National
Commission for the Knowledge and Use of
Biodiversity
CONABIO
has quickly become the most important
source of funding for research on
biological resources in Mexico. Organized
and advised by an enthusiastic and
well-trained group of scientists active
in different fields related to
biodiversity conservation, CONABIO is
today the only organization capable of
coordinating the efforts of institutions
and researchers at the national
level. - JC
The Comisión Nacional para el
Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad
(CONABIO - National Commission for the
Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity) was
established in 1992. The purpose of
CONABIO is to promote and coordinate
activities within Mexico related to the
exploration, study and utilization of the
country's biological resources. The
overall objective is to conserve Mexico's
ecosystems and produce criteria for their
sustainable management. Activities fall
within three areas: (1) improving
knowledge of the country's biodiversity,
through establishing inventory and
monitoring programs, databases and
networks of researchers; (2) exploring
options for the sustainable use of
biodiversity; and (3) diffusion of
information and education within
Mexico.
CONABIO provides financial support for
projects (about 200 are currently
sponsored), and gives scientific and
technical advice to the public and
private sectors. The National Information
System on Biodiversity, being developed
by CONABIO, will bring together a wide
range of information including data from
biological inventories, and directories
of researchers, NGOs and other
institutions. CONABIO has been promoting
awareness of the importance of
biodiversity by supporting the production
of television programs, printed
publications and CD-ROMs.
‘No single act will succeed in
substantially modifying the present
situation of what is known about
biodiversity and how it is used. Nor
shall it be possible to buffer the
effects of the current biological
crisis by maintaining reserves,
fenced-in like islands, in a sea of
human activity that is unsustainable
in the long run .... The inter
ministerial nature of CONABIO allows
it to coordinate activities that
reinforce efforts now being made, and
bring into play new actors in the
scenery of the use of
biodiversity.’
From:
a pamphlet produced by CONABIO
CONTACT
- Jorge
Soberón, Executive Secretary,
Comisión Nacional para el
Conocimiento y Uso de la
Biodiversidad, Fernández Leal
No. 43, Barrio de la Concepción,
Coyoacán, 04020 Mexico DF,
Mexico; Tel./Fax +52.5.5544332 or
5541915 or 5547472
Back
The
Healing Forest Conservancy
The HFC forms
part of Shaman Pharmaceuticals’
innovative efforts to provide
compensation to countries and communities
in the tropics. The amount pledged to the
Conservancy will increase once Shaman
makes a profit on plant-based
pharmaceuticals it hopes to market in
coming years. -GJM
The Healing Forest
Conservancy (HFC) is a non-profit
organization founded by Shaman
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the specific
purpose of returning benefits to local
communities for their intellectual
contribution to the drug discovery
process, after a product is
commercialized. After consultations with
indigenous federations and
biodiversity-rich countries, and review
of federation and international
declarations on the sustainable
development of biotic resources, the HFC
has developed and implemented pilot
projects to investigate equitable
compensation processes. Pilot projects
for compensation options include Terra
Nova, to test methods in land
demarcation; and Medicine Woman, to train
indigenous women in methods to add value
to biotic resources locally. Results
indicate that indigenous concepts of
compensation localize the value of
biological diversity while strengthening
the integrity of traditional
institutions. This contributes
critical elements to the sustainable
development of biodiversity in a manner
that leads to the conservation of
tropical forests and the welfare of
tropical forest peoples. HFC presents an
annual tribute - the Richard Evans
Schultes award - to a scientist,
practitioner or organization that has
made an outstanding contribution to
ethnobotany or to indigenous
peoples’ issues related to
ethnobotany.
‘The Healing
Forest Conservancy operates on the
premise that loss or homogenization
of life forms and cultural systems is
a trend we must resist. Biocultural
diversity enhances the sustainability
of both natural and social systems
because, when necessary, it supplies
a greater range of options for
adaptation - a cushion against
disaster in the face of sudden or
irreversible change. By spreading
risk, it equips natural and social
systems with alternatives for
continuing survival if a component of
a system fails. Biocultural diversity
is valuable because it retains
options and possible solutions to
crises not yet envisioned, and
answers to questions not yet asked.
It is in the best interest of The
Healing Forest Conservancy, as well
as all peoples and all nations, to
regain, protect and nurture existing
biological and human resource systems
while they are still useful, still
replicable and still
recoverable.’
From:
Moran, K. 1994. Biocultural diversity
conservation through the Healing
Forest Conservancy. Pages 101-109 in
T. Greaves, editor, Intellectual
Property Rights for Indigenous
Peoples: A Sourcebook. Society for
Applied Anthropology, Oklahoma City.
CONTACT
- Katy
Moran, Director,
The
Healing Forest Conservancy,
3521
S Street, NW Washington,
DC 20007, USA; Tel./Fax
+1.202.3333438 e-mail
moranhfc@aol.com
Back
The Gaia
Foundation
The strengths of
the Gaia Foundation are its relatively
small size and dedicated team. By
choosing not to grow too large, Gaia has
been able to maintain a very personal
link with the projects they fund. They
recognize the value of
“micro-projects funds” in
addition to long-term larger funding,
realizing that small grants at key times
can catalyze change. Gaia’s caring,
well informed and quietly efficient team
gives a rare quality to this
organization. -ABC
.
 |
The
Gaia Foundation, founded in 1984,
works to strengthen understanding
of the importance of cultural and
ecological diversity, and to
focus concern and funding
according to the priorities of
the South. The Foundation
provides a European base for a
number of NGO and grassroots
networks in Southern countries,
including: the COAMA Programme
(Consolidation of Amazonia) in
Colombia, the Indian Research
Centre in Brazil, the
International Greenbelt Movement
in Kenya and the SEED Trust in
South Africa. |
The
collaboration with COAMA is typical: it
supports small projects, developed by
communities, which aim to strengthen the
capacity of indigenous people to define
and orient their own sustainable
development path. As well as helping to
obtain financial and political support,
the Foundation provides its
colleagues in the South with information
about developments in the North and vice
versa. It also promotes and supports the
work of a group of Associates, mostly
from Southern countries, who are engaged
in developing socially just and
ecologically sensitive development
processes.
‘In
some parts of the Amazonian region,
indigenous communities occupy
territories inside of ‘protected
areas’ or state natural
reserves, thus classified because of
their great biological diversity. In
this situation are the Siona of
Cuyabeno faunal reserve, the Huaorani
and Quichua of Yasuní national
park, the Quichua (Oyacachi and
Chuscuyacu communes) and Cofanes of
Cayambe-Coca ecological reserve and
the Quichua of Limoncocha biological
reserve. In all of these areas there
are existing or potential conflicts
between indigenous needs for land and
means of subsistence, and
conservation of biological diversity
... An unresolved problem is the
definition of the rights of
indigenous communities to use these
areas for hunting, fishing and
harvesting of forest products, such
as medicinal and other useful
plants.’
Translated
from: Uquillas, J.E. and S.H. Davis.
1992. La cuestion territorial y
ecológica entre los pueblos
indígenas de la selva baja del
Ecuador. Pages 91-112 in M.
Cárdenas, H.D. Corra and M. Gómez
Barón, editors, Derechos
Territoriales Indígenas y Ecología
en las Selvas Tropicales de América.
Gaia Foundation and CEREC, Bogota.
Gaia, the Greek name for Mother
Earth, was chosen for the
Foundation because it represents
a world-view that emphasizes the
need for humanity to live in
balance with itself and with
nature, and also because it is a
beautiful name. |
CONTACT
- Liz
Hosken, Director, The Gaia
Foundation, 18
Well Walk, Hampstead, London NW3
1LD, UK; Tel.
+44.171.4355000, Fax
+44.171.4310551,
e-mail
gaiafund@gn.apc.org
Back
|
