Rainforest Products

Business – International Herald Tribune.

Fernando Katukina is chief of an indigenous tribe that lives largely without running water, electricity or links to the world outside this remote corner of the western Amazon.

But Katukina says he possesses a treasure that could be at the cutting edge of biotechnology. If a plan initiated by the chief is successful, his tribe’s fortunes will be transformed by an asset that he and the Brazilian government say holds great promise for the global pharmaceutical industry: the slime from a poisonous tree frog.

Tribal shamans have used the slime as an ancestral remedy to treat illness, pain, even laziness. The crucial ingredients are compounds with anesthetic, tranquilizing and other medicinal properties.

Scientists say the promise lies in isolating peptides from the frog’s slime and then reproducing them for medicines to treat hypertension, stroke, and other illnesses

Already, Katukina has the backing of Brazil’s government, which sees the frog slime as a steppingstone to significant advances in its own research and development in pharmaceuticals. In particular, the scientific challenge of the frog, known locally as the kamb?, will deepen Brazil’s expertise in pharmacogenomics – the combined use of genetics and pharmacology – and it takes advantage of the traditional knowledge of indigenous people.

"Traditional knowledge can help modern medicine and generate significant economic benefits, too," said Bruno Filizola, technical coordinator of the project and a biologist at the Environment Ministry in Bras?lia.

eloping nations, is trying to fight back against what it perceives as biopiracy, the theft of biological resources from the country’s native habitats for commercial use. Though the project is still in early stages, about 20 scientists are seeking start-up financing of close to $1 million from more than a dozen universities, state governments, and federal agencies.

Colombia to step up sales of eco-friendly coffee by 2007.

NEW YORK, MAY 18:  The head of Colombia’s largest coffee growers’ group vowed on Wednesday to make sure that 10% of its total coffee output will be certified by social and environmental programs by 2007.

“There should be, by 2007, about 1 million (60 kg) bags of certified coffee, and that will be about 10% of Colombian coffee,” said Gabriel Silva, chief executive of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC).

RA is a nonprofit organisation helping farmers and companies balance
economic, social and environmental development by means of
conservation. The Fair Trade label guarantees that farmers and workers
received a fair price for their products, while Utz-Kapeh is a
worldwide certification programme that sets the standard for
responsible coffee production and sourcing.

Growing consumer demand for certified coffee by social and
environmental programs has prompted more farmers and coffee roasters to
sell certified products.

Chris Wille, chief of the RA’s sustainable agriculture
programme, said his group certifies about 30,000 tonne of coffee, up
from about 5,000 tonne five years ago.