TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Guest article - (Pdf )

• Forest Apiculture

Special Features - (Pdf )

• NWFPs in the Pacific Islands

    • A new bamboo initiative in the Fiji Islands
    • Canarium indicum and C. harveyi (canarium nut)
    • Domesticating traditional trees of the Pacific
    • Medicinal plant use in Fiji
    • Keeping tapa art alive
    • Overview of NWFP trade in Papua New Guinea and its contribution to livelihoods
    • Pandanus tectorius (pandanus)
    • Papua New Guinea Forestry Regulation and NWFPs
    • Sago palm (Metroxylon spp.)
    • The crippling of the lucrative kava export industry in the Pacific Island countries

• History of NWFPs

    • The forgotten heritage
    • Ancient and traditional uses of noni (Morinda citrifolia)
    • Old glory
    • Entomofagia humana
    • The vegetable fibre industry in the Canary Islands
    • History of NWFP use in Canada

News and Notes - (Pdf )

• Amazon chic

• Bioprospecting/benefit-sharing or biopiracy?

    • Boreal forest may be home to new medicines
    • Africa must patent traditional medicines
    • Drug companies looting South Africa’s bounty of medicinal plants
    • Namibian Government to act against plant pirates

• Can trees grow on Mars?
• Certification des PFNL en Afrique Centrale
• Chewing sticks
• Dried flower making: a potential cottage industry
• Home gardens
• Les PFNL alimentaires en Afrique Centrale
• Mediterranean forests: regional diversity sets the scene
• Moss plays important roles
• Non-profit organizations and NGOs

    • Global Forestry Conclave and Sustainable Development,
    Cameroon
    • Primary Environmental Care Association, Uganda
    • Resource Centre for Development Alternatives, Pakistan
    • Trees for Life

• Science for the poor
• The role of NWFPs in poverty reduction
• Weaving with NWFPs

    • Bamboo-fibre goods to set new fashion trends
    • Grassroots support for raffia growers in the United Republic of
    Tanzania
    • Medicinal plants used in organic clothing line
    • Promoting the use of the “bayong” in the Philippines
    • Stripped of a natural fibre
    • Woven bamboo products and crafts

Products and Markets - (Pdf )

• Açai, Acrocomia totai, Aquilaria, Bamboo, Butterflies, Cork, Guaraná,Honey, Medicinal plants and herbs, Moringa oleifera, Myrica gale, Nuts,Silk, Spices, Truffles, Wildlife

Country Compass - (Pdf )

• Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia,Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil,Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon,Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic,Egypt, Finland, India, Kenya,Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar,Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritanie,Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua,Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru,Philippines, Republic of Korea, SouthAfrica, Uganda, United Republic ofTanzania, United States of America,Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia

Econook - (Pdf )

• Africa’s dry forests
• Amazon rain forest at risk frominitiative to connect South Americaneconomies
• Coalition for Rainforest Nations
• Environmental certification and its rolein the economic growth of Amazonia
• Mining and deforestation
• Picking berries protects rain forestsbest, study shows
• Putting a monetary value onbiodiversity
• The 2010 Biodiversity Indicator Partnership

International Action - (Pdf )

• FAO, INBAR, indigenous issues

Recent Events - (Pdf )

Forthcoming Events - (Pdf )

Publications of Interest - (Pdf )

Web sites - (Pdf )

Obituary – C. Chandrasekharan - (Pdf )

Non-Wood News 16

AN INFORMATION BULLETIN ON NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS

JANUARY 2008

EDITORIAL

The editorial for this issue of Non-Wood News has been written by Maxim Lobovikov, Chief of the Forest Products Service.

Non-wood forest products play a vital part in the livelihoods of many millions ofpeople worldwide and are becoming increasingly important as a result ofpopulation growth, logging restrictions and environmental and health concerns.It is a paradox, therefore, that NWFP information – especially statistics on NWFPs– is still scarce, scattered and insufficient. Better and more consistent data areurgently needed for NWFP policy research and development.

Through Non-Wood News, FAO has been instrumental in highlighting themany facets of the world of NWFPs – from their role in food security andtraditional medicines for the poor, to their growing importance in the multimilliondollar pharmaceutical and cosmetic business. Since its first issue in 1993, Non-Wood News has been collecting, systematizing and disseminating valuableinformation and data from around the world. The bulletin consequently serves asan excellent source of information and research ideas. Since it has always covereda broad range of products and issues, Non-Wood News has been able to monitorsuccessfully global NWFP development trends, putting the subject into ahistorical perspective.

This 16th issue highlights some of these historical aspects in a SpecialFeature, “History of NWFPs”, with articles ranging from “The forgotten heritage”and “Old glory”, to others that demonstrate how NWFPs were useful andimportant for people in ancient times, and are still so today (e.g. edible insects, Morinda citrifolia). This traditional knowledge is an essential component of the NWFP world and has been underlined not only in “History of NWFPs”, but alsoin “NWFPs in the Pacific Islands” (the first Special Feature in this issue), wherewe have highlighted the many different traditional uses of the trees of the PacificIslands.

Non-Wood News is distinctive not only for its broad coverage of products andissues over a long period of time, but also for its readers and their willingness tocontribute to its success by sharing their knowledge of their NWFP world, as isamply demonstrated in this issue. In addition, many authors have againgenerously permitted us to use extracts from their books.

Finally, we bring news that will sadden the forestry community: the death inSeptember 2007 of Cherukat Chandrasekharan, the founder of Non-Wood News.Please see our obituary for him in this issue.

It is our intention to continue what Chandra started in 1993 – to bring to ourreaders the multifaceted and fascinating world of NWFPs. We hope that you willenjoy this volume and will continue to contribute to future issues.
 

NON-WOOD NEWS

is compiled and coordinated by Tina Etherington, Forest Products Service of the FAO Forest Products and IndustriesDivision. For this issue, editing support was provided by Regina Hansda; language editing by Roberta Mitchell,Josiane Bonomi and Deliana Fanego; design, graphics and desktop publishing by Claudia Tonini.

Non-Wood News is open to contributions by readers. Contributions are welcomed in English, French andSpanish and may be edited to fit the appropriate size and focus of the bulletin.
If you have any material that could be included in the next issue of Non-Wood News for the benefit of otherreaders, kindly send it, before before 15 April 2008, to:
NON-WOOD NEWS – FOIP
FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
E-mail: [email protected]
www.fao.org/forestry/nwfp/nonwood.htm

FAO home page: www.fao.org

All Internet links cited were checked on 2 December 2007. Articles express the views of their authors, notnecessarily those of FAO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do notimply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO) concerning the legal status of any

 

 

Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are goods of biological origin other than wood, derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs), another term frequently used to cover this vast array of animal and plant products, also includes small wood and fuelwood. However, these two terms are used synonymously throughout this bulletin. Other terms, such as “minor”, “secondary” or “speciality” forest products, are sometimes used to keep original names and/or titles.