AFGHANISTAN AUSTRALIA - FAO

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

NON-WOOD NEWS No. 18 January 2009

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AFGHANISTAN

Traditional Afghan silk: an alternative use of

NWFPs to eradicate the opium cultivation

trend in Afghanistan

Using the ancient and once famous SilkRoute, early traders passed through present-day Afghanistan on their way to the majortrading markets in Damascus to ship theirgoods across the Mediterranean Sea. Thetraders brought with them not only goods butalso new skills and crafts that have beendisseminated in Afghanistan over time.These include the art of sericulture - thecommercial breeding of silkworms for theproduction of silk in particular. In the past,Afghan silk became the symbol of pride andprestige in this region.

But the art of traditional Afghan silk hasbeen mostly destroyed as a result of thenearly two and a half decades of unrest, andthe security situation of the country. Most ofthe craftsworkers have left their traditionalbusiness, their living places and the smallindustries. At the same time, the agriculturesector has gradually been taken over by illicitopium cultivation since the majority ofAfghan farmers have fallen into poverty andthere is a lack of viable alternative incomesbecause of the unrest.

According to a 2008 estimation, a total of157 000 ha of land has been cultivated underopium, which is the total cultivated areareduced from previous years. The presentfarmgate price of 1 kg of dry opium is US$95and an opium yield of 48.8 kg can be expectedfrom 1 ha of land. But following recent drivesby the Government and international securityforces, as well as international developmentorganizations involvement in an opiumeradication programme, the trend in opiumcultivation is gradually declining. Agriculturefarmers and traders of this illicit practice aresearching and diverting into alternativesources of income.

In Afghanistan, the delicate work ofproducing silk is still done manually becausethere is no money to bring in modernmachines. It takes between 45 and 50 daysfor an average family of five people to raise 40 kg of cocoons. Boxes are imported fromChina containing the leaves of the mulberrytree to feed the eggs that will graduallydevelop into the cocoons. In unravelling thecocoon, care has to be taken to avoidbreaking the fine thread, which can bebetween 300 and 1 500 m. Generally, asmall-scale enterprise with a dozenemployees can produce 40 kg of rough silkthat can be sold for US$40/kg. This thread

then has to be treated, refined and furtherprocessed to make by-products. At present,artificial dyed silk from a neighbouringcountry costs US$20/0.25 kg, but for Afghansilk, only 4 kg of undyed silk costs US$160.The silk is processed into hats, chapans (thetraditional male overcoats of Afghanistan)and other embroidery products. Silk shawls(a plain garment of 3-4 m2 used by both menand women) are prized in the region. Theprice of one shawl varies from US$40 toUS$100, or more depending on the quality.People can make one such shawl in a dayusing the traditional looming machines andthread.

Since traditional agricultural practiceshave a poor cash return and yield comparedwith opium, several alternative sourcesmight be suggested: agriculture, horticultureand livestock sector-based small - andmedium-scale enterprise development withhigh production and prices could replace thecountry’s opium trend. In addition, silkproduction could be an effective way toinvolve small farmers, landless workers andvulnerable groups, including women, into analternative and sustainable source of incomeand livelihood.

Very few people are still engaged in silkproduction, but there is hope to explore andrejuvenate the sector in the future. Initiativesshould be taken immediately by theGovernment of Afghanistan and developmentorganizations to engage and direct the opiumfarmers into alternative sources of income,especially silk production. Patronizing thesilk production sector would restore thisancient art and provide a viable income forthe present opium growers in Afghanistan.(Contributed by: Mohammad MuktadirHossain, Sector Specialist (Forestry),Agriculture Development Programme, BRACAfghanistan, House 45, Lane 4, Baharistan,Kabul, Afghanistan. Fax: 00 93 798 125 100;e-mail: [email protected];www.bracafg.org)

AUSTRALIA

Himalayan tree offers fuel crop hope

A tree from the foothills of the Himalayashas emerged as a potential biodiesel cropfor Western Australia (WA). Trial plantingsof the tree in the Gascoyne have shownpromising initial results.

The tree, Moringa oleifera, is capable ofproducing up to 2 000 litres of oil perhectare, about four times the amountavailable from annual crops such as canola,which can be used for food or biodiesel.

State Agriculture Minister Kim Chance,who is taking to Cabinet a proposal for 5percent of all transport fuel used in WA tobe sourced from biofuels by 2011, believesthe crop could become a major biodieselsource for the region.

While the criticism of biofuels as a majorcause of world food price inflation becausefood crops were diverted to fuels had beendramatically exaggerated, it was undeniablethat having another buyer in the marketwould increase prices, he said. “We knowthat we can grow (moringa) in areas whichare not currently used for food production,”he said. “When we get access to seed that ismore suited to more temperateenvironments it could be that it becomes asignificant crop in those environments, inwhich case it will be competing with food.”

Department of Agriculture and Foodproject manager Henry Brockman said trialsof the tree were in place from Kununurra toAlbany, but the best results were comingfrom an irrigated site near Carnarvon.

Pods are harvested from the tree andseeds, the size of a small coin, are takenout and crushed for oil, leaving the tree togrow for an estimated 15 years. Theresidue left after the oil is extracted can beused as stock feed.

In Carnarvon, one-year-old plantingswere yielding 350 litres of oil per hectarebut output was expected to increasedramatically in coming years as the treesreached their peak production capacity.

The seed pods are now picked by handbut researchers are working on amechanical harvester.

Dr Brockman said the tree’s ability to growon marginal and salt-affected country meantit could be used in parts of the wheat belt.

The department is expected to enter anagreement with an Indian university nextweek to breed new varieties with higher oilyield and the ability to grow in differentregions in WA. (Source: The WestAustralian [Australia], 7 July 2008.)

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BANGLADESH

Utilization of medicinal and aromatic

plants

In developing countries, remedies preparedby a traditional healer from plants of thelocal flora are available for the majority ofthe people. There are millions of people inall walks of life in these countries who havefaith only in the traditional system ofmedicine and this trend is growing. Theythink that it is a safe and dependablesystem because it has evolved and beendeveloped and perfected in their owncommunities and areas, and has been triedover a period of a thousand years withuniform results, under their own climaticand living conditions. This trend alsoresults from the toxic and adversereactions of synthetic and chemicalmedicines being observed around theglobe. Experts feel that there are dataavailable regarding the therapeutic efficacyof modern drugs that are not applicable tolocal conditions, especially to the SouthAsian-Pacific regions.

In Bangladesh, there are severalthousand traditional healers, many ofwhom practise in rural areas, dispensingmostly herbal remedies. Well over 60percent of the country’s population attendtheir clinics.

A correct approach to the investigation ofsuch plants would therefore be for trainedphysicians and pharmacologists tocooperate with healers.

The following are some of the problemsregarding the development of medicinalplants in Bangladesh.

• Despite the fact that a large proportionof the country’s population (mostly inrural and remote areas) depends uponthe curative properties of medicinalherbs, little or no attention has beengiven to the development of thisresource in the past.

• Medicinal plants of indigenous origin,as well as imported species, are nowincreasingly being used in both raw andsemi-processed forms as medicines inthe Greco-Arab (Unani) system. Herbalwings of multinational and nationalpharmaceuticals are also contributingat large in the utilization of indigenousherbal wealth.

• Although there are different areas ofvegetation in Bangladesh with theirdistinctive agricultural products (rice,sugar cane, jute, leguminous plants,etc.) and commercially valuable trees,

Wattle seeds and bush tomatoes

are hot stuff

Aborigines have been called upon to impartknowledge that will boost and providedirection to Australia’s blooming bush tuckerindustry.

As demand locally and globally continuesto grow, the industry - estimated to be worthup to A$16 million a year - needs to assesswhere it is going and how it is going to getthere, says Jenny Cleary, leader of DesertKnowledge CRC’s Bush Productsprogramme.

The industry, which includes such foods aswattle seeds and bush tomatoes, is based ontraditional Aboriginal knowledge about thecollection, preparation and uses of desertplants and other food.

Ms Cleary says the aim is to get greaterAboriginal participation in the industry, withculturally appropriate considerations. Thereare challenges that the industry needs toresolve to achieve its potential. These includethe fragmentary nature of the industry, thesmall scale of many producers, the lack ofcapital and highly variable wild harvesting.Also many fruits - such as the bush tomato -have numerous varieties while the marketsdemand consistency of size, colour andvolume.

Because of these factors, Ms Cleary saysthe industry will develop two supply streams:commercial harvesting in areas where wateris reliable and low-volume wild harvesting.“Wild-harvested supply could be branded insuch a way to go into the high-value, lower-volume product at the premium end of themarket,” she says.

“So far there are not many Aboriginalcommercial ventures operating successfullyin the area. Our research aims to find out howto help them participate.”

In a historic development known as HandsAcross the Desert, Aboriginal gatherers of theKakadu plum in Broome in Western Australiahosted bush tomato gatherers from AliceSprings. With the aim of making their productmore saleable, they discussed issues such asfruit handling, storage, pest management,quality control and traceability.

This was an acknowledgement that globaldemand was rising for bush and desert foods.‘’The outlook for the industry is pretty good,’‘Ms Cleary says. (Source: Courier Mail[Australia], 16 November 2008.)

TFS reports higher profit on increased

sales of sandalwood

Perth-based Indian sandalwood growerTFS Corporation has announced a 44

percent increase in net profits to A$27.6million, which the firm attributed to asubstantial increase in sales of itsmanaged investment schemes (MIS). TFS,which recorded a net profit of A$19.2million in 2006-2007, said the increasedsales had driven revenue up 52 percent toA$68.4 million and earnings beforeinterest, tax, depreciation andamortization by 46 percent to A$42.1million.

Company chairman Frank Wilson saidthe firm’s higher MIS sales had bucked thewider trend away from the schemes,thanks to higher demand for sandalwood,a broader distribution base and the taxdeductibility of forestry schemes. “Inaddition, we have continued to build thenecessary infrastructure at our plantationoperations in the Kununurra region ofWest Africa and have strengthened ourland bank,” he said.

“Plantings during the year doubled toapproximately 600 hectares, and we arewell placed to service a further significantincrease to accommodate the level of MISsales achieved in the 2008 financial yearand those anticipated in future periods.”

TFS announced last month that it wouldacquire Albany-based essential oilsbusiness Mount Romance Australia forA$28.6 million, in a move Mr Wilson saidwould represent an accelerated realizationof the firm’s vertical integrationaspirations.

The company will pursue agreementswith international fragrance companies in2008-2009, such as the oil supplyarrangement signed with United Kingdom-based Lush Cosmetics, as well asincreasing its focus on research anddevelopment. (Source: The WestAustralian [Australia], 14 August 2008.)

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there is no proper methodology adopted asyet regarding dissemination of existingknowledge on the state of the naturaloccurrence of medicinal plants. There is noorganized body to disseminateethnobotanical and scientific information inthe country.

• The scope of cultivation of medicinalplants has not been clearly defined tothe farmers. Therefore they lackawareness of the economic benefits.

• No attention has so far been paid to thepropagation and harvesting ofmedicinal plants in the managementplans prepared by forest departmentsof the different zones. No properemphasis has been given to cultivationof medicinal plants in areas that arevulnerable to droughts or to heavyfloods. This has led to the fear ofextinction regarding several species.

(Source: The New Nation [Bangladesh], 14September 2008.)

Spotted deer census in a mangrove forest

established by workers

A spotted deer census report conducted in2006 in an artificial mangrove forest of theNijhum Diwp National Park Islands at theBay of Bengal, Bangladesh, reveals a deerpopulation of about 14 400 and highlightsthe importance of these forest mangrovesin the country.

Understanding the abundance,distribution and movement patterns ofanimals is a very important aspect ofwildlife management. The deer populationin the Nijhum Diwp has become a crucialissue in recent years. Areas such as theseappear to be extremely overpopulated ascompared with their estimated carryingcapacity. The purpose of this census was toobserve how well the Forest Department atNoakhali could manage these large deer

populations given the limitations that exist.(Source: extracted from: M. Atiqul Azam.2006. Spotted deer census – 2006 at theNijhum Diwp National Park: a man-mademangrove forest of Bangladesh. ForestDepartment, Government of Bangladesh.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

M. Atiqul Azam, Team Leader, Deer Census

Team 2006, Nijhum Diwp Islands, Conservator

of Forests, Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka,

Bangladesh. E-mail: [email protected]

BHUTAN

Generating Cordyceps sinensis in the

laboratory

Highlanders in Bhutan need not set out onwild cordyceps expeditions if the researchon domesticating Cordyceps sinensis,locally known as Yartsa Goenbub, provessuccessful, say researchers.

At the Renewable Natural ResourcesResearch Centre (RNR-RC) in Bumthangresearchers are trying to see whethercordyceps can be cultivated in laboratories.The principal research officer, DorjiWangchuk, said that he was expecting apromising output as mycelium in two of the38 test tubes on trial in the laboratory hadalready started showing positive results.“I’m waiting for the other 36 cultures tocome up,” he said. “The mycelium could bemass propagated for domesticatingcordyceps using potential host insects.”

In the wild, cordyceps are found indifferent locations in Haa, Lingshi, Laya,Lunana, Bumdeling and Bumthang. Anaverage dried cordyceps weighs 0.19 g and0.47 g when fresh.

According to a veteran collector inBumthang, about 1 350 collectors were outfor a month collecting cordyceps fromChhokhor geog alone during the harvestseason. They collect the expensive fungusfrom Diruphu, Ganchu, Sejeyphu, Chachen,Namtatheng, Kingkhorphu, Djegarphu andYangdrok. Cordyceps grow at altitudes of 3 900-5 004 m above sea level at Kerab andPhugonma in Chhokhor.

Dubbed the world’s most expensivemushroom, Cordyceps sinensis was soldfor between US$6 126 and 10 450/kg in2007 from Dodena, Thimphu. After itscollection was legalized in 2004, thehighest production was recorded at 423.88 kg in 2006 and the lowest was128.16 kg in 2007. (Source: Kuensel online,18 July 2008.)

BRAZIL

Brazil becomes world’s fifth largest honey

exporter

Honey exports from Brazil totalled US$18.2million in the first half of 2008, representinga growth of 70 percent over the same periodlast year, and placing Brazil in fifth positionin the world exports ranking. The figureswere disclosed by the Sectoral Chamber forthe Honey Production Chain.

According to the organization’s President,José Gomercindo da Cunha, the main reasonfor the expansion of sales was theresumption of exports to the EuropeanUnion. In the last two years, Brazil exportedonly to the United States of America. Now theaim of the Sectoral Chamber is to maintainits sales to Europe and, at the same time,seek new markets such as Japan and theArab countries.

Brazil is the world’s 11th honey producer,with an annual output of 36 100 tonnes.

Domestic honey consumption is expectedto rise in Brazil in 2009. “To that extent, weare working with the Brazilian Micro andSmall Business Support Service (Sebrae),and 25 states are already willing tocontribute to nationwide promotional work”,stated Gomercindo da Cunha. “The proposalis to raise per capita consumption from 100to 120 g.”

Another goal of the sector is to reducenon-conformities with the regulation forindustrial inspection of the product, so as toconquer a larger share of the foreign market.Production of honey and its derivatives, suchas propolis, wax and jelly, is a source offamily income in several regions of Brazil,including the semi-arid area.

Currently, 350 000 beekeepers in Brazilanswer to 16 000 direct jobs in the industrialsector, as well as 450 000 direct jobs onfarms. (Source: Brazzil Magazine, LosAngeles [United States of America], 15September 2008.)

Brazil launches rain forest fund

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula daSilva has launched an international fund toprotect the Amazon rain forest and helpcombat climate change. The fund willpromote alternatives to forest-clearing forpeople living in the Amazon, and supportconservation and sustainable development.

Officials will seek donations abroad andaim to raise US$21 billion by 2021.

Speaking at the launch in Rio de Janeiro,President Lula said Brazil was aware ofhow much the Amazon meant to the wider

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world. “It’s better for the country’s image todo things right, so we can walk ininternational forums with our heads high,”he added, while insisting that the Amazon’spreservation was Brazil’s responsibility andthat Brazil will not accept foreigninterference in its Amazon policy. RobertoMangabeira Unger, Minister for AtrategicAffairs, clarified, “The fund is a vehicle bywhich foreign governments can helpsupport our initiatives without exerting anyinfluence over our national policy. We arenot going to trade sovereignty for money.”

Sergio Leitao, Director of Public Policiesfor environmental group Greenpeace Brazil,noted: “For a long time, Brazil was violentlyopposed to this, insisting fossil fuel was toblame. That’s true, historically speaking,but today forests play an important role.”

Brazilian Environment Minister CarlosMinc called for a radical change inenvironmental attitudes: “We arecommitted to reducing the destruction ofthe rain forest, to eliminating illegal burningand to guaranteeing a better quality of lifefor all. Our war is not won by simplyreducing illegal burning in one month, it willbe won once this environmental model thatis destroying our communities andbiodiversity is history.” (Source: BBC News[United Kingdom], 1 August 2008.)

Norway joins fight to save Amazon

Norway has pledged US$1 billion to a newinternational fund to help Brazil protect theAmazon rain forest. The money will bereleased over seven years to promotealternatives to forest-clearing for peopleliving in the Amazon, and supportconservation and sustainable development.

Norwegian Prime Minister JensStoltenberg said: “Efforts againstdeforestation may give us the largest,quickest and cheapest reductions ingreenhouse gas emissions.” “Brazilianefforts against deforestation are therefore ofvital importance if we shall succeed in ourcampaign against global warming,” headded.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula daSilva welcomed Norway’s pledge: “The daythat every developed country has the sameattitude as Norway, we’ll certainly begin totrust that global warming can bediminished.”

Japan, Sweden, Germany, the Republic ofKorea and Switzerland are said to beconsidering donating to the fund. (Source:BBC News [United Kingdom], 17 September2008.)

Brazil’s Amazontech debates Amazon’s

self-sustainability

Technological innovation, science andentrepreneurial initiatives in the Amazonregion were to be highlighted at Amazontech2008, in São Luís, Maranhão state inNovember.

The sixth edition of this event openedspace for the generation of sustainablebusiness, exchange of scientific andtechnical knowledge and diffusion ofinformation that may guarantee self-sustainability of the region.

Around 100 Amazonian companiesoffered herbal medication, handicrafts,textiles, honey and honey products andwooden products from sustainably managedareas. Eight companies interested in thepurchase of these products arrived fromVenezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina,Uruguay and Spain.

The project round tables includedinstitutions to finance social orentrepreneurial projects capable of creatingwork positions and generating income forthe community in the Amazon. Theexpectation was that up to 50 projects will befinanced.

Business project round tables includedsix institutions to finance social orentrepreneurial projects capable of creatingwork positions and generating income forthe community in the Amazon. Bankparticipation was vital, enabling thebusiness sector to invest in the preservationwithout leaving trade aside. As before, theexpectation was that up to 50 projects will befinanced.

Amazontech presented sustainablesolutions particularly for communities inforest and non-wood management, whichexpand opportunities in sectors such aspharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food.“Standing, a tree is more profitable thanlying down. With a tree standing, we can add

value to the product,” said thesuperintendent of Sebrae in Rondônia state,Pedro Teixeira.

Amazontech has also stimulateduniversities in the Amazon region to broadentheir course options to include thoseworking with local potential, in such fieldsas forestry engineering, biotechnology,geology, veterinary medicine and biology.(Source: Brazzil Magazine [United States ofAmerica], 25 November 2008.)

CAMEROON

Bee farmers trained in profitable honey

farming

Some bee farmers in the SouthwestProvince were recently trained on how tomake their venture profitable by processingboth honey and its by-products. The two-day training took place at the WomenEmpowerment Centre, Kumba. Theparticipants received fresh knowledge onhoney quality; good harvesting andsmoking; pollen, propolis and royal jellyproduction; bee venom extraction andqueen rearing; honey wine and mead;beekeeping equipment; honey marketing;and access to finances.

According to the Southwest technicaladvisor of FAO, Irene Manyi Ako, thetraining is part of mobilization and capacitybuilding for small- and medium-sizeenterprises involved in the value chains ofnon-wood forest products in Central Africa.(Source: The Post [Buea], 6 October 2008.)

New village tree planting project

Can we start from our own smallcommunities to plant trees so as to haveglobal benefit? This is the question behind anew project in Cameroon: tree planting in13 village communities of Ngoketunjiadivision, as a means to fight climate changein Cameroon and the world at large. The objective of the project is to plant 65 000trees on 26 ha of land within the 13 villagecommunities in Ngoketunjia division, whichis one of the seven divisions that make upthe Northwest Province of Cameroon. In thedivision are lowland plains linking most ofthe villages, and there is a population ofabout 2 000. Seventy percent of the totalland surface is in the plains and the mainactivity is farming, with swamp rice, maizeand groundnuts being the main cropscultivated. Other activities include fishing,hunting for wildlife, woodwork in craftindustries, etc.

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There are problem areas: an increasedpopulation that depends on agriculture forsurvival and the limited farmlands, whichhave led farmers to destroy patches offorest for farmlands; unsustainableexploitation of tree barks, roots and leavesfor traditional medicines by traditionaldoctors; high demand for timber forconstruction of houses and furniture, whichhas led to continued cutting down of treeswithout replacement; wood is the main rawmaterial for the craft industries and themany industries use a lot of wood; theconstruction of the Bamenjim dam has ledto the destruction of many hectares oflowland forest; and there is a high demandfor fuelwood for domestic and industry use.

Project activities will start in January2009 in the village communities withsensitization workshops on the importanceof tree planting and management. Eachvillage community will plant 2 ha each,which will be managed by the village afterthe project. Expected outputs of the projectinclude: village communities will increasetheir knowledge on the importance of treeplanting; 26 ha of land will have beenplanted with different species of trees;vegetation cover will be increased; andglobal warming reduced. The pilot phase of this project will last 12months and has a budget of ¤30 800.(Source: Natural Resource MonitoringItems of Interest [NRMI], 26 October 2008.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PROVIDE

ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jaff Francis Agiamntebom, Project coordinator,

Forest and Agroforestry Promoters (FAP)

Cameroon, PO Box 21, Ndop Ngoketunjia

division, Northwest Province, Cameroon.

E-mail: [email protected]; www.fap-

cameroon.page.tl

CANADA

Making money from more than trees

Money may not grow on trees but burls doand those misshapen growths may be justwhat a wood carver needs to make abeautiful bowl. How about shitakemushrooms growing on a water-soakedlog? A city chef may be willing to pay for alocal supply.

In the wake of mill shutdowns, woodlotowners across Atlantic Canada are lookingat all ways of making money from theirwoods, from providing hiking and skiingtrails to harvesting colourful berries and

unusual mosses to sell to Christmascrafters and decorators. But connectingwith people who desire these activities andproducts has been an obstacle for woodlotowners.

To help, more than a dozen forestry andagriculture organizations in the region andin Maine have come together to create“From Our Atlantic Woods”, a printed colourcatalogue and Web site that will list NTFPsgrown or produced in New Brunswick, NovaScotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundlandand Labrador, and Maine.

INFOR is heading up the “From OurAtlantic Woods” project. There is no chargeto producers to list in the directory.(Source: Atlantic Farm Focus [Canada], 31July 2008.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN UP,

PLEASE VISIT:

www.ntfp.infor.ca

Food products foraged from British

Columbia’s forests need to be showcased

Foraging in the forests of British Columbia issuddenly something to be reckoned with. Ithas graduated to the post-secondary level.

One of the projects undertaken by theCentre for Non-Timber Resources at RoyalRoads University in Victoria is “Buy BCWild”, which has sponsorship from theMinistry of Agriculture and Lands, ThriftyFoods, VanCity and Service Canada.

“We realized there were a lot of wildproducts coming out of our forests andthere was a need for wildcrafters andbusinesses to have a collective voice toshowcase their wonderful products andservices,” says Holly Caine, coordinator ofBuy BC Wild. A Web site directory listing150 purveyors of wild food, herbs and craftmaterial from BC’s forests showcases thenon-logging side of our forests (seewww.buybcwild.com).

“What we’re trying to promote are thepeople who access the resources in ourcommunities and provide local products,”says Caine. While Vancouver Island’s

timberlands are mainly private, in the restof the province, about 70 percent is Crownland, she says.

Currently, the best source of informationon where and how to forage is districtforest offices. “You need to contact them tolet them know of your intentions. Peoplealso have to be aware of First Nationscultural use of medicinal plants. Aharvesting area might have been used forcenturies and they have cultural andheritage rights to that area.”

On Vancouver Island, she says,“everybody knows how wonderful andnutritional our native plants are. Ourblueberries are amazingly nutritious withphytonutrients.” Caine has a weak spot forwild berry jams. “Thimbleberry jam. Rosepetal jam. I buy them already prepared. Andon the weekend before Thanksgiving, youcan find high bush cranberries at higheraltitudes. They make the most amazingjelly.” (Source: Vancouver Sun [Canada], 15August 2008.)

CHINA

Asian Development Bank helps China

improve Baiyangdian ecosystem

To help counter the environmental damageto Baiyangdian Lake in north China, theAsian Development Bank is providing a loanof US$100 million for the US$273 millionIntegrated Ecosystem and WaterResources Management in the BaiyangdianBasin Project, which will focus on thecritical actions to conserve BaiyangdianLake - one of the most important andvulnerable ecosystems in China.

Through a range of interventions, theproject will help alleviate ecosystemconstraints in the basin by improving waterquality and quantity. Additionally, theproject will include training for ecosystemmanagement and ecotourism.Development of NTFPs will also beencouraged. (Source: China CSR [China],25 July 2008.)

COLOMBIA

Colombia’s Cofan still fighting for survival

Bogota. Although he is only 21, Camilo Yogehas seen his indigenous tribe lose itsculture, territory and traditions. Yoge, amember of the Cofan tribe, has seenfarmers, ranchers and oilmen invade hisancestral lands to plant illegal coca crops,

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raise cattle and search for oil. “We’re losingour traditional dress, our environment,”lamented Yoge, who is studying to become ataita, or shaman. “We are no longer free inour own territory.”

To help the Cofan – who number onlyabout 2 600 people between Colombia andEcuador – preserve their traditions, theColombian Government last month createdthe Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal PlantsSanctuary to protect the plants that theCofan depend on for medicinal and spiritualpurposes. Officials in Colombia say thereserve is the only national park in the worldcreated for that reason. “Sustainable use willpermit us to preserve the naturalresources,” said National Parks DirectorJulia Miranda Londoño.

The idea for the reserve came after Cofanleaders met in 2003 with the nationalorganization of indigenous shaman to searchfor an unpopulated region they could use topreserve their medicinal plants. They tookthe proposal to national park authorities,who spent several years mapping out a 25 000-acre (10 117 ha) reserve.

The Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal PlantsSanctuary, whose name means “ourterritory” in the Cofan language, ranges inelevation from 2 300 to nearly 10 000 feet(701-3 048 m) above sea level in thesouthwestern departments of Nariño andPutumayo - about a two-hour drive fromCofan territory, where much of thevegetation has been destroyed by farmers,ranchers and oilmen.

With few options available for earningmoney, park officials say that many Cofanhave resorted to harvesting coca leaf, the baseingredient for cocaine, further eroding theirtraditions. Even traditional palm fronds, whichare now hard to find, have been replaced by tinwhen building roofs for their homes.

“We live from nature, that’s where ourenergy comes from,” said Louis OctavioCriollo, 39, a Cofan who is also training tobecome a taita. “But when (the forest) is cutdown, all of that is lost.”

Aside from spiritual value, the new park’selevation range has abundant biodiversity,parks officials say, including about 400 birdvarieties, numerous reptiles and such rarespecies as chameleons, jaguars and Andeanspectacled bears. Cofan elders have alsoidentified nearly 100 plant species used formedicinal and religious purposes.

Two of the most important plants are yoco(Paullinia yoco), a vine used against fatigue,as a laxative and to prevent malaria, andyagé, a mildly hallucinogenic vine used in

traditional rites, which has become popularwith outsiders who often harvest the plantfor sale. Other plants are used to treatinflammations, kidney ailments andrheumatism.

Indigenous Colombians, who belong todozens of different ethnic groups, make upabout 2 percent of the nation’s population of45 million. Like the Cofan, many havesuffered the impact of disease, deforestationand violence from the nation’s more thanfour-decades-old civil war.

Lilliana Madrigal, Vice President ofprogrammes for the Amazon ConservationTeam, based in Virginia, which helped planthe new park, predicts that the reserve willinspire the creation of protected areas inother nations. In fact, Colombian parkofficials say they are already planning toconvert a 2.9 million-acre (1.2 million ha)indigenous reserve into a national park toprotect areas important to the severalindigenous groups living there. LucianoMutumbajoy, a member of the nearby Ingaindigenous people and a leader ofColombia’s traditional medical practitioners,helped create the yet-to-be named park. “Ifour medicine is finished, the life andexistence of the indigenous people will end,”he said. (Source: Traditional KnowledgeBulletin, 22 July 2008.)

COSTA RICA

Científicos «domestican» hongos

silvestres en Costa Rica

Científicos costarricenses trabajan en la«domesticación» de varias especies dehongos silvestres comestibles para quepuedan ser producidos comercialmente yse aproveche su potencial alimenticio ymedicinal.

El proyecto está a cargo de un grupo debiólogos del Instituto Nacional deBiodiversidad (INBio), una entidad privadasin fines de lucro que se dedica al estudio delas especies vegetales y animales de CostaRica y que promueve su uso sostenible.

Los investigadores han estudiado parte delas 125 especies de hongos silvestresclasificadas en el país y hasta el momento

han identificado cuatro con un importantepotencial de domesticación.

Milagro Mata, directora de la Unidad deHongos del INBio, explicó que se trata devariedades conocidas científicamente como«Pycnoporus sanguineus», «Ganodermaaustrale», «Lectinum monticola» y«Lentinula aciculospora».

Dos de las especies son setas y otras dos“orejas de palo”, como se conocenpopularmente, las cuales reúnenparticulares beneficios alimenticios, comoun alto porcentaje de proteína, fibra yaminoácidos entre sus componentes.

Tras la identificación de estas especies, elINBio concentrará ahora sus esfuerzos en laconstrucción de un laboratorio para lareproducción experimental de los hongos, afin de establecer los métodos másapropiados para su producción comercial,dijo Mata.

La investigación forma parte de unproyecto financiado por la entidadinternacional Fundecooperación, en el cualparticipan también Bután (Asia) y Benin(Africa), el cual está dotado con unpresupuesto de un millón de dólares.

Según Mata, el consumo de hongos hacrecido aceleradamente en el mundo en losúltimos años y Costa Rica podría sacarprovecho económico de su potencial.

También explicó que el INBio esperapoder capacitar y eventualmente financiar elinicio de operaciones a agricultores quequieran explotar comercialmente esteproducto.(Fuente: Univisión, EE.UU., 5 de agosto 2008.)

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICOF THE CONGO

The valorization of NTFPs from Batéké

Plateau in the periphery of Kinshasa

The main objective of this study was to makean ethnoecological analysis of themanagement systems of NTFPs in theperiphery of Kinshasa. It considers anoperating mode that guarantees theirconservation and sustainable use and tobring elements that are indispensable toimproving their valorization.

The study aims to understand theexplanatory factors of the exploitation andvalorization of NTFPs; to examine the effectsof their intensification in the survey zone;and to undertake some actions in the short,medium and long term to deepen knowledgeon the endogenous associative networks,ethnoecological expertise and power

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relations concerning access to NTFPs, andthe implementation of the policies that drivea participative management of the naturalresources in the periphery of Kinshasa.

Field surveys took place in the eightvillages of the Batéké Plateau and for thestation of Bombo-Lumene, “a protectedarea”. The five most exploited non-ligneousforest products of the survey area werechosen in order to analyse the determiningfactors in NTFP exploitation. The survey of280 households was complemented by 22focus group interviews, direct fieldobservations, socio-economic surveys andethnoecological surveys on the exploitationstrategies of NTFPs. The NTFP chain atBatéké Plateau and its impact were studiedbetween June 2005 and November 2006.

The analysis of NTFP use in the peripheryof Kinshasa reveals 169 species of NTFPsbelonging to 65 families:

• 66 species of herbaceous plants (39percent);

• 46 species of ligneous plants, includingthe coins bushes (27 percent);

• 27 species of bushes (16 percent);• 22 lianas species (13 percent); and• 8 species of coins bushes, which are

poorly exploited (5 percent).These NTFPs are essentially used for food

(68 species, 40 percent); herbal medicine (59species, 5 percent), and handicraft domesticand cultural uses (41 species, 25 percent).

The households surveyed have extensiveenvironmental endogenous knowledge of theecological factors. They know 12 plantspecies used as an additive for fermentationto local wines. They respect the téké customof dedicating one day of the week to theirforebears. The shepherds do not cut downthe trees along riverbanks. They succeed inpopularizing the cooking techniques ofPteridium sp. (fern) and of Talinumtriangulare (waterleaf), eliminating toxicsubstances such as ptaquilosides andoxalates from these NTFPs.

The NTFPs exploited in forests, galleryforests and savannahs are sold in themarkets and selling points at Batéké plateau.The average price that villagers sell 1 kg ofthese NTFPs is estimated to be:

• US$0.08 for Pteridium sp., with anaverage daily profit of almost US$2;

• US$0.05 for indigenous wine, with anaverage daily profit of US$9;

• US$0.05 for Dioscorea praehensilis(bitter thread), with an average dailyprofit of US$1;

• US$0.05 for Talinum triangulare with anaverage daily profit of US$0.26; and

• US$0.20 for rattan, with an average dailyprofit of close to US$4.

Apart from the socio-economic value ofharvesting NTFPs, there are also somenegative effects to the ecosystem, whichare mainly caused by unsustainablemethods used for harvesting, such as thesystematic and regular harvest of fruits,roots and leaves; the systematic felling orextraction of plants; the removal of thecomplete bark; cutting off of the terminalbud; and repeated fires. All have caused anenormous toll on the natural environment.

Finally, this study shows that there arebiocultural interactions that apply to boththe natural environment (ecosystems) andto the strategies of NTFP utilization byfarming families. The definition of areasonable valorization policy of NTFPsintegrated in an interdisciplinary approachof sustainable development remainsunavoidable for the area under study.(Contributed by: Apollinaire Biloso Moyene,Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques,Université de Kinshasa, Plateau desProfesseurs, Résidence THELEM, App. 18Campus, BP 117 Kin 11, Kinshasa,Democratic Republic of the Congo. E-mail:[email protected])

FINLAND

Finnish mushroom pickers love the forest

“About 5 percent of Finns like to spend alltheir available time in forests,” Mr Kimmo afUrsin estimates on the basis of his 13 yearsas a mushroom entrepreneur. In fact, themajority of people who pick mushrooms forsale are really out to get some for

themselves but, if the catch is big enough,they end up selling some of it.

af Ursin is known in Finland for hiscooperation with the Italian entrepreneurLorenzo Dalla Valle, who exports ceps(Boletus edulis) from Finland to Italy. It is afUrsin’s job to get the pickers out as soon asthe first ceps are sighted each autumn.

One person can pick enough mushroomsfor the needs of a single restaurant, butwhen the main crop of ceps emerges in theFinnish forests, a veritable army of pickersis needed. The method of alerting thepickers varies in different parts of thecountry and includes placingadvertisements in newspapers and sendingtext messages.

af Ursin has toured all of Finland,speaking to about 7 000 people aboutmushrooms and how to organize thepicking. He has the contact information ofsome 1 500 mushroom pickers. Afterhearing about the first sighting of ceps, afUrsin forwards the information to DallaValle. Dalla Valle organizes trucks that runon set routes according to a set timetableto buy the mushrooms, and af Ursininforms the pickers about the routes andtimetables by SMS.

Buying ceps is a whirlwind business and,because of the efficiency of the pickers,daily amounts can reach 5 tonnes. A cep ofthe best quality is hard and firm, the gillsare white and the mushroom is clean andwhole. The main part of the cep crop isexported. “In 2003, for example, some 1 100 tonnes of ceps were picked inFinland. The domestic use was about 40tonnes,” says af Ursin

In Finland, 22 mushroom species can besold as foodstuffs. In practice, only sevenare picked for sale: cep, false morel(Gyromitra esculenta), funnel chanterelle(Chantarellus tubaeformis), chanterelle(Chantarellus cibarius), black chanterelle(Craterellus cornucopioides), northernmilk-cap (Lactarius trivialis) and rufuscandy milk-cap (Lactarius rufus). “Cepsmake up about 70 percent of both thevolume and value of the catch,” af Ursinestimates.

But how does one know if a goodmushroom crop can be expected? There isno sure way of predicting it, af Ursin says.“There are too many variables in theenvironment, every moment is unique. Theonly source of information about the cropare people who regularly move about inFinnish forests.” (Source: Forest-fi, 1December 2008.)

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INDIA

Improved cooperation key to saving

biodiverse forests in northeastern India

While the tropical forests of northeasternIndia have the lowest population density inthe country, a population growth rate of 3 percent per year has put pressure oncommunity-owned forest reserves for food,timber and NTFPs. However, thisdependence - combined with improvedrelations between the Forest Departmentand the Nishi, a local tribe - may helpfacilitate more effective conservation actionin and around the Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary,say researchers Aparajita Datta and G.S.Rawat in a recent report.

Past conflicts between the subsistenceagriculture-dependent Nishi and the ForestDepartment have eased since 2002, whenthe department and national conservationorganizations began to address thechallenges confronting local communities.Now, “hunting of wildlife such as hornbills,primates and ungulates in the parkappears to have declined due to betterprotection by park authorities and greaterawareness and enforcement of huntingbans by the Nishi community”, note theauthors.

Datta and Rawat conclude that efforts toprotect forest resources and biodiversitywill be in the best interest of localcommunities. (Citation: Aparajita Datta and G.S. 2008.Rawat. Dispersal modes and spatialpatterns of tree species in a tropical forestin Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India.Tropical Conservation Science, 1(3): 163-185, September.)(Source: mongabay.com, 15 September2008.)

Sikkim Himalayan screw-pine, Pandanus

nepalensis: a much neglected and

underexplored NTFP

The Indian state of Sikkim, in the northeastHimalayas, is known to have over 4 500plants within a geographic area of 7 096km2, making the region part of one of theworld’s richest biodiversity hot spots. Asubstantial part of the state is covered byforests (about 36 percent of total land area),a majority of which are of the temperatesemi-deciduous forest type. This articleconcerns one screw-pine of the region,Pandanus nepalensis H. St John (=Pandanus furcatus), of the Pandanaceaefamily (in Hindi, the plant is calledAmbemohor pat, Rampe and named Tarika

in Nepali), which is considered to be a muchneglected local floral element and whosepotentiality as non-timber forest resourcehas so far never been realized.

On a global scale, the genus Pandanus ismade up of about 700 species. In general,these screw-pines are tree-like and growup to 20 m, but small shrub-like specimensof about 1 m high are also common anddistinguished for having broad canopies anda moderate growth pattern. The long linearleaves originating at the stem appearscrew-like and the edible fruits, to a greatextent, resemble pine cones, hence thename “screw-pine”. The leaves, which havestout curving spines at the edges, are oftentraditionally used for their fibre content andare known for their distinct aroma. Thespecies of Pandanus are widely used formany purposes: preparation of jam,housing materials, in textiles, food,medication (antiviral, anti-allergen), makingmats, etc.

Pandanus nepalensis is a medium-sizeddioeciously branched tree up to 5-6 m inheight, typically having a broad canopy andstout trunk, ringed with many leaf scars.Spines are also found on the individualfruits (obconical, 5-6 angled), which areborne as a composite fleshy pseudo-drupe(15-25 cm long, globose) on a commonfruiting axis. These are evenly covered by ashining cuticle, each bearing yellowoutwardly curving forked stout spines.These spines provide a natural protectionfrom damage by wildlife until the fruit isripe. (This should be considered as astrategy by the species in seeddissemination.) The fully mature compositefruit turns bright red.

The use of P. nepalensis as medicine isinadequately documented, although it hasimportant properties. In the Dzongu valleyin the northern district of Sikkim theindigenous Lepcha tribe use Pandanus inseveral ways. According to the Maon-Doak(the Lepcha medicine man), the leaves are

used against snake bites: the young andtender P. nepalensis leaves are tied orwarped at the location of the snake bite andhelp to reduce pain, also acting as anantidote to snake venom. The leaves of theplant act as a mouth freshener whenchewed and the fresh leaves are used as acockroach repellent. Reports also indicatethat the leaves act as an aphrodisiac and acure against headache and generalweakness, and that the juice of the crushedplant taken with milk will induce abortion.The fruits that ripen during the winters areeaten by human beings, monkeys and rats.

In Sikkim Himalaya, although growingwithin a limited vertical limit (300-1 200 m),the species has a wide horizontaldistribution within the Tista river basin (thebiggest in Sikkim). Considering theabundance and accessibility of the screw-pine all over the region, it is intriguing thatvery little is known about it and still lessliterature is found on it.

In the past the screw-pine was used formaking various items, such as hand-wovenmats, carry bags, fish snares, thatchingmaterials, etc. but these uses are nowdying out. Reviewing the literature on theregion’s NTFPs, it is noteworthy that littleresource prospecting has been done onthese fibre-yielding plants. Although theregion has well-documented informationon wild edibles and herbals, it is poorlydocumented on fibre-yielding plants. Thisaspect, the reasons behind it and its effect,need closer examination in relation to thesociocultural-economic fabric of the tribalpeople of Sikkim.

In view of the various attributes ofPandanus, there are great possibilities forusing this NTFP species (in addition tomaking jam, jelly, juice, textile, etc.) as anaid to the socio-economic development ofnative communities through innovativeentrepreneurships, both by using wildresources sustainably as well as plantingthe species in wastelands and otherunderutilized lands through thedevelopment of propagation and massmultiplication protocols. From the habitatconservation and management point ofview, the species could also offer a greatboost to wildlife and thus a richbiodiversity, in addition to conserving thesoil. As the Sikkim Himalayan region is ofrecent origin with a high rainfall andsloping terrain the P. nepalensispopulations provide a much-neededsupport towards maintaining the fragileecosystem balance in the region.

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(Contributed by: Dr Hemant K. Badola, MrB.K. Pradhan, Ms Sanjyoti Subba, Mr L.K. Raiand Dr Y.K. Rai, G.B. Pant Institute ofHimalayan Environment and Development,Sikkim Unit, Gangtok-Sikkim, India.)


Dr Hemant K. Badola, Scientist In-Charge

and Scientist - Conservation of Biodiversity, G.B.

Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and

Development, Sikkim Unit, PO Box 24, Gangtok

(Campus: Pangthang),

Sikkim 737 101, India. Fax: (03592) 237415;

e-mail: [email protected];

[email protected]/

How medicinal plants promote agribusiness

The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB),established in 2000, is responsible forsupporting initiatives for the conservationand cultivation of medicinal plants, both insitu and ex situ in India. In the latest 11thPlan, the outlay of Rs990 crores to the NMPBrepresents a sevenfold increase in financingfrom the previous plan.

A study of demand and supply of medicinalplants in India carried out by the Boardduring 2007-2008 highlighted alarmingshortages of some of the plants used by theAyurvedic industry.

Of particular interest were tree speciessuch as Sita Ashok (Saraca asoca), the mainingredient of Ashokaristha, a key Ayurvedicformulation for gynaecological disorders;Guggal (Commiphora wightii), a thorny bushthat yields gum resin used in more than 100Ayurvedic preparations; and the Dashmools,used in the popular Ayurvedic preparation,Dashmoolarishta. The estimated demand ofSita Ashoka bark is in excess of 2 000 tonnes,but availability in the wild is extremely rare.Likewise, although more than 1 000 tonnes ofthe gum resin from Guggal is used by theAyurvedic industry, over 90 percent of this isimported.

The Board has sanctioned theconservation and plantation of some of therare and endangered species in high demandon thousands of hectares across multiplestates.

Special Board initiatives include theconservation and propagation of high altitudeplants such as Atees, Kuth and Kutki, led bythe Task Force on High Altitude MedicinalPlants. The School and Home HerbalGardens programme in over 1 000 schoolsacross the country has driven awarenessabout the healthy role of India’s biodiversity.

A new Government-approved initiative, theNational Mission on Medicinal Plants, seeks

to promote market-driven cultivation with afocus on the development of selectedclusters with potential for inclusive growth inagribusiness through medicinal plants. Thegoal is to improve market access of farmersto better prices for their produce and betterquality of raw material for the Ayurvedic,Siddha and Unani industries. (Source:Commodity Online, Kerala [India], 15September 2008.)

Low prices strain Mahua flower-dependent

villagers in Orissa

Villagers across Orissa are under strain asthe Panchayat Samiti has fixed what mostconsider to be a low rate for the Mahua’flowers they depend upon for their livelihood.Mahua, the raw material used for makingcountry spirit, is a major source of revenuefor the state government.

The subcollector of Bargarh district saidthat this year the rate for the sale of Mahuaflowers is fixed at Rs1 500 per quintal, andPanchayat Samitees have been entrusted toensure that villagers get minimum supportprices for their produce.

“For the last two years, the Mahua yieldhas not been sufficient. We collect Mahuaflowers every day with the hope that we willearn something, but unfortunately we have tosell the flowers at a throwaway price,” saidKanak Pradhan, a villager.

“This is a season of Mahua flowers and thegovernment of Orissa has made adequateprovisions for the sale of these flowers by thevillagers wherever Mahua is produced. Itcomes under non-timber forest products.The rate for such products, including Mahuaflowers, is fixed by the Panchayat Samiteeconcerned. The Gram Panchayats are giventhe responsibility to see … that the poorpeople get a minimum fixed support price bythe Panchayat Samitee,” said Bishnu PrasadMishra, subcollector, Bargarh district.

Almost all villagers, especially women,gather Mahua flowers from early morninguntil sunset. The flowers are then dried andsold to entrepreneurs, leaving most villagerslargely unaware of the fixed prices. Mosttribals along the forested area of Orissadepend on such NWFPs for sustainingthemselves for around six to seven months ina year. (Source: DailyIndia.com, Florida[United States of America], 7 June 2008.)

Voices from the Forest, India - new film

All across India, NTFPs are a critical sourceof income for indigenous people and forest-dwelling communities, who are among thepoorest of the poor. Not only do the NTFPs

play a crucial role in the livelihood of thesepeople, but form a key incentive to conservingthe forests of India. Moreover, NTFPs arewoven in with the social and cultural fabric ofthe communities living in India.

Women from a self-help group in Indiasort through dried amla fruit. Traditionally,amla is made into chutneys and pickles. Hereit is processed into sweets and a breathfreshener.

Through the assistance of the KeystoneFoundation, productivity has increasedthreefold with the adoption of new technologyfor processing. This story, and many others,are featured in a new 30-minute film - Voicesfrom the Forest, India - made by the Non-Timber Forest Products ExchangeProgramme, through Gekko Studio/Telapakand Dusty Food Productions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST

A COPY OF THIS FILM, PLEASE CONTACT:

Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange

Programme, 92 Masikap Extension, Barangay

Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100, Philippines.

Fax: +63 2 4262757, 9293665; e-mail:

[email protected] or [email protected]

(Manila); www.ntfp.org/

East India leather is now an exclusive

geoproduct

East India (EI) Leather, a vegetable tannedleather that has been a specialty oftanneries in Trichy and Dindigul for the last160 years, has now been approved andregistered as an exclusive geographicproduct by the Geographic IndicationsRegistry of the Union Ministry ofCommerce.



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Registration under the geographicindications of goods (Registrations andProtection Act, 1999) will give the productan exclusive brand image similar toDarjeeling tea, Kanchipuram silk saris orCoorg coffee. The characteristic quality andreputation unique to the geographiclocation are indicative behind the logo andEI technology is a British legacy in thecountry.

Evidence is available that the exclusivetannery process utilizes cassia species,pungum oil and wattle bark extract asutilized in 1805 at a tannery near Chennai.It was in 1856 that a tannery unit wasestablished using the so-called EItechnique.

EI leather is very popular in Italy, Franceand other Western countries since it is thebest sort of leather to manufacturegarments, fancy handbags and suedeleather shoes. The uniqueness of EI leatherincludes its special feel, the gloss andpolish it accrues with use, its distinctivesmell and the noise it makes when tapped.(Source: Business Standard [India], 23 July2008.)(Please see page 20 of Non-Wood News 17for more information.)

INDONESIA

Fighting to keep islands above water

For more than a decade, Defitri Akbar hasspearheaded a drive to involve local peoplein mangrove conservation in Riau Province.He and some colleagues have founded anNGO, Bahtera Melayu, which drew up twobasic targets: (i) guided participation ofcoastal communities in a programme tosave mangrove ecosystems; and (ii) thedevelopment of alternative incomes toreduce pressure on natural resources andsurrounding environments.

The NGO has been successful in gettingcommunity groups to take the lead inmanaging 230 ha of local mangrove and todevelop a honey production industry. It hasalso started a green generation educationprogramme involving local youth. (Source:The Jakarta Post [Indonesia], 2 September2008 in Community Forestry E-News,September 2008.)

Rinjani community push for forestry

regulations

A community forestry programme inLombok that allows farmers to take part indeveloping forest areas and in harvesting

Tiene tallos ramificados con gran cantidadde hojas, que constituyen su parteaprovechable. Éstas, son de forma ovaladacon bordes dentados y una textura rugosacon muchas vellosidades, el tamaño esmuy variable, desde 5 hasta 10 cm de largodependiendo de la disponibilidad de agua.Sus flores son pequeñas, de color blanco;los frutos son cápsulas y en ellas seencuentran almacenadas las semillas,éstas son de color café, no mayores de 25mm. Las plantas de orégano presentanflores y frutos todo el año, no obstante, enYucatán, la mayor abundancia de flores yfrutos se da entre noviembre y abril.

El aceite esencial de orégano mexicano,con el agradable olor de sus hojas, seencuentra en glándulas localizadas en lasvellosidades o tricomas foliares. Esteaceite tiene diversas propiedadesantioxidantes, antibacterianas,antifúngicas e insecticidas, por lo cualademás de ser muy atractivo comosaborizante, también presenta importantesusos para la industria farmaceútica,alimenticia y cosmetológica.

En lengua maya el orégano se conocecon el nombre de akil ché, y es consideradoun recurso natural con historia ancestral.En el pasado, el orégano mexicano seutilizó principalmente con finesmedicinales para el alivio de enfermedadesrelacionadas con las vías respiratorias ypadecimientos estomacales.

Debido a la abundancia de esta especieen el noroeste de Yucatán, y a laimportancia de esta planta en la economíade las familias rurales, se realizó unainvestigación con el propósito de conocerlas implicaciones ecológicas ysocioeconómicas que conlleva la cosecha,comercialización y uso de este recursoforestal no maderero. La investigación fuefinanciada por el Centro de InvestigaciónCientífica de Yucatán (CICY) y la ComisiónNacional Forestal (CONAFOR).

En las comunidades estudiadas, lacosecha de orégano de monte es realizadaprincipalmente por las mujeres mayas ysus hijos. La temporada inicia en la épocade lluvias y dura aproximadamente de julioa octubre. Para que la cosecha inicie esnecesario que el comprador llame y aviseque está interesado en adquirir elproducto. La confirmación del compradorresulta ser el detonador para que lasmujeres de la comunidad salgan al campoe inicien la cosecha.

El proceso de cosecha es sencillo y norequiere herramientas. Se elije la planta,

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NTFPs does not have farmer-friendlyregulations. Farmers are now hoping tolegalize their engagement in forestmanagement.

“A permit for forest management wouldallow us to become wholeheartedly involvedin developing forest areas and prevent usfrom violating the law. It would also clarifyfarmers’ rights and responsibilities,” saidArtim, a member of a local farmers’cooperative unit.

The only legal standpoint farmers havefor their involvement in the programme isthe 1999 Forestry Law. The problemremains, however, that regulations relatedto this law tend to be counterproductive, ifnot contradictory. The farmer group hastherefore requested the local Forestry andPlantation Office, legislative councilmembers and NGOs to get together toproduce a regulation on community forestryfor the benefit of forest farmers. (Source:The Jakarta Post [Indonesia], 16 September2008 in Community Forestry E-News,September 2008.)

MÉXICO

Mujeres mayas y orégano mexicano:

del monte a la cocina

El orégano, esa planta olorosa, queutilizamos en muchas de nuestras recetasde cocina, está representado generalmentepor dos especies de plantas distintas. Laprimera se conoce como orégano europeo(Origanum vulgare) y pertenece a la familiabotánica Labiatae. Esta especie crece enzonas mediterráneas del sur de Europa,Grecia y Turquía. La otra especie es elorégano medicano (Lippia graveolens),perteneciente a la familia Verbenaceae, esuna especie resistente a la sequía que seencuentra distribuida en los climassemiáridos de México y de América Central.

Lippia graveolens es una especiearbustiva perenne de entre 1 y 3,5 m dealtura, con un crecimiento relativamenterápido y un ciclo de vida corto (5-10 años).

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después se toma una de sus ramas y lashojas de ésta se tiran del centro de la plantahacia fuera, a esta actividad se le conocecon el nombre de “raspar o bajar elorégano”. Una vez que las hojas han sidodesprendidas se prosigue a guardarlas enun costal. Sucesivamente, se sigueraspando rama por rama hasta que se lograretirar entre el 75 y el 100 por ciento de lashojas. La técnica de cosecha no siempre esla misma, sino que varía de acuerdo a lascostumbres de las mujeres. Algunas de lasvariaciones son por ejemplo no cosecharplantas con flor, no dejar hojas en la planta,cortar o quebrar las ramas, especialmenteen individuos muy altos, encimar las ramascortadas a un lado del camino y despuésretirar las hojas.

La jornada de trabajo en temporada decosecha dura entre 4 y 12 horas aunquedepende de la lejanía del sitio y del mediode transporte del que se disponga (a pie,bicicleta, triciclo o camión fletado). Dadoque la mayoría de las personas van a pie, encuanto llenan un costal emprenden elcamino de regreso, pues el peso de éste nodebe sobrepasar la cantidad que unamujer o un niño pueden transportarcargando en la espalda.

En un viaje de cosecha el peso promediode hojas frescas es de aproximadamente9,6 kg, dependiendo de la edad, sexo yhabilidades de la cosechadora ocosechador. Si se cuenta con un triciclo ycaminos para transportar la carga esposible que cada recolectora lleve más deun costal de hojas.

En el monte, el orégano crece en lugarespedregosos, pero no se desarrolla ensuelos inundados. Se encuentra tambiénen solares y en terrenos de cultivoasociados a huertos de cítricos y depitahaya. En estos lugares no se siembra,más bien se tolera y cuida ya que crece demanera natural.

Una vez cosechado el orégano, el únicoproceso poscosecha es el secado al sol.Para realizar esto las hojas del orégano seextienden sobre un plástico, sobre losmismos costales, o directamente, ya sea enel solar o techo de las casas, incluso enaceras o calles. Cada media hora,aproximadamente, el orégano es removidocon un rastrillo o una vara, con el objetivo deconseguir un secado parejo. Si el día essoleado, al cabo de 3 ó 4 horas el oréganoestá listo. Por el contrario si el día resultanublado, el orégano puede tardar en secarhasta dos días. En estos casos es necesariorecogerlo antes de que llueva o caiga el

sereno de la noche, y al día siguiente denuevo se extiende exponiéndolo al sol. Unavez seco se coloca de nuevo en costales yse coloca dentro de las casas o en algúnlugar bajo techo, para evitar que absorbahumedad.

La cosecha finaliza cuando se cubre lademanda del comprador (tres o cuatromeses después) y avisa que no irá más a lacomunidad esa temporada, es entonces quelas cosechadoras quedan a la espera de sullamada para el próximo año.

El manejo del orégano en lascomunidades visitadas, tiene un importanteimpacto en la economía de lascosechadoras, ya que representa unporcentaje considerable del ingresomonetario mensual que obtienen lasfamilias. No obstante, este ingreso estemporal, solamente se obtiene durante latemporada de cosecha de la especie. Unafamilia, durante la temporada, puedecosechar y vender hasta una tonelada deorégano seco. En términos económicos, elorégano de monte es un producto que sepuede incorporar a la cadena de mercadocon un mínimo de inversión de capital.Además, la producción, cosecha yprocesado no requiere de muchashabilidades o de tecnologías sofisticadas.

A partir de la información generada en elproyecto se observa que el aprovechamientodel orégano en las comunidades estudiadas,y en general en el estado de Yucatán, tieneun gran potencial.(Aportación hecha por: Dra. Luz María CalvoIrabién, Centro de Investigación Científica deYucatan, Calle 43 #130 Chuburná deHidalgo, Mérida, 97200 Yucatán, México.Fax: 999 981 3900; Correo electrónico:[email protected])

Community forestry development in Mexico

The Tepehuano Forestry Developmentproject is based on a participatory modelthat aims to increase the livelihoods of theTepehuano community by strengtheninghuman development and promoting thesustainable management of forestresources. The Tepehuano community ofSanta María de Ocotán covers an area of 400 000 ha and has one of the highest levelsof poverty in the country.

The project’s mission is to promotecommunity forestry development in theNayar region by providing capacity buildingfor the community to enhanceentrepreneurial skills based on asustainable forest model to supply timberand non-timber products for the whole

region. The project also strives towards theconservation and restoration of degradedareas.

The project is being implemented byReforestamos México A.C. (a local MexicanNGO based in Mexico City), with financingby the private sector.

Reforestamos México, in collaborationwith regional NGOs, has been able tocoordinate social and corporate support tothe region since 2005. This model hassuccessfully been replicated in theneighbouring communities of Huichol andTarahumara. The model’s success is basedon its ability to foster communityparticipation in the creation of CommunityForest Enterprises (CFEs), which in turnhave empowered the community and led tothe sustainable management of forestresources.


María Ana de Rijk, Coordinadora de Planeación

Estratégica y Política Ambiental, Reforestamos

México A.C., Calle Tabasco #189, int. 203,

Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México, DF, 06700,

Mexico. E-mail [email protected];

www.reforestamosmexico.org/

NAMIBIA

San devil’s claw is an international hit

San communities from the Nyae Nyae andNa-Jaqna conservancies generated morethan RN$400 000 during 2007 from theharvesting and sale of plant products.Similar or even better results are expectedfor 2008, as more than 1 000 harvesters areregistered in both conservancies,researcher Dave Cole said recently. In apaper entitled Botanical resourcesincreasingly contributing to incomegeneration for conservancies and theirmembers issued last month, Cole indicatedthat, to date, conservancies had collected

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an income of RN$288 561, with severalmore months of harvesting to go.

The Nyae Nyae Conservancy was formedin 1998, and the Na-Jaqna Conservancy in2003.

The medicinal value of devil’s claw(Harpagophytum) for the treatment ofrheumatism, arthritis and other ailmentsof this type has been recognized by“Western medicine” only in the last 50years. The first major exports fromNamibia started in the early 1960s, andtoday the country is the largest exporter inthe world, accounting for about 95 percentof the trade. Namibia currently exports onaverage about 400 tonnes of dried devil’sclaw per year, which represents asignificant income for the country.

According to Cole, up until recently,devil’s claw was harvested and traded butwas characterized by unsustainableharvesting practices, exploitive prices paidto harvesters and inferior quality. However,in the last two years, funding from theIntegrated Community-Based EcosystemManagement Project and the United StatesAgency for International Development, aswell as the Life for Relief and Developmentprogrammes, have enabled the WorkingGroup on Indigenous Minorities in SouthernAfrica and the Nyae Nyae DevelopmentFoundation Namibia to implement asustainable harvesting programme,benefiting both the conservancies andindividual harvesters. Harvesters are noworganized into groups and receive trainingon sustainable harvesting and processing.

Organic certification allows for theproduct to be traced back to the area inwhich it was harvested, and by whom.Provision for the costs of covering theexpenses related to organic certificationhave also been made, and theconservancies will be able to cover thesecosts themselves in the future.

Added Cole: “Not only do harvestersbenefit from cash income, but the

organized harvesting and sale of devil’sclaw in these conservancies also contributeto empowering people to develop a sense ofownership and to take responsibility for themanagement of their resources. Clearly,however, given the extent of poverty inrural areas, the challenge is to identifyadditional products that can also contributeto income generation in theseconservancies.” (Source: The Namibian[Windhoek], 10 September 2008.)

Devil’s claw fruit for forest community

livelihoods

Four community forests in the Caprivi haveearned more than RN$200 000 from devil’sclaw (Harpagophytum) sales. Devil’s claw, aplant that grows mainly in the Kalaharisands of Namibia, Botswana, South Africaand Angola and, to a lesser extent, inZambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, hasmedicinal properties for the treatment ofrheumatism, arthritis and other ailments,and was recognized by “western medicine”only in the last 50 years.

Devil’s claw needs to be harvested withspecial techniques to conserve the plant forfuture use. These techniques were taught inworkshops organized by the communityforestry committees, which also organizedthe Ministry of Environment and Tourismpermit necessary for harvesting.

Only community members whoparticipated in the training were registeredfor harvesting and were given the necessarypermit to ensure that the harvesting takesplace under controlled conditions. In addition,the four community forestry committeescarried out an effective law enforcementexercise to stop illegal harvesting and sales toillegal buyers. As with the harvesters, thebuyers also need to be registered with theMinistry. (Source: All Africa.com [Namibia],30 October 2008.)

NEPAL

Lokta paper

Lokta, also known as Daphne bhoula or D.papyracea, is an indigenous plant of Nepal.Found at altitudes of 6 500 to 9 500 feet (1 981-2 896 m), its bark is traditionallyused in the production of paper. Loktaplants are harvested by cutting the stem atground level, while leaving the main rootintact. Lokta regenerates naturally in twoto three years. Using it as a source of rawmaterial for paper has no adverse effectson the forest ecology of Nepal.

Growing in popularity in the internationalmarket as beautiful natural stationery, thepaper has a long history of use. In Nepal,all legal and legislative documents wereprinted on the paper thanks to itsdurability. It can be preserved for a longperiod of time, is non-perishable in water,is free from germs and is highly resistant toinsects such as silverfish and papercrawlers. Lokta paper is also excellent forwrapping precious stones since its softfibres do not scratch stone surfaces.

The paper has a beautiful natural tanshade but can easily be dyed in water withother colours. It is ideal for productionwithout machines and scraps of the papercan also be recycled simply. (Source:extracted from: About lokta paper.Kathmandu, Nepal. Available at:www.nepalipaper.com/1000883.html)

NEW ZEALAND

Indigenous tribes transform historic

grievances into a bright future

A landmark agreement has been signedinto legislation in the New Zealand Houseof Parliament as of September 2008. Thearrangement transfers around 10 percentof the country’s intensively managedplanted forest to a collective of indigenousMaori people. This largest-ever settlementof grievances, which is valued at aroundNZ$450 million and includes licencerentals accumulated since 1989, arosefrom nineteenth-century seizures of landand forests during European settlement ofthe country. The Maori have been engagedin grievance claims since the 1970s. Asthey are among the nation’s poorestcitizens, the economic benefits for thosewithin the collective will be significant.


George Asher, Lead Negotiator, Central North

Island Iwi Collective, 189 Tautahanga Rd,

Turangi, New Zealand. Fax: +64-(07)386 0747;

e-mail: [email protected]/

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NIGERIA

Study unveils medicinal plants for skin

problems

Medicinal plants in Nigeria wereconsidered by several researchers to forman important component of the naturalwealth of the country, considering that theNigerian tropical rain forest is a reservoirof chemical substances that can be usedfor therapeutic purposes.

Some of their ancient indigenous useswere discovered by “trial and error”, whichcould not be proved by scientific theoriesalthough the results have been beneficialand efficient compared with conventionalmodern medicines. However, these ancientindigenous uses of the plants vary from onecommunity to another. To improvecommunication, therefore, such plantsneed to be identified and documentedaccording to the ailments cured, thepreparations and administration of theherbs, as well as local and commonnames.

One such effort was carried out byresearchers from the University of Beninwho studied the medicinal plants used intreating skin diseases by healers in theOvia northeast local government area ofEdo state. The study, entitled:“Ethnomedicinal uses of plants in thetreatment of various skin diseases in Ovianortheast, Edo state, Nigeria” was carriedout by Dr R.K.A. Egharevba of theDepartment of Crop Science and Dr M.I.Ikhatua in the Department of Forestry andWildlife. It was published in the latestedition of the Research Journal ofAgriculture and Biological Sciences.

The investigation included names andplant parts used, ailments cured,preparations and administrations of theseherbs through the use of questionnairesand interviews of old and experienced ruralpeople as well as herbalists.

In the survey, 41 plant species from 29families were identified. These plantsinclude some wild and uncultivated ones:Xylopia aethopica (Guinea pepper),Plukenetia conophorum (African walnut),Monodora myristica (African nutmeg),Afromomium melequenta (alligatorpepper) and some semi-wild plants such asDacryodis edulis. They also includeornamental plants such as Lawsoniainermis (Dye) and herbs.

A total of 57 commonly usedprescriptions for skin diseases were noted.Mixtures of plants were used in some

cases. Several medicinal plant parts wereused in herbal preparations, such asleaves, stem and bark, fruits, seeds androots; of all these, leaves were found to beused in 70-75 percent of the cases.(Source: Nigerian Tribune [Nigeria], 25September 2008.)

PAKISTAN

Mushrooms and medicinal plants in Chitral

Mushroom collection in the dry temperate

forest of Kalash Valley, Chitral

The Kalash Valley is located in the remotesouthern part of Chitral, an area of uniquecultural and biological diversity. Naturalforests in the area mainly consist of Pinuswallichiana, P. gerardiana, Cedrus deodaraand broadleaf species such as Quercusincana. Medicinal plants, honey, pine nuts,wild vegetables and morel mushrooms arethe most important NTFPs found in thevalley and used by the local community tosupport their livelihood. A study wasrecently carried out to investigate thecollection status of mushrooms in thislocation.

A variety of mushrooms grow in the drytemperate forest of the valley, includingMorchella esculenta, M. vulgaris, M.deliciosa and others such as oystermushrooms. Their local names are Quchi,Brangalu and Shunthi. Often keeping theirharvesting locations a secret, local peoplerely upon traditional knowledge to locatethe mushrooms. For example, it is believedthat mushrooms often appear underspecific trees, including Juglans regia andPinus wallichiana. Morels are collectedprimarily for sale but are also occasionallyused in traditional medicine. Harvestedthroughout spring and early summer (fromMarch to July) the mushrooms are sold inthe local market, often to intermediaries.Morchella fetch particularly high prices andthus play an important role in the economyof the community. The morel collectors aremostly poor villagers who practisemushroom harvesting on a part-time basisin addition to livestock keeping, firewood

collection and farming. Forty percent of thecollectors are children, 27 percent womenand 33 percent men. Morel collection is alabour-intensive activity requiring a greatdeal of devotion. Sometimes the collectorshave to spend days in the forest.

Medicinal plants of Chitral to be conserved

under an in situ approach

The dry temperate zones of Chitral offer awide range of valuable medicinal andaromatic plants and the local communitiesliving in the surrounding forests depend onthe area resources for their rural healthcare as well as for their livelihood. As aresult of deforestation, overgrazing andunsustainable harvesting, medicinal plantsin the area are declining.

In order to conserve the medicinal plantsin their natural environment, theDirectorate of Non-Timber Forest Products(NWFP Forest Department, Peshawar,Pakistan) will introduce in situ conservationapproaches in different parts of Chitral. MrIftikhar Ahmed, Assistant Director NTFPOffice, Peshawar, has clarified that themain objective of this approach is toconserve the available medicinal plantresources and communicate the idea ofsustainability in their use. Mr Ajaz Ahmedof the NTFP Office, Chitral stated that thisintervention in the conservation ofmedicinal plants will be the first of its kindand will improve nature conservation andhelp to reduce poverty. The Directorate ofNTFP is working in NWFP Pakistan for thepromotion of NTFPs for communitydevelopment and poverty reduction.

The study suggested future guidelinesfor proper planning and management ofthe dry, temperate forest of the valley forlivelihood support of the poor localcommunity. The Directorate of Non-TimberForest Produce is facilitating the localcommunity in the sustainable utilization ofthese resources.


Ajaz Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed, Directorate of

Non-Timber Forest Products, NWFP Forest

Department, Shami Road, Peshawar, Pakistan.

E-mail: [email protected]

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PERU

The camu camu value chain in the

Peruvian Amazon

Camu camu, found growing along theriverbanks and lake shores of the AmazonBasin, contains the highest concentrationof natural vitamin C in the world. A recentstudy (Promoting forestry-product valuechains in the Peruvian Amazon: the case ofcamu camu) examined how the linkbetween the various actors in the valuechain, including collectors, processors,traders and buyers, remains weak. Thecamu camu chain is currently in the initialstages of development and a general lackof trust exists in the area among many ofthe actors.

The study revealed that local andregional government must become activeas promoters and stimulators to improverelationships between those involved.Policies in the camu camu producing andprocessing regions must be created toimprove knowledge and functions withinthe value chain. Finally, barriers to entryinto the markets are in great need ofattention, with a simplification ofpaperwork and a reduction in transactioncosts highly recommended.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

THE AUTHORS:

Rafael Meza Castro, Portafolio Amazonía, the

Netherlands Development Organization (SNV)

Peru or John Belt, SNV Peru, Iquitos,

c/o (Central Office Lima) Alberto del Campo

411, Magdalena del Mar, Lima 17, Peru.

Fax: + 51-1-2644722;

e-mail: [email protected];

[email protected]; [email protected]

or Marly Cristina López Rengifo de Sarmiento,

Ministry of Agriculture, Jr. Yauyos N 258, Lima,

Peru. Fax: +51-1-315-5090;

e-mail: [email protected]

Environmental services of the aguajales

and the opportunities for a global

business for the Loreto region, Peru

Angel Salazar of the Peruvian AmazonResearch Institute (Iquitos) has written anarticle on aguajales, palm tree forests thatoccupy 5.3 million ha in the PeruvianAmazon and sequester large amounts ofcarbon. They play a role in the localeconomy by providing employmentopportunities for local communities and bysatisfying the high consumer demand fortheir fruit. Salazar’s article describes thepotential benefits offered by harvesting

aguajales and calls for increased effortsfor their improved management, as well asfor linking these ecosystems toenvironmental services payment schemes.

The fruits from the aguajales, theaguaje, are in great demand by theinhabitants of Iquitos. Fruits are consumeddirectly, or processed as refreshments, theaguajina, or as icecreams and popsicles.The demand generated by that way ofconsumption is satisfied by approximately20 tonnes of fruits per day.

The marketing of the fruits generates avalue chain that creates employment inboth rural and urban areas. In Iquitosalone, close to 5 000 jobs are generated bythe selling of aguaje fruits. Most of thoseemployed are women, who generate theirown employment.

The benefits that can be obtained byharvesting aguajales are much morediverse than those traditionally obtained.These are the so-called strategic products- those obtained by providing added valueto the aguaje pulp - that includeantioxidants, solar protectors and high-quality oils for the cosmetics industry. Anadditional benefit that could be obtained isthe added value of the ecosystem throughthe possibility of obtaining payments forthe environmental services that aguajalesprovide. (Source: Ecosystem Marketplace,August 2008.)

PHILIPPINES

Aguilar leads moringa drive

Las Piñas City is embarking on a massiveplanting of malunggay trees to boost thesource of nutritional food and medicine forresidents while protecting theenvironment. Mayor Vergel Aguilar saidthat, as more people experience hungerand poverty because of the high cost offood and health care, the local governmentmust provide economic relief. Mobilized inthe city-wide campaign are officials downto the 20 barangays and various urban poorgroups that serve as partners in the localecological programme.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) or malunggay(kalamungan in the Visayans, kalamungeto Pampangueños, marunggay to Ilocanosand kalunggay to Bicolanos), is consideredone of the world’s most nutritious plantswith versatile uses in agriculture, medicineand industry.

Food analysis shows that malunggayleaves contain 26 percent crude proteinand are rich in vitamins A and C, iron andpotassium. They also have medicinal valueto treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramp,boils and sexually transmitted diseases.

Mature seeds also produce high-valueoil, called oleic acid, widely used in the foodindustry. The edible oil can lowercholesterol levels in the blood, improvelipid profiles and modify harmfulinflammation. It also serves as a lubricantfor fine machinery and its antioxidantproperties are useful in the manufacture ofperfumes, personal care and therapeuticproducts and cosmetics.

Aguilar urged residents to plantmalunggay to tap its nutritional potential,especially for children, encouraging themto nurture trees amid the threat of globalwarming. (Source: Manila Standard Today[Philippines], 2 September 2008.)

NegOcc farmers urged to go into cocoon

production

While sugar-cane workers in NegrosOccidental (NegOcc) may dread the start ofthe off-milling season, another sector isactually in need of more workers. ThelmaWatanabe, training coordinator of theOrganization for Industrial, Spiritual andCultural Advancement (Oisca) - BagoTraining Centre (OBTC), said that morefarmers must be encouraged to go intococoon production to meet the increasinglocal and international demand for silk.“The fact that Negros silk is of very highquality makes this industry a very promisingone for farmers in … the entirearchipelago,” she added.

Since the start of the Oisca sericultureproject in 1989, the Oisca Negros silkindustry has come far. “From a handful of50 farmers cultivating an area of about 20ha of mulberry plantation, the number hasincreased to about 260 farmers now activelyengaged in quality cocoon production in anarea of not less than 170 ha fully planted tomulberry trees,” she said.

Approval from the Cocoon Testing Centrein Japan paved the way for theestablishment of a silk reeling plant at theOisca Compound in Bago City, which has

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the capacity to process 100 tonnes of freshcocoons per year. Yet, “Oisca’s actualproduction now of three tonnes silk yarnfrom approximately 30 tonnes of freshcocoons per year is not even enough tosupply the local market”, said Watanabe.

“Silk has always enjoyed excellentmarket value. Today, people hear ofPhilippine silk and the prospect of jobgeneration it can bring to the Filipinos: fromthe cocoon-producing farmers to the silkreeling workers, the weavers, dyers,embroiderers, handicraft makers andgarment manufacturers,” she stressed.

“Oisca International has always beenconcerned with how to help marginalfarmers in rural areas … Thus, the idea ofstarting an Oisca silkworm rearing projectfor silk yarn production in NegrosOccidental was conceptualized,” saidWatanabe. The project has been supportedby government and non-governmentagencies. (Source: Sun. Star [Philippines],25 July 2008.)

Challenges and opportunities for the

Philippine bamboo and rattan industries

Bamboo and rattan (B&R) are the mostimportant NWFPs in the Philippines andother Asian countries. Many uplandcommunities are dependent on thegathering of these products in both thenatural forests and private bamboo farmsfor their livelihood. Similarly, employmentin B&R factories and home-basedindustries is a major source of income fornumerous rural and urban workers in thecountry. While the domestic market forthese products in the Philippines isbelieved to be quite large, the exportmarket has for many years been asignificant and dependable source offoreign exchange.

However, several problems have causedB&R exports from the Philippines todecline, both in absolute and relativeterms, during the last decade. Theseproblems primarily relate to the scarcity oflocally sourced raw materials, rising labourcosts and stiff competition in the globalmarket. Rattan exports, mostly furniture,have dropped from a year-high of US$129million during the period 1995-2000 to ayear-low of US$66 million during 2001-2006. During 1978-1985, when thePhilippines dominated the rattan furnitureexport market, export revenues rose at anannual rate of 38 percent. By contrast,exports contracted at 5 percent annuallyfrom 1995 to 2006. Relative to other types

of furniture export, the share of rattanfurniture export diminished from 33percent in 2001 to 23 percent in 2006, withthe latter period dominated by woodfurniture. Basket and wickerwork havelikewise steadily decreased from US$78million in 2001 to US$52 million in 2006.Nevertheless, export destinations haveremained focused on the medium- andhigh-end segments of the market.

As a result of the above unfavourabledevelopment in the Philippine B&Rindustries, the country faces the challengeof ensuring that these industries continueto provide an important source of incomeand livelihood for the dependent sectors.These include the upland and forestcommunities that provide the rawmaterials and the rural and urban workersengaged in the production and marketingof NWFPs in small home-based andmedium- to large-scale factories. Towardsthis end, these industries must takeadvantage of the available opportunitiesand face the challenges on both thedomestic and global fronts and the supplyand demand sides. On the demand side, theopportunities relate to the still growingB&R global market estimated at US$11billion. Demand for high-quality products indeveloped countries is expected to remainstrong. The Philippines is in a good positionto supply this market thanks to itscompetitive edge in craftsmanship forproviding premium quality products for themedium- and high-end market segments.Trade liberalization provides opportunitiesfor gaining greater market access not onlyin the country’s traditional export marketsbut in the new markets of the Middle Eastand Eastern Europe. Because the majorsupply constraint is the shortage of basicraw materials, the Philippines needs topursue concerted efforts in plantationdevelopment and in managing theremaining supplies in the natural forests,particularly for rattan. Current supplymanagement efforts for B&R must beintegrated into the existing and futurecommunity-based forest managementprogrammes.

Support for research and development inproduction, processing and utilization mustcontinue in key public research institutions.This must be complemented by privatesector research to enhance productionefficiency, product development andadaptation strategies in the sourcing anduse of alternative raw materials. Thereshould be continuing government support

in financing and marketing for small- andmedium-scale enterprises, B&R.

Overall, a comprehensive and strategiccourse of action in order to remaincompetitive requires the following: effectiveraw material supply management;continuing R&D for product, process andmarket development; and favourablesupport systems (policy, institutions andinfrastructure) in the entire value chainfrom government and private sectors.(Contributed by: Isabelita M. Pabuayon,Ph.D., Professor, Department ofAgricultural Economics, College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Banos,College, Laguna 4031, Philippines. E-mail: [email protected])

Ornamental rattans

In the Philippines, during garden showsand market days in the rural and urbanareas, ornamental rattans, specificallyCalamus discolor are usually displayed forsale. Along the national roads in theprovinces of Laguna and Quezon, as well asin Nueva Viscaya, Ifugao and othercommunities in the Cordillera Provinces,ornamental rattans are included in theircollections of orchids, ferns and othernative ornamentals sold to tourists,motorists and other plant enthusiasts.

Some village people from these uplandcommunities gather the rattan fruits of thisspecies, extract the seeds, germinatethem, grow them in small poly-bags andthen sell. Others just collect the wildlingsfrom the forests, pot them and sell.

Other rattan species that have potentialas ornamentals include species belongingto the genus Korthalsia because of theirbeautiful fishtail-like leaves.

Income from ornamental rattans is notmuch, but can add to the livelihood of thecommunity. (Source: A.M. Palijon and A.B.



52

Lapis. 2008. Production of rattan fruits andtheir products as community enterprise. Apaper presented during INBAR’s GlobalRattan Forum, Haikou, Hainan Island,China. 8-11 January 2008.). RattanNewsletter, ITTO, Philippines; ASEANRattan Project 4, 6 June 2008.)

RWANDA

KIE to research bamboo as an alternative

energy source

Kigali. The Kigali Institute of Education (KIE)will be jointly involved with the University ofAntwerp in Belgium in research on bambooas an alternative energy source. Theresearchers will try to ascertain whetherbamboo could be a dependable alternativesource of energy to fossil fuel in order toreduce pollution.

Dr Geert Potters, a bioscience engineerand lecturer at the Belgian University, saidthat preliminary findings from researchstarted two years ago proved that bamboo isa potential alternative energy. “Bamboo ischipped, then fermented and it producesbiogas. It also reduces soil pollution,” headded.

James Vuningoma, KIE Vice Rector saidthat currently in Rwanda bamboo is used tomanufacture baskets and furniture, butresearch could lead to another commercialbenefit to the country. (Source: The NewTimes [Rwanda], 28 November 2008.)

SAUDI ARABIA

Kingdom to develop biodiversity strategy

Jeddah. The Council of Ministers yesterdaydecided to develop a national strategy forpreserving biological diversity, involving theprotection of all kinds of species, naturallocations, hereditary resources and traininghuman resources for its development. Theexisting National Committee for Biodiversityshould develop the strategy, Culture andInformation Minister Iyad Madani said in astatement to the Saudi Press Agency.

Custodian of the two holy mosques KingAbdullah, who chaired the council meeting,said that the national committee should alsoprepare a database on the kingdom’sbiodiversity and classify all known types ofenvironments, their geographic locations,their history and the changes that they haveundergone or that may take place.

The Council of Ministers ordered theNational Commission for Wildlife

Conservation and Development to set up aNational Committee for the Programme ofMan and the Biosphere, to undertake thepreservation of biodiversity, includingidentifying locations for establishingbiosphere reserves. (Source: Arab News[Saudi Arabia], 19 August 2008.)

SENEGAL

Protecting livelihoods through mangroves

Mangroves, one of the world’s richestecosystems, are declining in Casamance,southern Senegal, and thinning forestsspurred the Senegal-based non-profitOceanium to plant 6 million mangrove treesin a bid to reverse deforestation, therebyboosting fish stocks and reviving livelihoods.Up to 15 000 youth from 130 villages helpedwith the two-month replanting effort, justcompleted, which was the first of its kind inAfrica, according to Binetou Diagne,Oceanium’s spokesperson. (Source:Ziguinchor, 14 October 2008 (IRIN).)

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Honey production encouraged

Honey production has the potential to helpthe economy and rural farmers engaged insmall and medium business activities.According to officials from the Ministry ofAgriculture and Livestock, honey productionin the country is currently very low becausenot many farmers are involved in theindustry. They said more farmers mustengage in honey production because thehoney of the Solomon Islands is one of thebest and there are also many honeybees.

“There is no need to import honey for salein the shops if more farmers are engaged inthe production of honey within theircommunities and homes,” one officer said.“By producing and selling honey, people canearn their living.” (Source: Solomon Star[Solomon Islands], 15 July 2008.)

SUDAN

Export marketing of Sudanese gum arabic

This policy note is a product of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund – National. This is one ofthe two trust funds established under theauthority of the Comprehensive PeaceAgreement (CPA), which was signed inJanuary 2005. The trust funds that assist theGovernment of National Unity and theGovernment of Southern Sudan are bothadministered by the World Bank.

The Sudan is the world’s largest producerof gum arabic, the dried exudate producedfrom the trunk and branches of the Acaciasenegal tree, known as hashab or hard gum,and the A. seyal tree, known as talha or flakygum. Gum arabic is one of the fourimportant agricultural export commoditiesfrom the Sudan, along with livestock, cottonand sesame.

All the gum arabic produced in theSudan, mostly hashab, is exported.However, considerable year-to-yearvariations and overall declining gumexports from the country – theconsequences of two severe Saheliandroughts (in the mid-1970s and mid-1980s), political unrest and inadequatemarketing arrangements – have resulted inthe emergence of new gum-producingcountries, chiefly Chad and Nigeria, whichproduce mostly talha.

Over the last 20 years, gum arabicexport values amounted on average toUS$40 million annually. Yet, over the last15 years, the Sudan’s share in the worldmarkets has declined sharply and is nowbelow 50 percent. World exports of talhaare almost on a par with exports ofhashab. While there has been governmentintervention in the marketing of allagricultural exports in the past, gumarabic is the only one for whichgovernment controls remain.

Importance of gum Arabic production to

Sudanese rural people

The livelihoods of up to six millionSudanese people, who live in traditional

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rainfed farming areas, where rural povertyis in the range of 65 to 90 percent, dependon gum arabic. Primarily produced bysmall-scale farmers (who give priority tofood crop production, usually sorghum ormillet, to secure family nutritional needs),gum arabic represents a cropdiversification strategy to mitigate cropfailure. In addition, the acacia tree’s longlateral root system reduces soil and winderosion. The tree has a regeneratingimpact on the land. However, gum arabicproduction does compete with food andcash crops for labour resources and landallocation.

Agricultural operations, including gumarabic harvesting, are primarily financedby village traders using the sheil system.The traders typically provide cash, seeds,tools and basic commodities (water, sugar,tea) for the households to get by during the“hunger gap”. Farmers pay back in kind atprices determined early in the season andusually integrating significant creditcharges.

National policies and structures

The current gum arabic marketing policyhas not been beneficial to the majority ofrural poor producers. This has led toreduced production and consequentlyexports, declining for the past 40 years atan average rate of 2.2 percent per annum.

One of the key commitments maderecently by the Government of NationalUnity under the Joint Assessment Mission(JAM) framework was to “abolish theexport monopoly” over raw gum arabic.This commitment has not beenimplemented.

However, the development of theprocessing industry over the last fouryears has resulted in increased domesticcompetition for raw gum and, in turn,

better prices paid to farmers as well asmore value-added captured in the Sudan.This positive development comes at apropitious time as increased consumptionof soft drinks and confectionery products,and the rapid development in health anddietetic products are boosting worlddemand for gum arabic.

The future of the Sudanese gum arabic

industry

Decontrol of the gum arabic export marketcould increase export revenues for theSudan and raise significantly the income ofsmall-scale farmers. In addition to existinginadequate marketing arrangements, twoissues that will have to be addressed byfuture policies and reform actions are thelimited participation of gum producers inthe development of the sector and a non-conducive business environment that doesnot favour private sector expansion.Recent developments in the domestic gumsector indicate the way forward:government support to producerassociations has reaped good results andcould be scaled up throughout the gumbelt; the expansion of domesticprocessing, which resulted in better pricespaid to farmers, also offers good prospectsfor reviving the sector.

The implementation of appropriatepolicies and investments to supportimproved gum processing and marketingwill generate additional income for small-scale producers, thus contributingsignificantly to the MillenniumDevelopment Goal that calls for halving theshare of populations suffering fromextreme poverty and hunger. Suchmeasures would also help increase thelevel of domestic value added, which wouldhave a positive effect on the country’soverall economic growth.

In addition to the necessary policy andinstitutional changes, the future of gumarabic is also tied to better management ofnatural resources. Innovations in carbonfinance offer an exciting opportunity to useforestry as a means to promote rural andnational development. But seizing thisopportunity will require the political will tomove forward with reforms that improvethe governance of natural resources.

Ultimately, success in reforming thegum arabic sector will depend onconcerted action with the internationaldevelopment community. It is necessary tolevel the domestic and international tradefields, provide improved public goods,

empower small-scale producers andaddress climate change. At stake are thelivelihoods of millions of rural poor.(Source: Sudan Multi-Donor Trust Fund,MDTF-National Sector Policy Note, 31December 2007.)


Thomas Yves Couteaudier, Multi-Donor Trust

Fund-National or Asif Faiz, World Bank Country

Manager, Sudan Country Office, The World

Bank, Plot 39, Street 39, Khartoum East,

Khartoum II, Sudan. Fax: +(249) 155155025;

e-mail: [email protected]

SURINAME

An innovative conservation group working

with indigenous tribes

Deep in the Suriname rain forest, aninnovative conservation group is workingwith indigenous tribes to protect theirforest home and culture using traditionalknowledge combined with cutting-edgetechnology.

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) ispartnering with the Trio, an Amerindiangroup that lives in the remote Suriname-Brazil border area of South America, todevelop programmes to protect their foresthome from illegal gold miners andencroachment; improve village health; andstrengthen cultural ties betweenindigenous youth and elders at a timewhen such cultures are disappearing evenfaster than rain forests.

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Gum arabic is a complex polysaccharidethat has food, pharmaceutical andtechnical applications; its known usesgo back about 5 000 years. It is usedfor its properties as an emulsifier,thickener, binder, stabilizer andadhesive. It is believed that soft drinksand confectionery represent 70 percentof the demand for gum arabic.

THE TRIO INDIGENOUS GROUP

The Trio (or Tiriyó) are a Carib-speaking indigenous group that lives inthe forests of southern Suriname andbordering areas of Brazil, primarily insmall- to medium-sized villages headedby a grandman or chief.

The Trio rely on small-scale slash-and-burn cassava (manioc) cultivationas their principal source of food. Thisstarchy staple is supplemented withfish and game taken from surroundingrivers and forests. The forest providesthem with other important resources,notably medicinal plants, buildingmaterials, and dyes and resins.



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ACT is providing the Trio with equipmentand training so that “indigenous parkguards” can map – and thereby somedaygain title – to their lands. The Trio useGlobal Positioning System (GPS) units todocument geographic features as well asthe location of hunting grounds, places ofspiritual significance and sites rich withmedicinal plants and other importantresources. Key to the process is bridgingthe generation gap between indigenouselders and youths: the shaman provide theyounger rangers with the historical andcultural information needed to add criticaldetails to the maps. In addition to mapping,the indigenous park guards patrol forestareas for illegal activities, including miningand collection of wildlife for the pet trade.

ACT is also promoting the transfer ofethnobotanical knowledge to Trio childrenthrough the “Shaman’s ApprenticeProgramme” where schoolchildren learnthe traditional uses of medicinal plants.The programme is combined with anindigenous health clinic that operates nextto a conventional health clinic. Both offerfree services to villagers.

A critical part of these programmes arethe village shaman, medicine men andwomen who serve as custodians of theimmense biological knowledge of a peoplewho have survived in the Amazon rainforest for generations. No-one understandsthe secrets of these plants better thanthese indigenous shaman but, like theforests themselves, this floral genius is fastdisappearing as a result of deforestationand profound cultural transformationamong younger generations. The combinedloss of this knowledge and these forestsirreplaceably impoverishes the world ofcultural and biological diversity. (Source:Mongabay.com [United States of America],28 July 2008.)

THAILAND

AFM scents fragrant success

Asia Forestry Management Co. (AFM),Thailand’s largest agarwood producer,plans to build up its brand overseas,aiming for growth at the same blisteringpace as Red Bull. AFM founder ChokechaiLavichant aims to follow in the Red Bullfounder footsteps by developing apresence in the export rather thandomestic market. However, his company’sproduction will be based in Thailand alongwith its agarwood plantations.

Overseas demand for agar oil extract isalready on the rise, especially in the MiddleEast, where clients will pay almost anyprice for the oil, considered one of the bestfor making perfumes and fragrances incosmetics. Beyond the Middle East, SouthAsia and Japan are also prominentmarkets, said Mr Chokechai, who adds thatagarwood extract is a luxury productbecause of its limited availability.

Agarwood products are widely known asoud, the term used in the Middle East,where agarwood has been highly prized forcenturies. The oil is also a base forfragrance production in Europe and is usedin Japan’s pharmaceutical industry.Agarwood residue is the main raw materialfor scented joss sticks.

In the global market, premium agar oilextract is priced between 5 000 and 8 000baht per tora (12 cc) or 400 000–700 000baht per litre.

AFM started to build its agarwoodplantation four years ago after gatheringfinancial support from private investors. Ithas just refined the first production of oilfrom the first crop of its agarwoodplantation early this year. Mr Chokechaisaid AFM has its factory on a 500-rai (80ha) agarwood plantation in Trat, which itplans to expand to double capacity to 1 000tora a month.

Commercial production of agar wasprohibited in Thailand for centuries. Thetrees that produce the valuable oilremained on a list of protected plants untilseven years ago, when the countryrecognized the product’s economicpotential.

Since then, agarwood has become anindustry. However, plantations requirehuge capital. ‘’We managed to raise fundsfrom investors last year by offering twooptions – a return of 21.4 percent for twoyears’ investment and 168 percent for fouryears’ investment,’‘ said Mr Chokechai. As

a result, the company gained its firstcapital of 20 million baht, which helped itto start manufacturing last year. Next year,it plans to raise an additional 50 millionbaht for the subsequent stage.

Mr Chokechai said that in naturalconditions, agarwood takes from ten to 40years to be productive, and that less than 5percent of plants produce oil, dependingon soil quality and humidity. But, withartificial cultivation, oil can be extractedwithin three years, making the businesscommercially viable.

The company has an agar oil exportlicence from the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Speciesof Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), whichguarantees its production will not causedeforestation.

Exim Bank’s research division reportedthat the agarwood industry rose to anexport value of 20 billion baht for Thailandduring 2006–07. (Source: Bangkok Post[Thailand], 16 September 2008.)

TOGO

Promotion des plantes aromatiques et

médicinales

L’OPPAM est un organisme de promotiondes plantes aromatiques et médicinales duTogo créé pour aider les communautés debase à tirer profit de leur environnementpar une meilleure utilisation de labiodiversité végétale.

POUR PLUS D’INFORMATIONS CONTACTER:

V.Y.M. Sodatonou, Secrétaire général, OPPAM,

PK 14 route d’Anecho, ZI Baguida, B.P.107

Baguida, Togo. Télécopie: +228 221 57 06 ;

Courriel: [email protected]

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the Uganda Wildlife Safaris, a tour andtravel agency, which would work closelywith district officials.

UWA Executive Director, Moses Mapesa,said UWA’s task would be to attract peoplewho are interested in vermin animals tohunt the animals. UWA is planning toextend the programme to other parts ofUganda, the statement added. (Source:New Vision [Kampala], 8 September 2008.)

VIET NAM

Bamboo reserve promotes conservation,

relaxation

The Phu An Ecological Bamboo Museumand Botanical Reserve, also known as thePhu An Bamboo Village, is a multipurposecentre promoting scientific research andecosystem conservation while educatingthe local community about environmentalprotection and the value of ecotourism,said project head Dr Diep Thi My Hanh, alecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)University of Natural Sciences.

In addition to providing a researchcentre and laboratory for students andacademics, the reserve is also anecotourism site, located in Binh DuongProvince’s Ben Cat Commune, some 30 kmfrom HCMC.

The vast ecological reserve with its 130bamboo species, including many rarevarieties collected from every corner of thenation, is open for tourists. Its botanicalgarden is known for its gorgeouslandscaping, brought to life with lushbamboo clusters and brilliantly colouredflowers.

The reserve also features a museum,which displays tools, musical instrumentsand art made out of bamboo, as well as anendangered species room where rareplants and insects are kept. There is also asmall theatre where visitors can watchdocumentaries about bamboo. The sitefeatures a bamboo maze made of rarespecies.

The VND11 billion (US$665 100) reserve,12 km from the provincial capital of ThuDau Mot, opened to the public last Apriland covers nearly 10 ha.

The project is a collaboration betweenthe HCMC University of Natural Sciences,the Binh Duong Province administrationand authorities from France’s Rhone Alpesregion and the Pilat Natural Reserve.(Source: Thanh Nien Daily [Viet Nam], 1 September 2008.) �

TURKEY

Turkish valley to be developed as

ecotourism area

The 40 000-ha Cehennem Dere Valley (HellStream Valley), which is home to rich floraand fauna, has been found highly suitablefor a variety of ecotourism activities, suchas trekking, terrain bicycling, floradiscoveries and observation of natural life,according to the study by experts from theEastern Mediterranean Forestry ResearchInstitute and Istanbul University.

As part of Turkey’s first ecotourismproject, a group of experts has examined aforest of cedars and spruces in theÇaml›yayla district of the southernprovince of Mersin to determine its fitnessas an ecological site.

Dr Ersin Y›lmaz, Director of the Institute,said that the valley has been scientificallyproved to be appropriate for seven types ofecotourism activities: observation of birds,flora discovery trekking, nature trekking,discovery trekking for NWFPs, discoverywalking, bicycle tours and observation ofwildlife. Of these, he said that observationof bird species has priority.

Pinus brutia (Turkish pine), Pinusthunbergii (black pine), the Taurus cedarand the Taurus spruce are major examplesof foliage that make the valley an attractivespot for ecotourism, he added.

The valley is also home to various caves,cascades and geological forms. Theproject is expected to serve as a model forfurther projects in the field of ecologicaltourism in Turkey. (Source: Turkish DailyNews (subscription) [Turkey], 25 July2008.)

UGANDA

Wildlife body in ecotourism venture

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) hassigned an agreement worth US$3 million(about USh4 billion) with a Germaninvestor to manage wildlife that is not ingazetted parks.

Lillian Nsubuga, UWA publicist, said in astatement that the investor, ChristianWeth, would invest in ecotourism andgame farming in Luweero and Nakasekedistricts, which have animals such aswarthogs, leopards, bushbucks, hyenasand Uganda kobs. “There is huge potentialfor tourism, sport hunting and gamefarming in this area. We will bring touriststo see the animals,” Weth said. He owns

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Enthusiasm is the best protection inany situation. Wholeheartedness iscontagious. Give yourself, if you wishto get others.

David Seabury

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AFGHANISTAN AUSTRALIA - FAO

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