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The WLBC is committed to understanding human relationships with plants and their environment. At present, programs are underway in 12 countries scattered across four continents. Ethnobotanists at the WLBC strive to preserve local knowledge about plants and plant use, even as they work with indigenous peoples to promote sustainable use of existing resources. At the same time, the WLBC is committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of the holders of traditional knowledge. This attitude informs our discovery partnerships with collaborators in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and nutrition research aimed at the development of new drugs, crops, agrochemical, or dietary supplements. Finally, the medicinal plant programs at the WLBC work to develop methods to ensure that botanical ingredients of dietary supplements are correctly identified and characterized to promote high-quality products. New and NoteworthyETHNOBOTANISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD GATHER AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, ISSUE CALL FOR ACTION Representatives from the WLBC, MBG, The New York Botanical Garden, Royal
Botanic Garden Kew (UK), Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (China),
Hanoi University of Pharmacy (Viet Nam), The Northern Territory Herbarium
(Australia), The Botanical Garden at the University of Mexico, The Botanic
Garden, Geneva (Switzerland), the Foundation for Revitalization of Local
Health Traditions (India), and Shah Abdul Latif University (Pakistan)
met in St. Louis to discuss specific targets of the Global Strategy for
Plant Conservation pertaining to useful plants and the biocultural knowledge
associated with them. Before the close of the meeting, the participants
drafted A Global Program on Conservation of Useful Plants and Traditional
Knowledge. The text of the statement can be found here.
RESEARCHERS FROM THE WILLIAM L. BROWN CENTER DISOVER HIGH LEVELS OF OMEGA FATTY ACIDS IN Plukenetia huayllabambana Researchers at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s William L. Brown Center have discovered extraordinarily high levels of omega fatty acids in a species which they encountered in Northern Peru. Omega fatty acids are essential for human health and must be obtained through food sources. Omega-3 fatty acids are also widely used in cosmetics. WLBC BOOK, MEDICINAL PLANTS AND THE LEGACY OF RICHARD E. SCHULTES, RECEIVES THE 2013 JAMES A. DUKE AWARD The American Botanical Council's James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award was created in 2006 in honor of noted economic botanist and author, James A. Duke, PhD. It is given annually to books that provide a significant contribution to literature in the fields of botany, taxonomy, ethnobotany, phytomedicine, or other disciplines related to the vast field of medicinal plants. This year's winner in the reference and technical book category is Medicinal Plants and the Legacy of Richard E. Schultes, edited by Bruce Ponman and Rainer Bussmann. CYCLONE HARUNA CAUSES WIDESPREAD DAMAGE IN REMOTE SOUTHWESTERN MADAGASCAR A Category 2 storm has deposited extraordinary amounts of rain on the Morombe and Tollary Districts of southwestern Madagascar. In addition to severe flooding, the storms winds have cause much damage to the area's already poor infrastructure. One of the WLBC's study sites, Analavelona Forest, was badly hit. For more on this story, go here and here.  The illustration is from the 1586 edition of |
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| © 1995-
Missouri Botanical Garden, All Rights Reserved |
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he William L. Brown Center (WLBC) is dedicated to the study of useful
plants, understanding the relationships between humans, plants, and their
environment, and the conservation of plant species and preservation of
traditional knowledge for the benefit of future generations.