Bioprospecting in an African Context Author(s): Lydia Makhubu Reviewed work(s): Source: Science, New Series, Vol. 282, No.

5386 (Oct. 2, 1998), pp. 41-42 Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2897752 . Accessed: 24/01/2013 04:43
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EXAN
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and takento protectgenes, species,habitats, of the implementation ecosystems. Theeffective deprovisions of theConvention will,however, of napendto a largeextenton theavailability to interpret these tionalandregional capacities situations. provisions andapply themto specific resources Prospecting forbiological hastaken placein all regions of theworldsinceantiqz bytheexploitation of uityandis wellillustrated 0 use.Bioprospectplant resources formedicinal ti search ing has been definedas the systematic for, and the development of, new sourcesof andmacrochemical compounds, genes,microandother economically valuable biorganisms, LYDIAMAKHUBUis vice ologicalproducts. This definitonpresupposes chancellor andprofessorof the existenceof formal guidelinesfor bioA more systematic approach has prospecting. at the University chemistry of arisen outof intemational concem onlyrecently Swaziland. She has servedon for environmental and the depledegradation bodiesand tionof tropical consulting forests material, andthegenetic Whether version numerous youbelievein thebiblical societies,waspres- particularly in developingcountries. of creation or not, thereis no doubtthathu- professional Here, I for medicinal mankind is an integral bio- identof theRoyalSwaziland partof theEarth's So- will focus on bioprospecting inAfrica, a process that hasspanned cenTheuse of biological resources, ani- cietyof Scienceand Technology, plants diversity. withsociocultunies andis strongly intertwined forhuman as exmals,andplants, sustenance, in thebiblical turalbeliefs,thus pointingto a need for the of cre- and is a Fellowof theAf ican description plicitlystated of Sciencesandpresi- CBDto be formulated in the andimplemented over these Academy ation,assertshumanstewardship on thereconcilithe criticalimpor- dentof theThird resources and emphasizes of thecomplex debate World Organi- context ationof traditional of perceptions tanceof exercising andscientific judiciouscarein theirex- zation in Science. for Women medicine. Thisdebate is particularly significant so that successivegenerations can ploitation in Africa,wherephytomedicine is an integral fromnature's a livelihood derive bounty. andwhereit is estimated that The 1990shaveseena tremendous risein thesocialawareness partof traditional medical practice, resortto traditional medicine for of environmental andconservation concers worldwide, leading up to 80%of the population thosewho alsovisitmodemhealth to numerous national andinternational mostnotably the theirhealth needs,including meetings, of traditional UnitedNationsConference on the Environment and Develop- facilities. A briefhistorical reviewof theevolution theEarth Summit, whichwasheldinRiodeJaneiro in June medicine of theintricate issuesinvolved. will provide a glimpse ment, in medicine 1992andproduced Agenda forinternational In a detailed reviewof the historyof traditional coop21, a blueprint notesthatone of the eration on the environment and sustainable development. This China, Africa,andEurope,t A. Sofowora conference alsoresulted in theConvention on Biological Diversi- earliestrecordeduses of herbalmedicine is that of chauloil fromthe speciesHydnoarpusgaertn, whichwas intemational commitnentto the moogram ty (CBD),which highlighted in thePharmacopoeiaof the conservation of biological diversity andthesustainbleandequi- considered effective against leprosy 2730 and3000 B.C.Sotable sharingof its benefits arisingfrom the use of genetic Emperor ShenNungof China between 21 andtheCBDrepresent also reports thatthe seedsof opium(Papaversomniferresources. Agenda intemational recog- fowora nitionof theneedforcountries to evolvenational frameworks to um) andthe castor oil seed (Ricinus communis)wereexcavated A globalconsensus theiruse in thatpartof protectand conserve the environment. has fromsome Egyptian tombs,indicating forpurposes similar to ours. 1500B.C.,probably on theurgent needto understand con- Africaaround emerged whatconstitutes makesthe interesting observation thatbefore of biodiversity, servation anddepletion andwhatstepsmustbe N. R. Fansworth in the 19thcentury, of organic nearthe development chemistry fromplantmaterials,: and ly 80%of all medicines wereobtained The author is at the University of Swaziland, Private Bag No. 4, Kwaluseni, Swaziland. some of the most potentdrugsused in today'sconventional *GoodNews BibleEdition withDeutorocanonicalsApocrypha (BibleSociety of South plants yetrepresent onlyabout medicine arederived fromhigher MedicineinAfrica(WiAfrica,1985). tA. Sofowora,MedicinalPlantsand Traditional on earth.? plants 90 of theestimated 250,000speciesof higher ley, New York,1992), p. 9. *N. R. Farnsworth, 0. Akerele,A. S. Bingel,"Medicinal Plants in Therapy," Bull.WHO63 (6) 695 (1985). ?D.Chadwick,CIBA Foundation It is most regrettable lacks early thatthe Africantradition Bulletin 37, 13 (1994). IIL. P. Makhubu, TheTraditional Healer (Univ.of Botswana foundin China,Egypt,andother written records such as those and SwazilandPress, Kwaluseni, WorkSwaziland,1978). IOAU/STRC/DEPA/KIPO countries. In Africavaluableinformation is transmitted from shop on MedicinalPlantsand HerbalMedicinein Africa, PolicyIssueson Ownership, Access and Conservation(BDCP Press,Cameroon,1997). generationto generation,usually within the same family,
whenGodcreated theuniInthebeginning, verse,the earthwas formlessanddesolate. "Let there be ...Then God commanded, He comlight"and light appeared....Then produce all kindsof "'Let the earth manded, plants,thosethatbeargrainandthosethat bearfruit"-and it was done. So the earth produced all kindsof plants,andGod was pleased withwhathe saw....ThenGodcomproduce all kindsof "Lettheearth manded, animallife: domesticand wild, and large God and small" and it was done....Then said"And nowwe will makehuman beings; us. I am theywill be like us andresemble putting you in chargeof the fish, the birds I haveprovided andall thewild animals. all kindsof grainandall kindsof fruitforyou 1)* to eat...."(Genesis, Chapter www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL282 1998 2 OCTOBER

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a practicethat holds the inherent beeninitiated in African throughthe oral tradition, countries to document medicinal plants dangerof loss or distortion of criticalinformation. This leads in order of thecontinent's vastplant to assesstheextent resources. of howearlyAfricans to the question attempt to address thefollowing concerns:l identified theseplantma- Thesesurveys terialsandcertifiedthatthey werefit for humanconsumption access to medicinalplants,and indigenousknowlOwnership, and for curing disease, without some form of taxonomic edge.InAfrica, medicine oftenservesas analtemative traditional recordssuchas thosethatpresent-day scientists depend upon. system,but is sometimesused in conjunction with Westem As theworld hasmoved intoa scientific andtechnological Theescalating costof drugs age, medicine. andthestrong cultural betheorigin of herbal medicine in many countries rmains shrouded liefs associated withtraditional practice andlandtenure systems in mystery in modem haveto be considered andoftensounds fantastic to thosetrained in any discussion of bioprospecting for science. Traditional bioprospecting requires no scientific minig Medicinal medicinal plants. plants maybe foundon individually butis directed by ancestral spintsandrevealed to thosewho are ownedland,on communal land,in conservation parks,andin endowed andthusselected to become nurseries, spintually andextensive bytheir ancestors knowledge of theiruse lies withTMPs, traditional medical itjealously forcommercial practitioners andcultural reasons. There (fTJ)s).tlIHow, then,dotradition- whoguard al medical practitioners limitedaccessto information acquire thevastknowledge aboutthe tradiof medicinal is, consequently, plants thatenable themto go intothewildto identify plants with tional thatis vitalforcountries medical wishknowledge system, andprepare healing power life-giving potions to healthesickand ing to adopt modemscientificstrategies. Onthe otherhand, the thedying? There areseveral theories to explain thismystery. feel unprotected since manycountries lack laws recogOne healers about theory purports thatinformation to nizng theirexistenceand knowledge, which gives rise to the plants is communicated theTMP after thetraining ritual byancestral has questions spiits in a dreamtll of whoownsmedicinal in situ,andwhoownsthe plants beencompleted. TheTMPretains in hisorhermemory thenames indigenous thatis possessed knowledge by individual healers. andusesofplants throughout hisorherlife, To further complicate thisproblemn, in a massiveamount of knowlconstituting addition to thelocations listed above, there "TRADITIONAL is alsoseenas edge.Thisspiritual guidance are manycollections of plantspeciesin thebasisfordiagnosis andprescription, ingene banks, and botanical garherbaria, BIlOPROSPECTING IS dicating a stronglinkbetween traditional dens in Europe, America, and elsewhere medicine andthebeliefinthepowers of the that wereorginally gathered from different INTERTW:INED WITH over theliving. Itis thisdimension Africancountries. Thereis currently no departed SOCIOCULTURAL AND that medicine from lawguiding African accessto thesegenetdistinguishes traditional modemscience. which are by right. African The RELIGIOUS BELIEFSTHAT ic resource, Communication withtheworld lackof national lawsandpoliciesaddressof spirits andthe use of plantandanimal prod- MUST BE UNDERSTOOD ing theseissuesis a major concem.Many ucts in religiousritualsemphasizethe Acts prostill retain Witchcraft countries holistic natureof traditional medicine, BY THOSE ENGAGED IN mulgated duringthe colonialera, which thespiritual, thephysical, MODERN CONSERVATION negatethe proclaimed of the recognition whichaddresses andthesocial-psychological that problems medical andwill make traditional systems AND PROTECTION OF affect people'sdaily lives.11 to theCBDa thorny issuein manycountries. Contrary commonbelief,witchcraft is not consid- AFRICA'S BIODIVERSITY." Medicinal plants and intellectual anddisease. property rights. While Africa has a rich eredthesolecauseof sickness Theenvironment (referred to as the"air") and acknowledgedbiodiversity,many andsurroundings areconsidered critical in detennining a person's countries haveno legalfiamework to linksustainable utilizalion state of health.t1 There is thusa strong andcomplex relationship be- of natural resources, conservalion of biodiversity, andexploitatweenthe livingandthedeadandthephysical environment. Tra- lionof plants foreconomic gains.Should indigenous knowledge withsociocultural ditional bioprospecting is intertwined andreli- of the use of medicinal plantsbe protected as intellectual propinmodem erty? At giousbeliefsthatmustbe understood bythoseengaged Whoshould be custodian of intellectual rights? property conservation andprotection of Africa's the present lime, in manycountries, different government minbiodiversity. There is a yawning thepractitioners with gapbetween to bioprospectors and biopirates, of tradition- istriesgrantpermission who possessknowledge of theplantsandtheiruse, few conditions attached andwithno contract withthecollectors. al medicine, andthescientifically trained of theCBD,whose169sig- Exisling drafters nalional policieson medicinal plantsaregrosslyinadenatories include African countries. Forthe African continent to quate to control andbiopirates foreign bioprospectors alike,and in negotiations become"anequal of issuescovered localdevelopment of processes andtechnologies partner bythe do notpromote issuessuchas ownership, accessto andutilization targeting theseimportant resources. Convention,j1 of medicinal of theiruse, andthe plants, indigenous Thecomplexity of theAfrican situation requires diverse input knowledge of benefitsderivedfromthem,mustbe resolved. The andexpertise to umderstand the sociocultural and cicumstances sharing evolution of policiesandlegalframeworks thatcanbe adopted by mergethemwiththe scienlific requirements of the intemalional Africangovernnentsto regulateand conservebiodiversity demand include forbioprospecting. Thesesources should specialIn- iststo address medicinal plantsin particular-isof paramount importance. intellectual studproperty rights, patent registration, in a situation where TMPsarekeyplay- ies of relevant sections of theagreement onTrade-related Aspects tellectual property rights ersin theuse of biological mustbe reconciled withthe of Intellectual and resources Rightson pharmaceulical products, Property provisions of theCBD.WhilemostAfrican inbiotechcountries havesigned scienlists to developments to confront issues pertaining in theConvention in religion, theCBD,manyissuesremain unresolved and nology. Regardless of differences culture, intemalion5 demand themselves. An equally scrutiny by theAfricans impor- al conventions, andpublications, the preservation of biodiversity in particular tantissueis theroleof biotechnology, mustexercise stew- 0 onhuman shoulders. geneticengi- restssquarely Humanity inthedevelopment of theplant-based in- ardship neering, pharmaceutical of its diverse biological resources so thatfuture genera-m in Africa. are in African tions may receive their rightful inheritance. The African tradition experts already engaged discusdusty sions of these issues. For example, ethnobotanical surveys have in thisaim. cancomplement modemscientific approaches
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