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LET A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM !: 

LET A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM ! HOW CAN UNDER-UTILIZED PLANT SPECIES CONTRIBUTE TO BIODIVERSITY OBJECTIVES? Jeff McNeely Chief Scientist IUCN

LET A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM !: 

LET A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM ! HOW CAN UNDER-UTILIZED PLANT SPECIES CONTRIBUTE TO BIODIVERSITY OBJECTIVES? Jeff McNeely Chief Scientist IUCN

Slide3: 

under over ? ? ? ?

The issue: 

The issue Utilisation? Which uses? Sustainability!

The approach: 

The approach CBD ex situ / in situ / domestication / economics / law / research

the right spot on the spectrum: 

the right spot on the spectrum

CBD definition of “biological diversity”: 

CBD definition of “biological diversity” “the variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part, including diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems”

“biological resources”: 

“biological resources” “Biological resources” include the biotic components of ecosystems with actual or potential use or value for humanity, which includes virtually all species of plants.

“sustainable use”: 

“sustainable use” “the use of biological resources in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biodiversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.”

Slide10: 

The CBD also binds parties to respect, preserve, and maintain local and traditional knowledge; to promote wide application of this knowledge; and to encourage equitable sharing of benefits arising from such knowledge.

Global strategy for plant conservation: 

Global strategy for plant conservation Managing at least 30% of production lands consistent with the conservation of plant diversity; 60% of the world’s threatened species will be conserved in situ; Preserving 60% of threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10% of them included in recovery and restoration programmes; Conserving 70% of the genetic diversity of crops and other major socio-economically valuable plant species, and maintaining associated indigenous and local knowledge; Deriving 30% of plant-based products from sources that are sustainably managed; and Halting the decline of plant resources, and associated indigenous and local knowledge, innovations and practices that support sustainable livelihoods, local food security and health care.

CBD Work Programme on Agricultural Biodiversity : 

CBD Work Programme on Agricultural Biodiversity To promote the positive effects and mitigate the negative impacts of agricultural systems and practices on biological diversity in agroecosystems and their interface with other ecosystems; To promote the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of actual and potential value for food and agriculture; and To promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources.

Slide13: 

Many plants are being over-utilized: 25-50% may be under some degree of threat.

Why species are threatened: 

Why species are threatened excessive harvesting of particular species of economic value; increases in both human population and per capita consumption; the alteration of natural habitats (for example, into agricultural lands); impacts of invasive alien species, including diseases; the impacts of various environmental pollutants; and changes in climate.

Slide15: 

If plants are providing services, are they being “utilized”? shade carbon sequestration watershed protection store of genetic material

Slide16: 

Plants can move quickly from under- utilized to over-utilized

Plants for fuel: 

Plants for fuel In Europe, the share of renewables in the energy mix could double from 6% in 1999 to 12% by 2010 (EU Figures)

Medicinal plants: 

Medicinal plants not used (because medicinal properties not yet discovered) used locally (under-utilized from a global perspective) used globally (with risk of over-exploitation)

Construction: 

Construction temperate forests may be used sustainably in some countries tropical forests seldom managed sustainably

Slide20: 

Tropical timber can be both over- harvested and under-utilized in terms of economic potential

Slide21: 

More species of plants are being over-utilized than under-utilized

IUCN policy on sustainable use: 

IUCN policy on sustainable use “use, if sustainable, can serve human needs on an ongoing basis while contributing to the conservation of biological diversity.”

The ecosystem approach: 

The ecosystem approach The objectives of management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal choice. Decentralize management to the lowest appropriate level. Consider the effects (actual or potential) of ecosystem management on adjacent and other ecosystems. Understand and manage the ecosystem in an economic context that reduces any market distortions that adversely affect biodiversity, align incentives to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, and internalize costs and benefits in the given ecosystem to the extent feasible. Give priority to conservation of ecosystem structure and functioning in order to maintain ecosystem services. Manage ecosystems within the limits of their functioning. Undertake the ecosystem approach at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Set objectives for ecosystem management for the long term, recognizing the varying temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize ecosystem processes. Recognize that change is inevitable. Seek the appropriate balance between conservation and use of biological diversity. Consider all forms of relevant information, including scientific and indigenous and local knowledge, innovations, and practices. Involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific disciplines.

Ex Situ approaches: 

Ex Situ approaches Are major repositories of genetic material for future breeding and genetic improvement programmes of domestic or cultivated species; Provide for the long-term storage, analysis, testing, and propagation of threatened and rare species of plants and their propagules; Help to build up the populations of endangered species, which can be used to restore important degraded lands, reintroduce species into the wild and restock depleted populations; Provide scientists easy access to conduct research on plants under controlled conditions; and Provide important opportunities for public education on biological diversity issues, notably in botanical gardens.

Intl Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources: 

Intl Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources “In situ conservation means the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated plant species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties”.

Is domestication the answer?: 

Is domestication the answer? + Prevents overharvesting - May lose genetic diversity + May be profitable - May lose incentive to conserve wild form

Access and benefit sharing: 

Access and benefit sharing CBD article 15 recognizes that States have sovereign rights over their natural resources and are encouraged to determine the conditions under which access to the resources will be granted. They are to facilitate access to genetic resources, but under mutually agreed terms and subject to the prior informed consent of the source of the genetic resource. The implication is that the local people who have developed genetic resources would also receive an equitable share of the benefits arising from further commercialization of the resource. This Article has great relevance to the promoting of wider utilization of species that have economic potential.

Slide28: 

Recommendation A At the national level, an integrated set of protected areas encompassing various levels of management and administration, including the national, provincial, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, local communities and indigenous peoples, the private sector, and other stakeholders (McNeely, 1999).

Slide29: 

Recommendation B Within the framework of the market-based economic systems that are becoming increasingly widespread, greater participation by the civil society in economic development that extends to the management both of production forests and protected areas, especially for tourism and the sustainable use of certain natural resources (Szaro and Johnston, 1996). Solutions must be economically viable and socially acceptable, as well as environmentally sustainable.

Slide30: 

Recommendation C A fairly large geographical scale (sometimes called a “bioregion”) for resource management programmes, within which protected areas are considered as components in a diverse landscape, including farms, harvested forests, fishing grounds, human settlements, and infrastructures (Miller, 1996).

Slide31: 

Recommendation D Cooperation between private landowners, indigenous peoples, other local communities, industry and resource users; the use of economic incentives, tax arrangements, land exchanges and other mechanisms to promote biodiversity conservation; and the development of administrative and technical capacities which encourage local stakeholders, universities, research institutions, and public agencies to harmonize their efforts.

Slide32: 

Recommendation E Because of the dynamism of ecosystems, sustainability of use can only be demonstrated conclusively in retrospect; hence, any system for managing non-domesticated species of plants needs to be treated as experimental, with results of experience regularly feeding back into management approaches. Thus research and monitoring are essential elements of sustainable utilization.