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CHIANG MAI, THAILAND
28-31 January 1997
For more information, please contact Mr Patrick Durst, Regional Forestry Officer,
Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, Phra Atit Road, Bangkok, Thailand.
E-mail: [email protected]
BERLIN, GERMANY
6-8 MARCH 1997
An international conference of Ministers of the Environment held on the occasion of the 1997 International Tourism Fair
SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA
7-10 APRIL 1997
A conference organized by Scientific American and Scherago International.
For more information, please contact Scherago International, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 1003, New York,
NY 10001, USA.
Fax: (+1 212) 6431758.
KUNMING, CHINA
22- 28 APRIL 1997
The seminar was sponsored and organized by the China-European Union Centre for Agricultural Technology (CECAT). The meeting was attended by 183 participants (73 from outside China), representing a wide range of interests in NWFPs. The participants included senior government officials, researchers, technical experts and representatives of NGOs and of the private sector. The purpose of the seminar was to create greater awareness on NWFP development potential in Yunnan Province with a specific focus being given to essential oils, gum naval stores, aromatic plants, natural flavours and shellac. (Source: Travel report by Paul Vantomme.)
For more information, please contact Mr Richard Hardiman, Codirector, China-EU Centre for Agricultural Technology (CECAT), 55 Nongzhan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100026, China.
E-mail: [email protected]
PORT EL KANTAOUI, TUNISIA
1-3 MAY 1997
The workshop was organized by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania. Financial support was provided by Directorate-General I of the European Union and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM). The workshop was attended by 34 participants, representing a wide range of interests in the conservation and use of wild plants of the Mediterranean region. Participants came from 11 countries and included senior government officials from the Ministry of Environment and/or Ministry of Agriculture (Forestry Department), researchers, university professors and representatives from international organizations and conservation NGOs.
The purpose of the workshop was to present the achievements of the network during its first year and, more particularly, to present and discuss the Country Profiles on the "Identification, conservation and use of wild plants of the Mediterranean region", which were made by the national coordinators of each of the participating countries (Algeria, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Turkey), according to standard terms of reference.
During the discussions at the workshop, some 600 different species (out of a total of 900 species presented) were identified and recommended as priority species suited for further promotion for food or agricultural uses. The vast majority of these species are plants gathered from wild sources in forests or rangelands of the Mediterranean region and which are currently used (or have the potential) for food, medicines, fuel and aromatic or environmental uses (windbreaks, erosion control). Several wild relatives of major agricultural and horticultural crops are also included in this list.
The proceedings of the workshop will be published in the CIHEAM Publication Series Cahier Options Méditerranéennes.
The next annual workshop for network members is scheduled for March 1998 in Coimbra, Portugal. (Source: Travel report by Paul Vantomme.)
For more information, please contact Ms Melpo Skoula, Executive Secretary, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, Department of Natural Products, PO Box 85, 73100 Chania, Greece.
Fax: (+30 821) 81154;
e-mail: [email protected]
CAIRO, EGYPT
19-21 MAY 1997
The FAO International Expert Meeting on Medicinal, Culinary and Aromatic Plants in the Near East was jointly organized by the FAO Regional Office for the Near East (RNE) and the Forest Products Division (FOPW) and took place at the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture. The objectives of the Expert Meeting were: i) to gain a better insight into the present resource situation and utilization status of medicinal, culinary and aromatic plants of the Near East region, their potential and the problems and issues to be addressed for their sustainable development; and ii) to identify and propose priorities for action at various levels to support such sustainable development.
The meeting was attended by 23 participants representing experts from countries of the Near East region and observers from international organizations.
The main findings of the meeting were:
- the need for the consolidation of a regional meta-database on medicinal, culinary and aromatic (and other key NWFP) resources in the Near East region;
- to call on FAO to assist governments of the region in their efforts to develop comprehensive and coherent forest strategies and policies in support of the sustainable utilization, conservation and development of their NWFP resources; and
- the call for stronger collaboration and an improved networking among regional and national key institutes in the Mediterranean region working on NWFPs to ensure better technology transfer and capacity building of national institutions, and to strengthen information exchange, including the development of production and trade statistical data on NWFPs in the region.
The meeting also made recommendations for follow-up action and requested FAO to take a lead in the formulation of a regional project for NWFPs in the Mediterranean basin.
For more information, please contact Mr Paul Vantomme, Forest Products Division, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100, Rome, Italy.
Fax: (+39 6) 570 55618;
e-mail: [email protected];
or
Mr Adnan Al Fares, Regional Forestry Officer, RNE, PO Box 2223, Cairo, Egypt.
Fax: (+20 2) 3495981;
e-mail: [email protected]
HONOLULU, HAWAII, USA
1-4 JUNE 1997
The symposium was organized by the International Institute for Human Resources Development at San Diego State University, in cosponsorship with UNIDO. Workshop I – medical/pharmaceutical concerns; Workshop II – consumer protection concerns; Workshop III – environmental protection concerns; Workshop IV – indigenous people concerns.
For more information, please contact Mr Tuley De Silva, Special Technical Adviser, UNIDO, PO Box 300,
A-1400 Vienna, Austria.
E-mail: [email protected]
HARARE, ZIMBABWE
6-8 JUNE 1997
Convenors: World Conservation Union (IUCN); Zimbabwe Trust; IUCN Species Survival Commission; African Centre for Technological Studies (ACTS); United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF); World Resources Institute (WRI). Workshops focused on: identifying and monitoring the causes of species loss; non-detrimental export and sustainable use; community-based resource management; access to floral resources.
For more information, please contact World Conservation Union (IUCN), Gland 1196, Switzerland.
Fax: (+41 22) 999 0025;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://iucn.org/
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
PULLMAN, USA
7-12 JULY 1997
Sessions included many NWFP-related events. More than 30 papers were presented on NWFP aspects.
For further information, please contact Washington State University Conferences and Institutes, 208 Van Doren Hall,
PO Box 645222, Pullman, WA 99164-5222, USA.
Fax: (+1 509) 335 0945;
e-mail: [email protected];
http: //www.eus.wsu.edu/c&i
BEIJING, CHINA
5-18 SEPTEMBER 1997
The workshop was organized by the International Farm Forestry Training Centre of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and was sponsored by: the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC) of China, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and the International Development Research Centre, Canada (IDRC). The workshop, which was held in Beijing and included a field trip to the Zhejing Province, was attended by 30 participants (20 from outside China) and included senior government officials, researchers, technical experts, representatives of NGOs and the private sector. The purpose of the workshop was to provide training on the principles and methods of biodiversity utilization through NWFP development in integrated forestry and agricultural land-use practices. Key NWFPs reviewed were bamboo (shoots and poles), nuts, forest vegetables and medicinal plants. (Source: Travel report by Paul Vantomme.)
For more information, please contact Prof. Jiang Chunqian, International Farm Forestry Training Centre and Research Institute of Forest Ecology and Environment, Chinese Academy of Forestry, PO Box 38, Beijing 100091, China.
E-mail: [email protected]
NAIROBI, KENYA
6-10 OCTOBER 1997
The conference was attended by some 100 scientists and experts from universities and scientific institutions, and representatives from the food industry and NGOs. The four-day programme included sessions focusing on: country reports on gum arabic production, marketing and utilization; experience in the management, production and marketing of different gums, resins and essential oils; NGO initiatives in the development of non-wood forest products; experiences in research extension; and activities in promoting collaboration among producing countries.
A round table on Collaboration Networks on Plant Gums was organized during the conference. One outcome of the round table was a document entitled Follow-up proposals arising from the regional conference to strengthen gum arabic production and utilization.
The proceedings of the conference will be published by FAO at the beginning of 1998.
For more information, please contact Dr Ben Chikamai, Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI), PO Box 30241,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Fax: (+254 2) 760034;
e-mail: [email protected];
or
Mr Enrico Casadei, Nutrition Officer, Food and Nutrition Division (ESN), FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,
00100 Rome, Italy.
Fax: (+39 6) 570 54593;
e-mail: [email protected]
NAIROBI, KENYA
6-8 OCTOBER 1997
For more information, please contact Mr Tony Simons, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF),
PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya.
Fax: (+254 2) 521001;
e-mail: [email protected]
ANTALYA, TURKEY
13-22 OCTOBER 1997
For more details see under Special Features, p. 3.
MÉRIDA, MEXICO
12-17 OCTOBER 1997
Objectives of the congress: i) to analyse progress in ethnobotany since the First International Congress, held in Spain in 1992; ii) to foster cooperation and interaction among various professionals as well as to gain a better knowledge of ethnobotany in America and in the world; and iii) to analyse the role of ethnobotany in the sustainable development of plant resources.
For more information, please contact Mr José Flores Guido, Apdo. Postal 4-116, Itzimna, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
Fax: (+52 99) 460332;
e-mail: [email protected]
SERDANG, MALAYSIA
14-17 OCTOBER 1997
The workshop was organized by the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Support for the participation of some participants was provided by a number of international agencies such as Appropriate Technology International (ATI), Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), World Conservation Union (IUCN), French Institute of Scientific Research for Cooperative Development/International Center for Research in Agroforestry (ORSTOM/ICRAF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The workshop was designed for biologists, foresters, researchers, social scientists, industrialists and policy-makers. The theme of the workshop was to formulate strategies to evolve programmes necessary for the sustainable development of NWFPs. The workshop emphasized the important contributions of NWFPs to sustainable rural development in the region and critically reviewed: the status of research programmes on NWFPs; assessment methodologies for biological diversity; NWFP harvesting, processing and utilization; evaluation of their socio-economical contribution; the environmental impact of plantations of NWFPs such as rattan and bamboo; and the transfer of technology and exchange of experiences on NWFPs among countries in the region. Key NWFPs reviewed were rattan, nuts, forest fruits and vegetables and medicinal plants.
The workshop was attended by 50 participants (of whom 26 were from outside Malaysia) representing a wide range of interests in the NWFP sector, including senior government officials at the provincial and national levels from agriculture and/or forestry departments, researchers and university professors, technical experts, representatives of NGOs and the private sector (rattan processing industry). Foreign participants came mostly from neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Nepal, but also from countries such as the United States, Denmark and France.
Brief country reviews were presented by invited speakers on the non-wood forest resource and utilization potential in key countries of the region, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos and India. They included a critical review of methodologies for the integrated management of NWFPs with agricultural and forestry practices, on NWFP harvesting and processing, on world markets for key Asian NWFPs, on trends in production and domestic consumption, and on the current research status.
The workshop was designed to allow maximum interaction among participants to facilitate the exchange of experiences from their respective countries. Presentations were followed by panel-led, open-floor discussions. Exhibition facilities were available to both Malaysian and overseas participants to display a large array of NWFPs (rattan, palm and bamboo products) and related publications. (Source: Travel report by Paul Vantomme.)
For more information, please contact Dr Hamami Sahri or Dr M.N.B. Nair, Faculty of Forestry, UPM,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Fax; (+60 3) 9432514;
e-mail: [email protected]
SEVILLE, SPAIN
19-23 OCTOBER 1997
For more information, please contact IFEAT Secretariat, Federation House,
6 Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JJ, UK.
PATNA, INDIA
9-12 NOVEMBER 1997
The seminar was organized by the Rome-based Society for International Development, Patna Chapter, in collaboration with the Indian Medical Trust, Bihar and the Bihar Council on Science and Technology.
For more information, please contact Dr Dineshawar Prasad, Organizing Secretary, South Asian Countries’ Seminar
on Medicinal Plants, Sambey Kothi, Justice Rajkishore Path, Jadam Kuan, Patna 800 003, Bihar, India.
Fax: (+91 612) 653367.
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
10-15 NOVEMBER 1997
The congress was organized by the International Council on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ICMAP), the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS) and the Sociedad Argentina para la Investigación de Productos Aromáticos (SAIPA).
The high attendance at the congress (more than 1 200 participants from 52 countries) demonstrated the increase in importance of the theme of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in the last year. This importance is also tied to an over-the-counter expanding market of US$14 billion.
The congress was notably multidisciplinary and it was encouraging to see the increased attention being given to the cultivation and propagation of MAPs based on "good agricultural practices". The presentations stressed that much more attention needs to be focused on MAPs as natural resources and that coordinated development of national, regional and global policies and strategies for their conservation and sustainable use are vital to protect and utilize the diversity. Much material is wild-harvested, often with little or no control, and few genetic resource collections have been made. These issues, together with benefit sharing and the need to conserve traditional knowledge, were addressed in congress resolutions.
The complex question of phytopharmaceutical standards (consumer protection benefits versus market supply constraints) was hotly debated, again resulting in a resolution to develop and clarify procedures and monographs.
The four volumes of the conference proceedings will be published in Acta Horticulturae:
- Biological resources, sustainable use, conservation, phytomedicines
- Ethnobotany, pharmocognosy, pharmacology, toxicology, biotechnology
- Agricultural production, post-harvest techniques, industrial processing
- Standards and regulations, quality control, supply and marketing, economics
These may be ordered from the ICMAP Treasurer, Ing. Heiko van der Borg, Hijlekamp 11, 6585 XT Mook, the Netherlands. (Source: P. Griffee, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO.)
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
16-21 NOVEMBER 1997
Conference themes chosen to raise critical and controversial issues in conservation and development were: Culturally conflicting views of conservation; Engaging communities in conservation and development; Conservation and development in war and peace; Business as a partner in environmental action; and Institutional pathways to sustainability.
For more information, please contact Conservation and Development Forum, PO Box 115531, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-5531, USA.
Fax: (+1 352) 392 0085;
e-mail: [email protected]
CEARA, BRAZIL
19-22 NOVEMBER 1997
For more information, please contact BIOSFERA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fax: (+55 21) 2625946.
VAN STEENISGEBOUW, LEIDEN
20 NOVEMBER 1997
The symposium was organized by the Rainforest Medical Foundation on the occasion of the completion of the travelling exhibition of the same name.
For more information, please contact Mr Arnoud P. van Seters, Secretary, Stichting Rainforest Medical, Einthovenlaan 8, 2105 TJ Heemstede, the Netherlands.
Fax: (+31 23) 5280081;
e-mail: [email protected]
ROME, ITALY
2-5 DECEMBER 1997
For more information, please contact Mr Jon Anderson, Forestry Extension Officer, Forestry Department, FAO,
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100, Rome, Italy.
Fax: (+39 6) 570 55137;
e-mail: [email protected]
JOENSUU, FINLAND
18-22 JANUARY 1998
For more information, please contact Mr H. Gyde Lund, European Forest Institute,
Torikatu 34, FIN 80100 Joensuu, Finland.
Fax: (+358 13) 124 393;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://www.efi.joensuu.fi/;
or
Mr Paul Vantomme, Forest Products Division, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla,
00152, Rome, Italy.
Fax: (+39 6) 570 55618;
e-mail: [email protected]
BANGALORE, INDIA
16-20 FEBRUARY 1998
In 1998, it will be exactly ten years since the Chiang Mai Declaration on Medicinal Plants was made. The conference will help once again to focus global attention on medicinal plants and hopes to bring together persons from diverse disciplines who are keen to forge viable forms of regional and international cooperation which will influence policies and promote strategic action. The expected conference outcomes are: guidelines for the design of national and global medicinal plant conservation efforts; initiatives for global and regional cooperation among medicinal plant-based efforts related to primary health care, databases, enterprises, cultivation, indigenous knowledge systems, and traditional knowledge and resource rights.
For more information, please contact Mr Darshan Shankar, Director, Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), No. 50, 2nd Stage, 3rd Main, Anandngar, Bangalore 560 024, India.
Fax: (+91 80) 3334167;
e-mail: [email protected];
http://ece.iisc.ernet.in/ernet-members/frlht.html