NWFP Digest-L

No. 3/06

Welcome to FAO’s NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all aspects of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en

PRODUCTS
1. Bark: Medicinal properties in mahogany bark may hold colon cancer cure
2. Bushmeat boom benefits Ghana's farmers
3. Butterflies and medicinal plants in India
4. Insects: Value of services performed by insects
5. Maple producers tap into sweet season; extra cash comes flowing in
6. Medicinal plants: Mongolian traditional 'medicinal pillow"
7. Truffles: Alien truffles from China ruffle French

COUNTRY INFORMATION
8. Botswana: Moringa oleifera tree crucial
9. Brazil: Indigenous peoples are to be trained to combat biopiracy
10. Ethiopia's gum resource rich, underutilized
11. Ghana: Don't promote other economic trees at shea's expense
12. India: Tribals to benefit from renewal of licence for herbal drug
13. India: Micro-enterprises in bamboo sector generate income, employment
14. Indonesian islands focus of rural development workshop
15. Perú es 'un mendigo sentado en un banco genético'
16. Vietnam: UN to help restore craft villages

NEWS
17. XIII World Forestry Congress: Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009
18. 'African law' needed to protect traditional medicine
19. Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya region
20. International Master's Programme in ecology and evolution
21. Net rate of forest loss in Africa second highest in the world
22. Only 53% of Amazon remains intact
23. Saving languages to save species
24. Young Forester Award 2006

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
25. FAO Associate Professional Officer, Non Wood Forest Products, Cameroon
26. International consultant sought - FAO
27. Senior Technical Officers/Coordinators – Global Environment Centre, Malaysia

EVENTS

LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
32. Proceedings of the herbal Anti-malarials in Africa meeting
33. Other publications of interest
34. Web sites and e-zines

MISCELLANEOUS
35. Malaysia: WWF hails decision to create Malaysia's largest protected area for endangered orangutans, rhinos and elephants

QUICK TIPS AND INFORMATION FOR NWFP-DIGEST-L

NWFP-Digest-L

No. 306

PRODUCTS

1. Bark: Medicinal properties in mahogany bark may hold colon cancer cure

Source: News-Medical.net - Sydney, Australia, 27 March 2006

An unexpected entry in a traditional medicine book from the Republic of Guinea has led a University of South Carolina cancer researcher to study whether medicinal properties in the bark of mahogany trees may hold clues to understanding colon cancer.

Funded by a $300,000, two-year grant from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Michael Wargovich will examine mahogany -- and four other medicinal plants native to West Africa -- in a quest to discover novel, anti-inflammatory compounds that could prevent or treat colon cancer. The study, the first of its kind, could be a major first step to other studies of medicinal plants and cancer. Specifically, Wargovich is looking at how native medicinal plants in West Africa, used traditionally for pain relief, fever and inflammation, interact to inhibit the growth of cancer tumours. "The link between inflammation and cancer is not known," said Wargovich, who researches the link between non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and cancer.

The USC cancer researcher virtually stumbled upon the concept of studying the medicinal properties of West African plants. While visiting the Republic of Guinea and meeting with some of the country's top health officials, he was given a book, "Pharmacopée Traditionale Guineenne," that highlighted about 60 of the country's different plants and their health properties. He found that about 15 plants had anti-inflammatory properties.

"This was such an unusual, unexpected find," he said. "Very few people probably have even seen this book. And, here I was, a scientist with an interest in how the inflammation process may be linked to cancer, and I find a listing of specific plants that I had not thought about studying before."

For his study, Wargovich will focus on extracts from five West African plants: the neem tree, baobab tree, Senegal mahogany, African basil and kinkirissi bush. "We believe that these African botanicals will have NSAID-like effects and will inhibit the COX pathways involved in cancer but will have a wider margin of safety," he said.

Wargovich is working with Clemson University researcher Dr. Feng Chen, whose expertise is in the chemistry of natural products. Chen is looking for the compounds in the mahogany bark that may be responsible for inhibiting inflammation. "Our goal is to find the active inhibitors in African medicinal plants, used by traditional healers for centuries, that prevent disease," said Wargovich.

West Africa has a low incidence of colon cancer, and the reason why may be in the natural plants used by traditional healers.

For full story, please see: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=16910

2. Bushmeat boom benefits Ghana's farmers

Source: BBC News, 3 April 2006

Teye Ocansey is pushing grass through the wire front of one of a stack of cages to the hungry, twitching animal inside. The cages contain grasscutters - bush animals which are such a delicacy in Ghana that they are now being farmed to meet demand.

Mr Ocansey started to farm grasscutters as a hobby 10 years ago. Since then, he has seen his business grow to generate a healthy profit from the 260 grasscutters he keeps in a small shed in the Accra suburb of Awoshie. "It is a delicacy meat and people like it more than other meats," says Mr Ocansey, a member of a grasscutter farmers' co-operative.

"The cholesterol is very low. There is no religious barrier. Everybody likes grasscutter."

The farming may be new, but Ghanaians' taste for grasscutter is hallowed by tradition. But the old ways of hunting the animals - by starting bushfires to scare them, and other kinds of bushmeat, out of their natural habitat - had prompted environmentalist concern.

"Ghanaians are crazy for bushmeat, they will hunt for bushmeat as long as there is some," says Rita Weidinger, who works for German development agency GTZ. "So we asked ourselves: if we have this market demand, how can we satisfy it without destroying the environment?” Grasscutter hunting is a lucrative business, so we need to provide alternatives or hunters will continue to exhaust grasscutters."

For Ms Weidinger, that alternative is to encourage people to farm grasscutters. As a commercial enterprise grasscutter farming remains the preserve of no more than a handful of people. But with thousands keeping them as a hobby, GTZ is working with the Ministry of Agriculture to train farmers how to rear the animals for the pot.

Ms Weidinger argues that each animal only requires about 10 minutes of care a day, and adds that a female grasscutter - which produces about seven babies a year - generates an average profit per year of 30 euros.

The farmers themselves argue that their business is a more attractive proposition to customers than simply buying on the street. "People feel easy to buy them here rather than from a poacher," grasscutter farmer Cephas Ababio says. "I sold some four grasscutters and I was able to meet school fees."

The next step could be to look further afield. On the one hand, Ghana's grasscutter farmers are preparing to rear breeding stock for neighbouring countries. On the other, the huge diaspora of Ghanaians overseas longing for a taste of home could also prove lucrative.

But with local demand for grasscutters booming, most farmers are unlikely to need to seek markets far from home, Ms Weidinger believes. "It will be a niche market for a few farmers who have requirements to meet it," she says.

For full story, please see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4864714.stm

3. Butterflies and medicinal plants in India

Source: Santanu Basu, The Statesman, Kolkata, India, 8 April 2006

Butterflies can benefit the environment and economy in multiple ways. Endangered and rare species of butterflies in Assam may find a fresh chance of survival if Jatin Kalita’s proposal for the creation of a Nature’s Interpretation Centre or Butterfly Sanctuary in the state’s Garbhanga forest becomes a reality. Apart from sheltering nature’s most unique creations, the project would also be the first of its kind in the country.

There is an urgent need for protecting and preserving butterflies, said Mr Kalita, head of the Department of Biological Sciences, Guwahati University, who recently conducted an extensive survey in Garbhanga reserved forest and found a huge number of these wonderful creatures fluttering all over. According to a tentative estimate by Mr Kalita, more than 800 species of butterflies have been identified so far and more rare varieties are likely to be seen. However, distribution is not equal everywhere – the butterfly population is concentrated in some places while in others places it is thin.

The survey conducted by Mr Kalita detected the Golden Wing Butterfly, a particularly large variety measuring up to 200 mm. The presence of such uncommon species also tells a lot about the forest – that it houses diverse floral and faunal populations. Until the Golden Wing Butterfly was discovered in Garbhanga, a particular butterfly found in the dense forests of Tamil Nadu with a wing size of 190 mm was considered to be the largest variety in India.

Garbhanga forest seems to be the abode of as many as 22 species which were long categorised as endangered. Warnings were sounded by none other than the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, but not much was done in this respect.

The abundance of medicinal plants coupled with the unique climatic conditions in the northeastern states is the most suitable environment for these delicate creatures. According to biologists, such medicinal herbs are important for the sustenance of the various species of butterflies. And conversely, these butterflies are of utmost significance in the survival of the medicinal plants as well as orchids.

It may be pointed out that these herbs and butterflies are of great value to us, not only in terms of natural beauty and a thriving ecosystem, but also in terms of foreign revenue through export. Already Japan has evinced an interest in Indian butterflies and Thailand has shown eagerness to purchase medicinal plants from the northeastern states. The state government must stress on the commercial cultivation of medicinal plants, says Mr Kalita. And hence the idea of the creation of a butterfly sanctuary.

Oil giant Indian Oil Corporation carved out a huge butterfly park adjacent to the Numaligarh oil refinery near Dibrugarh with the purpose of countering pollution emanating from the plant. It is said that a green stretch with an abundance of butterflies can well absorb oil-related pollution to a certain extent – an effort that ought to be undertaken by all refineries in the country.

The price of butterflies, depending on size and beauty, is very high in the international market. And this is the reason why butterfly smuggling has grown over the years. Two years back, Delhi Police nabbed two Japanese smugglers at the airport and retrieved many rare species. In Sikkim, smugglers often pose as botanists. Last year, two foreign nationals were arrested for smuggling out rare species of butterflies from Sikkim hills. Such raids amply demonstrated the huge market potential that these winged creatures have.

The butterflies are normally used for interior designing and decoration. Thais consider display of butterflies at the doorstep a good omen. Dead butterflies are normally used as decorative pieces – interestingly, the difference between a dead one and a living one can hardly be noticed. Hence, smuggling of this beautiful creature becomes most lucrative as death does not hamper its market value.

Butterflies are of immense value to the ecosystem and as beautiful creations. According to researchers, there are more than 1430 species of this animal in the world of which more than 60 percent are found in India’s northeastern states. If efforts are made in the right direction, butterflies can benefit the environment and economy in multiple ways.

For full story, please see: www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=31&theme=&usrsess=1&id=112101

4. Insects: Value of services performed by insects

Source: EurekAlert (press release) - Washington, DC, USA, 1 April 2006

Think twice before you blithely swat, stomp, curse or ignore insects, says Cornell University entomologist John Losey, who co-authored a study that shows the dollar value of some of those insect services is more than $57 billion in the United States annually. The research appears in the journal BioScience today (April 1).

The study found that native insects are food for wildlife that supports a $50 billion recreation industry, provide more than $4.5 billion in pest control, pollinate $3 billion in crops and clean up grazing lands, which saves ranchers some $380 million a year. And these are "very conservative" estimates that probably represent only a fraction of the true value, reports Losey, associate professor of entomology at Cornell.

This analysis of the economic value of these insect services is the first analysis of its type, said Losey, who co-authored the study with Mace Vaughan, Cornell M.S. '99, conservation director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Ore., which works to protect native insect habitats through education and research.

Insects are an integral part of a complex web of interactions that helps put food on our tables and remove our wastes. Humans - and probably most life on earth - would perish without insects, Vaughan said.

Losey and Vaughan's study focused on the economic value of four particular services -wildlife nutrition, pest control, pollination and dung burial - selected because robust data were available for an analysis.

Using published data, Losey and Vaughan compared the values of each service at current levels of function to theoretical levels if these serves were absent. For wildlife nutrition, the researchers used census data on how much is spent annually on observing or hunting wildlife, and what proportion of the animals in those categories depend on insects for nutrition.

The analysis did not include such important insect services as decomposing carcasses, garbage and trees (thereby decreasing the likelihood of forest fires); producing honey, shellac, dyes and other products; being used in medicine or as a source of food for animals other than those used in hunting, fishing and birding; and providing a direct source of food for humans.

Based on their analysis, Losey and Vaughan call for greater investment.

For full story, please see: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/cuns-vos033106.php

5. Maple producers tap into sweet season; extra cash comes flowing in

Source: The Business Review (Albany) – 24 March 2006

Warm March days and freezing March nights turn into cold hard cash for maple syrup producers.

Maple products are a $27 million industry in New York, said Steve Childs, Cornell University's New York maple specialist. New York accounts for 17 percent of maple production in the United States, behind only Vermont and Wisconsin. In 2004, the state produced 255,000 gallons of syrup.

In 2003, 1,500 maple producers with more than 100 taps generated $5.6 million in syrup sales, according to state Department of Agriculture and Markets statistics. That doesn't take into account the value-added products like maple sugar candy and maple cream, and the syrup made by small producers, Childs said.

"Maple syrup is a passion," said Kevin Crosier, an Albany fireman and East Berne town supervisor. He operates Crosier Sugar Barn. "It is a lot of hard work. But it is just fun." Crosier, who has tapped 60 acres of maple trees for eight years, produces 100 to 130 gallons of syrup each spring. He sells half gallons of syrup at $28 per jug.

The average per-gallon price ranges from $35 to $45, according to the New York State Maple Producers Association Inc. But maple producers make more money when they market syrup in smaller containers or make specialty products, Childs said.

The plastic bottles favoured by New York producers--in Vermont, metal cans are the style--cost producers 40 cents to $1.10 depending on size. The quart is the standard, and sells for around $10 to $12 depending on quality.

Crosier once sold his syrup at farmer's markets and to restaurants, but now he markets out of his sugar house directly to consumers. It's a better way to sell, he said. "On a weekend when the weather is nice and people get that spring itch, they go out in search of things to do and they usually come to the barn to see us boiling maple syrup on a wood-fired evaporator," Crosier said.

Maple-syrup making is a part-time job. Producers supplement farm income, or pay property taxes with money earned from maple syrup sales.

For full story, please see: http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2006/03/27/story6.html?i=33396

6. Medicinal plants: Mongolian traditional 'medicinal pillow"

Source: Mongolia Web News, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 11 April 2006

Mongolians use many kinds of medicinal plants to cure all kinds of chronic illnesses. From old time Mongolians used to use pillows made from a wide variety of aromatic plants. “Khuvsgul- Ikh Taiga” Mongolian company has produced an aromatic pillow by using traditional methods. The pillows are for sale now in shops in Ulaanbaatar.

The aromatic pillow includes ingredients of Wormwood Artemisia, thyme and juniper and has the effect of calming and taking precaution against cough and flu.

7. Truffles: Alien truffles from China ruffle French

Source: Guardian Unlimited UK, 26 March 2006

European farmers close ranks to defend their traditional tuber against a 'less tasty' invader.

It takes the border collie less than 10 minutes to root out a small black lump which she is allowed to eat, then a larger one, which she isn't. The second truffle, the size of a golf ball, is a prized tuber melanosporum, worth at least €20 (£13.80) to the gourmet trade. But just as French farmers, facing reduced subsidies, are advised to switch to niche products - such as truffles, fine cheeses and rare vegetable oils - along comes an unwelcome rival: the Tuber indicum, from China. The Chinese 'are said to be gathering truffles by the spadeful', said the collie’s owner, Michiko van Obbergen. 'Their truffle has less flavour and is often paler in colour than our black tuber, but an untrained eye may not be able to tell them apart.'

The truffle, a pungent fungus resembling a rough-skinned potato, grows around the roots of oak and walnut trees in chalky soil like that of south west France's rocky Lot department.

Such is the concern about the Chinese rival that European truffling countries - previously jealously secretive and scathing about each other's tubers - have united. Last weekend French, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian farmers and scientists met in Nice and founded the European Network Consortium of Trufficulture. 'We need more help from the scientists,' said Jean-Charles Savignac, president of the Fédération Française des Trufficulteurs. 'So little research is available. Truffle harvests are a matter of luck.'

The soil of south west France yielded only an estimated 11 tonnes between mid-October, when the season began, and last week, when it ended. In 1999 the harvest reached 40 tonnes. The decline pushed trade prices this winter to €1,000 a kilo.

For full story, please see: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1739751,00.html

COUNTRY INFORMATION

**8. Botswana: Moringa oleifera tree crucial**

Source: Daily News Online, Gaborone, 28 March, 2006

Every part of the Moringa oleifera tree, from the roots to the leaves has beneficial properties that can serve humanity. According to a Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA) lecturer, the Moringa oleifera, pods and flowers are a good source of nutrition and medicine. However, said Baptiste Nduwayezu, the plant has not been clinically tested yet.

Giving a public lecturer, on alternative ways of improving health and reducing rural poverty in Botswana at BCA, he said the tree seeds are used in water purification and provide edible oil which is also used in lubrication, soaps, and cosmetics and as a source of medicine. He said there is increasing evidence that the consumption of Moringa oleifera, leaf vegetables and leaf powder remarkably improved health conditions of some people in Botswana.

Nduwayezu, who is leader of the Moringa oleifera project in Southern Africa, said the tree could be dubbed the green diamond of Africa because it could also generate revenue if fully utilized for its medicinal and nutritional values.

He said it can improve health conditions of HIV positive people, increase breast milk in lactating mothers, lead to improved health of babies and also treat a number diseases such as TB, diabetes, heart problems, lower blood sugar levels, eye and ear infections and many other diseases.

Moringa oeifera tree is a fast growing highly coppicing and drought resistant medium sized tree species native to northern India. However the tree also known as horseradish or drumstick tree and belongs to the Moringaceae family is found in other parts of the world. It prefers alluvial sandy soils though it grows in a variety of soils apart from stiff clays even in marginal soils and with very little care.

In Botswana the tree is found in Gaborone, Mahalapye, Palapye, Francistown, Maun and other parts of the country but only a few know the benefits and uses of this miracle tree.

The people have to be taught more about this plant, so that they can learn to use it, eat it and even plant it as it is a drought resistant plant, he said.

For full story, please see: www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20060328&i=Moringa_Oleifera_tree_crucial

9. Brazil: Indigenous peoples are to be trained to combat biopiracy

Source: Radiobrás, 18 March 2006

Historically the wardens of nature, indigenous peoples can also play an important role in protecting Brazilian biodiversity. Alert to this potential, the civil society organization Amazolink launched the 'Vigilant Villages' program. Through it, indigenous communities in Acre are trained to combat biopiracy.

According to the institution's president, Michael Schimidlehner, indigenous peoples will receive guidance on how to avoid unauthorized researchers coming into areas to exploit and appropriate biodiversity using patents.

"As Amazonia is the world's largest cradle of biodiversity, there is great interest on the part of industries to exploit it and to appropriate its natural resources", Schimidlehner says. "When this occurs illegally, without the consent of the community and sharing of benefits, then it is biopiracy."

In addition to the project providing guidance, a system is being set up to receive complaints. Support centers will be set up in Acre in partnership with the National Indian Foundation and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.

"Talking to the community and providing them clarification on the law is the best protection against biopiracy. Our aim is to help the indigenous peoples take control of what is theirs", ends Schimidlehner.

For full story, please see: www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=202649

10. Ethiopia's gum resource rich, underutilized

Source: People's Daily Online - Beijing, China, 22 March 2006

Ethiopia is rich in natural gum and gum resin, which could earn the country significant amount of foreign currency, but the resource remains underutilized, a forest resource expert said Tuesday.

"Non-timber products of Ethiopia, including natural gum and gum resin, cover a wide range of multipurpose species and products. However, this resource could not be exploited fully and remain unutilized for various reasons related to ineffective management," said Mulugeta Lemenih, forest resource expert at Wondo Genet Forestry College.

Mulugeta told a forum that poor management and ill practices were playing negatively as far as the country's resource in gum and related products was concerned. "The ever increasing frequency and intensity of fire and excessive fire wood harvesting, coupled with improper tapping practiced by the locals is seriously damaging the resource base," said the Ethiopian expert.

Ethiopia is the biggest exporter of gum followed by Eritrea and Somalia and 90 percent of the world gum market is covered by the three countries, he said.

Apart from the lack of promotion, the major constraints that hinder growth of the gum and gum resin market in Ethiopia, according to Mulugeta, include absence of infrastructure, high production cost, poor quality control, uncontrolled trade, and the slow export process.

For full story, please see: http://english.people.com.cn/200603/22/eng20060322_252526.html

11. Ghana: Don't promote other economic trees at shea's expense

Source: Gye Nyame Concord, Ghana, 29 March 2006

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Development Studies (UDS) has expressed concern over the rate at which shea trees are being destroyed to make land available for the cultivation of other economic trees such as cashew and mango.

Dr Joshua Adam Yidana, who expressed the concern, warned that if measures were not taken to check the practice, a time would come when the country would not be able to meet international demand for shea butter.

Dr Yidana was speaking at a one-day inter-regional conference on the development of the shea industry in Northern Ghana in Tamale on Wednesday.

The Tung-Teiya Shea Butter Extraction Women's Association (TUSEWA), a local NGO, organised the forum on the theme: "Moving the shea butter industry forward: Prospects and challenges." The Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund sponsored the event.

The conference brought together stakeholders in the shea industry from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions to brainstorm to promote the development of the industry in Northern Ghana.

Dr Yidana said the country had a total population of 94 million shea trees, which produced about 150 tonnes of shea butter. Sixty per cent of the shea butter produced is used internally while 25 per cent is exported.

He said more than 2.5 million tonnes of shea kernel produced worldwide were used for the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and confectionery and edible fats. He said that unlike cocoa and other products, which had synthetic substitutes, the shea nut tree had no substitute adding that consumers now preferred organic or natural products.

Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Northern Regional Minister in a speech read for him, acknowledged the economic importance of the shea tree in the lives of rural women and emphasised the determination of government to provide support for the growth of the shea industry in Northern Ghana. He appealed to traditional rulers to take pragmatic measures to protect the trees from bushfires and indiscriminate felling. The Regional Minister called on civil society organisations and other development partners to collaborate with the government to use the development of the shea resource as a means for poverty reduction in Northern Ghana.

Dr David Mensah, Director of Northern Empowerment Association, an NGO, called for the establishment of refineries to process the shea nuts for export to earn foreign exchange for the country and create jobs for the people.

He appealed to the government to give a fixed price for every bag of shea nut as it was done to cocoa to save the rural women from being cheated by market women who virtually bought the shea nuts "at give away prices".

Madam Stella Nitori Chairperson of TUSEWA noted that if the shea industry was promoted and well developed, it would accelerate economic growth and help reduce poverty in the rural communities.

She said BUSAC in collaboration with other organisations was undertaking an advocacy action plan to gather information and ideas to influence government to come out with pragmatic policies and initiatives for the development of the shea industry to secure good market for its members.

The action plan would also involve the training of members in quality control of their products.

For full story, please see:

12. India: Tribals to benefit from renewal of licence for herbal drug

Source: The Hindu, India, 28 March 2006 (in BIO-IPR, 31.3.06)

Thiruvananthapuram: A herbal drug developed by scientists at the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI) at Palode near here is set to sustain the development of the Kani tribal belt on the foothills of the Western Ghats. The institute has invited bids to renew the licence for production and sale of Jeevani, its first product to have made it to the global market for herbal drugs.

The scientists had harnessed the traditional knowledge of the tribal folk to develop the drug from a rare species of medicinal plant found in the local forests. The commercial returns from the project are being used to assist development activities in 27 tribal settlements. With the renewed licence, TBGRI is hoping to enlarge its global footprint in the market for herbal products.

Ever since it was launched in 1995, Jeevani had attracted international attention for its immuno- enhancing, anti-stress, liver protective and anti-fatigue properties. The key ingredient in the drug is Tricopus zeylanicus, a medicinal herb locally known as Arogyapacha. The TBGRI shot into the limelight after it evolved a unique mechanism to share 50 percent of the commercial benefits of the project with the Kani tribe.

The minimum bid rate has been fixed at Rs.20 lakhs for licence fee and a royalty of 4 percent on the ex-factory price. This represents a 100 percent hike over the existing contract for licensed production, which expired in 2002.

Sources in the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) said the proposed hike in the licence fee and royalty was justifiable in view of the huge demand for Jeevani in the export and domestic markets. The KSCSTE director K.R.S. Krishnan said the bids would be carefully screened to identify companies that have the capability to manufacture and market the drug in the global market.

In 2002, the UN Environment Programme and the World Trade Organisation accepted the benefit- sharing agreement between the TBGRI and the Kani tribe as a global model. The same year, the partnership also won the UN Equator Initiative Award at the Earth Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

For full story, please see: www.hindu.com/2006/03/28/stories/2006032821540300.htm

13. India: Micro-enterprises in bamboo sector generate income, employment

Source: The Hindu, India, 4 April 2006

KOZHIKODE: The micro-enterprises in the bamboo sector set up under the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) programme in Wayanad district in Kerala have stabilised in the last one year, opening up a viable option for non-farm segment employment generation in the district.

The six micro-enterprises are equipped to produce a variety of bamboo products for the modern market such as refill pens, business card holders, cell phone stands, incense stick containers, bangles and flower vases. The units have been fetching steady and decent employment and income to the 120 members of the six units.

Notably, 97.50 percent of the micro-enterprise members are women and 57 percent are from the Adivasi communities. For almost all of them, except for a few tribal women who had worked as farm wage labourers, the bamboo micro-enterprises have fetched their first-ever wage.

While women used to get income and employment for less than 150 days a year in the farm sector, the bamboo craft now provides them year-long employment and income. The average daily income of a member is in the range of Rs.50 to Rs.60, but depending upon the product made and individual productivity, some women are earning wages of Rs.120 a day.

The Uravu Indigenous Science and Technology study centre, a non-profit trust at Thrikkaipetta in the district, provided training and established the units, with assistance under the RSVY programme, a Tenth Plan initiative for backward districts. Under the project, the implementing agency ensured backward and forward linkages through supply of treated raw materials and buy-back of products.

The six micro-enterprises now account for a total production of craft goods worth around Rs.1.5 lakhs a month, according to K.M. Rema, the coordinator of the project.

The RSVY programme target is to start nine more micro-enterprises in the second year of the programme and establish a total of 25 micro-enterprises in the district by the end of the third year.

Members of four of the six RSVY units were initially trained in making three different models of bamboo pens, targeting low-end domestic market to premium export market. Under an agreement signed with Uravu, Export Import Bank of India is promoting the `Script-O' bamboo pens. The Green Stationery Company based in London has evinced interest in the bamboo pen as an eco-friendly alternative and business groups in the country have promoted the pens as a corporate gift item.

Each RSVY unit was later trained to make different range of products. But delay in disbursing funds had adversely affected the progress of the project in the second year. Most of the beneficiaries were rural women who had no prior craft skills.

For full story, please see: www.hindu.com/2006/04/04/stories/2006040409920700.htm

14. Indonesian islands focus of rural development workshop

Source: ABC Online, Australia, 6 April 2006

Agroforestry could be a major step towards food security across Nusa Tengarra Timur. The islands, in eastern Indonesia, are the focus of an international rural development workshop in Kupang this week.

Small remote rural villages relying on subsistence agriculture providing for their daily food requirements have developed stands of mahogany, sandlewood, teak and cashews. There are also small pockets of original forest vegetation within the broader tropical savannah grasslands.

But it has been agreed that non-timber forestry products such as honey, dyes, medicines and fruits could be further developed to generate income.

Australian collaboration through Charles Darwin University and the provincial Indonesian Planning Board funded by AusAID will aim to plan for this sustainable resource use.

For full story, please see: www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2006/s1610197.htm

15. Perú es 'un mendigo sentado en un banco genético'

Source: SciDev.Net, 21 March 2005

A las comunidades indígenas de los Andes y de la amazonía se les extrae información sobre sus conocimientos ancestrales sin que ello les genere ningún tipo de reconocimiento o ganancia, se estableció durante el foro internacional Biodiversidad, Biotecnología y Propiedad Intelectual, realizado del 7 al 9 de marzo en Lima.

La revelación surgió tras analizar la gran diversidad biológica que posee el Perú, la que no se aprovecha en beneficio del desarrollo sustentable ni en la generación de nuevos conocimientos, configurando que el Perú se considere como "un mendigo sentado en un banco genético", según lo definió Fernando Villarán, consultor del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología.

"Tener un país megadiverso no significa automáticamente ser ricos, por el contrario puede convertirse en una desgracia si paralelamente no se le da un valor agregado a esa megadiversidad", subrayó.

Silvia Bazán, coordinadora de la Oficina de Invenciones y Nuevas Tecnologías del Instituto Peruano de Defensa del Consumidor y Propiedad Intelectual, señaló que en Perú se realizan importantes investigaciones en biotecnología, pero no se patentan, lo que constituye "un peligroso caso de desprotección".

"Muchos investigadores desconocen el sistema, son muy pocos los que conocen las ventajas de las patentes", afirmó Bazán. Perú ocupa uno de los últimos lugares en registros de patentes de la región, con un descenso de 0.07 a 0.01 por cada 100 mil habitantes en los últimos 25 años.

El foro fue organizado por organismos peruanos de ciencia y tecnología y la Red de Macrouniversidades Públicas de América Latina y el Caribe para analizar las posibilidades de innovación tecnológica a partir de los recursos biológicos.

For full story, please see: www.scidev.net/gateways/index.cfm?fuseaction=readitem&rgwid=1&item=News&itemid=2737&language=2&CFID=971801&CFTOKEN=21401771

16. Vietnam: UN to help restore craft villages

Source: Viet Nam News, 7 April 2006

QUANG NAM — The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will provide US$1 million to central Quang Nam Province for rehabilitating two craft villages, said a source from the provincial People’s Committee on Tuesday.

According to the source, the money would fund a project to restore and develop the traditional rattan and bamboo weaving craft in Tam Vinh Village, Phu Ninh District and Duy Son Village in Duy Xuyen District.

The renovation project, expected to begin this year, would continue until 2009, and help in training skilled workers.

For full story, please see: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=05ECO070406

NEWS

17. XIII World Forestry Congress: Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009

Source: Infosylva, 31 March 2006

FAO invites you to submit your ideas for a theme for the next World Forestry Congress
to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2009. The final selection of a theme will be made
by the Government of Argentina and FAO.

The theme for the World Forestry Congress should:

· address a timely issue of interest around the world
· be attractive to a wide range of interests, while not being too vague
· encompass a range of technical and policy-related topics

Themes for the past 5 World Forestry Congresses
XII     2003 (Canada) Forests, source of life
XI     1997 (Turkey) Forestry for sustainable development: towards the 21^st century
X       1991 (France) Forests, a heritage for the future
IX     1985 (Mexico) Forest resources in the integral development of society
VIII    1978 (Indonesia) Forests for people

Please send your ideas for a theme to: [email protected]

18. 'African law' needed to protect traditional medicine

Source: SciDev.Net, 4 April 2006

The African Union and World Health Organization have been urged to draft a model law that African countries could use to protect traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. The call was made at a four-day workshop that the organisations held in Brazzaville, Congo, last week (28-31 March).

About 80 percent of people in Africa rely on traditional healers, and researchers are increasingly seeking to tap their knowledge for potential sources of new drugs.

However, few African countries have a legal framework for controlling access to indigenous knowledge and biological resources, or ensuring benefits arising from their use are shared fairly.

Lawyers, scientists, traditional healers and policy experts at the Brazzaville meeting drafted guidelines intended to help fill the policy gap.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the document discusses ways that national institutions and international agencies can improve their systems for protecting intellectual property rights relating to traditional medicine.

Delegates also urged states to promote and document traditional medicine, and said a global consensus must be reached on how to protect it.

To this end, they said, the WHO and African Union should mediate between African states and agencies such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, which promotes international protection of intellectual property rights.

The WHO's regional director for Africa, Luis Sambo, warned that policies should consider both those holding traditional knowledge and the communities that could benefit from it.

The document, entitled 'Policy and legislative guidelines for the protection and promotion of traditional and indigenous medical knowledge in Africa', will be released after the WHO has reviewed it.

For full story, please see: www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2766&language=1

19. Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya region

Source: CEPF E-News, April 2006

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) recently held its inaugural Plant Red Listing Workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, drawing together international and regional botanical experts to update the conservation status of plants in the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya region.

“Although the region is still profoundly under-collected and there are still significant holes in our understanding of species distributions, … our understanding of the hotspot’s biodiversity leaped ahead during the workshop,” said Michael Maunder, director of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Plant Conservation Committee.

The workshop was funded by CEPF as part of a joint project by IUCN, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, in partnership with the national herbaria of Kenya and Tanzania. The event, which supported CEPF’s strategy of improving biological knowledge in the region, was part of a long-term project that aims to address plant conservation assessment across the region.

An initial 176 taxa were evaluated during the workshop, of which 123 were assessed as globally threatened (qualifying as either Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable). These included a number of specimens from the Annonaceae family, including Sanrafaelia ruffonammari, a recently described species endemic to the foothills of the East Usambara Mountains assessed as Critically Endangered.

The project runs until 2008, and will feature two more Red Listing workshops in 2006 and 2007. It is led by George Schatz of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who is also leading a similar CEPF-supported project in the Caucasus Hotspot.

For more information:

• IUCN article: First Plant Red Listing Workshop lists 123 taxa of East Africa as threatened

• Conservation International’s partnership with IUCN

• CEPF’s investment approach in the region

20. International Master's Programme in ecology and evolution

Source: H. Gyde Lund, [email protected], FIU 3 APR 06

The Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) organizes a highly successful master's programme on the interface between ecology and evolution.

This two-year "top master" programme is designed to provide an optimal preparation for a subsequent PhD programme and eventually for a scientific career in academic research. Through intensive student-teacher interaction during courses, seminars, practicals and individual research projects, students get an intense training in modern research paradigms and techniques. Much emphasis will be placed on the development of critical thinking and the training in "soft skills" like efficient communication or writing grant proposals.

The programme is highly selective and aimed at the brightest and most ambitious students from all over the world. All foreign students admitted are eligible for a two-year scholarship.

The deadline for application is 15 April 2006.

For more information visit www.rug.nl/biol/evobio.

21. Net rate of forest loss in Africa second highest in the world

Source: FAO Newsroom, 31 March 2006

The net rate of forest loss in Africa is the second highest in the world, while the continent leads the globe in the frequency of forest fires, FAO told the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission at its meeting this week (29 March – 1 April) in Maputo, Mozambique.

Globally, Africa suffered a net loss of forests exceeding 4 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2005, according to FAO. This was mainly due to conversion of forest lands to agriculture. Forest cover went from 655.6 million hectares (ha) to 635.4 million ha during this period.

South America is the world region with the highest net loss of forests.

Forest fires are another major concern for Africa, the UN agency said. The continent leads the world in forest fires, mainly due to the traditional practice of using fire for conversion of forest to agriculture or grassland. The frequency of fires is particularly high in northern Angola, the southern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Despite problems, Africa has made strides in terms of improving forest policy and programmes, according to FAO. More than half of African countries have established new forestry policies and laws over the past 15 years, and two-thirds now have an active national forestry management programme in place. But implementation and enforcement of these measures remains weak, mainly due to lack of financing and weak national institutions, the UN agency said.

People in Africa depend on forests in a number of ways, and forest resources play an important role in both basic subsistence and poverty alleviation there.

The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission comes together every two years at a meeting organized by FAO.

For full story, please see: www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000261/index.html

22. Only 53% of Amazon remains intact

Source: O Estado de S.Paulo, 29 March 2006 (in Amazon News, 29.3.06)

One of the most detailed maps ever produced on the conservation status of Amazonia shows that 47% of the forest has already been deforested, occupied or altered by humans. The study, coordinated by the Institute of Man and the Environment (Imazon) goes beyond satellite images used for annual deforestation calculations, which only shows the difference between deforested (17%) and non-deforested (83%) areas.

"We must get beyond this dichotomy, the true situation of Amazonia is much more complex", researcher Adalberto Veríssimo said. "In addition to the 17% deforested there is at least another 30% of forest under pressure." Only 53% remains truly intact.

The study combines satellite images to environmental impact indicator mapping, including urban, agriculture/ranching, settlement, mining and recent fire-devastated areas. "The 'intact' forest seen from space is just camouflage", says Verissimo.

Moreover, two pressure indicators are left out: illegal roads and selective logging - that is, logging of selected tree species of high commercial value, without removing the entire forest.

Researchers hope that the information will be used to prepare public policies, identifying areas where man-made pressure endangers the survival of the forest. "In the end, it is a map of vulnerabilities", states Paulo Barreto, main author of the study. "Deforestation figures published yearly are important, but we need predictive tools, to block the process in advance."

The study shows that almost half (48%) of the areas considered as priorities for biodiversity conservation are already under some sort of pressure. The most significant impacts occur along highways and in areas surrounding urban centers. Some 89% of the total area deforested is less than 18.6 miles from an official road.

For full story, please see: www.amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/noticia.cfm?id=203696

23. Saving languages to save species

Source: OpenDemocracy.Net, 3 April 2006 (in SciDev.Net Weekly Update: 3-10 April 2006)

Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Brazil have set themselves the ambitious target of slowing down the rate of species loss by 2010.

In a recent article, Ehsan Masood argues that conserving biodiversity goes hand in hand with saving the world's endangered languages. Indigenous communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific often have detailed knowledge of their local flora and fauna that they express only in their native languages.

Masood says that if we wish to use this knowledge to protect and sustainably exploit biodiversity, then endangered languages must also be protected. He points out that threatened languages and species are often found in the same places. According to UNESCO, for instance, a quarter of the world's languages are spoken in two of the world's most species-rich countries: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Link to Masood’s full article in OpenDemocracy.Net

24. Young Forester Award 2006

From: Alan Pottinger, Technical Director, Commonwealth Forestry Association, [email protected]

The Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA) is committed to supporting the professional development of young foresters. It does this in several ways; the involvement of young people on the Governing Council of the CFA, the establishment of the Young Scientist Publication Award, assistance with writing scientific papers, publication of news and information in the CFA newsletter of relevance to young foresters, and perhaps most clearly through the Young Forester Award.

The Young Forester Award is designed to support the professional development of the recipient through the provision of a short-term work placement in a country other than their own and consists of a designated placement combined with a bursary of between £1000 and £1500 to cover a stay of between three- and six-months (depending on the placement selected) with established and renowned forestry organisations in order to meet their professional interest. The hosts might be major timber companies, research organisations or NGOs but they all share the desire to support the development of the next generation of foresters.

The Young Forester Award 2006

Two Awards will be made available in 2006; one will be designated to a forester from a developing country, and the other will be open to all applicants. The placements will be in companies in Canada which are part of the Canadian Model Forest Network or with Pro Natura in Guyana.

Application process

Applications are invited from students and young professionals below the age of 35 who are CFA members for the Commonwealth Forestry Association’s Young Forester Award. Anyone who wishes to apply for the Award should complete the Application Form (download from web site). The Selection Committee will discuss placement options with short-listed applicants. Candidates will be evaluated for the relevance of the Award to their career outline. Applications should be sent via email to [email protected]

For more information, please see: www.cfa-international.org/YFA.html

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

25. FAO Associate Professional Officer, Non Wood Forest Products, Cameroon

From: FAO’s NWFP Programme

Title of the posting: Associate Professional Officer, Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP)
Sector: Forest Products - Forest Products Service (FOPP)
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon
Language: French, with good knowledge of English
Duration of the assignment: one year, renewable to three years

Symbol & title of project: GCP/RAF/398/GER - Enhancing food security through non-wood forest products in Central Africa

Reference number: CMR/FOPP/6030

The full VA is available at www.fao.org/tc/apo/vac/FOPP_6030.htm

Applications

Specific application forms can be requested by sending an e-mail to: [email protected] , quoting the reference number

The deadline for application is 25 April 2006.

26. International consultant sought - FAO

From: FAO’s NWFP Programme

FAO and the Government of Jordan are implementing a project to support the forest policy and strategy for the forestry sector development. This project is part of the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme that assists FAO member countries finding solutions to priority issues constraining development and in particular forestry and natural resource management. The project is already operational and will last about one year.

The Forestry Department of FAO is looking for an international consultant to provide overall technical advice to Jordan forest administration for project implementation and national forest policy formulation.

He/she will contribute to the preparation of base line policy papers to be discussed in two national fora. The candidate will have a University Degree preferably in forestry or natural resources management or social sciences with large experience in natural resources management. The working languages are Arabic and English. Specific competence requested: demonstrated experience in policy and strategy development; familiar with participatory tools and approaches; good capacity in writing/reading in Arabic and reviewing reports and statements.

The consultancy assignment will cover a total of 12 weeks in three missions to Jordan. The assignment would start in May 2006 with the participation in the project inception seminar. The proposed remuneration will be about US$6,000/month plus travel and daily subsistence allowance when working in Jordan.

Applicants should send a letter of interest and completed FAO Personal History Form (see: http://www.fao.org/VA/adm11e.dot) to [email protected] before 15 April 2006.

27. Senior Technical Officers/Coordinators – Global Environment Centre, Malaysia

Source: David Lee, GEC, [email protected], (in Forestry Policy Info List)

Employer: Global Environment Centre: an internationally recognized organization with global HQ in Malaysia - working in partnership with government and non-government groups globally and locally on environment and natural resource management issues. Main programmes are on Integrated River Basin Management; Forest and Wetland Conservation; Climate Change; Awareness, Capacity Building and Information Dissemination. It also coordinates global programmes with environmental conventions on peatlands and climate change and biodiversity and river basin management.

Forest & wetland conservation

Duty Station:

Position a: Petaling Jaya/Kuala Lumpur

Position b: Sandakan, Sabah

Position c: Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatera

Responsibility of Position:

• To coordinate and provide technical support for activities in GEC at global, regional or country level related to forest and wetland management (particularly peatlands and mangroves), environment, and climate change

For more information and to apply, please contact:

Victoria Louis, Global Environment Centre

2^nd Floor, Wisma Hing

No.78, Jalan SS2/72

47300 Selangor, Malaysia

Phone 03 7957 2007, Fax 03 7957 7003

Email: [email protected]

EVENTS

Microfinance and the Environment: Setting the Policy and Research Agenda

Philadelphia, PA, USA

5-6 May 2006

The purpose of this roundtable, which is being organized by Green Microfinance and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania/Environmental Management Program, is to provide practitioners, donors, and researchers with an opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the area of microfinance and environmental sustainability.

The overarching theme that the roundtable hopes to contribute to is whether microfinance can address environmental problems, and thereby contribute to Millennium Development goal number seven concerning environmental sustainability.

Registration and program details are posted on Green Microfinance's website at www.greenmicrofinance.org.

Small and medium forest enterprise development for poverty reduction: opportunities and challenges in globalizing markets

CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica

23-25 May 2006

Around 1 billion people living in poverty depend on forest products for all or part of their livelihoods. Many of them reside in tropical areas with high biodiversity and often severe restrictions on commercial agriculture. The XII World Forestry Congress, attended by over 4000 participants from 140 countries, calls for reconciling poverty alleviation with the need to promote sustainable management of forest resources. In this context, the development of small and medium forest enterprises represents a promising option for strengthening the livelihoods of small producers and conserving biodiversity through sustainable forest management. Many of these enterprises produce logs and sawn wood for national and international markets, or furniture for local markets, while others engage in the extraction, processing and commercialization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Some small and medium forest enterprises have also expanded into ecotourism and the trade of environmental services related to carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation. Increasingly, development and government agencies are recognizing the important role that small and medium forest enterprises play in reconciling the goals of poverty reduction and sustainable development, especially in the context of decentralization and increasingly globalized markets.

This international conference will take stock of experiences in developing small and medium forest enterprises in globalizing markets for timber and non-timber forest products. It will bring together representatives from forest communities, businesses, development agencies, governmental organizations, and research centers to discuss the critical issues facing small and medium forest enterprises development and how to best support them.

Objectives

♦ Develop a common understanding of the actual and potential role of small and medium forest enterprises in poverty reduction strategies and sustainable forest management

♦ Share lessons learned in small and medium forest enterprise development in Asia, Africa and Latin America with focus on the critical success factors for developing value chains of forest products which ensures adequate benefit sharing by community-based forest enterprises

♦ Identify opportunities to strengthen the political, legal and institutional frameworks, as well as the need to provide technical, business and financial service, aiming at enabling environments for successful small and medium forest enterprise development and related poverty reduction.

Conference Themes

1. Enabling environments for poverty reduction through small and medium forest enterprise development

a. Macroeconomic, political-legal and institutional frameworks

b. Role of commercial forestry in rural livelihoods

c. Forest enterprise development in the context of general poverty reduction strategies

2. Towards more successful integration of small and medium forest enterprises into global value chains

a. Critical success factors in markets for timber and non-timber forest products

b. European market environment for tropical timber and opportunities for value adding

c. US market environment for tropical timber and opportunities for value adding

3. Technical, business and financial services for small and medium forest enterprise development

a. Demand for technical, business and financial services by small and medium forest enterprises in the tropics

b. Design and delivery of integrated technical, business and financial services for small and medium forest enterprise development

For more information, please contact:

Jason Donovan, CATIE, [email protected]

or Sophie Grouwels, FAO, [email protected]

or Stacy Sesnie, [email protected] (for logistical information)

For the complete conference program and current information visit:

www.catie.ac.cr/econegociosforestales/conference

7^th Canadian Urban Forest Conference

Quebec, Canada

11-13 October 2006

The Conference addresses the theme “Trees… at the Core of Urban Development” and is being held under the auspices of The Canadian Tree Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Guy Bussières (Coordonator)

Faculté de foresterie et de géomatique
Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Université Laval
Québec (Québec) Canada G1K 7P4
Phone: (418) 656-2131 poste 8836
Fax: +1-(418) 656-3177
Email: [email protected]
www.7ccfu.ca

1^st International Non-wood forest products symposium

Trabzon, Turkey

1-4 November 2006

For more information, please contact:

Symposium Secretariat

Dr. Ertugrul Bilgili

Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Forestry

61080, Trabzon TURKEY

Tel: +90 462 377 2845
Fax: +90 462 325 7499
E-mail: [email protected]

www.ktu.edu.tr/nwfp

LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES

32. Proceedings of the herbal Anti-malarials in Africa meeting

Source: Phytomedical list, [email protected]

The proceedings of the March 2006 meeting are now available at: www.worldagroforestry.org/treesandmarkets/antimalariameeting/proceedings/

33. Other publications of interest

From: FAO’s NWFP Programme

Endress, Bryan A.; Gorchov, David L. and Noble, Robert B. 2004. Non-timber forest product extraction: effects of harvest and browsing on an understory palm. Ecological Application: 14(4): 1139–1153 www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=1051-0761&volume=014&issue=04&page=1139

Gopalakrishnan, C.; Wickramasinghe, W.A.R.; Gunatilake, H.M.; and Illukpitiya, P. 2005. Estimating the demand for non-timber forest products among rural communities: a case study from the Sinharaja rain forest region, Sri Lanka. Agroforestry systems, v. 65, no. 1 p. 13-22.

Subedi, Bhishma P. 2006. Linking Plant-based Enterprises and Local Communities to Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal Himalaya. Adroit Publishers, New Delhi

People in the mountainous region of Nepal are struggling to get food and the nearby forest gives them the hope and ability to survive. They can easily fetch fuel and fodder form the rich forest. People know that they are emptying the forest but don't know they are destroying lives and environment. This way, people are digging into the pit of poverty and downsizing their lives into it. The practice results in increased poverty and decreased biodiversity almost leaving nothing for the future. The question ahead, can't poverty be alleviated and biodiversity be improved? Isn't there any synergistic way that brings both the factor together? Or, how can poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation be sustainable? The challenges in several ways are embedded in the book and the author applies different methods to come up with a practical solution.

The author concludes that enterprise-oriented community forest management can generate positive outcomes for both conservation and local livelihoods. In the light of different approaches being tested and implemented to resolve conservation problems, the findings challenge the approaches that set communities aside from the forest resources and keep forests untouched. The author discovers high prospects for forest based enterprise development keeping an eye on the local, national as well as international markets of the products. He shows how enterprises can help promote biodiversity. The research has also identified strategies and approaches that can bring favorable changes in government policies, market structure, and effective implementation of conservation programs. For the study, the author has selected six districts in the mountainous region of Nepal that are endowed with rich forest-based biodiversity and suffered acute poverty.

34. Web sites and e-zines

From: FAO’s NWFP Programme

AGORA

UNESCO and cosmetics company L'Oreal have launched an online forum called AGORA to highlight and support women's contribution towards scientific progress. The partners already collaborate on a programme that awards annual prizes to female scientists on each continent (see Brazilian and Tunisian win 'Women in Science' awards).

Launched on 8 March, AGORA will focus on topics such as science education for girls and women, women of science and sustainable development, bioethics and diversity.

All Internet users are able to access and read forum entries, but only members of the partnership's 'Women in Science community' will be able to contribute to the website.

The forum aims to strengthen ties among community members, and to provide a space for discussing crucial issues facing the world, says its managing editor Alfred Gannon.

Each quarter, AGORA will publish a series of themed articles — the first is on girls' and women's access to scientific education, and the next will focus on women's role in sustainable development.

Scientists from around the world are invited to join the community and use the forum to express their points of view, share experiences, and identify problems and solutions, Gannon told SciDev.Net.

www.agora.forwomeninscience.com/agora/

Forest Landscape Restoration list serve

The FLR list serve is a newly created discussion forum for the global FLR community. Our community is rich, including policy-makers, local practitioners, academics and others, with activities taking place all over the globe. The list serve is a place to share experiences and resources, seek advice and test ideas with colleagues working on similar issues. It is also a place to inform others of new and current FLR events, issues, activities and practices.

To join the FLR list serve, please send an email to: flr-join@ indaba.iucn.org. Put your email address on the first line of the message (no spaces) and 'Join FLR List serve' in the subject line. We look forward to your participation and invite you to share this invitation with your networks.

The list serve is coordinated by the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration and IUCN - The World Conservation Union. Administrators of the list serve (if you have questions) are Dena Cator at [email protected] and Michelle Laurie at [email protected].

Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/restoration/globalpartnership/ .

IUCN Forest Conservation Programme: http://www.iucn.org/themes/fcp/ .

MISCELLANEOUS

35. Malaysia: WWF hails decision to create Malaysia's largest protected area for endangered orangutans, rhinos and elephants

Source: ENN Newsletter, 3 April 2006

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today praised a surprise decision by the government of the Malaysian state of Sabah to protect its most important remaining lowland forests on the island of Borneo. This decision will permanently preserve one of just two places in the world where the endangered orangutans, Bornean Pygmy elephants and the critically endangered Sumatran rhino co-exist and where forests are still large enough to maintain viable populations of each.

The plan, long sought by conservationists, places three forest reserves, which cover an area the size of Rhode Island, under sustainable forest management. Large-scale timber harvesting would end by 2007 and be replaced with sustainable forest management practices.

"This is one of the most important actions ever taken to secure the future of Borneo's endangered wild mammals," said Carter Roberts, CEO and President of Word Wildlife Fund - U.S. "We applaud the commitment by the Sabah State Cabinet and we look forward to working with the Malaysian government to make this commitment a reality."

The decision covers the entire Ulu Segama and Malua Forest Reserves, which are priority areas for WWF and part of the Heart of Borneo program. Borneo contains some of the most biologically diverse habitats on earth that contain a staggeringly high numbers of unique species across all groups of plants and animals.

Foregoing large-scale logging will cost the Sabah state economy about $270 million in the short-term. The government expects the preserved forests will render at least three times that amount over the long-term.

"The Sabah State Cabinet has shown tremendous foresight in making this decision," said Ginette Hemley, WWF's Vice President for Species Conservation. "If done right - and we still have a long way to go - these forests will always be a home for some of the most critically endangered animals in the world while still contributing in a very significant way to the Malaysian economy."

WWF will work with the Sabah state government to create a management plan for the new reserves, identify restoration needs, conduct detailed species surveys and support enforcement and anti-poaching brigades. Poaching, deforestation and illegal trafficking are the biggest threats to rhinos, elephants and orangutans in Borneo.

For full story, please see: http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=1204

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last updated: Monday, August 24, 2009