Alves, R.R.n., Souto, W.M.S. & Barboza, R.R.D. (2010) Primates in tradtional folk medicine: a world overview. Mammal Review, 40, No.2, 155-180

Abstract

1. Almost 50% of primate species are in danger of becoming extinct, according to
the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of
Threatened Species. This is partly because of their consumption by humans. The
reasons for hunting vary by region. One pretext is the medicinal or magical value of
products derived from these animals.

2. In this paper, we provide an overview of the global use of primates in traditional
folk medicines as well as identifying the species used as remedies associated with folk
beliefs. Some important questions relating to the conservation of primates are
addressed.

3. Our results revealed that at least 101 species of primates, which belong to 38
genera and 10 families, were used in traditional folk practices and in magic-religious
rituals throughout the world.

4. Of the 101 species of primates recorded in our review, 12 species were classified
as Critically Endangered, 23 as Endangered, 22 as Vulnerable, seven as Near Threatened,
36 as Least Concern and one as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List. All species
were also included in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora Appendices I or II, although the reasons for their inclusion
were not necessarily related to their medicinal use.

5. The widespread utilization of primates in traditional medicine is evidence of the
importance of understanding such uses in the context of primate conservation as
well as the need for considering socio-cultural factors when establishing management
plans concerning the sustainable use of these mammals.

04/04/2010
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Rainforest timber continues to be cut illegally from Madagascar's national parks despite a recently announced moratorium on precious wood exports and logging, reports a source from the Indian Ocean island nation.

On March 24, Madagascar's transitional authority unveiled decree (no. 2010-141) prohibiting all exports of rosewood and precious timber for two to five years during a council meeting held at Ambohitsorohitra Palace in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital city. But with the revelation that logging is continuing within Masoala National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, questions are now being raised about the decree.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0404-madagascar_moratorium.html

04/04/2010
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Indonesia is preparing to establish a trust fund to reduce deforestation, reports the Jakarta Globe.

The National Forest Trust Fund, which will be raised by the Ministry of Forestry from foreign donors, would be an expansion of a pilot initiative established last year in a debt-for-nature swap between Indonesia and the United States, according to Hadi Daryanto, director general of forest production at the Ministry of Forestry. The money, which would be managed by an independent group, would finance conservation projects and promote sustainable forest management.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0330-indonesia_trust_fund.html

30/03/2010
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Under mounting pressure over illegal logging of its national parks, Madagascar's transitional government on Wednesday reinstated a ban on rosewood logging and exports.

The decree (no. 2010-141), which prohibits all exports of rosewood and precious timber for two to five years, was announced during a council meeting held yesterday at Ambohitsorohitra Palace in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital city. Madagascar's Minister of Environment has already proposed a plan to address the illegal timber trade, according to the Madagascar Tribune.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0325-madagascar_rosewood_ban.html

25/03/2010
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Global forest loss has diminished since the 1990s but still remains "alarmingly high", according to a preliminary version of a new assessment from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The report, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010), shows that global forest loss slowed to around 13 million hectares per year during the 2000s, down from about 16 million hectares per year in the 1990s. It finds that net deforestation declined from about 8.3 million hectares per year in the 1990s to about 5.2 million hectares per year in the 2000s, a result of large-scale reforestation and afforestation projects, as well as natural forest recovery in some countries and slowing deforestation in the Amazon.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0325-deforestation.html

25/03/2010
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Gorillas may disappear across much of the Congo Basin by the mid 2020s unless action is taken to protect against poaching and habitat destruction, warns a new report issued by United Nations and INTERPOL.

The Last Stand of the Gorilla - Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin - released at the CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar - lists a multitude of threats to gorillas, including the bushmeat trade, outbreaks of the ebola virus, illegal logging, mining, and charcoal production. The report warns that that militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are exacerbating the gorilla crisis through trafficking and involvement in other illicit activities. Gorilla bushmeat moves through the same smuggling channels as illegally extracted timber, diamonds, gold and coltan (a mineral used in cell phones). Further, insecurity in the region has driven hundreds of thousands of people into refugee camps, which has increased pressure on natural resources, including forest habitat for gorillas and the apes themselves.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0325-congo_gorillas.html

25/03/2010
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