’s most endangered mammalspecies. Before a group was spotted inNa Hang district in 1992, it wasconsidered extinct. Today, 260 of themonkeys are known to be living innorthern Viet Nam. Half of the populationlives in the Na Hang Nature Reserve,which was created in 1994 specifically toprotect the snub-nosed monkey.

The Na Hang Nature Reserve is in anarea of dramatic mountainous limestonescenery. The forest within the naturereserve is extraordinarily rich inbiodiversity. As well as providing ahabitat for the snub-nosed monkey, it ishome to the François’ leaf monkey,lesser slow loris, stump-tailed macaque,pig-tailed macaque, dhole, Owston’spalm civet, clouded leopard, Asiatic blackbear, serow, a series of endangeredbirds and butterflies, an endangeredtortoise and 13 species of threatenedplants. Four endangered fish species livein the Gam river, which forms thewestern boundary of the nature reserve.

Scott Wilson Asia Pacific, a consultingcompany, is leading a consortiumcarrying out a Protected Area ResourceConservation (PARC) project in Na Hangwith funding from the GlobalEnvironment Facility. In addition,Allwetter Zoo and the Zoological Societyfor the Conservation of Species andPopulations (both of Germany) arerunning the Tonkin Snub-nosed MonkeyConservation Project.

Unfortunately, the same VietnameseGovernment that set up the Na HangNature Reserve now seems determinedto go ahead with plans for a US$420million, 300 MW hydropower dam on theGam river. The dam would flood part ofthe Na Hang Nature Reserve and havedevastating, long-term impacts on theforests, people and wildlife in andadjacent to the reserve.

In 1997, Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN),the state electricity utility, produced apre-feasibility study for a dam on theGam River. Two years later, EVNproduced terms of reference for afeasibility study of the dam which wasdue to be completed at the end of 2001.Scott Wilson Asia Pacific wrote, in theinception report for its conservationproject in Na Hang, that it proposed to“assist the Government of Viet Nam bycarrying out a preliminary environmentalassessment of the River gam dam”.Scott Wilson’s consultants completedtheir preliminary environmentalassessment in 2000. According to VietNam’s Electricity Master Plan NumberFive, released in 2001, the Na Hangdam is planned to be commissioned in2006. So far, the VietnameseGovernment has not securedinternational funding for the dam.

If built, the Na Hang dam would createa reservoir stretching 30 km up the Gamriver and flooding 57 km2, including 220ha of the Na Hang Nature Reserve.Forty-five villages would be flooded, andmore than 11 000 people would beevicted to make way for the reservoir.Ethnic groups living in the area includeDao, Tay, Hoa and H’mong, as well asKinh, the Vietnamese majority group.One woman, who would be evicted bythe dam, told Scott Wilson’s consultants,“We may be poor, but this is our home.”

Before the dam is built, the reservoirarea would be logged. At present thereis no road access to the area. Buildingthe dam would involve building a newroad, a major construction site, traffic,construction noise, dust, pollution,explosions, and up to 10 000 workers.Construction workers will increase localdemand for wildlife and other forestproducts. The bones, hands and feet ofTonkin snub-nosed monkeys are madeinto traditional medicines. With a streamof construction trucks driving in and outof the area, it would be almostimpossible to stop illegal trading.

In May 1999, a group ofenvironmental organizations, includingthe World Conservation Union, AllwetterZoo and Primate Conservation Inc.,

wrote to Prime Minister Phan Van Khaiand other Vietnamese officials. Theirletters requested that a thoroughenvironmental impact assessment of theproposed dam should be carried out, inaccordance with Viet Nam’s Law onEnvironment Protection and theConvention on Biodiversity (to which VietNam is a signatory). To date, no suchstudy has been done. The VietnameseGovernment did not reply to the letters.(Source: RECOFTC e-letter 2002.5, 28February 2002.)

FORESTS AND CONFLICT

The writer is director-general of theCenter for International ForestryResearch, based in Bogor, Indonesia.He contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune.

With much of the world’s attention rivetedon Afghanistan, it is easy to forget thatarmed conflicts are bringing death andmisery to millions of people in scores ofcountries around the world. Since 1989the number of civil wars has tripled.

Some are minor affairs, but others haveparalysed whole nations and have thepotential to spark off wider violence. If theworld wants to avoid endless turmoil, itneeds to understand what causes suchconflicts. It is often claimed that the warsof the future will result from rapidly risingpopulations fighting over increasinglyscarce resources, such as water and land.At present, though, what we see is thatthe desire to control natural resourcessuch as timber, diamonds and petroleumlies behind many conflicts.

Take Nicaragua, which I recently visitedto do research on forests. After reaching aremote region on the Atlantic coast, I

suddenly found myself surrounded byseveral dozen Miskito Indian guerrillas,each carrying an AK-47 assault rifle.When it became clear to them that I wasthere to protect the forests, not plunderthem, I was allowed to go. The Miskitohad taken up arms because outsiderswere seeking to exploit their timber andmineral resources.

The Miskito are not alone. Many violentconflicts occur in areas of dense tropicalforest, where regular and irregular armies,timber and mining companies, indigenouspeople and drug cartels vie for controlover natural resources.

In Cambodia, both the government andthe Khmer Rouge financed militarycampaigns by procuring and sellingtimber.

In eastern Congo, abundant supplies oftimber and minerals have attracted aragbag of invading forces eager to profitfrom the spoils of war.

Rebel forces in Angola, Liberia andSierra Leone have prospered byexploiting diamonds and timber in regionsthat lie far beyond government control.

There are similar cases in Indonesia’sAceh Province, on Mindanao in thesouthern Philippines, in Nagaland innortheastern India, in parts of Myanmarand in other parts of the world.

There is, it seems, a standard recipe forconflict. Take a remote and inaccessibleforested area inhabited by ethnicminorities with little government presence.With its natural resources, such an area iswell suited to illicit activities. Outsiderssurge in to exploit the potential wealth.Add automatic weapons that can easilybe bought on the black market, and theprofits of plunder, and you soon end upwith jungle warfare between indigenouspeople and those they regard as invaders.

In this twenty-first century Wild West,both people and forests suffer. Take therecent horrors of Colombia.

While right-wing paramilitary forceshave murdered tribal leaders who havesought to resist their territorial ambitions,the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces ofColombia have forced Indians to join theirranks. Tens of thousands of people havebeen killed. Both sides have appropriated

the Indians’ ancestral lands. Both haveexploited natural resources and madevast profits from the cultivation and sale ofcocaine.

Even now, while attention is focused onAfghanistan, we need to plan for a saferfuture by nipping future resource wars inthe bud. Can this be done? Yes, but it willrequire foresight and courage from someof the poorest governments, andconsiderable assistance from the richworld.

Neglecting remote, forested regionsand those who live there invites futureconflict. It is vitally important thatgovernments invest in these areas toprovide them with social services, such asclinics, schools and running water, andbuild their credibility among the localpeople. Just as important is thatgovernments promote law and order andguarantee forest dwellers secure propertyrights. Many of today’s conflicts couldhave been averted if it had been clear along time ago who owned what, and whohad the rights to exploit timber and otherresources.

In the meantime, greater efforts shouldbe made to defuse current conflicts. Sincethe scramble for natural resources hassparked off many of these conflicts, it isclear that determining control of theseresources must be central to anynegotiations.

In addition, past experience in countriessuch as Guatemala and Liberia suggeststhat there is often an orgy of resourcegrabbing once a conflict ceases.Negotiations must plan not just for peacebut for the prudent use of naturalresources once conflict is over.

Of course, peace comes with a price.The governments in most countriesscarred by conflict lack the financialresources to invest in remote, sparselyinhabited regions.

This is where the rich world can help.Better, surely, to spend modest sums onavoiding conflict today than billions onresolving conflicts in the future. Theforests and the people who live there willthank us for it. (Source: DavidKaimowitz, The International HeraldTribune, 30 November 2001.)


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FOREST PRODUCTS DIVISION

FAO is to support UNCTAD’s biotradeThe best way to protect a resource, suchas forests and their biodiversity, is to makeit useful to those destroying it. And if theyare willing to preserve it instead, theyshould receive a fair income from it.

That is the thinking behind the BiotradeInitiative launched in 1996 by the UnitedNations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD). Its objectives, inline with the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD), are to ensureconservation and sustainable use ofbiological diversity, and to ensure that thebenefits arising from its use are sharedfairly. The initiative has practical supportfrom the UNCTAD/WTO InternationalTrade Centre, which assists developingcountries with the skills needed for tradepromotion and export development.

Now, following discussions in Romewith representatives of UNCTAD and theInternational Trade Centre, FAO willsupport the Biotrade Initiative’s TradeFacilitation Programme. This is intendedto enable sustainable trade in biodiversityproducts and services, through innovativepartnerships in product development,processing, marketing and biodiversitymanagement.

FAO already actively promotes a fair-trade approach to the preservation ofgenetic resources, one example beingpromotion of non-wood forest products(NWFP) that can be harvestedsustainably from the forest. This givespeople an economic alternative to cuttingdown the forest for either timber oragriculture. NWFPs range from wildhoney to fibres used in car upholstery,and include mushrooms, wild edible nuts,berries and bamboo.

Why biotrade?The thinking behind the initiative is thatpeople will be more willing to preservebiodiversity if doing so offers economicadvantages.

An example is the karite, or shea nut,tree. It grows over much of West Africa –including ecologically sensitive areas on thefringes of the Sahara, where trees are vital.


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FAO

WORLD FOOD SUMMIT:FIVE YEARS LATER

FAO will host a global meeting at itsRome headquarters from 10 to 13 June2002 to review progress towards endinghunger. The meeting, the World FoodSummit: five years later, is meant totrack progress achieved since the 1996World Food Summit and consider waysto accelerate the process.

The summit was originally scheduledfor 5 to 9 November 2001 but has beendelayed in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks in the UnitedStates. “The purpose of this event is togive new impetus to worldwide efforts onbehalf of hungry people,” says Dr JacquesDiouf, Director-General of FAO. “Wemust raise both the political will and thefinancial resources to fight hunger. Theinternational community has repeatedlydeclared that it is dedicated to theeradication of poverty. Eliminatinghunger is a vital first step.”

Unfortunately, current data indicatethat the number of undernourished isfalling at an average rate of only 6 million each year, far below the rate of22 million per year needed to reach theWorld Food Summit target. Althoughheadway has been made and somestriking success stories exist in individualcountries and communities, muchremains to be done.

World leaders will be requested tooutline the measures needed to achievethe goal, and make suggestions on howto accelerate progress. They are alsoexpected to consider how to increaseresources available for agricultural andrural development.

At the World Food Summit in 1996,representatives of 185 nations and theEuropean Community pledged to worktowards eradicating hunger. As anessential first step, they set a target ofreducing the number of hungry peopleby half by 2015. (Source: www.fao.org/worldfoodsummit/)

FAO LIVELIHOOD SUPPORTPROGRAMME “IMPROVING SUPPORTFOR ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS OF

THE RURAL POOR”

FAO and other agencies have beenexploring sustainable livelihoods (SL)approaches as a means of enhancing thequality and impact of their programmes onthe reduction of poverty and food insecurity.In this context, the promotion of sustainablelivelihoods is a key strategy for FAO in itsStrategic Framework for 2000-2015. Withsupport from the United KingdomDepartment for International Development(DFID), which will provide US$7 million overfive years, the Livelihood SupportProgramme (LSP) seeks to improve theimpact of FAO interventions at country levelthrough the effective application ofsustainable livelihood approaches. The SLmethods and lessons arising through theLSP are aimed at helping FAO to deliverfield programmes, policies and institutionsthat better support the livelihoods of therural poor.

The overall LSP programme iscomposed of nine complementarysubprogrammes and major outputs, eachwith its own theme, interdepartmentalteam, budget and an evolving workplandeveloped in collaboration with the othersubprogrammes. The overall LSPmanagement team includesrepresentatives from each of thesubprogrammes.


Jan Johnson, Project Coordinator,

Livelihood Support Programme, FAO,

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome

00100, Italy.


or Sabina Curatolo, Project Secretary.


Karite demonstrates how sustainableexploitation of a resource may helppreserve it, according to Paul Vantomme,FAO’s expert on NWFPs. “Farmers oftencut trees down to free land for growingfood,” he says. “But, increasingly, theyare tolerating karite trees in their fieldsbecause the nuts provide an edible oil.That oil can also be processed into sheabutter, which can be used as a substitutefor cocoa butter in chocolates, and incosmetics. If local farmers earn enoughfrom the income this generates, they willintegrate the trees with agriculture. This isnow happening.”

The next step, says Mr Vantomme,may be that farmers start growing a plantin which they previously had no interest –or even considered a nuisance. “Acrossover situation has arisen in whichsome potentially threatened plants (suchas kola nuts in West Africa) are farmedand traded, but wild ones continue togrow in nearby forests. This is good, asthe wild populations can be used tomaintain the genetic health of the farmedcrop.”

The principle does not apply solely toforests, but they offer particular potentialbecause they are a critical reservoir ofbiodiversity. And NWFPs are animportant business. In 1990/91 the valueof the total recorded trade in suchproducts was estimated at US$11 billion.To put this in context, the global coffee-bean trade was then worth about US$17 billion.

Challenges to biotradeThe Rome discussions on the TradeFacilitation Programme centred on anumber of key issues concerningsustainable trade in biodiversity andforest products.

Trade in a threatened resource musthave sufficient value for it to be worthpreserving. But at the same time, thetrade may have to be limited, preciselybecause the resource is limited. Speciesyielding NWFPs tend to grow at lowdensities – especially in tropical forests.This means there will not be largecommercial quantities. So these productsmust be aimed at niche markets that canbe profitable in small quantities. Thiscould include, for example, forest plantsused for high-value medicines and herbalremedies.

It is also important to determine wherethe limits of sustainable harvesting lie for agiven wild product. And the technical toolsfor assessing those limits must bedeveloped and transferred. After this, theremust be ways to certify that harvesting issustainable, in order to set standards forlabelling – but it is difficult to certifyproducts gathered in the wild.

Finally, new initiatives are needed tomarket unfamiliar products.

Many of these issues should beaddressed by the joint activitiesprovisionally agreed to at the meeting.They include:

• Improving terms and definitions forNWFPs, essential for internationaltrade. Work will focus on adding tothe classifications already listed bythe World Customs Organization.

• Clarification of certification andlabelling issues. Consumers mustknow that what they are buying washarvested sustainably.

• Development of benefit-sharingarrangements. These aremechanisms to ensure that those whoharvest resources with care receive afair share of the income. Thesearrangements also cover, forexample, farmers’ rights to usecommercial varieties of cropsdeveloped with genetic material theyhave helped preserve.

• Possible joint promotion of trade inkey NWFPs.

“If this collaboration develops,” saysPaul Vantomme, “it will help us to helplocal communities become partners inconservation – and raise their own livingstandards at the same time.” (Source:www.fao.org/news/2001/010903-e.htm)

Relevance and applicability of certificationand benefit-sharing mechanisms in thefield of NWFPsThe assessment of impact of trade andmarketing on the sustainable use ofNWFPs is one of FAO NWFPProgramme’s many activities. Theobjective of the assessment is to analysethe relevance and applicability ofcertification and benefit-sharingmechanisms in the field of NWFPs.

For agricultural and timber products,certification and benefit-sharingmechanisms have been established inorder to monitor and evaluate theecologically friendly, economically viableand/or socially equitable use of theseproducts. Criteria and indicators havebeen elaborated, against whichproduction and commercialization areassessed. The following mechanisms arebecoming more relevant for NWFPs:

• Forest management schemes mainlyassess ecological aspects of resourcemanagement, both at the forest andspecies/product level. These schemesaim at providing environmentallysound products, which can bemarketed as “green products”.

• Fair-trade schemes and benefit-sharing arrangements focus on socialaspects of trade and the adequateshare of benefits among stakeholders,including disadvantaged localcommunities.

• Product quality standards aim atensuring that defined productionstandards have been taken intoconsideration. These standards canfocus on various aspects such asorganic production or product purity.

• Certification of origin is used for avariety of products (e.g. foodproducts), in order to guarantee that agiven product is derived from a


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certain region or area. It does notassess any quality standards.

These mechanisms are mainly usedas marketing and policy tools. Thevariety of existing schemes, standardsand arrangements reflects the differentecological and socio-economicdimensions of sustainability. Marketdemand appears to be the driving forcewhen choosing a specific mechanism.

NWFPs have only recently beenincorporated in some of the abovemechanisms. The relevance of thesemechanisms for the sustainable use ofNWFPs will be analysed and themethods used to assess the sustainableproduction and commercialization ofNWFPs will be documented by thisprogramme activity.

The main activities include:a) documentation of relevant

stakeholders involved in certificationand benefit-sharing (e.g. privatesector, governmental and non-governmental organizations,labelling initiatives, collectorassociations, developmentagencies, consumer groups);

b) analysis of the relevance andapplicability of certification andbenefit-sharing mechanisms fordifferent NWFPs (e.g. food products,medicinal plants, gums, cosmetics);

c) compilation of working paper(s);d) establishment of Web site;e) co-organization of meeting(s).A first review of literature on the

ethical and legal aspects related to thetrade in NWFPs led to the compilation ofa Special Feature on the “Commercialuse of biodiversity: ethical and legalaspects” published in Non-wood NewsNo. 7. In addition, a report on “Benefit-sharing arrangements in the field of non-wood forest products – an overview” hasbeen compiled and will shortly beavailable on our Web site.

Contacts are being established withvarious organizations involved in thedevelopment and application ofcertification and benefit-sharingmechanisms. Based on these contactsand an extensive literature review, adocumentation of existing mechanisms,

organizations involved and case studieswill be made available.

It is intended to co-organize aworkshop in the second half of 2002 inorder to clarify further the relevance ofcertification and benefit-sharingmechanisms related to the sustainableuse of NWFPs.

Preliminary results of thisdocumentation and information on theplanned workshop will be made availableon our Web site (www.fao.org/forestry/fop/fopw/nwfp/nwfp-e.stm) as soon asthey are available.Note: We would greatly appreciatereceiving any information on existingcertification or benefit-sharingmechanisms or related case studies. Thisinformation would be duly acknowledgedin our documentation.


Sven Walter, NWFP Programme, Forest

Products Division, Forestry

Department, FAO.

Fax: +39 0657055618;


Travel of NWFP officersMr Paul Vantomme travelled to Australiafrom 11 to 22 April 2001 to attend theninth International Conference on Treeand Nut Crops that was held in Perth.The main objectives of the conferencewere: to increase awareness of theimportance of tree crops and nuts forfood production; to provide and shareinformation and understanding on theproduction, processing and marketingand their business environment; and toinitiate and strengthen collaboration in

the sector between public and privateorganizations in the various countries.

Mr Vantomme was invited by theconference organizers to present akeynote address on FAO’s activities onNWFPs during the opening plenarysession, to chair the NWFP subgroup andto present a paper on gum arabic in the“Gums” subgroup. In addition, a poster onFAO’s activities on NWFPs was displayedand presented by the Regional Office inthe exhibition hall. [See under Recent Events for moreinformation on this conference.]

Mr Sven Walter travelled to the Sudanfrom 27 May to 8 June 2001 in order toparticipate, together with three forestryofficers from the Niger, in a study tour onthe production and commercialization ofgum arabic, carried out in the context ofTCP/NER/0066 “Support to the Revival ofthe Production and the Commercializationof Gum arabic” (Appui à la relance de laproduction et de la commercialisation dela gomme arabique). The main objectiveof the study tour was to inform the Nigerparticipants about the current situation ofthe gum arabic sector in the Sudan, inorder to enable them to draw conclusionsfor the development of the gum arabicsector in the Niger and to establishcontacts between the institutions andgovernments concerned in both countries.

During the study tour, governmentalorganizations, producer associations,private companies and research instituteswere visited in order to gather informationon the production, collection and trade ofgum arabic (mainly gum hashab providedby Acacia senegal).

Mr Sven Walter carried out abackstopping mission to the Niger from25 June to 10 July 2001 within theframework of project TCP/NER/0066 [seeabove]. The aim of the mission was to: i) evaluate the results of the first phase of the TCP; ii) assist in the preparation,realization and evaluation of the “FirstNational Workshop on the gum sector inNiger: potentialities, constraints andperspectives of the production and thecommercialization of the gum arabic


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sector in Niger”; and iii) prepare thesecond phase of the project.

During the first phase, missions werecarried out by national and internationalconsultants on technological,commercial, socio-economic and legalaspects related to the use of gum arabicin the Niger. Moreover, a study tour wascarried out to the Sudan and Chad anda national workshop was organized.

The workshop achieved its goals andthe results obtained will contribute to thedevelopment of the national strategyregarding the revitalization of the gumsector of the Niger and to thepreparation of the second and thirdphases of the project.[Please see FAO in the Field for moreinformation on this project.]

Mr Paul Vantomme travelled toSwitzerland from 15 to 18 July 2001 torepresent FAO at the InternationalExpert Meeting on “Ways to Enhancethe Production and Export Capacities ofDeveloping Countries of Agriculture andFood Products, including NicheProducts, such as EnvironmentallyPreferable Products”. The meeting wasorganized by the Trade, Environmentand Development Section of UNCTADand was attended by more than 80participants from about 40 countries. MrVantomme was invited by the organizersto make a presentation on the role ofedible NWFPs as potential organicproducts for developing countries’ exportto niche markets in developed countries[See under Recent Events for moreinformation on this international expertmeeting.]

Ms Laura Russo travelled to Caracas,Venezuela, from 5 to 10 August 2001 toparticipate in the workshop “Informaciónsobre productos forestales nomadereros y árboles fuera del bosqueen América Latina”.[See under FAO in the Field for moreinformation on this workshop.]

Mr François Ndeckere-Ziangba travelledto Zambia from 15 to 19 October 2001to organize and participate in an Expert

Consultation with specialists fromAfrican English-speaking countries. Theobjective of the meeting was to getcontributions from experts with solidpractical experience in the field ofNWFP inventory. These contributionswould then help to develop guidelinesfor the assessment of NWFP resources.This Expert Consultation was one of themain activities to be performed undercomponent 4 of the EU-funded projectGCP/RAF/354/EC designed to sustainforest management in ACP Africancountries.[See under Special Features –Biometrics – for more information on thisExpert Meeting.]

Mr Sven Walter travelled to Cameroonfrom 10 to 19 November 2001 in orderto participate in the national workshop“Collection and analysis of statisticaldata on non-wood forest products(NWFP) in Cameroon: potentialities,constraints and perspectives”. Theworkshop was carried out in the contextof the European Commission-FAOPartnership Programme “Data collectionand analysis for sustainable forestmanagement in ACP countries: linkingnational and international efforts”(GCP/INT/679/EC). In addition, Mr Walter collected information on theexploitation of and the trade in themedicinal plant Prunus africana.

During the workshop, the “Pilot studyon the collection and analysis ofstatistical data on NWFPs inCameroon”, realized in the framework ofGCP/INT/679/EC, was presented,discussed and validated. Thediscussions stressed the importance ofimproving the quality and quantity ofinformation on NWFPs. Moreover, theparticipants discussed methodologicalaspects, the management anddissemination of information and othertechnical issues. The participantsidentified as a priority activity theorganization of a national workshop,which should aim at: a) creating anational network on NWFPs and anagreement on working arrangements; b)creating a national database on NWFPs;

and c) identifying the information to beincluded in the database.

Mr Walter also participated in themeeting of the national working groupon the exploitation and commercializationof Prunus africana. During the meeting,two studies on the national inventoryand the trade in Europe were discussedand validated. He visited the MountCameroon Project Buea in order tocollect in the field first-hand informationon the exploitation of Prunus africana.

RIL-Afrique-L – une nouvelle listeélectroniqueLa Division des produits forestiers alancé une nouvelle liste électronique,sous le nom de RIL-Afrique-L. RIL-Afrique-L est un bulletin électronique (enfrançais) portant sur les pratiquesd’exploitation forestière à faible impacten Afrique. Il veut être l’expression d’unréseau de communications, d’échangeset de discussions entre les différentsacteurs du secteur forestier et ils’adresse plus particulièrement àl’Afrique francophone.

La liste, qui va s’établir avec desinscriptions volontaires, est gérée par laSous-Division de l’exploitation et de lacommercialisation des produits forestiers(FOPH) de la FAO avec le soutien duprogramme de partenariat CommissionEuropéenne-FAO «Gestion durable desforêts dans les pays africains de l’ACP».

Cette liste sera un complément àd’autres sources d’informationexistantes, telles que la liste RILNETopérée à partir de Bangkok avec lesoutien du bureau régional de la FAOpour l’Asie et le Pacifique.

Pour s’inscrire à la liste, envoyer unmessage à l’adresse suivante:[email protected], en laissantla ligne objet vide et en rentrant la seulephrase: subscribe RIL-Afrique-L

Pour faire parvenir une contribution àla liste, envoyer un message à l’adressesuivante: [email protected]. org

Pour plus d’informations sur RIL-

Afrique-L, contacter:

Laura Russo.

Mél.: [email protected]


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FOREST RESOURCE DIVISION

FRA 2000 – main reportThe Global Forest ResourcesAssessment 2000 (FRA 2000) provides acomprehensive and up-to-date view ofthe world’s forest resources at the end ofthe second millennium. It is the result ofthe collective efforts of the countries ofthe world. This major undertaking wasbased primarily on information providedby the countries, supplemented by state-of-the-art technology to verify andanalyse the information and to make theresults accessible to the world throughthe Internet.

The FRA 2000 is a key source for theState of the World’s Forests 2001 whichreports every two years on the status offorests, recent major policy andinstitutional developments and importantissues concerning the forest sector.

Comparison of FRA 1990 and FRA 2000One of the most common and crucialquestions we receive about the FRA 2000results is how to compare them with FRA1990, particularly for forest area and areachange, which are the variables that hitmost headlines.

A Working Paper (No. 59) whichexplains and analyses the differences indetail is now available online. It is nosurprise that the change in forestdefinition for the industrialized countriescaused some confusion. What may bemore interesting, however, is that the so-called “slowdown” of net forest areachange (1990s compared with 1980s) ismore pronounced if the differencesbetween the assessments are taken intoaccount. Furthermore, although South

America shows considerable deforestationin the 1990s, the “slowdown trend”compared with the 1980s is quitepronounced there.

The title of the working paper is:“Comparison of forest area and forestarea change estimates derived from FRA1990 and FRA 2000” and is availableonline (www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/index.jsp – under Working Papers).


Peter Holmgren, Senior Forestry

Officer, Global Forest Assessments,

Forestry Department, FAO, Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657055825;


FRA 2000 main report:

www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/main/index.jsp

Database on forestry short coursesThe Forest Conservation, Research andEducation Service of the FAO ForestryDepartment has just completed a newdatabase on Short Courses and RelatedSubjects. The database is meant toprovide information on short coursesavailable worldwide on forestry andrelated subjects, such as watershedmanagement, protected areas andwildlife management, and ecotourism.Users can search according to trainingarea, institution and country.

The database is available online at:www.fao.org/forestry/for/forc/free/education/courses.asp


Pieter van Lierop, Forestry Education

Officer, Forest Conservation,

Resources and Education Service,

Forestry Department, FAO, 00100

Rome, Italy.


FORESTRY POLICY AND PLANNING DIVISION

The role of forestry in poverty alleviationThe main contributions that forests andtrees can make to the livelihoods of thepoor are well known. At the same time itis clear that the economic relationshipbetween poor people and forests andtrees can be modified for good or ill bythe institutional and regulatoryenvironment within which it is found. Inorder to further the understanding of theways in which forests and forestry mightcontribute towards the InternationalDevelopment Target (IDT) and the WorldFood Summit goal, i.e. to halve thenumber of people who suffer from hungerto 400 million by 2015, the FAO ForestryDepartment is coordinating an initiativeinvestigating the role of forests and treesin poverty alleviation and how this rolemight influence poverty reductionstrategies.

The first activity within this initiativewas to hold an interagency Forum on theRole of Forestry in Poverty Alleviationfrom 4 to 7 September 2001 in Tuscany,Italy. Representatives of multi- andbilateral agencies, international researchorganizations and NGOs came togetherto share their experiences.

The aim of the forum was to helprepresentatives of participating agenciesdevelop a sharper sense of issues indesigning and supporting assistance tothe forest sector. The intention was tostrengthen the capacity of identifying andhighlighting conflicting policies, laws andregulations, as well as perceptions whichmay need to be reinterpreted to meet pro-poor goals.

The participants confirmed that forestsand trees have an important role to playin the struggle to reduce poverty. Theoutcome of the forum was the drawing upof an Agenda for Action to assist forestryin having a more effective role instrategies for poverty alleviation.

The Agenda for Action is as follows: 1. Strengthening rights, capabilities and

governance • Support the poor’s own decision-

making power


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• Strengthen forest rights of the poorand the means to claim them

• Recognize links between forestryand local governance

2. Reducing vulnerability• Make safety nets not poverty traps• Support tree planting outside

forests• Cut the regulatory burden on the

poor and make regulationaffordable

3. Capturing emerging opportunities• Remove the barriers to market entry• Base land use decisions on true

value of forests• Ensure that markets for

environmental services benefit thepoor

• Support associations and financingfor local forest businesses

4. Working in partnership• Simplify policies and support

participatory processes• Promote multisectoral learning and

action• Enhance interagency collaboration• Make NGOs and the private sector

partners in poverty reduction

A brief for policy-makers, How forestscan reduce poverty, has been publishedwhich highlights the findings from theforum and outlines the Agenda for Action.At present, the brief is only available inEnglish. The Arabic, Chinese, French andSpanish versions will be available inMarch 2002.

To view How forests can reducepoverty please visit: http://foweb01/forestry/brochure/brochure.stm

For more information or to request hard

copies, please contact:

Chief, Forestry Policy and Institutions

Branch, Forestry Policy and Planning

Division, Forestry Department, FAO,

Rome 00100, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657055514;


FAO AND THE EUROPEANCOMMISSION (EC)

EC-FAO Partnership Programme “DataCollection for Sustainable ForestManagement in ACP Countries – LinkingNational and International Efforts” (ProjectGCP/INT/679/EC)The overall aim of this four-yearprogramme, funded by the EuropeanCommission (Directorate-GeneralDevelopment), is to strengthen nationalcapacity to collect and compile reliableand current information on forestry andanalyse the forest sector.

Africa and the Near EastTwo regional studies have beencompleted and the results published inthe following two working documentsproduced in 2001 by FAO’s NWFPProgramme:

• Non-wood forest products in Africa: aregional and national overview/Lesproduits non ligneux en Afrique: unaperçu régional et national(FOPW/01/1); and

• Non-wood forest products in the NearEast: a regional and national overview(FOPW/01/2).

These documents consist of two mainparts: i) presentation of backgroundinformation on the programme activitiesand analysis of the available information atthe regional and subregional levels; and ii) presentation of data on NWFPs at thenational level (so-called “country profiles”).

Most of the data presented in thesetwo reports are indicative figures, whichhave been collected in published andunpublished reports, and therefore do notrepresent official statistics. The resultsshow that qualitative and quantitativeinformation on NWFPs at the nationallevel is still weak. It is hoped that thesereports will support the ongoing processof data improvement on NWFPs.Improved data are considered to beessential to ensure that the use andimportance of NWFPs are adequatelytaken into consideration by decision-makers, land-use planners, politicians orother concerned experts.

Additional information and commentsfrom readers to improve data on NWFPsin African and Near East countries wouldbe very much appreciated. The authors ofthe country briefs will be dulyacknowledged in the Internet version.Please contact FAO’s NWFP Programmewith any comments ([email protected]).

Asia and the CaribbeanData on NWFPs in Asia and theCaribbean are being reviewed and will bemade available later in 2002.

Pilot studiesIn addition, FAO has carried out pilotstudies in Cameroon, Madagascar andSuriname in order to improve theavailability of data on NWFPs. Moreprecisely, the studies aimed atelaborating appropriate methodologieson data collection and analysis related toNWFPs, which should: i) providereasonable estimates of the production,consumption and trade in NWFPs; ii) bewidely applicable and relevant to othercountries; and iii) be cost-effective,


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About 1.6 billion people in the worldrely heavily on forest resources fortheir livelihoods.Sixty million indigenous people livingin the rain forests of Latin America,Southeast Asia and West Africadepend heavily on forests.Three hundred and fifty million peopleliving in, or next to, dense forests relyon them for subsistence or income.(Source: How forests can reducepoverty. 2001. FAO.)

adaptable and feasible within the limitedhuman and financial resources available.

The pilot studies were carried out incollaboration with:

• the University of Yaoundé, Faculty ofScience, Cameroon;

• the Forestry Department, Ministry ofEnvironment and Forestry,Madagascar; and

• Adek University of Suriname, Facultyof Technology.

Workshops were organized inMadagascar and Cameroon in order todisseminate and discuss the findings ofthe studies.

During the workshop held in Yaoundé,Cameroon, from 13 to 14 November 2001,the participants recommended theorganization of a follow-up workshop inorder to:

• create a national network, whichshould aim at facilitating the sharing ofinformation on NWFPs and agreeupon working arrangements;

• establish a national database onNWFPs;

• identify the information to be stored insuch a database.

The participants of the workshop held inAntananarivo, Madagascar, from 20 to 22 November 2002, identified as priorityactivities the:

• improvement of synergies between allstakeholders (e.g. private sector,governmental and non-governmentalorganizations) of the NWFP sector;

• estimate of the available resourcesproviding NWFPs;

• consideration of NWFPs as an entitywithin organizations concerned;

• encouragement to domesticateselected NWFPs;

• establishment of a information-sharingnetwork on NWFPs;

• prioritization of NWFPs of majorimportance; and

• building of capacities within theministries and institutions concerned.

The report of the various pilot studies,as well as a global synthesis, will be madeavailable as a working paper.


FAO NWFP Programme.


or EC-FAO Partnership Programme,

Forest Policy and Planning Division,

Forestry Department, FAO, 00100

Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 0657055137;


www.fao.org/forestry/fon/fons/outlook/

africa/acppro-e.stm

Proyecto GCP/RLA/133/EC – Informacióny análisis para el manejo forestal sostenibleEste proyecto, que integra esfuerzosnacionales e internacionales en 13 paísestropicales de América Latina, persigue elmejoramiento de la calidad, cobertura yacceso a la información forestal, ya seaen materia de manejo como deadministración forestal, incluyendoinstituciones nacionales gubernamentalesresponsables del sector forestal,instituciones de investigación, el sectorprivado, organizacionesconservacionistas, inversionistasnacionales y extranjeros, países donantesy el público en general.

El taller sobre «Información sobreProductos Forestales No Madereros yárboles fuera del bosque en AméricaLatina», organizado en Caracas,Venezuela, del 6 al 9 de agosto de 2001,por la Oficina Regional de la FAO paraAmérica Latina y el Caribe, encolaboración con la Dirección deproductos forestales y la Dirección derecursos forestales del Departamento deMontes de la FAO y con el apoyo delMinisterio del Ambiente y los RecursosNaturales de Venezuela, tuvo tresobjetivos principales:

El primer objetivo consistió en analizar,en el contexto de la Región, la calidad,cantidad, oportunidad, puesta adisposición de los usuarios y agregaciónde valor de la información sobre losdiversos PFNM y de los árboles fuera delbosque en los diferentes países deAmérica Latina. En este contexto se sitúanlos siguientes objetivos específicos:detectar las debilidades y fortalezasestructurales en los sistemas deinformación forestal de la Regiónrelacionadas con la información sobreambos temas tratados; detectar lassimilitudes y diferencias en las debilidadesy fortalezas de los sistemas deinformación forestal en lo que respecta alos productos forestales a nivel de paísesde desarrollo forestal similar y/opertenecientes a los GruposSubregionales de la COFLAC,Centroamérica y México, Cono Sur yAmazónico.

El segundo objetivo consistió endesarrollar, con los asistentes al taller, unproceso de capacitación que redunde enun mejoramiento de la recolección,análisis, puesta a disposición de losusuarios y agregación de valor de lainformación sobre PFNM y árboles fueradel bosque en América Latina.

El tercer objetivo consistió endesarrollar un proceso de capacitaciónhorizontal, es decir, desde los propiospaíses participantes en el proyecto,destinado en particular a: recibir unacapacitación sobre la experiencia de lainformación forestal referente al tema deltaller por parte de una instituciónsubregional como CATIE; recibir lapresentación sobre la experiencia delpropio país anfitrión del taller.

El taller se desarrolló medianteconferencias plenarias y sesiones detrabajo en grupo, y contó con el apoyotécnico de L. Russo, Oficial forestal de laSubdirección de industrias madereras y deS. Sadio, Oficial forestal del Servicio deConservación, Investigación y EnseñanzaForestales de la Sede de la FAO en Roma.El taller fue moderado por J. Morales,Coordinador del Proyecto en la OficinaRegional de la FAO para América Latina yel Caribe con sede en Santiago de Chile.


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Al taller asistieron representantesoficiales de los 16 países que participanen el proyecto. Y se contó, además, conla presencia de invitados especiales yexpertos en la temática del taller.También asistieron permanentementetécnicos del Ministerio del Ambiente y losRecursos Naturales de Venezuela.

A continuación se presenta unresumen con las recomendaciones yconclusiones más importantes derivadasde los trabajos de síntesis sobre los dostemas centrales.

El aprovechamiento de los PFNM sebasa en la extracción o caza, conexcepción de algunos de ellos que, porsu importancia económica, se cultivan ocrían en forma intensiva. Tal es el casodel orégano, la jojoba, el palmito, lahierba mate, el caucho y algunas palmas,entre otras. Cabe señalar que el cultivode estas especies también depende delconocimiento biológico que se tiene de laespecie.

La carencia de información continuaque comprende desde la recolecciónhasta la comercialización, incluyendo elmanejo referente a los PFNM y losservicios que brinda el bosque, provocala subvaloración de los mismos. Se hacenecesario, por lo tanto, orientar másrecursos y desarrollar másinvestigaciones sobre los PFNM; asícomo implementar políticas queestimulen su explotación sostenible, a finde resguardar la diversidad biológica ycontribuir al desarrollo de las regionesdonde se localizan estos productos.

A tal fin, se requiere contar con basesde datos en cada país que elaboren lainformación con variables estandarizadas,lo que hará más accesible el intercambiode información entre los países deAmérica Latina, sobre todo en losaspectos comerciales y de manejo.

La información de la base de datosdebe ser revisada, sistematizada,evaluada y procesada, a efectos decontar con información actualizada quepueda difundirse oportuna ypúblicamente a través de boletinesinformativos, revistas técnicasespecializadas o páginas Web. De estamanera, se podrá contar con los

elementos necesarios para establecer elvalor real de esta actividad en laeconomía regional y en el sector forestalen su conjunto.

Se debe fomentar la domesticación delas especies, cuando esto sea posible,sin menoscabo de la calidad de susproductos, lo que coadyuvará a disminuirla presión sobre las poblacionessilvestres.

Es necesario promover el manejo de losPFNM dentro de los sistemasagrosilvopastoriles, como una de lasmejores opciones para el manejointegrado de los recursos forestales.

Se debe promover el desarrollo deproyectos de investigación que genereninformación básica referente a la ecología,biología, manejo y comercialización de losPFNM con mayor importanciasocioeconómica en cada país.

Igualmente hay que promover larealización de proyectos regionales deinvestigación multidisciplinaria de losPFNM con importancia regional, a travésde la participación y financiamientomultinacionales.

Las economías de las regiones en lascuales se extraen los PFNM secaracterizan por su fragilidad en elcontexto de las economías nacionales y,más aún, en el de la internacional. Estafragilidad exige una particular mesura a lahora de promover alternativas productivasnovedosas o la ampliación de lasexistentes a circuitos de mercadosmayores. Cualquier propuesta deenvergadura significativa deberá partir dela realización de estudios de factibilidad,ya que de no hacerlo existe un gran riesgode emprender empresas comerciales einiciativas sociales asociadas con losPFNM con pocas probabilidades de éxito.

Se debe impulsar estudios específicossobre el manejo de las especies objeto deextracción actual o potencial. Para ello esnecesario un marco político que brinde alos investigadores la posibilidad de iniciary darle seguimiento en el mediano y largoplazo a sus investigaciones, sobre todo enaquellos productos que así lo ameriten(por ejemplo, setas).

Uno de los principales problemas queenfrenta la colecta, análisis y diseminación

de la información sobre los PFNM es laescasa importancia que quienes tomandecisiones, y la sociedad en general, dana los PFNM. De allí que toda acción quese tome para lograr la concientización yconocimiento de sus potencial eimportancia actual y futura, resultafundamental.

Acciones de corto, mediano y largo plazoen los PFNM

• Promover y organizar un red regionalde información de los PFNM.

• Mantener la vigencia de SI Regional-PFNM como consecuencia de esteesfuerzo inicial, con el propósito dedefinir y viabilizar las estrategiasformuladas en consenso y orientadasa satisfacer las necesidadesespecíficas de información.

• Generar el programa informático parael procesamiento de la informaciónsobre PFNM y capacitar al personalencargado de su manejo.

• Validar y enriquecer el programainformático.

• Poner en funcionamiento la redregional.

• Sugerir a la FAO la incorporación delos PFNM en el CuestionarioConjunto del Sector Forestal (FAO,ITTO, CEPE, EUROSTAT).

• Realizar talleres locales de ampliaparticipación a fin de divulgarinformación y compartirconocimientos y experiencias sobrePFNM.

• Difundir en foros internacionales larelevancia socioeconómica yambiental de los PFNM.


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• Detectar aquellos temas vinculados alos PFNM que resulten de inmediataconsideración para el cumplimiento delos compromisos internacionalessuscritos por los países signatarios.

Posibles proyectos de apoyo a los SIF de lospaíses para mejorar la información sobrePFNMRealizar una encuesta regional paradetectar elementos comunes para laformulación y ejecución de proyectosconjuntos.Formular e implementar proyectosespecíficos sobre PFNM de interéscomún entre países de la región, talescomo taninos, hongos, palmas, palmitos,gomas, algarrobos, fibras, esencias,plantas medicinales, entre otros.


Jorge Morales, Coordinador Proyecto,

Oficina Regional de la FAO para

América Latina y el Caribe, Casilla

10095, Santiago, Chile.

Fax: +56 2 3372101/2/3;


[email protected];

www.rlc.fao.org/proyecto/rla133ec/fram

es.htm

FAO IN THE FIELD

Technical Cooperation Project (TCP)“Support to the Revival of the Productionand the Commercialization of GumArabic” (TCP/NER/0066)Gum arabic is an exudate, derived fromAcacia senegal and Acacia seyal, which ismainly used in the food andpharmaceutical industry. Both gum arabic-yielding species grow in the semi-aridareas of sub-Saharan Africa. The so-called “gum belt” crosses Africa fromSenegal/Mauritania in the west to Somaliain the east. World trade is supposed toreach 40 000 tonnes per year. The mainexporting countries are the Sudan, Chadand Nigeria.

The Niger was one of the major gumarabic exporting countries in the 1960sand 1970s. In 1979, the Niger exported 2 610 tonnes, but this amount dropped tosome 100 tonnes in 1998. The causes for

the decline are multiple and include: badcondition of the gum-providing species,inappropriate exploitation techniques(tapping, natural exudation),disorganization of the production andmarket chain, and insufficient political andinstitutional support.

FAO was requested to assist theGovernment of the Niger in theelaboration of a national strategy in orderto improve and strengthen the nationalgum arabic sector. FAO is, therefore,funding a 15-month (December 2000 toApril 2002) Technical Cooperation Project,which is being executed by the Ministry ofEnvironment and CombatingDesertification (MELD). FAO’s NWFPProgramme is responsible for thetechnical implementation of the TCP.

The main project activities include:1. Diagnosis of the current situation

related to resource management, socio-economic aspects, collection andprocessing technologies, trade andlegal aspects (Phase 1).

2. Development of guidelines andextension concepts related to thesustainable use of gum arabic in theNiger (Phase 2).

3. Elaboration of proposals for anadequate legal framework andimproved institutional collaboration(Phase 2).

4. Development of a national strategy andplan of action and proposals for follow-up projects (Phase 3).During the first phase of the project,

which finished on 31 July 2001, varioustechnical reports on resourcemanagement, commercialization,technology, socio-economic and legalaspects provided the necessaryinformation to analyse the status of thegum arabic sector in the Niger.

The information that was collected andanalysed over seven months waspresented and discussed during a four-day workshop on “Potentials, constraintsand perspectives of gum arabicproduction and commercialization inNiger”. This workshop was held in Diffa,the Niger from 2 to 5 July 2001 and wasattended by some 90 participantsrepresenting different stakeholders

involved in the gum arabic sector in theNiger (e.g. producers, collectors,exporters, representatives from differentministries).

During the second phase of the project,i) the above-mentioned guidelines andextension concepts on resourcemanagement, technological and socio-economic aspects, and ii) proposals foran adequate legal framework andinstitutional collaboration, will beelaborated.

In addition to the FAO NWFPProgramme, technical backstopping ofthe project is provided by the FAO ForestConservation, Research and EducationService (FORC) and the FAODevelopment Law Service (LEGN).


Mr G.J. Bernard, FAO Representative,

PO Box 11246, Niamey, the Niger.

Fax: +227 724709;


or Mr S. Walter, FAO NWFP

Programme.

e-mail: [email protected].

CENTER FOR TROPICALFOREST SCIENCE

The Center for Tropical Forest Science(CTFS) is a programme within theSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute(STRI) that joins together – throughformal memoranda – a voluntaryassociation of natural and socialscientists and institutions around theworld. The mission of CTFS is topromote and coordinate long-termbiological and socio-economic research


70


Acacia senegal

within tropical forests and forest-dependent communities, and translatethis information into results relevant toforest management, conservation andnatural-resource policies. To achieve itsobjectives, natural and social scientistsassociated with CTFS work with foreigncollaborators in forestry departments anduniversities to develop a network of long-term forest research sites. The primaryinvolvement of CTFS is to coordinateand standardize research at differentsites. CTFS also provides technicalassistance and training to the extentneeded at each site.

A unifying research tool shared by allCTFS research sites is the ForestDynamics Plot.

These are large (up to 52 ha),permanent forest demographic plots thatare situated in natural forests. All treeswith a diameter of 1 cm or greater aremapped, identified and monitored. Aninitial census and periodic recensusesyield long-term information on speciesgrowth, mortality, regeneration,distribution and productivity in relation totopography, hydrology, soils, climate andbiotic factors. Owing to their large size,the plots are capable of dealing with thehigh tree diversity of tropical forests.

The CTFS network of long-term forestresearch programmes is monitoring morethan 3 million individuals of approximately6 000 tree species throughout the world’stropics.

CTFS is currently addressingquestions such as:

• Why do tropical forests have highspecies diversity? How can that highdiversity be maintained underconditions of human use?

• What role do tropical forests play instabilizing our climate andatmosphere? How can we takeadvantage of and enhance theirability to store carbon?

• What determines tropical forestproductivity? How can we utilizeforest resources sustainably?

By finding answers to these types ofquestions, CTFS fulfils its twofold goal of:a) helping us understand how tropicalforests respond to human activity; and

b) providing a sound scientific basis forrelevant forest management and policydecisions.

The Center for Tropical Forest Sciencealso produces an annual newsletter,Inside CTFS.


Elizabeth Losos, Director, Center for

Tropical Forest Science, 900 Jefferson

Drive, Suite 2207, Washington, DC

20560, USA.

Fax: +1 202 7862819;

or e-mail Shallin Busch at

[email protected];

www.ctfs.si.edu/

CONVENTIONON BIODIVERSITY

The 7th Meeting of the Subsidiary Bodiesfor Scientific, Technical and TechnologicalAdvice (SBSTTA) of the Convention onBiodiversity (CBD) took place in Montreal,Canada from 12 to 16 November 2001.Working Group I of SBSTTA-7 focused onforest biodiversity issues and discussedrecommendations on the forest workprogramme, status and trends, bushmeat,forest fires and climate change, as well asthe specific elements of the workprogramme on forest biodiversity.

During the working group discussions,the issue of NWFP (called NTFPs in thedocumentation) was mentioned in variouscontexts:

The linkages between biodiversity andhuman health, which have so far beenlargely ignored in CBD’s work, werehighlighted, stressing that human healthdepends on biodiversity. It wasmentioned that: i) medicine from natural

sources and species contribute tomedicinal research; ii) relationships existbetween biodiversity destruction and thespread of diseases; iii) biodiversity andfood production are interlinked.

Regarding the management of NWFPs,the sustainable harvest of NWFPs wasaddressed, noting differences inperceptions regarding the use andimportance of NWFPs.

The bushmeat crisis was highlightedand the establishment of a United Nationsbushmeat task force and captive breedingprogrammes was proposed. Based onthis proposal the following commentswere made:

• the European Commission preferred ajoint work programme with otherinstitutions instead of a task force;

• the Russian Federation notedbushmeat-related problems intemperate and boreal forests;

• Colombia highlighted theresponsibilities of consumer countries;and

• Cameroon, with Senegal, stressed theneed for alternative sources of protein.Senegal noted the need for breedingprogrammes and financial resources.

Following this discussion, a draftprovision on bushmeat was introduced.Responding to the draft, Belgiumsuggested broadening the focus to coverunsustainable hunting of forest animals,and Kenya called for collaboration withother relevant agreements and institutions.Delegates debated whether to establish aliaison group or an expert group withoutresolving the bushmeat issue.

The final text (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/7/CRP.1) requests the Executive Secretaryto establish a liaison group on non-timberforest resources with a focus onbushmeat. It invites CollaborativePartnership on Forests (CPF) membersto explore the integration of non-timberforest resources in inventory andmanagement; invites FAO, theInternational Tropical TimberOrganization and others to addressbiodiversity in their fire assessmentactivities; and references community-based approaches to managing forestfires and non-timber forest resources.


71


Finally, activities to prevent lossescaused by unsustainable harvesting oftimber and NWFPs were identified. Theyinclude:

• the establishment of a liaison groupwith an associated workshop tofacilitate a joint work plan withrelevant CPF members to bringharvesting of NWFPs, particularly

bushmeat, to sustainable levels;• the promotion of alternatives to

fuelwood;• the development of legislation; and• encouragement and assistance of

importing countries to prevent illegalimport not covered by the Conventionon International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

(Source: P.S. Chasek, ed. 2001.Summary of the seventh session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific,Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 12-16 November. Earth Negotiation Bulletin, 9(212). Also available at www.iisd.ca/linkages/biodiv/sbstta7/)


72


Elements for an expanded workprogramme on forest biologicaldiversity – Summary of specificrecommendations related to NWFP

Programme element 1:Conservation, sustainable use andbenefit-sharingGoal 4: To promote the sustainableuse of forest biological diversity.Objective 1: Promote sustainable useof forest resources to enhance theconservation of forest biologicaldiversity.Activities:(b) Develop, support and promoteprogrammes and initiatives thataddress the sustainable use of timberand non-timber forest products.(c) Support regional cooperation andwork on sustainable use of timberand non-timber forest products andservices, including throughtechnology transfer and capacitybuilding within and between regions.(h) Facilitate and support aresponsible private sector committedto sustainable harvesting practicesand compliance with domestic lawsthrough effective development andenforcement of laws on sustainableharvesting of timber and non-timberforest resources.

Objective 2: Prevent losses causedby unsustainable harvesting of timberand non-timber forest resources.Activities:

(a) Establish a liaison group with anassociated workshop to facilitatedevelopment of a joint work plan withrelevant members of theCollaborative Partnership on Foreststo bring harvesting of non-timberforest products (NTFP)s, with aparticular focus on bushmeat, tosustainable levels. This group shouldhave a proportionate regionalrepresentation, giving specialconsideration to subregions wherebushmeat is a major issue andrepresentation of relevantorganizations such as the Conventionon International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora. Themandate of this group is to:

(i) Consult in a participatorymanner with key stakeholders toidentify and prioritize major issuespertaining the unsustainableharvesting of non-timber forestproducts, particularly of bushmeatand related products.(ii) Provide advice on thedevelopment of policies, enablinglegislation and strategies thatpromote sustainable use of, andtrade in, non-timber forestproducts, particularly bushmeatand related products.(iii) Provide advice on appropriatealternative sustainable livelihoodtechnologies and practices for theaffected communities.(iv) Provide advice on appropriatemonitoring tools.

(c) Develop any necessary legislationfor the sustainable management andharvesting of non-timber forestresources.(d) Solicit input from Parties, othercountries and relevant organizationson ways and means to encourage andassist importing countries to preventthe entry of illegally harvested forestresources, which are not covered bythe Convention on International Tradein Endangered Species of Wild Faunaand Flora, and consider thisinformation as a basis for furthersteps on this issue.

Programme element 2: Institutionaland socio-economic enablingenvironmentGoal 1: Enhance the institutionalenabling environment. Objective 4: Combat illegal logging,illegal exploitation of non-timberforest products, illegal exploitation ofgenetic resources, and related trade.Activities:(f) Invite governments and relevantorganizations to develop and forwardto the Secretariat case-studies andresearch on the impacts of illegalexploitation and trade in timber andnon-timber forest products.(Source: Secretariat of theConvention on Biological Diversity.2001. Recommendation VII/6, Forestbiological diversity,www.biodiv.org/recommendations/default.asp?lg=0&m=sbstta-07&r=06)

ANNEX TO RECOMMENDATION VII/6 OF SBSTTA-7

IUCN/SSC MEDICINALPLANT SPECIALIST GROUP

The Medicinal Plant Specialist Group(MPSG) is a global network of expertscontributing within their own institutionsand in their own regions to theconservation and sustainable use ofmedicinal plants. The MPSG was foundedin 1994, under the auspices of the SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) of the WorldConservation Union (IUCN), to increaseglobal awareness of conservation threatsto medicinal plants, and to promoteconservation action. Our group is currentlymade up of approximately 70 individualscientists, field researchers, governmentofficials and conservation leaders.

Our overall aim is to support andpromote efforts leading to medicinal plantconservation and rational, sustainableuse. Our approach is to provideinformation, tools and strategycoordination that builds on the efforts oflocal, national, regional and globalpartners to conserve and use medicinalplants sustainably, focusing particularlyon actions that reduce threats toendangered species and habitats.

During the current triennium (2001-2003), one of our goals is to restructurethe group, currently more than 70members worldwide, into regionalsubgroups. We are setting up a steeringcommittee, which includes regional vice-chairs. This change in structure willsupport the engagement of thesubgroups in development of regionalprojects, as well as identification ofregions where our membership needs tobe strengthened. We are furthest along inorganizing regional MPSG subgroups in

South Asia and in Central America andthe Caribbean. We are also working toset up more efficient communication toolsfor the group (an electronic list-serve anda Web site).

In partnership with the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre and theCanadian Museum of Nature, and otherpartners, we are developing regionalprojects as Centres of Medicinal PlantDiversity. These projects will supportresearch on medicinal plant conservation,as well as the wider application of SSCtools, such as Red Listing, the SpeciesInformation Service and the Top 50campaign.

Recent publications include the 7thissue of our newsletter Medicinal PlantConservation (contact: [email protected]) and the second volume of theMedicinal Plant Conservation Bibliography(available through [email protected]).

MPSG Steering Committee – currentChair – Danna J. Leaman ([email protected])Vice-Chair, Central America/Caribbean –Sonia Lagos-Witte([email protected])Vice-Chair, South Asia – Vinay Tandon([email protected])Research Programme – Tony Cunningham([email protected]) Publications, CITES – Uwe Schippmann([email protected])


Danna J. Leaman, Canadian Museum of

Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa,

Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada.

Fax: +1 613 3644022;


OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENTINSTITUTE

The Overseas Development Institute(ODI) is the United Kingdom’s leadingindependent think-tank on internationaldevelopment and humanitarian issues. Itsmission is to inspire and inform policy andpractice which lead to the reduction ofpoverty, the alleviation of suffering andthe achievement of sustainablelivelihoods in developing countries. Thisis done by locking together high-qualityapplied research, practical policy advice,and policy-focused dissemination anddebate. ODI works with partners in thepublic and private sectors, in bothdeveloping and developed countries.

ODI’s work centres on five researchand policy programmes:

• Poverty and Public Policy Group,which includes the Centre for Aid andPublic Expenditure

• International Economic DevelopmentGroup

• Humanitarian Policy Group• Rural Policy and Environment Group• Forest Policy and Environment Group The Forest Policy and Environment

Group (FPEG) has its own Web site(www.odi.org.uk/fpeg/index.html) housinga variety of publications, including theRural Development Forestry Network


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MEDICINAL PLANT CONSERVATIONBIBLIOGRAPHY, VOLUME 2

TIn June 2001, volume 2 of theMedicinal Plant ConservationBibliography was published (the firstvolume was published in 1996). Thisbibliography is designed to collectinformation from the many scatteredsources of books and papers onmedicinal plants and to set prioritieson books focusing on theconservation of medicinal plants. Intotal, 801 references and 170 reviews,indexed by general, geographic andtaxonomic keywords are incorporatedfor the period 1997 to 2000.

The second volume of thebibliography can be purchased from:IUCN Publications Service Unit, 219cHuntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB30DL, United Kingdom; fax: +44 1223277175; e-mail: [email protected] information: UweSchippmann, 2001, Medicinal PlantConservation Bibliography, Volume 2.ISSN 1433-304x.

(RDFN) papers, the TROPICS (TropicalForestry Projects Information System)database and a “grey literature”collection.

The Rural Development ForestryNetwork is an important component ofFPEG’s outreach programme. As well asdisseminating research information on keyissues in tropical forestry to its members,the network aims to influence policy- anddecision-making in both governments andinternational aid agencies.

Rural Development Forestry 1985-2001The Overseas Development Institute hasproduced a CD-ROM that contains 17years of its publications on forestry-related issues. Its 214 key publicationschart the development of people-orientedforestry from 1985 to the present day:

• 174 Rural Development ForestryNetwork papers (RDFN)

• 5 European Tropical Forestry Papers(EUTFP)

• 14 Natural Resources Perspectives(NRP)

• 4 forestry-related Working Papers (WP)• 17 chapters of the EU Tropical

Forestry SourcebookAll papers are indexed by publication,

keyword, author and region. Full textversions of the majority of publicationsare available in English, French andSpanish as Acrobat pdf files. The AdobeAcrobat® Reader™ software is alsoincluded on the CD-ROM.


Overseas Development Institute,

111 Westminster Bridge Road,

London SE1 7JD, UK.


www.odi.org.uk

TRAFFIC

Trade Records Analysis of Flora andFauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC) wasestablished in 1976, largely to assist inthe implementation of the Convention onthe International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES). Today CITES covers some

30 000 plant and animal species and has more than 150 member countries.TRAFFIC itself has developed from asingle office based in London into aglobal network of 22 offices in eightregional programmes around the world,being the world’s largest wildlife trademonitoring programme and a globalexpert on wildlife trade issues.

The global wildlife trade is bigbusiness, estimated to be worth billions ofdollars and involving hundreds of millionsof plants and animals every year. Most ofthe trade is legal but a significant portionof it is not. The trade is diverse, rangingfrom live animals for food and petmarkets to ornamental plants and to hugeindustries such as timber and marinefisheries. An array of wildlife products andderivatives, such as exotic leather goods,ivory carvings and hawksbill turtle shellaccessories, musical instruments, foodand medicines can be found in marketsaround the globe. For more informationon wildlife trade, please visit theTRAFFIC Web site (www.traffic.org).

In 2001, TRAFFIC celebrated its 25thanniversary with a “25th AnniversaryEvent of TRAFFIC”, which was held on27 November 2001.

For more information on TRAFFIC,

please contact:

Maija Sirola, Communications Officer,

TRAFFIC International, 219c Huntingdon

Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)1223 277237;


www.traffic.org

TROPENBOS INTERNATIONAL

A new name, a new logo, a new fundingphase. The Tropenbos Foundation ismaking some changes after ten years.With increasing attention to internationalenvironment issues related to tropical rainforests, and more autonomy exercised bythe research sites, the time had come togive Tropenbos the stature of a full-fledgedinternational organization.

Confusion about whether Tropenbos waslocated in Wageningen, the Netherlands, orin a certain country was noted frequently bythe research sites. By renaming theorganization “Tropenbos International”, thisindicates that the activities are foremost of aworldwide nature.

As the third funding phase of theTropenbos programme set in (2001-2005),the opportunity to make this change wasapparent. Each research site will place thecountry name below the logo so that it isseen as linked to “Tropenbos International”but is recognized locally as the nationalsite. The head office in Wageningen willrefer to the organization in general as“Tropenbos International”.

The logo will be incorporatedimmediately. The acronym to be used willbe TBI, but the Internet address is toremain (www.tropenbos.nl).

The Tropenbos Foundation, establishedin 1988, is an independent, internationallyoriented organization which facilitatesresearch and development activities tosupport the conservation and sustainableutilization of tropical rain forests.Tropenbos, in close cooperation withuniversities and research institutes,facilitates interdisciplinary research atpermanent locations. Currently these are inCameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia,Guyana and Indonesia. Research resultsare applicable on a local as well as on abroader scale. (Contributed by: J.B. Maas,Tropenbos International.)


Tropenbos International, PO Box 232, NL-

6700 AE Wageningen, the Netherlands.


or [email protected]


74


EXPLORING AFRICANBIODIVERSITY FOR NEWNATURAL PRODUCTSROME, ITALY9-11 APRIL 2001

This three-day workshop was jointlyorganized by the Italian NationalResearch Council (CNR) Rome(Department of International Activities),CNR Porano (Institute of Agro-Forestry),CNR Portici (Institute for Vegetable andOrnamental Breeding) and the FogartyInternational Center (FIC) of the NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) and was fundedby CNR, and three United States NIH(FIC, National Cancer Institute and theNational Institute of Allergy and InfectiousDiseases).

The main objective of the workshop,which brought together some 70participants from 14 countries, was toexplore the strengths and needs ofinstitutions towards the formation of apartnership to build natural productscapacities in Africa and to promote theconservation and sustainable use ofAfrican biodiversity through aninternational network of institutions basedin Africa, Italy and the United States.

Sessions and working groups covered,among other subjects, African plantdiversity, new products from medicinalplants (bioprospecting), property rightsand local economic benefits.


Sven Walter, FAO NWFP Programme.


INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ON TREEAND NUT CROPSPERTH, AUSTRALIA13-20 APRIL 2001

The conference was hosted at theUniversity of Western Australia State bythe Western Australian Tree CropsCenter and cofunded by the AustralianNut and Tree Crop Association, theMinistry of Agriculture and some privatecompanies dealing with nuts and treecrops. The main objectives of theConference were to increase awarenessof the importance of tree crops and nutsfor food production; to provide and shareinformation and understanding on theirproduction, processing and marketingand their business environment, and toinitiate and strengthen collaboration inthe sector between public and privateorganizations in the various countries.

The conference brought together some100 participants from all around the worldto share their knowledge and the latestnew developments in the tree cropindustry, in addition to “virtual”participation and presentations given bysome Californian tree farmers throughvideo-conferencing and Internet-downloaded ppt presentations.Participants represented a wide variety oforganizations from the non-governmental, public and, particularly, theprivate sector (from farmers torepresentatives of international foodcompanies). The conference consisted oftwo days with 22 plenary presentations,followed by three full days ofpresentations in smaller subgroups on 20specific topics such as: carob, hazelnuts,walnuts, macadamias, neem,sandalwoods, NWFPs, beverages, gums,truffles-host trees, etc. On two post-conference tours, participants could getan insight into the fast expanding andwidely diversified nut and tree crop sectorof Western Australia (with climateecozones from tropical to temperateregions).

Mr Paul Vantomme, Forestry Officer(NWFP) represented FAO at the

conference. He was invited by theorganizers to present a keynote addressduring the opening plenary session onFAO’s activities on NWFPs; to act aschairperson of the NWFP subgroup; andto present a paper on gum arabic in the“Gums” subgroup.

The dynamics in the nut and tree cropsectors of countries represented,particularly California (and to a lesserdegree also Australia, Chile and SouthAfrica), were impressive: more than 260different tree crop species (mainly fornuts, fruits, oils, medicinals andaromatics) are already commerciallyfarmed (while at the same time most ofthese species are still gathered from wildsources in their area of origin – or haveeven become commercially extinct). Formany developing countries who areexporting tree-based NWFPs gatheredfrom wild sources, it is important to notethat many of their products might soonbecome economically and quality-wiseuncompetitive as against those tree cropsproduced on a large scale and by highlymechanized tree farms in developedcountries (such as Australia, Chile,United States [California and Hawaii]).

The conclusions of the conferenceregarding NWFPs indicated the need forbetter information on the potential and(germplasm) availability of non-woodforest tree resources in relation tospecies currently used (and theassessment of the potential of newspecies for domestication), betteravailability and access to market andmarketing information for producers indeveloping countries, and particularly therelevance and importance of goodlabelling and certification schemes onNWFPs; as well as training andnetworking on the management,processing and marketing of NWFPs.


David Noël, Director, Tree Crops Centre,

Acotanc-2001 Conference Secretariat,

PO Box 27, Subiaco, WA 6008,

Australia.

Fax: +61 8 93881852;


www.AOI.com.au/acotanc


75

R E C E N T E V E N T S

Walnut tree

THE NATURE ANDCULTURE OF FORESTS:IMPLICATIONS OFDIVERSITY FORSUSTAINABILITY, TRADE,AND CERTIFICATIONVANCOUVER, CANADA8-12 MAY 2001

The conference objective was to addresshow diversity in cultural values shapesthe operative concept of respect fornature and impacts decision-making inforest policy. The following topics werefeatured: a) Diversity in the nature offorests; b) Plurality in the culture offorests; and c) Variability in approachesof certification and management.


Sandra Schinnerl, International

Programs, Faculty of Forestry,

UBC, 2611-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver,

BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.

Fax: +1 604 8228645.

SECOND INTERNATIONALWORKSHOP ON THEECOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGYAND CULTIVATION OFEDIBLE MYCORRHIZALMUSHROOMSCHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND3-6 JULY 2001


Crop & Food Research Ltd, Private Bag

4704, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Fax: +64 3 3252074;


www.crop.cri.nz/whats_on/mushroom_

conf/Index.htm

WAYS TO ENHANCE THEPRODUCTION ANDEXPORT CAPACITIES OFDEVELOPING COUNTRIESOF AGRICULTURE ANDFOOD PRODUCTS,INCLUDING NICHEPRODUCTS, SUCH ASENVIRONMENTALLYPREFERABLE PRODUCTSGENEVA, SWITZERLAND15-18 JULY 2001

This International Expert Meeting,organized by the Trade, Environment andDevelopment Section of the UnitedNations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD), was attendedby more than 80 participants from about40 countries and included mostly stafffrom Permanent Missions to the UnitedNations in Geneva, senior governmentofficials and technical experts fromvarious international agencies, andrepresentatives of NGOs and from theprivate sector, mainly from fair-tradeagencies, bioproduct distributors and fromorganic food certification agencies. MrPaul Vantomme, Forestry Officer (NWFP)represented FAO at this meeting andmade a presentation on the role of edibleNWFPs as potential organic products fordeveloping countries to export to nichemarkets in developed countries.

The focus of the meeting was to discussand exchange experiences on enhancingthe production and trade of agriculturalproducts, with particular emphasis onorganic food products from developingcountries for international niche markets,such as for biotrade and for fair-tradeschemes. Key issues reviewed during themeeting focused mainly on the tradepotential of niche markets for foodproducts from developing countries andon their appropriate certification andlabelling schemes, including their requiredcosts, implementation and monitoringissues, and also the mutual understandingand recognizance of different organiccertification schemes; on their perceivedrole as trade barriers by the developing

countries and on the need for reliablestatistics on production and trade inorganic products.

It appeared during the meeting thatedible NWFPs, such as mushrooms, wildhoney, nuts, bamboo shoots, haveconsiderable potential at niche marketsfor organic, biotrade or fair-trade outlets.However, much work is still needed forthe appropriate inclusion of “wild”gathered food products into the existingorganic certification schemes, andrecommendations in this regard weremade by the expert meeting to thecertification bodies. Participants werehighly interested in learning fromsuccessful experiences on NWFPutilization and market promotion fromdeveloping countries and looked to FAOfor information sharing and for exploringways of collaboration and support.

Documents for the meeting areavailable online (www.unctad.org/en/special/c1em15do.htm).


UNCTAD, External Relations and

Communications, Palais des Nations,

1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.

Fax: +41 22 9070043;


www.unctad.org/index.htm

BALKANSHERBAL FORUMPORTOROZ, SLOVENIA16-20 SEPTEMBER 2001

The International Finance Corporationthrough Southeast Europe EnterpriseDevelopment (SEED) is committed tohelp rebuild what was once a thriving andimportant industry in southeasternEurope. The Herbal Business Forum


76


organized by SEED was to be the firsttime in recent years that all thestakeholders involved in this sector hadan opportunity to sit together to map outthe future of the Balkan herbal industry insoutheastern Europe. Leading regionalsuppliers attended the forum alongsidesome of Western Europe’s herbalmanufacturers and importers. Themeeting formed a platform from which tolaunch a number of long-term initiativesdesigned to redevelop the sector in anenvironmentally sustainable and sociallyresponsible manner.

Southeastern Europe has for centuriesbeen a producer and consumer ofmedicinal plants and herbal medicines.The varied climate and geography of theregion enables a vast array of temperateand Mediterranean plants to be grown. Arich medical and engineering traditionhas moreover encouraged themanufacturing of a wide range ofphytomedicines, flavourings, perfumesand cosmetic products. During the 1970sand 1980s the former Yugoslaviasupplied medicinal and aromatic productsto a host of leading Western European,American and Soviet companies.

Political upheavals in recent times haveseverely disrupted herbal gathering,cultivation, manufacturing and trade withinthe region. Some of the most importantmedicinal plants are severely endangeredas a result of overharvesting and lack ofappropriate environmental legislation.Through this forum SEED helped toinitiate the reintegration of the region’sherbal producers into the mainstream ofWestern Europe’s herbal industry.

FAO was represented at the meetingby Mr Peter Griffee who works onmedicinal and aromatic plants in the Cropand Grassland Service of the PlantProduction and Protection Division.


Chris Miller, SEED – Southeast Europe

Enterprise Development, Hamdije

Kresevljakovica 19/IV, 71000 Sarajevo,

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fax: +387 33 217762;


www.ifc.org/sme/html/seed.html

FIRST INTERNATIONALSYMPOSIUM ANDEXPOSITION ONECOTOURISM ANDSUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT OF THEAMAZON BASINCOUNTRIES – AMAZONECOTOUR 2001MANAUS, BRAZIL24-27 SEPTEMBER 2001


Instituto Ambiental Biospfera, Rua

Uruguaina, 39 – Bloco A –Grupo 2401

B; Centro – Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil 20050-093.

Fax: +55 21 2210155;

www.ecotourenglish.com.br.ms

CONSERVATION OFBIODIVERSITY IN THEANDES AND THE AMAZONBASIN – LINKINGSCIENCE, NGOS ANDINDIGENOUS PEOPLESCUSCO, PERU24-28 SEPTEMBER 2001


Sigrun Lange, International Network for

the Conservation of Biological & Cultural

Diversity (INKA e.V.), Gravelottestrasse 6,

81667 Munich, Germany.

Fax: +49 (0)89 45911920;


www.inka-ev.de/congress2001.htm;

or

Eliana Rivera, Centro Bartolomé de Las

Casas, Av. Tullumayo 465, Cusco, Peru.

Fax: +51 84 241319;

[email protected];

www.cbc.org.pe

FORESTRY AND FORESTPRODUCTS RESEARCH(CFFPR 2001) –“TROPICAL FORESTRYRESEARCH IN THE NEWMILLENNIUM: MEETINGDEMANDS ANDCHALLENGESKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA1-3 OCTOBER 2001

The themes of this internationalconference were: sustainable forestmanagement (SFM); biodiversity and theenvironment; processing and utilizationof forest resources (wood products andnon-wood products); forest plantation;biotechnology; forest policies; foresteconomics, investment opportunities andpotential for growth; informationtechnology (IT) in forestry; andcommercialization of forestry R&D.


Dr Shamsudin Ibrahim or Ms Safiah

Yusoff, The Secretariat,

Conference on Forestry and Forest

Products Research 2001 (CFFPR 2001),

Forest Research Institute Malaysia

(FRIM), Kepong, 52109 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

Fax: +60 3 62779643/62767753;


[email protected];

www.frim.gov.my/100years/CFFPR2001

.htm

BIODIVERSITY OFGUYANA: A GLOBALPERSPECTIVE FOR THEFUTUREGEORGETOWN GUYANA 7-13 OCTOBER 2001


V.A. Funk, US National Herbarium,

NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, MRC

166, Washington, DC 20560-0166, USA.

Fax: +1 202 7862563;


www.guyana2001.org


77


INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ANDFOREST MANAGEMENT INFENNOSCANDIA ANDCANADARJOKKMOKK, SWEDEN10-12 OCTOBER 2001

The focus of this conference, whichbrought together indigenousrepresentatives, environmental groups,governmental and intergovernmentalbodies and industry, was on forest use,land rights and indigenous strategies forsustainable development. Theprogramme highlighted market-basedand legal instruments emphasizing forestcertification schemes.



www.sapmi.se/forestconference

NON-WOOD FORESTPRODUCTS INVENTORYGUIDELINES: TOOLS FORIMPROVED MONITORINGAND EVALUATIONLUSAKA, ZAMBIA15-17 OCTOBER 2001

The overall objective of this expertconsultation was to develop practicalinventory guidelines for resourcesproviding NWFPs, in order to assistAfrican countries in achieving sustainableforest management.

For further information, please contact:

Mr François Ndeckere-Ziangba, Forestry

Officer (NWFP), Forest Products

Division, Forestry Department, FAO.

Fax: +39 0657055317;


[Please see under Special Features for

more information on this expert

consultation.]

SPECIAL FORESTPRODUCTS: MUSHROOMS,MEDICINALS ANDHUCKLEBERRIESSPOKANE, WASHINGTON, USA15-17 OCTOBER 2001


Richard Zabel, Western Forestry

and Conservation Association,

4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland,

Oregon 97221, USA.

Fax: +1 503 2262515;


www.westernforestry.org

PARTICIPATORYAPPROACHES IN FORESTRYAND NATURAL RESOURCESDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS(PARTEF)LOS BAÑOS, PHILIPPINES23 OCTOBER-3 DECEMBER 2001


The Director, Training Center for

Tropical Resources and Ecosystems

Sustainability (TREES), University of the

Philippines Los Baños, College of

Forestry and Natural Resources,

College, Laguna, Philippines.

Fax: +63 49 5363340;


NATURE AND THE GLOBALMARKETPLACELONDON, UK24-25 OCTOBER 2001

Hosted by Forest Trends and theKatoomba Group.


Ms Jessica Rice, Forest Trends, 1826

Jefferson Place NW, Washington, DC

20007, USA.

Fax: +1 202 2983014;


www.forest-trends.org

THE SECOND ROTHAMSTEDINTERNATIONALBIOMARKET. BIOPRODUCTSFROM PLANTS ANDMICROBESHARPENDEN, UK7-9 NOVEMBER 2001

The Biomarket brought togetherentrepreneurial groups from around theworld to help initiate successfulpartnerships between those who areinvolved in the research, development andcommercialization of innovative productsand services derived from plant andmicrobial sources.


Rothamsted BioMarket, IACR-

Rothamsted, Harpenden AL5 21Q, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)1582 760981;


www.biomarket.iacr.ac.uk

WORKING LANDSCAPES INTHE MIDWEST: CREATINGSUSTAINABLE FUTURES FORAGRICULTURE, FORESTRY,AND COMMUNITIESDELEVAN, WISCONSIN, USA8-10 NOVEMBER 2001

A diverse group of Midwest stakeholderscame together to organize a WorkingLandscapes Conference, which exploredpractices and policies that promote land-based economic activity to sustain families,communities and ecosystems, while alsoproviding multiple benefits to society.


Dr R. Warren Flint, Five E’s Unlimited,

Delaware Ave., SW, Washington, DC

20024, USA.

Fax: +1 202 4882708;


www.eeeee.net;

www.SustainableDevelopmentSolutions.

com


78


SECOND INTERNATIONALTRAINING PROGRAM ONSUSTAINABLE NTFPMANAGEMENT FOR RURALDEVELOPMENTMADHYA PRADESH, INDIA26 NOVEMBER-13 DECEMBER 2001

Fifteen participants from five differentcountries attended this three-weektraining course. Resource persons weredrawn from accomplished communityforestry practitioners as well as academiabelonging to different forestryorganizations within the country.

Training involved situational analysis ofthe NTFP management and ruraldevelopment scenario (both micro andmacro) and an intensive coverage ofcontemporary issues related to NTFPproduction, processing and trade. Theparticipants were also trained in varioustools and techniques for NTFP resourceassessment, enterprise feasibilityassessment and NTFP-based livelihood,generation. During the field visitsinterspersed throughout the course,participants were taken to nine projectsites in the temperate and the tropicalforests of the country. It was here that theparticipants got an opportunity to testtheir newly acquired knowledge and skillsin actual field situations.


Dr Prodyut Bhattacharya, Faculty,

Ecosystem Management and Technical

Forestry, Indian Institute of Forest

Management, PO Box 357, Nehru Nagar,

Bhopal 462003, India.

Fax: +91 755 772878(O);


www.iifm.org

CREATING A COMMONAGENDA FOR BIODIVERSITY-CONSERVING RESOURCE USETHOLEY-THELEY, GERMANY 9-11 DECEMBER 2001

This workshop was organized by theInternational Federation of Organic

Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) on behalfof the Fund for Sustainable BiodiversityManagement. The workshop’s objectiveswere to: i) create a common agenda amongparticipating organizations; and ii) initiateone or more networks of organizations toelaborate further and implement thecommon agenda. Twenty-sevenparticipants attended the workshop fromEurope, North America, Africa, Asia andLatin America.


Mr Bernward Geier, International

Federation of Organic Agriculture

Movements, Ökozentrum Imsbach, D-

66636 Tholey-Theley, Germany.

Fax: +49 6853 919899;


NATIVE PLANTS:PROPAGATION ANDRESTORATION STRATEGIESEUGENE, OREGON, USA12-13 DECEMBER 2001

This meeting was cosponsored by theNursery Technology Cooperative, OregonState University and the Western Forestryand Conservation Association.


Richard Zabel, Western Forestry and

Conservation Association,

4033 SW Canyon Road,

Portland, Oregon 97221, USA.

Fax: +1 503 2262515;


www.westernforestry.org

PARTICIPATORYMONITORING ANDEVALUATION OFBIODIVERSITYOXFORD, UK7-25 JANUARY 2002

The European Tropical Forestry ResearchNetwork and the Environmental ChangeInstitute convened this workshop to takestock of existing knowledge in this field,communicate findings to decision-makers

and provide recommendations forbiodiversity monitoring and evaluationwhich benefits rural people and nationallevel biodiversity managers.

All stakeholders who use, manage orconserve biodiversity assess it in someway. Local people have differentobjectives and ways of doing this, frompolicy-makers and governmentdepartments responsible forcommitments to the Convention onBiological Diversity. Improvedunderstanding of each other’sapproaches to evaluating biodiversity canhave benefits for rural communities,governments and intermediaryorganizations.

Participatory monitoring and evaluationof biodiversity involves differentstakeholders working together to assessbiodiversity, which can help scientists tosupport local people in managingbiodiversity, or local people to contributeto national biodiversity monitoringprocesses.


Dr Anna Lawrence, Environmental

Change Institute, 5 South Parks Road,

Oxford OX1 3UB, UK.

Fax: +44 1865 281202;


www.eci.ox.ac.uk;

www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/biodiver

sity/index.html

FAO/IPCC/CIFOREXPERT MEETING ONHARMONIZING FOREST-RELATED DEFINITIONSFOR USE BY VARIOUSSTAKEHOLDERSROME, ITALY23-25 JANUARY 2002

FAO, jointly with the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC), theCenter for International ForestryResearch (CIFOR) and the InternationalUnion of Forestry ResearchOrganizations (IUFRO), organized thisexpert meeting to review and harmonizeforest-related definitions.


79


Much global or regional information onforest resources is derived from nationaldata. FAO has therefore developedforest-related definitions for nationalinputs to globally aggregated forestassessments and outlook studies. TheIPCC has developed forest-relateddefinitions for use in issues common toland use, land use change and forestryand climate change. Other organizationshave developed other definitions for otherpurposes, such as monitoring biologicaldiversity in forests. There is a need toimprove the compatibility and consistencyof definitions in order to permitcomparability and thus to improve thequality and usefulness of forestinformation, increase the synergy amongorganizations, and use scarce resourcesmore effectively for informationmonitoring, assessment and reporting.

There is a need for globally – andregionally – aggregated information onforest resources and forest ecosystems to:

• define the concept of, and monitorprogress towards sustainable forestmanagement;

• assess the role of forests in climatechange;

• assess the attributes and changesaffecting forest biomes with respect tobiological diversity;

• analyse the social, economic andenvironmental roles of forests.

The information required differsbetween users, but with consistent andcomparable definitions it could beexchanged between different users.

The consultation: • identified key forest-related terms

whose definitions are critical tointernational processes;

• reviewed biome-specific forestdefinitions as well as those for theterms “forest degradation” and“devegetation”;

• where possible, agreed on thedefinitions of these key terms;

• made recommendations forconsideration by relevant policyprocesses with respect to keydefinitions and their application;

• planned further steps to harmonizeforest-related definitions.


Dr Wulf Killmann, Director, Forest

Products Division, Forestry



Fax: +39 0657055618;


SUSTAINING LIVELIHOODSAND BIODIVERSITY IN THENEW MILLENNIUMPHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA12-15 FEBRUARY 2002


Devin Bartley, FAO, Viale delle Terme di

Caracalla, Rome 00100, Italy.


SECOND INTERNATIONALWORKSHOP ONPARTICIPATORY FORESTRYIN AFRICAARUSHA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA18-23 FEBRUARY 2002


Mr Dominique Reeb, FAO, Community

Forestry Unit, Forestry Department,

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,

00100 Rome, Italy.

Fax: +39 06570555;


WORKING FORESTS IN THETROPICS: CONSERVATIONTHROUGH SUSTAINABLEMANAGEMENTGAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, USA25-26 FEBRUARY 2002

Tropical forests sustain a wealth ofbiodiversity, provide a wide range ofecosystem services and products, andsupport livelihoods for millions of people.Tropical forest conservation is highlycomplex, not only because these forestsperform so many different functions, butalso because of the variety ofstakeholders involved. Since less than 10percent of the world’s tropical forests are

likely to be preserved as legally protectedareas, conservation of the remaining 90percent will depend on the ability ofstakeholders to make the products andservices these “working forests” provideappear competitive with alternative landuse options.

This conference was conceived as avehicle for identifying opportunities tomake that happen, and obstacles thatsuccessful efforts will need to avoid orovercome.


Sharon Borneman, Conference

Coordinator, IFAS Office of

Conferences and Institutes, University

of Florida Leadership and Education

Foundation, Inc., PO Box 110750,

Gainesville, FL 32611-0750, USA.

Fax: +1 352 3929734;


INTERNATIONALWORKSHOP ON SHEAPROCESSING ANDTRADE ACROSS AFRICA(ATELIER INTERNATIONALSUR LE TRAITEMENT,VALORISATION ETCOMMERCE DE LA FILIÈREKARITÉ À TRAVERS DEL’AFRIQUE) DAKAR, SENEGAL4-7 MARCH 2002

The workshop was organized by FAO,with support from the Common Fund forCommodities (CFC), and in associationwith the Centre de suivi écologique(CSE), Dakar. The workshop broughttogether a variety of stakeholders in orderto address critical issues of sheaprocessing and trade in Africa. WithinFAO, this was a joint undertaking by theNWFP Programme of the ForestProducts Division, the Food Quality andStandards Service of the Food andNutrition Division and the BasicFoodstuffs Service of the Commoditiesand Trade Division, as well as theForestry Group from the FAO RegionalOffice for Africa (RAF, Accra, Ghana).


80


The shea butter tree Vitellaria paradoxa(syn. Butryospermum paradoxum) is aslow-growing fruit-tree which is indigenousto the Sudanic savannah of sub-SaharanAfrica. The tree occurs in a narrow band ofvegetation extending some 5 000 km, fromSenegal in the west to Uganda andEthiopia in the south and east of the range.

The shea tree provides an annualbounty of nutritious fruit to ruralcommunities during the annual “hungryseason”. The seeds of the fruit are largekernels with a high percentage of edibleoil, known as shea butter, which is a veryimportant nutritional and economicresource for households and communitiesacross the shea parkland savannah.

Shea as a resource has long been thedomain of women farmers across the sheaparkland. In traditional societiesthroughout the zone, women are primarilyresponsible for collection of shea nut, andthe processing and marketing of sheabutter. Women also control a significantproportion of income from the marketing ofshea products – income used primarily toraise families and meet the needs of thehousehold.

The annual yield of the shea tree variesgreatly by individual and over time,depending upon factors (both genetic andenvironmental) which are not yet wellunderstood. Although an estimated 70percent of the shea kernels collected eachyear are consumed in the home as sheabutter, a significant proportion of the “crop”is currently underutilized owing topopulation patterns and transportconstraints, and by limited profitability tothe primary producers.

The export of shea nut from West Africaconstitutes a significant proportion ofexport earnings for some Sahelianeconomies; for example, it is estimatedthat shea butter was the third largestexport from Burkina Faso throughout the1980s. Interestingly, local prices for sheaproducts in the eastern range of the sheazone – an area not penetrated by export ofthe raw material - are nearly twice as highas those in West Africa.

It is estimated that during 2000, some610 000 tonnes of shea nut were collectedacross the African shea zone. Of this,approximately 65 000 tonnes wereexported – mostly to Europe and Japan –and the remaining 545 000 tonnesprocessed locally into some 131 000tonnes of shea butter, the vast majority ofthis to be consumed as food oil in theproducing countries.

While the majority of exported shea nutis processed industrially for use in the foodindustry, particularly as a cocoa butterequivalent (CBE), the unsaponifiablefraction of shea butter gives it uniquetherapeutic properties as a treatment fordry or damaged skin. Cosmeticapplications form a small, but high-valuecomponent of the international market forshea butter.

Traditional processing methods of sheabutter extraction are very arduous,requiring significant inputs of femalelabour, fuelwood and water. Improvedtechnologies for village-level or artisanalextraction of shea butter have beendeveloped since the 1970s, with theobjective of improving productivity, andincreasing total yield of shea butterthrough greater efficiency in production.

Some recent rural developmentprogrammes have sought to improveproduction and marketing of shea butterby the primary producers in order tomaximize the value-added economicbenefits of shea processing at the locallevel. Complimentary to its consumptionas a food oil, economic returns from theproduction and marketing of sheaproducts also greatly enhance householdfood security, multiplying nutritionaloptions through increased market accessto cereals, pulses and livestock.

Enhanced household incomes from theliving shea tree also serve as a directeconomic incentive for conservation of theresource at the local level, where mostmanagement decisions affecting theenvironment are made. Given the threat ofdesertification from the steadyencroachment of the Sahel across thenorthern border of the shea zone, theenvironmental importance of shea is verysignificant. In many areas, limited marketoptions for shea products have resulted inwholesale cutting of the tree for productionof charcoal – a short-term and low-valueproduct that results in the permanentdestruction of the shea resource.

Although the technical constraints ofimproved shea processing have largelybeen addressed, issues of product qualitycontrol greatly limit the market options ofprimary producers across the shea zone,and the profitability of village-level sheaprocessing.

The shea butter currently produced byartisanal methods appropriate to the ruralareas where shea nut is produced remainshighly variable in terms of quality. Althoughmajor industrial importers of shea nut statethat they would be happy to import moreshea butter directly from Africanproducers, persistent problems of qualitycontrol have greatly constrained progresstowards this objective, and have resultedin lower prices and reduced returns to theprimary producers.

Another constraining factor in theoptimization of benefits to producers is thegeneral lack of information, communicationand networking between producers andother stakeholders throughout the Africanshea zone. Problems of language andlimited access to information exacerbate asituation in which the profitability of sheadoes not fully benefit its primary producers.Clearly, a regular exchange of marketinformation should be established andmade accessible to shea producers acrossAfrica, for the optimal development andlong-term sustainability of this importantnutritional and economic resource.

This workshop brought together avariety of stakeholders in order toaddress critical issues of shea processingand trade across the African shea zone.


81


Vitellaria paradoxa

The workshop served the followingobjectives:

• to bring together all relevantinformation and to evaluate pastexperience on processing andmarketing of shea nut and shea butterat the local, regional and internationallevels;

• to identify key constraints andpotentials in processing andmarketing of shea products at thelocal, regional and international levels;

• to formulate strategies to enhanceprocessing, utilization and marketingof shea products in a sustainablemanner, with recognition of the keyrole of rural women in sheaproduction, and a focus on reinforcingproducer equity through fair trade;

• to identify priority areas of interventionand to synthesize regional actionplans for future research anddevelopment activities; and

• to disseminate as widely as possiblethe information gathered and theresults produced by the workshop.

Main issues addressed during theworkshop included:

• the role of research institutions, stateagencies, NGOs and donors, and howtheir interventions can best assistsmall-scale producers and facilitatemarket access;

• the assessment, reliability andrenewal of the sources of supply,including issues of management,conservation and research anddevelopment of the shea resource;

• development of improved, locallyappropriate processing and storagemethods and technologies and theirtransfer to users;

• resource and equipment requirementsof rural producers, producer groupsand associations;

• organization of small-scale producers,processors and traders, withemphasis on producer equity andownership by women farmers, theprimary producers of the shearesource;

• means to develop local, regional andinternational markets, including thedevelopment of fair trade markets;

• development and diffusion of productquality standards, and techniques ofproduction quality control, formaximum added value in extractionand increased returns to theproducer;

• opportunities for national and regionalpublic-private partnerships; and

• networking and cooperation betweeninstitutions and individuals inproducing countries in the areas ofresearch and development, training,quality control systems, and marketinformation.

The countries represented byworkshop participants included: Benin,Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, theCentral African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire,Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, the Niger,Nigeria, Senegal, the Sudan, Togo andUganda.


Paul Vantomme, FAO NWFP

Programme.


CAPTURING THE VALUEOF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES:DEVELOPING MARKETS FORENVIRONMENTAL ASSETSLONDON, UK13-14 MARCH 2002

Hosted by Forest Trends and theKatoomba Group.


Jessica Rice, Forest Trends, 1050

Potomac Street NW, Washington, DC

20007, USA.

Fax: +1 202 2983014;


www.forest-trends.org;

www.katoombagroup.org

“RENEW YOURRELATIONSHIP WITHMOTHER EARTH” – 1STANNUAL ABORIGINALHERITAGE GARDENCONFERENCENEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA18-20 MARCH 2002

Hosted by the Aboriginal HeritageGardens the agenda combines aspects ofaboriginal culture, spirituality and NTFPs.


Mario LaPointe, Best Western Manoir

Adelaide Hotel, 385 Adelaide St,

Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Canada.

Fax: +1 506 6846302;


www.aboriginalgardens.com/NewFiles/

agenda01.html

FOREST VALUATION ANDINNOVATIVE FINANCINGMECHANISMS FORCONSERVATION ANDSUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTOF TROPICAL FORESTSTHE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS20-21 MARCH 2002

Tropenbos International organized a two-day seminar to discuss myths and realityof forest values, and to support thedevelopment and implementation ofappropriate financial mechanisms for theconservation and sustainable use oftropical forests.


Jelle Maas, Information Officer,

Tropenbos International, Seminar 2002,

PO Box 232, 6700 AE, Wageningen, the

Netherlands.

Fax: +31 317 495520;


www.tropenbos.nl


82


INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ONMEDICINAL PLANTS,INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGEAND BENEFIT SHARINGTHE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS16-19 APRIL 2002


Prof. Dr L. Jan Slikkerveer, Institute of

Cultural and Social Studies & the

Leiden Branch of the National

Herbarium of the Netherlands,

Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333AK Leiden,

the Netherlands.


MEDICINAL PLANTS/HEALTH/ENVIRONMENTALAND FEVELOPMENT ANDINTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPON SUSTAINABLE TRADEAND CONSERVATION OFMEDICINAL PLANTSRESOURCESRABAT, MOROCCO2-4 MAY 2002

The programme will be centred on thefollowing themes: ethnobotany andtraditional medicine; phytotherapy,aromatherapy, phytodrugs and phytofoods;technology, quality, economic and legalaspects; phytochemistry; pharmacology,toxicology, biology and biotechnology; andbiodiversity, conservation of medicinal andaromatic plants resources.

For more information and to register,

please visit:

www.multimania.com/congres2002pma

/registration.htm

FORESTRY AND RURALDEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPINVERNESS, UK 18 MAY 2002

The workshop is part of the 3rd EuropeanMountain Convention (Inverness, 16-18May 2002) organized by Euromontana.


Pier Carlo Zingari, Director, European

Observatory of Mountain Forests

(EOMF)/Observatoire européen des forêts

de montagne (OEFM), Les Thermes, F-

73230 Saint Jean d’Arvey, France.

Fax: +33 (0)4 79284058;


www.eomf.org

THE WORLDECOTOURISM SUMMITQUÉBEC, CANADA19-22 MAY 2002

The United Nations has declared 2002 asthe International Year of Ecotourism. TheWorld Tourism Organization (WTO) andthe United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) have taken the leadin organizing activities for this Year at theinternational level. The UN declaration isa testimony of the growing importance ofecotourism, not only as a sector with agreat potential for economic development– especially in remote areas where fewother possibilities exist – but also as apowerful tool for conservation of thenatural environment if it is properlyplanned, developed and managed.

Efforts to understand the implicationsof ecotourism better, as well as toimprove its planning, management and

marketing techniques, have beenconducted in many parts of the world byinternational organizations, governmentagencies, ecotourism companies andpractitioners, NGOs and research people.However, there has not been so far a trulycomprehensive effort to disseminatewidely the results achieved, or tointegrate such results so as to producethe necessary synergies that will ensurethat ecotourism will indeed generate theeconomic, social and environmentalbenefits expected from it.

Among the many activities to beundertaken at the global, regional,national and local levels in the frameworkof the International Year of Ecotourismthroughout the world, the WorldEcotourism Summit aims to be the majorlandmark. Its global objective and spiritare in line with the philosophy of theUnited Nations in the field of sustainabledevelopment, and more particularly withUNEP Principles for Implementation ofSustainable Tourism. Similarly, thesummit will draw inspiration from theGlobal Code of Ethics for Tourism,approved by consensus by all WTOmember states in October 1999. Thesummit conclusions andrecommendations are meant to bereported to the World Summit onSustainable Development, to be held inJohannesburg, South Africa, inSeptember 2002.


Ecotourisme 2002 – JPdL Secretariat,

51, rue d’Auteuil, Québec, Québec G1R

4C2, Canada.

Fax: +1 418 6925587;


www.world-

tourism.org/sustainable/IYE-Main-

Menu.htm;

or

United Nations Environment

Programme, Tourism Programme

Coordinator, Division of Technology,

Industry and Economics, Tour

Mirabeau, 39-43 – Quai André Citroën,

75739 Paris – Cedex 15, France.

Fax: +33 1 44371474;



83

F O R T H C O M I N G E V E N T S

Rosmarinus officinalis

HUMAN DIMENSIONSWORKSHOPBONN, GERMANY3-14 JUNE 2002

The theme for the workshop will be“Human dimensions of urbanization andthe transition to sustainability”.

For more information,

please contact:

Maarit Thiem, International Project

Coordinator, International Human

Dimensions Programme on Global

Environmental Change, Walter-Flex-Str.

3, 53113 Bonn, Germany.

Fax: +49 228 739054;


www.uni-bonn.de/IHDP

1ST ANNUAL SUSTAINABLEFOREST MANAGEMENTSUMMIT: SCIENCE INPOLICY AND PRACTICE –SHARING SUCCESSFULREGIONAL AND LOCALINITIATIVESWISCONSIN, USA17-19 JUNE 2002


Wendy Hinrichs Sanders, Great Lakes

Forest Alliance, PO Box 722, Hayward,

WI 54843, USA.


www.lsfa.org


84


MOUNTAIN INDIGENOUSKNOWLEDGE, SUSTAINABLELIVELIHOODS ANDCREATIVE MEANS OFRESOURCES GOVERNANCE(III MMSEA) LIJIANG, YUNNAN, CHINA25-28 AUGUST 2002

The conference will look at indigenouslivelihoods, indigenous knowledge andcreative means of local governance in ourmountain areas.


Xu Jianchu or Timmi Tillmann, Centre

for Biodiversity and Indigenous

Knowledge, Zhonghuandasha, Yanjiadi

650034, Kunming, China.


[email protected];

www.cbik.org

SMALL FRUIT IN THEWILD AND CULTUREKAUNAS, LITHUANIA20-22 AUGUST 2002

The theme for the workshop will be“Human dimensions of urbanization andthe transition to sustainability”.


Kaunas Botanical Garden, Z. E. Zilibero

6, LT-3018 Kaunas, Lithuania.

Fax: +370 7 390133;


[email protected]

WORLD SUMMIT ONSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTJOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA26 AUGUST-4 SEPTEMBER 2002

The Johannesburg Summit 2002 – theWorld Summit on SustainableDevelopment – will bring together tens ofthousands of participants, includingHeads of State and Government, nationaldelegates and leaders from NGOs,businesses and other major groups tofocus the world’s attention and directaction towards meeting difficultchallenges, including improving people’slives and conserving our naturalresources in a world that is growing inpopulation, with ever-increasingdemands for food, water, shelter,sanitation, energy, health services andeconomic security.

The summit will come a decade afterthe historic United Nations Conferenceon Environment and Development held inRio de Janeiro in 1992, which adoptedAgenda 21, the blueprint for sustainabledevelopment – and spawned theconventions on climate change, biologicaldiversity and desertification.

Background information, and the datesand venues for the preparatory meetings,as they are confirmed, can be found atthe summit’s Web site.


Johannesburg Summit Secretariat,

Division for Sustainable Development,

United Nations Department of

Economic and Social Affairs, Two

United Nations Plaza, DC2-2220, New

York, NY 10017, USA.


www.johannesburgsummit.org/

MANAGEMENT OFMOUNTAIN FORESTECOSYSTEMS UNDER NEWENVIRONMENTALCONDITIONSPRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC1-7 SEPTEMBER 2002


Mr Vratislav Balcar, Research Station

VULHM Opocno, Na Olive 550, 517 73

Opocno, Czech Republic.

Fax: +420 443 42393;


ECOLOGICAL ANDECONOMIC BENEFITS OFMOUNTAIN FORESTSINNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA15-18 SEPTEMBER 2002


Robert Jandl, Federal Forest Research

Centre, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, A-

1131 Vienna, Austria.

Fax: +43 1 878381250;


http://fbva.forvie.ac.at/iym/ecology.html

TAIGA RESCUE NETWORKAND BOREAL FORESTNETWORK 6TH BIENNIALCONFERENCEWINNIPEG, CANADA20-22 SEPTEMBER 2002

The theme of this conference is “Currentand future boreal forest values –conservation goals and market trends”.


Conference organizers:

Michelle Forrest and Susanne McCrea.


www.borealnet.org or

www.taigarescue.org

PROTA FIRSTINTERNATIONALWORKSHOPNAIROBI, KENYA23-25 SEPTEMBER 2002

The workshop is being organized by thePlant Resources of Tropical Africa(PROTA) Programme, WageningenUniversity, the Netherlands. One of theworkshop objectives is to highlight theimportance of the plant resources oftropical Africa through commodity groupreports, country reports and plantresources reports. Various papers areinvited, including on auxiliary andmedicinal plants. The workshop will be inEnglish and French.


PROTA Programme, Wageningen

University, PO Box 341, 6700 AH

Wageningen, the Netherlands.


www.prota.org;

or PROTA First International Workshop,

c/o ICRAF, PO Box 30677, Nairobi,

Kenya.

[Please see under News and Notes for

more information on PROTA.]

THIRD INTERNATIONALTRAINING PROGRAMME ONSUSTAINABLE NTFPMANAGEMENT FOR RURALDEVELOPMENTMADHYA PRADESH, INDIA12-27 NOVEMBER 2002

The newly established InternationalCentre of Community Forestry (ICCF) atthe Indian Institute of Forest Management(IIFM), Bhopal, has been organizingvarious community forestry-related trainingprogrammes regularly (see below forinformation on the course held in 2001).These training programmes are closelygrounded on actual field experiences. Theprevious two programmes have attractedthe participation of forestry and ruraldevelopment practitioners andresearchers, from various countriesworldwide. This programme has beendesigned for enhancing knowledge andhoning skills in the areas of NTFP-basedlivelihood generation through sustainablemanagement of NTFPs.

The training topics, which are revisedand updated every year, will involvesituational analysis of the NTFPmanagement and rural developmentscenario (both micro and macro) and anintensive coverage of contemporaryissues related to NTFP production,processing and trade. The participantswould also be trained in tools andtechniques for NTFP resourceassessment, enterprise feasibilityassessment and NTFP-based livelihoodgeneration. During the field visits,interspersed throughout the course, theparticipants will get ample opportunity totest their newly acquired knowledge andskills in actual field situations.


Dr Prodyut Bhattacharya, Course

Director, Indian Institute of Forest


85


Management, Nehru Nagar, PO Box

357; Bhopal-462003, Madhya Pradesh,

India.


www.iifm.org

PRIMER CONGRESOLATINOAMERICANODE HERBOLARIA YSEGUNDO CONGRESONACIONAL DE PLANTASMEDICINALES DE MÉXICOGUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MÉXICO21 A 24 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2002

El Congreso Latinoamericano deHerbolaria y el Segundo CongresoNacional de Plantas Medicinales deMéxico se han propuesto como objetivosgenerales:

• Ser el principal foro latinoamericanoque promueva la cooperación, elintercambio y la difusión deinvestigaciones, tecnologías yexperiencias entre los distintos actoressociales vinculados con la herbolaria,las terapias naturales y la medicinatradicional con el fin de rescatar,conservar, revalorizar y aprovecharsustentablemente las plantasmedicinales y sus derivados.

• Servir como espacio abierto generadory multiplicador de ideas, propuestas,políticas, experiencias y acciones entorno a la conservación ecológica, laetnobotánica, el manejo sustentable,la investigación de campo ylaboratorio, el control de calidad, lacertificación, la bioprospección, elderecho de propiedad intelectual de

las comunidades rurales e indígenas,el cultivo orgánico, la normatividad, latransformación, el comercio justo ytodos aquellos aspectos vinculadoscon los recursos terapéuticosherbolarios.


Josefina Morfín López, Presidenta del

Comité Organizador del Primer

Congreso Latinoamericano de

Herbolaria y Primera ExpoNaturalia

Latinoamericana 2002, Calle La Calma,

60, Colonia Las Fuentes, C.P. 45070,

Guadalajara, Jal., México.

Fax: +52 3 6312286;

correos electrónicos: [email protected],

[email protected];

o Miguel Angel Gutiérrez Domínguez,

Vicepresidente del Comité Organizador

del Primer Congreso Latinoamericano

de Herbolaria y Primera ExpoNaturalia

Latinoamericana 2002, Universidad

Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Secretaría de

Investigación Científica, Jardín Botánico

Universitario, Av. Universidad N° 1, C.P.

90070 Tlaxcala, Tlax., México.

Fax: +52 246 28996;

correos electrónicos:

[email protected] y

[email protected];

sitio Internet del Primer Congreso

Latinoamericano de Herbolaria:

www.laneta.apc.org/nuevaneta/info/mor

einfo.php3

THE NAMCHECONFERENCE: PEOPLE,PARK AND MOUNTAINECOTOURISM AT NAMCHEBAZAARKHUMBU, NEPAL5-8 DECEMBER 2002

Presentations and workshops will cover arange of topics, according to participants’interests. Special attention will be givento the role of parks in mountainecotourism.


Seth Sicroff, Director, Bridges: Projects

in Rational Tourism Development.


[email protected];

www.bridges-prtd.com

THE 3RD WORLDCONGRESS ON MEDICINALAND AROMATIC PLANTSFOR HUMAN WELFARE(WOCMAP III)CHIANG MAI, THAILAND3-7 FEBRUARY 2003

The theme of WOCMAP III is “Frombiodiversity through science andtechnology, trade and industry tosustainable use”. This congress willprovide a forum for internationalcooperation among people in alldisciplines that involve medicinal andaromatic plants, bringing togetherexperts in medicinal and aromatic plantsfrom around the world.

The congress programme will includeplenary sessions, invited lectures, oraland poster presentations, a commercialexhibition (EXPOMAP) and excursions inand around Chiang Mai and Bangkok aswell as neighbouring countries.

Early registration should be made by31 July 2002.

For more information and to obtain a

copy of the pre-registration form,

please contact:

Congress Secretariat WOCMAP-III,

Department of Biology, Faculty of

Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang

Mai 50200, Thailand.

Fax: +66 53 944934;



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The World Forestry Congress (WFC)is the largest, most importantinternational gathering of key playersin the forestry sector. Organizedunder the aegis of FAO, the congresstakes place every six years. It is aforum for exchanging a wide range ofviews, where ideas and actionshaving a direct impact on forests andon forest management can bepresented and discussed so thatpractical solutions can be found.Overall, the discussions are intendedto bring together the breadth ofknowledge, experiences andapproaches from around the world toguide forest policy, practices,research and internationalcooperation. In addition to regularworking sessions, the congress willshowcase the latest advances inforestry.

The World Forestry Congress isnot a meeting of officialsrepresenting governments andorganizations. Rather, participants

attend in their personal capacity toexpress their own views. For thisreason, its role is consultative ratherthan executive.

The WFC Theme “Forests, sourceof life” is of much relevance to thetopic of non wood forest productsand promises to inspire a rich debateon the role of edible NWFPs to foodsecurity and poverty alleviation. TheFAO NWFP Programme is lookingforward to a wide range of papersbeing submitted to the WFCemphasizing the important socio-economic contribution of NWFPstowards sustainable development.

Forests have sustained life onearth since time immemorial,providing a range of essential goodsand services such as food, shelter,energy, wood, soil and waterconservation, wildlife habitat, incomegeneration, cultural identity andspiritual well-being. Thus, it is notsurprising that one of today’sgreatest challenges is finding ways tobalance and reconcile conflicting andincreasing demands from those whodepend on one aspect or another fortheir survival and development.

For more information, pleasecontact:World Forestry Congress 2003,800, Place d’Youville, 18e étage,Québec, Québec G1R 3P4,Canada.Fax: +1 418 6949922;e-mail: [email protected] [email protected];www.wfc.2003.org

XII WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESSQUÉBEC, CANADA

21-28 SEPTEMBER 2003


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ALL DIVISION5 IUFRO CONFERENCE“FOREST PRODUCTSRESEARCH – PROVIDINGFOR SUSTAINABLECHOICES” ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND11-15 MARCH 2003

This conference, which is beingorganized by the International Union ofForest Research Organizations (IUFRO),will serve as a forum for the exchange ofknowledge and experience in forestproducts research at the national andinternational levels. Participants willdiscuss recent research progress,exchange information and collaborate onresearch related to the conference themeof “Forest products research – providingfor sustainable choices”.

Discussion will consider scientificprogress towards meeting the rapidlyincreasing demands for forest products ofall kinds, while maintaining the forest asthe source of such products and aresource for the social, economic andenvironmental benefits.

This conference includes a session onNWFPs under the IUFRO Group 5.11chaired by Dr Jim Chamberlain. Thesession will be focused on “Researchneeds for sustainable management ofnon wood forest products”.


Dr Jim Chamberlain, NTFP Products

Research Technologist, US Forest

Service, Southern Research Station;

Coordinator, IUFRO Research Group

5.11 (Non-wood Forest Products), 1650

Ramble Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061,

USA.

Fax: +1 540 2311383,

e-mail [email protected];

www.sfp.forprod.vt.edu;

or

Conference Secretariat:

Fax: +64 7 3435507;

e-mail:

[email protected]

Al-Douri, N.A. 2000. A survey ofmedicinal plants and their traditionaluses in Iraq. Pharmaceutical Biology,38(1): 74-79.

Amatya, Swoyambhu Man, ed. 2000.Proceedings of the Third RegionalWorkshop on “Community-BasedNTFP Management”. (For moreinformation, contact: Dr SwoyambhuMan Amatya, Director-General,Department of Forest Research andSurvey, PO Box 339, Babar Mahal,Kathmandu, Nepal; fax: +977 1220159; e-mail: [email protected])

Anderson, P.N. 2001. Community-basedconservation and social changeamongst south Indian honey-hunters:an anthropological perspective. Oryx,35(1): 81-83.

Anon. 2001. Open to plunder. Smugglingis stripping India of rare medicinalplants. Down to Earth, (January): 28-41.

Anwar, R., Haq, N. & Masood, S. 2001.Medicinal plants of Pakistan.Southampton, UK, InternationalCentre for Underutilised Crops. ISBN085-432-739-8.

Backes, M.M. 2001. The role ofindigenous trees for the conservationof biocultural diversity in traditionalagroforestry land use systems: theBungoma case study: in-situconservation of indigenous treespecies. Agroforestry Syst., 52(2):119-132.

Baker, N., ed. 2001. Developing Needs-Based Inventory Methods for Non-Timber Forest Products Applicationand Development of CurrentResearch to Identify PracticalSolutions for Developing Countries.Proceedings of an ETFRN workshopwhich was held with and at FAO inMay 2000 and was funded by theDFID Forest Research Programme.(Copies of this ETFRN publication areavailable from: European TropicalForest Research Network [ETFRN],

Coordination Unit, c/o The TropenbosFoundation, PO Box 232, 6700 AEWageningen, the Netherlands; fax:+31 317 495521; e-mail:[email protected]; www.etfrn.org/etfrn;www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/ntfp/downloadreport.html)

Berg, J. van den, Dijk, H. van, Dkamela,G.P., Ebene, Y. & Ntenwu, T. 2001.The role and dynamics of communityinstitutions in the management ofNTFPs in Cameroon. ETFRN News,32: 77-79.

Bhatia, A., ed. 2001. Himawanti –Women of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas. Kathmandu, InternationalCentre for Integrated MountainDevelopment. 76 pp. ISBN 92-9115-412-1. Himawanti is a remarkableorganization, a network of grassrootswomen from across the Hindu-KushHimalayas concerned with theprotection and development of naturalresources such as forest, land andwater. In October 1999, after years ofplanning and preparation, Himawantisucceeded in bringing together morethan 200 women from the region for aregional workshop. The aim was toprovide a forum for grassroots womento share experiences and evolvestrategies, and to strengthencommunication and alliances, amongthe rural women who are actuallyinvolved in conserving and managingnatural resources. The situation of thewomen, their needs, the challengesthey face, and how they arecampaigning for change, werediscussed at length in the supportiveatmosphere of the workshop. Themain themes are presented in thisbook in a visually stimulating form inthree languages (English, Hindi,Urdu). (For more information, contact:ICOD/ICIMOD, POB 3226,Kathmandu, Nepal; e-mail:[email protected]; www.icimod.org)

Cadamuro, L. 2000. Plantes comestiblesde Guyane. Écocart éditions.

Caspary, H.-U., Koné, I., Prouot, C. &Pauw, M. de. 2001. La chasse et lafilière viande de brousse dansl’espace Taï, Côte d’Ivoire. TropenbosCôte d’Ivoire Série 2. Wageningen,Pays-Bas, Tropenbos International.ISBN 90-5113-148-1. w20.

Davidson-Hunt, I, Duchesne, L.C. &Zasada, J.C., eds. 2001. Forestcommunities in the third millennium:linking research, business, and policytoward a sustainable non-timberforest product sector. Proceedings ofthe meeting, 1-4 October 1999,Kenora, Ontario, Canada. GeneralTechnical Report NC-217. St. Paul,MN, US Department of Agriculture,Forest Service, North CentralResearch Station. 151 pp. The publication contains a widevariety of papers given at the firstinternational conference on NTFPs incold temperate and boreal forests. Itfocuses on many facets of NTFPs:economics, society, traditionalecological knowledge, biology,resource management and businessdevelopment. (An electronic versionof the proceedings can be viewedand downloaded from:www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/ kstore.htm. Hardcopy versions of the book areavailable free of charge from:Publications Distribution Center,North Central Research Station,United States Department ofAgriculture, Forest Service, 1 GiffordPinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53705,USA; or Tim Swedberg, Media andPublic Relations, North CentralResearch Station, 1992 Folwell Ave.,St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; fax: +1 651 6495285; e-mail:[email protected])

Demmer, J. & Overman, H. 2001.Indigenous people conserving the rainforest? The effect of wealth andmarkets on the economic behaviourof Tawahka Amerindians in Honduras.Tropenbos Series 19. Wageningen,the Netherlands, TropenbosInternational. ISBN 90-5113-053-8.


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P U B L I C A T I O N S O F I N T E R E S T

Dkamela, G.P. 2001. Les institutionscommunautaires de gestion deproduits forestiers non-ligneux dansles villages périphériques de laRéserve de Biosphère du Dja.Tropenbos-Cameroon Documents 7.Tropenbos-Cameroon Programme,Kribi, Cameroon.

Duivenvoorden, J.F., ed. 2001.Evaluación de recursos vegetales nomaderables en la Amazoníanoroccidental. IBED, Universidad deAmsterdam, Países Bajos.

Emery, M. & McLain, R.J., eds. 2001.Non-timber forest products: medicinalherbs, fungi, edible fruits and nuts,and other natural products from theforest. Binghamton, NY, HaworthPress. 176 pp. $29.95.(www.HaworthPressInc.com/store/product.asp?sku=4487)

Evans, T.D. & Viengkham, O.V. 2001.Inventory time-cost and statisticalpower: a case study of a Lao rattan.Forest Ecology and Management,150: 313-322.

Evans, T.D., Sengdala, K., Viengkham,O.V. & Thammavong, B. 2001. Afield guide to the Rattans of Lao P.R.Scientific Publications Department,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UnitedKingdom.Rattans contribute greatly to the Laoeconomy by producing flexible canesand edible shoots, which are usedwithin country or exported. This bookis intended to support their improvedmanagement. (For more information,contact: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,Surrey TW9 3AB, UK; fax: +44 (0)2083325197; www.rbgkew.org.uk)

FAO. 2001. Global Forest ResourcesAssessment 2000 (FRA 2000). FAO’sGlobal Forest Resources Assessment2000 (FRA 2000) is available online(www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/main/index.jsp)

FAO. 2001. State of the world’s forests.Food and Agriculture Organization of

the United Nations, Rome. ISBN 92-5-104590-9. The fourth edition of the State of theworld’s forests (SOFO), FAO’s biennialreport providing reliable and up-to-dateinformation on the status of forests anddevelopments in the forest sectorworldwide, has been released inArabic, Chinese, English, French andSpanish. Subjects covered in the reportinclude forest cover and condition;management, conservation andsustainable development of forestresources; forest goods and services;the institutional framework for forestry;and international dialogue. Sixcomprehensive annex tables give basiccountry information (land area,population, economic indicators) andthe latest data by country on forestcover; change in forest cover; forestmanagement; production, trade andconsumption of forest products; andparticipation in internationalconventions and agreements. (Printedcopies of SOFO are available throughFAO’s Sales and Marketing Group[[email protected]]. SOFO isalso available electronically on theInternet [www.fao.org/forestry/fo/sofo/sofo-e.stm]. For more information,contact: Publications and InformationCoordinator, Forestry Department,FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,00100 Rome, Italy; fax: +39 0657052151; e-mail: [email protected])

FAO. 2001. Resource base assessment,current uses and managementpotential of bamboo in ManicalandProvince (Nyanga, Mutasa & Mutaredistricts) of Zimbabwe. Harare,Zimbabwe, FAO. Published by the FAO SubregionalOffice for East and Southern Africa inHarare, Zimbabwe, this study focuseson the assessment and themanagement potential of bamboospecies in the Eastern Highlands ofZimbabwe. It was conducted in threestages: 1. gathering information onbamboo species found in Zimbabwe,their distribution and present and

potential uses; 2. carrying out aresource base assessment byestimating the quantity and size ofbamboo reeds growing in the studyarea; 3. exploring current uses ofbamboo in the survey area andopportunities of extending themanagement of bamboo intointegrated agroforestry systems,small- and large-scale commercialfarming, environmental rehabilitation,ecotourism, food security and income-generating bamboo projects. (Toobtain a copy of the report or for moreinformation, contact: MichelLaverdiere, Forest ConservationOfficer, Subregional Office forSouthern and East Africa [SAFR], POBox 3730, Harare, Zimbabwe; fax:+263 4 703497; e-mail:[email protected])

Gunasena, H.P.M. & Hughes, A. 2000.Tamarind. Southampton, UK,International Centre for UnderutilisedCrops.A monograph on tamarind (Tamarindusindica L.), published by theInternational Centre for UnderutilisedCrops, is an output from a researchproject funded by the United KingdomDepartment for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) (For a free copyof this monograph, contact theInternational Centre for UnderutilisedCrops; e-mail: [email protected])

Ha Chu Chu. 2001. Situation of non-wood forest products production andutilization in Vietnam. In Proceedingson the International Seminar on Non-Timber Forest Products, China-Yunnan, Laos and Vietnam. YunnanUniversity Press. ISBN 7-81068-27-7.

Hall & Yun. 2000. Edible mushrooms assecondary crops in forests. QuarterlyJ. Forestry, 94: 299-304.

Helbingen, A.J. Bojanic. 2001. Balanceis beautiful: assessing sustainabledevelopment in the rain forests of theBolivian Amazon. PROMAB ScientificSeries 4. ISBN 90-393-2757-2.


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Jiaquan, C. 2001. Survey on NTFPsborder trade between China andVietnam, and China and Laos inJiangcheng County, Simao Prefecture,and Mengla County, XishuangbannaPrefecture. In Proceedings of theInternational Seminar on Non-TimberForest Products, China-Yunnan, Laosand Vietnam. Yunnan University Press.ISBN 7-81068-27-7.

Kangas, K. 2001. Commercial wild berrypicking as a source of income innorthern and eastern Finland. J. ForestEconomics, 7(1): 53-68.

Khanina, L.G. et al. 2001. A review ofrecent projects on forest biodiversityinvestigations in Europe includingRussia. European Forest InstituteInternal Report 3. 65 pp. (Onlyavailable from www.efi.fi/publicationsas a pdf file.)

Leakey, R.R.B. 2001. Win:Win landusestrategies for Africa: 1. Building onexperience with agroforests in Asia andLatin America. Win:Win landusestrategies for Africa: 2. Capturingeconomic and environmental benefitswith multistrata agroforests.International Forestry Review, 1-3March 2001. (For more information,contact: R.R.B. Leakey, Centre forEcology and Hydrology, Bush Estate,Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB,Scotland, UK; e-mail: [email protected])

Liu Sihui. 2001. The utilization of non-timber forest products in DaweishanNature Reserve. In Proceedings on theInternational Seminar on Non-TimberForest Products, China-Yunnan, Laosand Vietnam. Yunnan University Press.ISBN 7-81068-271-7.

Lund, H.G. 2001. Using the Internet tocommunicate your message: “AMonumental Opportunity!” InProceedings of the 2000 NationalConvention of the Society of AmericanForesters – A MonumentalOpportunity. Washington, DC, 16-20November 2000. Bethesda, MD,

1-29. Washington, DC,CABS/Conservation International. (Fora hard copy of this publication, contactTerri Lam at [email protected])

Riera, P. 2001. Assessment ofmethodologies for valuing biologicaldiversity of forests. European ForestInstitute Internal Report 4. 14 pp.(Only available fromwww.efi.fi/publications as a pdf file.)

Schippmann, U. 2001. Medicinal plantssignificant trade study. CITES projectS-109. Plants Committee DocumentPC9 9.1.3 (rev.). 97 pp. Bundesamtfür Naturschutz, Bonn, Germany (BfN-Skripten 39).

Soydara, V. & Ketphanh, S. 2001. Casestudy on the Marketing Group of BitterBamboo Shoots in Nam PhengVillage, Oudomxai Province, LaoPDR. In Proceedings of theInternational Seminar on Non-TimberForest Products, China-Yunnan, Laosand Vietnam. Yunnan UniversityPress. ISBN 7-81068-271-7.

Statz, J. 2000. Investigación de BosquesTropicales – Potenciales de desarrolloen la utilización de productos nomaderables del bosque. Perspectivaspara un nuevo campo de acción de laCooperación al Desarrollo Forestal enParaguay y Bolivia. GTZ, Eschborn,Alemania.

Stepp, J.R. 2000. Mountain ethnobiologyand development in HighlandChiapas, Mexico: lessons inbiodiversity and health. Mnt. Res.Dev., 20(3): 218-219.

Stoian, D. 2000. Shifts in forest productextraction: the post-rubber era in theBolivian Amazon. International TreeCrops J., 10(4): 277-297.

Stoian, D. 2000. Variations anddynamics of extractive economies:the rural-urban nexus of non-timberforest use in the Bolivian Amazon.University of Freiburg, Germany. Ref.:

Society of American Foresters, p. 425-429. ISBN 0-939970-82-1.(www.safnet.org)

Messerschmidt, D. et al. 2001. Bambooin the high forest of eastern Bhutan: astudy of species vulnerability.Kathmandu, International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development. 32pp. ISBN 92-9115-3141. (For moreinformation, contact: Nira Gurung-Burathoki, Distribution Officer, ICIMOD,PO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal; fax:+977 1 524509; e-mail:[email protected];www.icimod.org.sg/publications/pubmenu.htm)

Mors, W.B., Rizzini, C.T. & Pereira, N.A.2001. Medicinal plants of Brazil. USA,Reference Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-917256-42-5.

Newton, A.C. & Soehartono, T. 2001.CITES and the conservation of treespecies: the case of Aquilaria inIndonesia. International ForestryReview, 1-3 March 2001.

Olson, D.M. et al. 2001. Terrestrialecoregions of the world: a new map oflife on earth. BioScience, 51(11): 933-938. (www.aibs.org/biosciencelibrary/vol51/dec01.ldml)

Onguene, N.A. & Kuyper, T.W. 2001.Mycorrhizal associations in the rainforest of South Cameroon. ForestEcology and Management, 140: 277-287.

Paoli, G.D. et al. 2001. An ecological andeconomic assessment of the non-timber forest product gaharu wood inGunung Palung National Park, WestKalimantan, Indonesia. Conserv. Biol.,15(6): 1721-1732. (www.blacksci.co.uk/~cgilib/bsinc.bin?Journal=biology)

Rice, R.E., Sugal, C.A., Ratay, S.M. &Fonseca, G.A. 2001. Sustainableforest management: a review ofconventional wisdom. Advances inApplied Biodiversity Science, No. 3, p.


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MK 2001/2137/DF 4.2001/97. (Ph.D.dissertation)

Stoian, D. & Henkemans, A.B. 2000.Between extractivism and peasantagriculture: differentiation of ruralsettlements in the Bolivian Amazon.International Tree Crops J., 10(4):299-319.

Svoboda, K.P. & Svoboda, T.G. 2001.Secretory structures of aromatic andmedicinal plants – a review and atlasof micrographs. ISBN 0-9538461-0-5.(For more information, contact: K.Svoboda, 34 Carcluie Crescent, Ayr,Ayrshire, Scotland KA7 4ST, UK; e-mail: [email protected])

Thomas, R.S. 2001. Forest productivityand resource availability in lowlandtropical forests in Guyana.Tropenbos-Guyana Series 7.Tropenbos-Guyana Programme,Georgetown, Guyana.

Tran Van On, Do Quyen, Le Dinh Bich,Jones, B., Wunder, J. & Russel-Smith, J. 2001. A survey of medicinalplants in Ba Vi National Park,Vietnam. Methodology andimplications for conservation andsustainable use. BiologicalConservation, 97: 295-304.

Tropenbos International. 2001.Workshop proceedings The balancebetween biodiversity conservationand sustainable use of tropical rainforests, 6-8 December 1999. (P.J.M.Hillegers and H.H. de Longh, eds.)Wageningen, the Netherlands,Tropenbos International. ISBN 90-5113-050-3. (Electronic versionavailable from www.tropenbos.nl)

Tropenbos International. 2001. Seminarproceedings Sustainable managementof African rain forest, November 1999.(B. Foahom, W.B.J. Jonkers, P.N.Nkwi, P. Schmidt and M. Tchatat, eds.)Part I. Workshops. Wageningen, theNetherlands, Tropenbos International.ISBN 90-5113-047-3. (Electronic

version available fromwww.tropenbos.nl)

Tropenbos International. 2001. Seminarproceedings Sustainable managementof African rain forest, November 1999.(W.B.J. Jonkers, B. Foahom and P.Schmidt, eds.) Part II. Symposium.Wageningen, the Netherlands,Tropenbos International. ISBN 90-5113-051-1. (Electronic versionavailable from www.tropenbos.nl)

van Rijsoort, J. 2001. The importance ofwild NTFPs for villagers in and aroundNuozhadu Nature Reserve, SimaoPrefecture, P.R. China, andsuggestions for future actions. InProceedings of the InternationalSeminar on Non-Timber ForestProducts, China-Yunnan, Laos andVietnam. Yunnan University Press.ISBN 7-81068-271-7.

van Rijsoort, J. & He Pikun. 2001.Proceedings of the InternationalSeminar on Non-Timber ForestProducts, China-Yunnan, Laos andVietnam. The proceedings are published by theForest Conservation and CommunityDevelopment Project (FCCDP), aChinese-Netherlands-funded project inYunnan, China. In December 2000,the project organized an internationalseminar together with two otherNetherlands-funded projects in VietNam and the Lao People’sDemocratic Republic, respectively, on“The role of non-timber forest products(NTFPs) in forest conservation andcommunity development”. It was the first time such a regionalseminar on this specific issue washeld with the three countries borderingYunnan – China, Viet Nam and theLao People’s Democratic Republic.During the seminar, the participantsexchanged ideas and experiences onissues related to NTFPs and forestconservation, community developmentand marketing and processing. Thisresulted in a better understandingbetween the three countries about the

various aspects of NTFP conservationand development and set the stagefor future information exchange andsharing in the region. The proceedingspresent a clear overview of lessonslearnt, similarities and differences inthe region, possibilities for futurecollaboration, as well as variousinteresting papers from theparticipants of the three countries.(For more information, contact:Jeannette van Rijsoort, ForestConservation and CommunityDevelopment Project [FCCDP], SimaoForestry Department, Zhen Xing Lu48, 665000 Simao City, Yunnan,China; tel./fax: +86 879 2144046; e-mail: [email protected])

van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H. &Bunyapraphatsara, N., eds. 2001.Plant resources of South-East Asia No.12(2). Medicinal and poisonous plants2. Leiden, the Netherlands, BackhuysPublishers. 782 pp.Plant Resources of South-East Asia(PROSEA) is a multivolume handbookthat aims to summarize knowledgeabout useful plants for workers ineducation, research, extension andindustry. This second of the threeplanned volumes on the medicinal andpoisonous plants of Southeast Asiapresents a mixture of species with alongstanding reputation in traditionalmedicine and species that have beenwell investigated phytochemically orpharmacologically, but are poorly knownin the Southeast Asian region. Up-to-date information is provided concerninglocal knowledge as well as modernresearch findings, where possible. Thealphabetical treatment of genera andspecies comprises 171 papers.The hardcover edition is distributed byBackhuys Publishers, PO Box 321,2300 AH Leiden, the Netherlands,priced _159. A paperback edition willbe available as of December 2003,priced _68. For developing countries,a cheaper paperback edition (ISBN979-8316-43-6) will be available in2002 from the PROSEA NetworkOffice, PO Box 332, Bogor 16122,


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Indonesia. (For more information,contact: Dr J.S. Siemonsma, HeadPublication Office, PROSEA,Wageningen Agricultural University,PO Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen,the Netherlands; fax: +31 317482206; e-mail:[email protected])[Please see under News and Notesfor more information on PROSEA.]

Weber, A. et al., eds. 2001. Anintroductory field guide to theflowering plants of the Golfo Dulcerain forests, Costa Rica. CorcovadoNational Park and Piedras BlancasNational Park (“Regenwald derÖstereicher”). Stapfia, 78: 1-464. (Formore information, contact: Mrs MarionDominikus, Institute of Botany,Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria; e-mail: [email protected])

Wolf, J.H.D. & Konings, C.J.F. 2002.Toward the sustainable harvesting ofepiphytic bromeliads: a pilot studyfrom the highlands of Chiapas,Mexico. Biological Conservation,101(1): 23-31. (www.elsevier.nl/PII/S0006320701000532)

World Resources Institute. 2000. Worldresources 2000-2001, people andecosystems: the fraying web of life.400 pp. ISBN 1-56973-443-7.

WWF Deutschland & TRAFFIC Europe-Germany, eds. 2001. Tagungsband,Proceedings. Symposium. Medizinund Artenschutz. Herausforderung fürMensch und Natur im neuenJahrtausend. Medicinal utilization ofwild species. Challenge for man andnature in the new millennium. 107 pp.,WWF Deutschland & TRAFFICEurope-Germany, Frankfurt am Main.

Zich, F. & Compton, J. 2001. The finalfrontier: towards sustainablemanagement of Papua New Guinea’sagarwood resource. TRAFFICOceania/WWF South PacificProgramme. 12 pp.(www.traffic.org/news/agar2.pdf)

NO. 13. RESOURCE ASSESSMENTOF NON-WOOD FOREST

PRODUCTS. EXPERIENCE ANDBIOMETRIC PRINCIPLES

This publication isalso available in French (Évaluationdes ressources en produitsforestiers non ligneux. Expérienceet principes de biométrie) andSpanish (Evaluación de los recursosde productos forestales nomadereros. Experiencia y principiosbiométricos) and is accompanied bya trilingual CD-ROM.This publication is also availableonline at the following address:www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1457e/y1457e00.htm (English) www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1457f/y1457f00.htm (French)www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1457s/y1457s00.htm (Spanish)

For more information, please contact: FrançoisNdeckere-Ziangba, FAO NWFP Programme.E-mail:[email protected]

NO. 14: RATTAN. CURRENTRESEARCH ISSUES AND

PROSPECTS FOR CONSERVATIONAND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Despite the fact that rattan is an important commodity forinternational trade and that, at the local level, it is of criticalrelevance in improving rurallivelihoods, the supply of rattanstill comes from cutting palms in natural forests. Nowadays,rattan resources in their naturalrange of tropical forests are being depleted throughoverexploitation, inadequatereplenishment, poor forestmanagement and loss of foresthabitats. Against this background,Non-Wood Forest Products SeriesNo. 14, was recently publishedand contains the proceedings of a joint FAO/INBAR InternationalExpert Consultation on Rattan,held in Rome in December 2000.This publication is also availableonline at the following address:www.fao.org/docrep/003/y2783e/y2783e00.htm

For more information, pleasecontact: Paul Vantomme, FAONWFP Programme.E-mail: [email protected]

NEW PUBLICATIONS IN THE FAO NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS SERIES


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NEW WORKING PAPERS FROM THE FAO NWFP PROGRAMME

The following two new working papershave been produced by the FAO Non-Wood Forest Products Programme. Athird volume covering the Caribbeancountries is under preparation.

FOPW/01/1 Non-wood forest products in Africa: a regional and nationaloverview/Les produits forestiers non ligneuxen Afrique: un aperçu régional et nationalThe electronic version is available on theFAO home page at: www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1515b/y1515b00.htm

FOPW/01/2 Non-wood forest products inthe Near East: a regional and nationaloverviewThe electronic version will be available onthe FAO NWFP home page shortly.

Country information is also availableon the FAO home page at: www.fao.org/forestry/fo/country/nav_world.jsp.

Printed copies of both publications areavailable from the FAO NWFPProgramme ([email protected]). [Please see under International Action –FAO for more detailed information ofthese regional studies.]

OTHER RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Harvesting of Non-Wood Forest Products– seminar proceedingsThe proceedings of the seminar onHarvesting of Non-Wood Forest Productswere recently printed by the TurkishMinistry of Forestry. This seminar was heldfrom 2 to 8 October 2000 in Menemen-Izmir, Turkey at the invitation of the Ministryof Forestry and under the auspices of theJoint FAO/ECE/ILO Committee on ForestTechnology, Management and Training.The seminar, which was attended byparticipants from 32 countries, covered awide range of topics, from inventory tomarketing. The 41 papers are presented inthe language provided by their authors(mostly English) with summaries in theother two languages of the seminar (Frenchand Russian) for most of the papers.

For a copy of the proceedings, please

contact:

Forest Products Division, Forestry



Fax: +39 0657055618;


www.fao.org/forestry/fop/foph/harvest/t

urkey/turkey-e.stm

Development Bookshop OnlineITDG Publishing, the publishing arm ofthe Intermediate TechnologyDevelopment Group, and a leadingpublisher of books on developmentissues, has recently launched theDevelopment Bookshop Online. This newbookshop allows you to use the Internetto search their database of keydevelopment books, make secure onlineorders, and browse bargain and best-seller lists.www.developmentbookshop.com

Estándar para la certificación del manejoforestal con fines de producción decastaña (Bertholletia excelsa) en el PerúLa producción y impresión de estapublicación ha sido financiada por elproyecto «Conservando castañales»,una iniciativa de la Asociación para laConservación de la Cuenca Amazónica(ACCA), que viene trabajando desde1997 en la validación y promoción delmejor manejo de los bosques naturalesde castaña de Madre de Dios (Perú) parael beneficio de la población local y laconservación de los bosques.

Este gran esfuerzo ha resultado en elprimer estándar de certificación reconocidopor el Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)para el manejo de un producto forestal nomaderable a nivel mundial. Así mismo, estádirigido a pequeños productores forestalesde los bosques amazónicos, demostrandoasí que los principios y criterios de manejoresponsable del FSC son adaptables aalgunas de las más complejas condicionesde manejo forestal.


Proyecto «Conservando castañales»,

Asociación para la Conservación de la

Cuenca Amazónica (ACCA), Jr. Cuzco

N° 499, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de

Dios, Perú.

Fax: +51 84 573211;


[email protected]

Extractivism in AmazoniaThe book La forêt en jeu: l’extractivismeen Amazonie centrale (Emperaire, L.(org.), Paris, Orstom/Unesco, 1996) waspublished in 2000 in Portuguese underthe title A floresta em jogo: o extrativismona Amazônia central (Emperaire, L., org.,São Paulo, Editora da Unesp/ImprensaOficial do Estado, 232 p. 2000),

Often decried and presented as anoutdated activity incapable of progress,extractivism might today be nothing morethan an obsolete testimony to one of thenumerous economic cycles that Brazil hasexperienced. But the political movementsof the seringueiros, whose demands aresupported by various institutions, and apublic opinion sensitive to ecologicalproblems have placed this ancient activityat the centre of discussions concerning themanagement of the Amazonian forest.

The purpose of this publication is not topresent an exhaustive analysis of themany aspects of this activity but simply tosuggest some themes for reflection andresearch on the subject. The articles fallinto four groups dealing respectively with:extractivism in the historical context of theoccupation of Amazonia, the numerousways in which this activity is integrated inthe systems of production, the ecologicalaspects of the exploitation of differentspecies, and current tendencies.


Laure Emperaire, IRD (ex-Orstom),

Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável,

UnB: SAS, Quadra 05 Bloco H 2º andar,

Ed. Superintendência do IBAMA, 70070-

914 Brasília, DF, Brazil.

Fax: +55 61 3228473;


Proceedings of the Trees for Arid Lands WorkshopThe Trees for Arid Lands Workshop,organized by IPALAC, took place in Israelin November 2000.


Mr Arnie Schlissel, Administrative

Coordinator, International Program for

Arid Land Crops (IPALAC), PO Box 653,

Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.


Special Forest Products SpeciesInformation Guide for the PacificNorthwestThis United States Forest Servicepublication (PNW GTR-513) is accessibleas a pdf file on the Forest Service Web site(www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr513).


Diane Smith, Publications, PNW

Research Station, PO Box 3890, Portland,

OR 97208, USA.


Sustaining Incomes from Non TimberForest ProductsSustaining Incomes from Non TimberForest Products: special issue of theInternational Tree Crops Journal, Vol. 10,No. 4. 2000. United Kingdom, ABAcademic Publishers. (Free copies of thisissue may be requested at:[email protected])

A team of researchers affiliated withCIFOR examines the problems ofsustaining incomes from NTFPs, once theyhave reached some degree ofcommercialization.

Papers include those by Oliver Braedt ofGermany and Wavell Standa of Zimbabwewho spent many days talking towoodcarvers in Zimbabwe. In their paper,they note that for the country’sapproximately 4 000 woodcarvers to stay inbusiness, they must keep finding sourcesof wood for their sculptures. This suggeststhe need to control harvesting of the fewvaluable hardwood species still available inthe area’s miombo woodlands, and to findalternative species suitable for carving thepopular wooden hippos, rhinos andbuffaloes. Braedt and Standa conclude thatto make the woodcarving industry inZimbabwe sustainable, an important firststep is for the government to recognizewoodcarving officially as a legitimateindustry.

For Brazil nut collectors in northern Bolivia,the problem of ensuring stable or increasingincomes is slightly different, according toDietmar Stoian of Germany and ArienneHenkemans of the Netherlands. About 25000 people – half of the region’s labour force– are employed in the local Brazil nut industry,which brings about US$30 million per year tothe region from international sales. Forestestates and processors control the industry,taking thousands of collectors to remotecorners in the forest to collect the nuts fromDecember to February. The collectors’incomes fluctuate, sometimes dramatically,depending on the price of Brazil nuts ininternational markets and how much factoryowners can sell.

Solutions to problems such as these arenever simple. In his paper, Jobst Schroederof Germany describes how a Frenchcompany had a monopoly on the trading ofPrunus africana, an African tree harvestedfor its medicinal bark. The company workedto make sure the bark was harvested withoutdamaging the tree. But high demand for thebark lured many outsiders to the trade, andalthough local villagers are benefiting,Schroeder predicts that the current intensiveand often less careful harvesting practiceswill soon deplete the area’s tree stock.

While forest product trade is important tomany rural communities, a team ofZimbabwe researchers led by BruceCampbell argues that rather than seekingprimarily to stabilize or increase income froma single resource, it is advisable to considerthe broader range of income-generatingactivities in an area and how they can bebalanced to meet local livelihood needs.(Contributed by: Wil de Jong; e-mail: [email protected])

The Overstory Book: cultivating connectionswith treesA printed and formatted version of TheOverstory journal editions 1-75 is nowavailable. Proceeds from the sale of TheOverstory Book will be used to cover theexpense of publishing The Overstoryjournal, which has been provided cost-free since March 1998.


Craig Elevitch, Editor, The Overstory,

Permanent Agriculture Resources, PO

Box 428, Holualoa, Hawaii 96725, USA.

Fax: +1 808 3244129;


www.overstory.com; or

order online at: www.agroforester.com/

overstory/ovbook.html

Trouble in the TaigaTrouble in the Taiga is a recent brochureproduced by the Taiga Rescue Networkand provides a general overview of theboreal region and the issues facing it andits people.


Elisa Peter and Ola Larsson,

International Coordination Centre, Taiga

Rescue Network, Box 116, S-96223

Jokkmokk, Sweden.


www.taigarescue.org

Valuing trees, woodlands and forests:uncovering the hidden harvest: valuationmethods for woodland and forestresources. Edited by Bruce Campbell andMarty Luckert.In press, London, Earthscan. Local biological resources are of vitalimportance to people in many parts of theworld, and the valuation of such resourcesis an essential part of developingsustainable harvest and use. Thispractical manual describes a range ofmethods that can be used in the valuationof woodland and forest resources indeveloping countries. With contributionsfrom economists, ecologists andsociologists, it provides an overview ofthese methods and approaches, pointingout the advantages and problems, andalso the increasing importance of aninterdisciplinary perspective. The non-technical style makes the book accessibleto practitioners from a wide range ofdisciplines, as well as to researchers andstudents.


Enquiries: Earthscan, 120 Pentonville

Road, London N1 9JN, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)171 2781142;



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FAOThe FO-Publications page of FAO Forestry Department’sWeb site has been updated and changed. The site is availablein three languages, although all document titles are nottranslated, since the entire publication content is beingupdated. A new e-mail address has been introduced forordering Forestry Department publications ([email protected]). Mail arriving at this address is read bythe staff of the Forestry Library, who also take care of thedistribution of requested documents. Please note, however, thecontact address for priced publications ([email protected]).www.fao.org/forestry/foris/index.jsp?start_id=4668

The FO-Databases page has also been changed. Under eachdatabase entry a brief explanation is given of its content.www.fao.org/forestry/foris/index.jsp?start_id=4029

Forestry story onlineThe Web story “Forestry forum spotlights poverty alleviation” isavailable now on the FAO Web page. It can be accessed fromthe FAO front page or by clicking on:For Arabic: www1.fao.org/ar-iso/news/2001/010906-a.htmFor English: www.fao.org/news/2001/010906-e.htmFor French: www.fao.org/nouvelle/2001/010906-f.htmFor Spanish: www.fao.org/noticias/2001/010906-s.htm

Amazonia Web siteThe site is an attempt to orient the surfer to the various“worlds” that exist in the Amazon.www.amazonia.org.br/ingles/

BorNetA group of scientists has initiated an international effort calledBorNet to strengthen the scientific basis for maintaining borealforest biodiversity. BorNet aims to: understand the humanfootprint on the boreal; inform the setting of natureconservation targets; find indicator species; analyse habitatloss; and enhance communication between scientists andforesters.www.bornet.org

Certified Forest Products Council (CFPC)CFPC’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore the world’sforests by promoting responsible forest product buyingpractices throughout North America. www.certifiedwood.org/

Certified Wood ProductsThe purpose of this site is to act primarily as a clearinghouse forinformation on the certified forest products marketplace andcertification, with a secondary emphasis on issues surroundingsustainable forest management and sustainability in general.www.certwdmkt.com

Chile Forestal Negocioswww.chileforestal.com/index_5.htm

DatabasesAmerican Indian ethnology databaseThis is an electronic database containing food, drug, dye, fibreand other plants used by native North American peoples (a totalof more than 47 000 items); 291 Native American groups and 3895 species from 243 different plant families are represented.www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb

FSC databaseForest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificates are now listed onthe Internet via a new database developed by the CertifiedForest Product Council in the United States. North Americanproduct information is already available and in the future thedatabase will also include information on Europe.www.certifiedwood.org

ICIMOD library databaseThe entire International Centre for Integrated MountainDevelopment (ICIMOD) Library database is now availableonline.www.icimod.org.np/library

New US non-timber forest product databaseThis database currently lists 857 commercial and non-commercial non-timber forest product species and is intendedto help in the identification, development and conservation ofNTFP species. You can search by scientific name, commonnames, product use, parts used, state range and distribution,and whether or not it is known to be commercially harvested.http://ifcae.org/ntfp/ In addition to the product database, the US NTFP Web site hasa searchable bibliographic database and Internet linksdatabase.


Eric T Jones, Partner, Institute for Culture and Ecology (501c3),

PO Box 6688, Portland, Oregon 97228-6688, USA. www.ifcae.org

The SANREM West Africa annotated bibliographical databaseThe Sustainable Agriculture and Natural ResourceManagement Collaborative Research Support Program(SANREM CRSP), funded by USAID, has announced the West


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Africa Annotated Bibliographical Database. This database ishosted on SANREM West Africa Project’s (SANREM WA)home page and is a vital multidisciplinary resource for thoseconcerned with the holistic goal of food security anddevelopment in the West African Sahel.

This specialized annotated bibliographical database on foodsecurity and development in the West African Sahel targetsdecision-makers, researchers and development practitionersconcerned with sustainable agriculture, natural resourcemanagement and conflict resolution in the West African Sahel.This database resource is an intersection of these fields,addressing the day-to-day crises of competing interests seekingfood security dependant on a diminishing resource base.

To date, this database holds more than 600 bibliographicrecords pertaining to sustainable agriculture, natural resourcemanagement, conflict management and resolution and otherissues related to food security in the West African Sahel.These searchable records contain abstracts that can bereviewed. Key features are:

• Documents are in French and English.• Significant amounts of “grey” (fugitive) literature from Africa,

particularly West Africa.• Consolidated information on the topics of sustainable

agriculture and natural resource management withinformation on conflict resolution and management.

If you have documents that are relevant to the themes ofsustainable agriculture, natural resource management, andconflict management, please send attachments including anabstract (in Word or WordPerfect) to: [email protected] www.oird.vt.edu/sanremcrsp/index.html

Species conservation database (WISIA)The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation(Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) has recently launched asearchable database which holds information on the nationaland international protection status of more than 10 000 animaland plant species. This Internet tool presents, for the first time,a synoptic view of the diverse field of species conservationlegislation. A permanent update of data is guaranteed by theFederal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt fürNaturschutz) as soon as one of the relevant speciesconservation regularizations is amended.

The database holds information on animals of 1 407 generaand 7 218 species; on the plant side it contains 2 821 speciesfrom 1 034 genera. The CITES-EC Regulation No. 338/97alone, which implements CITES in the European Union,covers 4 756 animal species in its Annexes A and B.www.dainet.de/genres/mpc-dir


Dr Uwe Schippmann, Bundesamt für Naturschutz,

Konstantinstrasse 110, D-53179 Bonn, Germany.


www.wisia.de

Directory of Forest-Related International and RegionalInstitutions and Instrumentswww.un.org/esa/sustdev/forests.htm

FRAMEThe FRAME Web site is not only a library of technical reportsand country data, but also a gateway to other databases andmechanisms. It facilitates the use of up-to-date information byenvironment and natural resource management professionals inAfrica and encompasses: a Web gateway to analytical tools andinformation, mechanisms to share lessons and experiences, aContact Group and networks of experts, and linkages toenhance collaboration among partners. Funding for FRAME isprovided by the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) Africa Office of Sustainable Development.www.frameweb.org

Global association of online foresterswww.foresters.org/

New search engineThis agricultural search engine (not a directory site) has morethan 300 000 Web pages.www.web-agri.com/

NewslettersAmazon News list Amazon News is a free weekly newsletter by Friends of theEarth – Brazilian Amazon, with a selection of news published byBrazilian media in the latest week and translated into English.Subscribe online through the Web site:www.amazonia.org.br/english/

Biodiversity and Intellectual property rights – BIO-IPRBIO-IPR is an irregular listserver put out by Genetic ResourcesAction International (GRAIN). Its purpose is to circulateinformation about recent developments in the field of intellectualproperty rights related to biodiversity and associated knowledge. To join, send the word “subscribe” (no quotes) as the subjectof an e-mail message to: [email protected]

For general information about GRAIN, please contact:

E-mail: [email protected]; www.grain.org

EcoNews PerúEcoNews Perú es la primera agencia de noticias ambientalesdel Perú. Su objetivo es proveer de información sobre temasambientales al público peruano a través de despachos diarioslibres de costo a los medios de comunicación (prensa escrita,radio, TV e Internet). Para ello, ha sido desarrollado un sistemade cobertura diaria de noticias que abarca los campos de laecología, los recursos naturales y la problemática ambiental,empleando tecnología de punta y aprovechando la experienciaadquirida en años de trabajo a lo largo y ancho del país.


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EcoNews Perú espera que esta experiencia, única en sugénero en el continente, permita crear conciencia en el públicoperuano acerca de los temas relacionados con la naturaleza yel uso de sus recursos, así como evaluar la respuesta de losmedios y las autoridades nacionales respecto de la informaciónvinculada al ambiente.


Correo electrónico: econews@econewsperú.com;

www.econewsperu.com

F R A M EgramA new twice-monthly bulletin produced by FRAME on strategicenvironmental issues in Africa. To subscribe, please send an e-mail to: [email protected]

IUFRO Non-Wood Forest Products NewsThe inaugural issue of the IUFRO Non-Wood Forest Productsnewsletter can be found on the IUFRO Web site: http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/iufronet/d5/hp51100.htmSeveral activities are being initiated with the newsletter. Theprofessional expertise database is designed to serve as a forumand the discussion group hopefully will advance discussion oncritical issues. The initial topic of discussion is the C&I for NWFPs.


Dr Jim Chamberlain, Non-Timber Forest Products Research

Technologist, US Forest Service, Southern Research Station,

Coordinator, IUFRO Research Group 5.11 (Non-wood Forest

Products), 1650 Ramble Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.

Fax. +1 540 2311383;

e-mail: [email protected]; www.sfp.forprod.vt.edu

NewsfrontUNDP helps countries work towards the UN Millennium Summitgoal of halving world poverty by 2015. Newsfront brings storiesof big breakthroughs and small gains. Subscribe online at: www.undp.org/dpa/newsfront_admin.html

RECOFTC e-letterThe RECOFTC e-letter is a bi-weekly e-mail intended to providenews and information on community forestry related activitiesand issues throughout the region. It is published by the RegionalCommunity Forestry Center for Asia and the Pacific(RECOFTC). Back issues of the RECOFTC e-letter can befound at:www.recoftc.org/publications_recof_letter.htmlTo subscribe, or for more information, please contact:[email protected]

NTFP Project in Viet NamThe Sustainable Utilization of Non Timber Forest ProductsProject Viet Nam, based in the Non Timber Forest ProductsResearch Centre, Hanoi and supported by IUCN, has a new

Web site. www.mekonginfo.org/partners/ntfp/index.htm

PinestrawIncludes information on pine straw studies and management.www.agriquip.com/pinestraw_baling.html

Philippine Plant Specialist Groupwww.pnh.com.ph

Plants for a futureThis project, based in the United Kingdom, seeks to gathertogether and disseminate information on the many usefulproperties of plants, particularly rare and unusual plants thathave medicinal, edible or other uses. The project practisesvegan-organic permaculture with emphasis on creating anecologically sustainable environment and perennial plants. Itmaintains a database of over 7 000 plant species.www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html

Small enterprise development Web siteswww.seepnetwork.org/bdsguide.html; www.sba.gov/starting/

The Forest Management Trust This non-profit organization located in Gainesville, Florida, UnitedStates, is updating its Web site and is in search of photographs offorests, forest management, forest products (timber and NTFPs)and forest-based people and communities. Photogpahps fromtropical forests are needed, but other forest types are alsoappropriate, especially forests in the southeastern United States.No payment can be made but credit will be given in the Web site.


Stephen Taranto, Forest Management Trust.


Nacho Paz Posse, Webmaster.


Tree Conservation Information Servicewww.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/SaCGI.cgi/trees.exe

UN Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentThis includes a vast amount of country information on forests,based on country reports to CSD.www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/

USDA Forest Service International Programs’ latest highlights –available onlinewww.fs.fed.us/global/wsnew/

WoodnetWoodnet is the online home for all involved in the Forest andWood products industry. www.woodnet.co.nz


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R E A D E R S ’ R E S P O N S E ""Request for help – Astrocaryum huicungoEl motivo de la presente es para solicitar información sobre laextracción de aceite de una planta denominada Huicungo(Astrocaryum huicungo). Deseo recibir información sobre cómoextraer el aceite de esta planta mediante métodos tradicionalespero efectivos.

Mi dirección postal es: Víctor Hugo Acosta Avila, RomuloEspinar 117 (esquina Colegio Rosa Agustina), Iquitos, Loreto,Perú; correo electrónico: [email protected]

Request for help – Effect of RIL on NTFPsI am researching RIL (reduced impact logging) and Non-Timberforest Products (NTFP) for advancing sustainable forestmanagement and would like information about implementingRIL techniques for NTFPs. In addition to information on thissubject, I am looking into the economic feasibility to implementRIL tactics and utilize NTFPs for sustainable forestmanagement ... and not coming up with a lot of case studies orreal-life examples. Any ideas would be appreciated.

If you can help, please contact: Erica Clark, Virginia TechUniversity ([email protected]).

Request for help – Nipa palmI am looking for information on the Nipa palm and how todevelop its products into a cottage industry that will generateemployment in the countryside of the Philippines.

If you can help, please contact: Nick Villarruz([email protected])

Request for help – Survey on the commercial potential ofselected tropical NWFPs from the state of Acre, BrazilWe are currently assisting the government of Acre, Brazil, inassessing the market potential of seven tropical NWFPs(copaiba, andiroba, patua, buriti, murmuru, cat’s claw and açai),as part of a project (www.projetoacre.ac.gov.br) that seeks toimprove the livelihood of forest dwellers (subsistencefarmers/rubber tappers/Indians), while conserving the natural(forest) resources base.

Any information regarding the uses, demand andinternational markets for these products would be appreciatedsince pertinent available information seems to be scarce, out ofdate, too aggregate and/or not quantified.

If you can help, please contact: Hector Escobar (Unicamp,Campinas-SP) [email protected], or Guy Henry (CIRAD,Campinas-SP) [email protected]

Request for help – training materialsI am looking for business training materials designed for NWFPenterprises. This is part of some research I am doing for a non-profitconservation group called Innovative Resources Management.More specifically, I am seeking information that could help train newNWFP businesses in product feasibility analysis and marketing.Information on standard formats for product feasibility analysis andrural based marketing would also be useful.

If you can help, please contact: Abhishek Lal, InnovativeResources Management, 2421 Pennsylvania Ave, NW,Washington, DC 20037, USA; fax: +1 202 2938386; e-mail:[email protected]; www.irmgt.com

Request for help – truffle researchI am currently doing research on a truffle found in most of theeastern United States, as well as Quebec and Mexico. Thespecies is Tuber lyonii, which has also been called T. rufum andT. texense. It may be found in most places where any of thefollowing trees are found: shagbark hickory, Americanbasswood, scarlet oak, several other oak species, pecan, andpossibly other tree species as well. The largest collections todate have been associated with either American basswood orpecan.

Because of the wide range involved, there is also aconsiderable variation in fruiting times. The fungus has beenreported from as early as June in Mexico and southern Texas toas late as March in Minnesota “a week after the snows wentoff”.

Truffles are economically important worldwide, and have anenviable position among gourmets. Last year, the Italian whitetruffle (Tuber magnatum) sold for US$7 000/lb in a charityauction, according to a report published by the BBC.

The wide range and fruiting times indicate T. lyonii may alsobe a fungus of some economic importance, but it appears tohave been largely ignored for nearly 100 years (it was firstcollected in 1903).

To proceed with its development, I need to know howcommon it is at this time and how much is available. For moreinformation, please visit: www.oregonwhitetruffles.com; if youcan help, please contact: Daniel B. Wheeler([email protected]).

Request for help – wild mushroom businessI am starting to work on my postgraduate study project. Thismarketing project will focus on the charcoal and wild mushroombusiness in Hungary that links to the European market. I wouldalso like to analyse the target market in which the Hungarianproducts (charcoal and wild mushroom) are participating. I amactually looking for country-specific (Europe) information aboutthe charcoal and wild mushroom business. If you have any kindof material, publications, ideas about these topics, pleasecontact me personally: Attila Hegedus, Hungary([email protected]).


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R E A D E R S ’ R E S P O N S E ""Request for information – NTFP definition (1)I am making a literature review on the NTFP issue. Thereseems to be confusion regarding the name and definition. Whyisn’t there a universal name with a common definition? As wellas for classifications?

Please clarify this for me. Silavanh Sawathvong([email protected]).

The following reply has already been sent from FAO’s NWFPProgramme, but perhaps readers have additional ideas thatthey would like to share.“Indeed, the situation is rather complex. NWFPs – as we callthem – are a rather diverse group of products, ranging frommedicinal plants and roots to lianas and bushmeat. The termsjust used already show the different possibilities on how toclassify these products: by use (medicine), life form (lianas) andpart used (roots). Obviously, every classification and definitiondepends on the purpose of why they are used.

It will be very difficult to identify ONE definition or ONEterminology that will fit everybody’s needs. However, what isimportant is that whenever a given term/classification is used, atleast both, terms and classifications, are defined. Once defined,the information presented can be compared with other literature(which might use other terms and definitions ...).

For further information on this issue, please have a look at thefollowing articles available on our Web site:

• Terminology, Definition and Classification of Forest Productsother than Wood (C. Chandrasekharan), at:www.fao.org/docrep/V7540e/V7540e28.htm;

• Towards a harmonized definition of non-wood forestproducts, at:www.fao.org/docrep/x2450e/x2450e0d.htm#fao”

Request for information – NTFP definition (2)I know you might have extensively deliberated on definitions.The use of Non-Wood instead of Non-Timber is somehow

misleading. How do you classify products like chewsticks thatare woody, but non-timber? (Hassan Adewusi;[email protected])

The following reply has already been sent from FAO’s NWFPProgramme.Please have a look at a brief article on this issue at:www.fao.org/docrep/x2450e/x2450e0d.htm#fao, where wedistinguished between wood and non-wood forest products.Chewsticks can be derived from different part of the plants, e.g.bark and roots, and I would tend to include them. However,there is indeed a grey area and no clear borderline betweenNWFP/WP, NTFP/NWFP and NTFP/Timber.

Request for information – Russian Far EastI would like to find out if you have any information/databasesuggestions for obtaining information on NTFPs in the RussianFar East. I am working with a forestry project there and amdoing some background research.If you can help, please contact: Maureen DeCoursey, Directorof Sustainable Development, Herb Research Foundation, 1007Pearl Street, Suite 200, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA (Fax: +1303 4497849; e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]; www.herbs.org).

You can’t wake a person who is pretendingto be asleep.

Navajo Proverb

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Resourceful rattans

Rattans are palms which grow in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia. The word rattan is derived from the Malay"rotan", the local name for climbing palms. Rattans are best known for the manufacture of chairs and tables,

giving many verandas and terraces their much appreciated casual or holiday appeal. Locally, however, rattansare also used as vegetables from the edible shoots, or for ropes, fibres, roof thatching, construction materialsand all kinds of household furniture. A recent publication in the FAO NWFP series, Rattan, current research

issues and prospects for conservation and sustainable development, contains the proceedings of a jointFAO/INBAR International Expert Consultation on Rattan.