Conservation and
sustainable-use for Natural Ingredients
The natural
ingredients sector has been selected by all of the BTFP beneficiary
countries. The selection is
is due to the variety of associated traditional uses,
the existing experience in national and international markets, and
the existence of an interested group of companies showing interest
in exported product derived from these species, such as essential
oils, fatty oils, extracts and other natural ingredients.
The expected
impacts of the promotion of this product group on conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity are:
-
Promotion of sustainable use of native species with international
trade potential
-
Implementation of practices that contribute to the sustainable use
of wild species along the value chain
-
Value added to the natural ecosystems from where species originated
- In the case of
cultivated species, implementation of good agricultural practices
that contribute to the management of native species, promotion of
diversification and conservation of natural habitats
- Good management of
soil and other natural resources
Responding to
demands of exporters of Natural Ingredients for Cosmetics and
Pharmaceuticals (NICP), the BTFP partners are providing support in
the implementation of quality standards. In Colombia, Ecuador and
Peru, programmes have been implemented to support the implementation
of GMP at company level, as well as the adaptation of Good
Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) lower down the supply
chain. Support can include: organisation of technical training
seminars for selected SME; elaboration of specific company work
plans based on a company diagnosis carried out by industry experts;
and individual company support (e.g. coaching) in the implementation
of the work-plans.
In the
context of the natural ingredients chain, quality is directly linked
to the sustainable use of raw materials. Industries' need for raw
materials that comply with the levels of quality required by the
market means that exporting companies have more direct control over
the areas where the raw materials are collected, and in the same
way, establish a more direct link with those that harvest such
plants.
Satisfying
the quality requirements of companies involves the implementation of
a documentation and monitoring system that, once put in practice,
can have a significant impact on the sustainable use of
wild-collected species. However, the sustainable use of species
requires the generation of more information that could facilitate
the definition of good collection practices and adequate harvest
rates.
Good Agricultural and Collection
Practices (GACP)
GACP are to be applied
when ingredients are derived from agricultural practices. GACP
provide a detailed description of the techniques and measures,
through Standard Operational Procedures (SOP), required for the
appropriate cultivation and collection of agricultural products and
medicinal plants. GACP include the recording and documentation of a
wide range of data and information during their production and
processing. GACP ensure the quality of ingredients, aiming to
improve the safety and efficacy of finished herbal products.1
The
World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published the new
standard of GACP. Until now, only the European Union and a few other
countries, such as China and Japan, have developed regional and
national guidelines for good agricultural and collection practices
for medicinal plants. The BTFP partners are making use of these
guidelines as a reference for the implementation in their home
countries where a national standard on Good Agricultural and
Collection Practices has not yet been implemented. GACP are intended
to be incorporated in the GMP system.
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Good
Manufacturing Practices (GMP):
Good Manufacturing Practices are
adopted to ensure that goods are produced in a consistent manner and
controlled according to quality standards throughout the whole
productive process. WHO has set this standard and many countries
have formulated their own national requirements based on the WHO GMP.
GMP
have been specified for pharmaceutical medicines, herbal medicines,
cosmetics, ingredients and raw materials. Most beneficiary countries
of the BTFP have already developed their own GMP requirements
according to the WHO GMP. Even if the adaptations vary, technical
assistance is based on those standards required in the target
markets.
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Guidelines
of the management of wild collected species
Taking into account that most of the new products are based on wild
collected species. BTFP has supported exporters in the
implementation of management plans for wild collected species as a
strategy to raise companies' commitment to the involvement of
specific practices that support the biodiversity conservation
The support has been provided based on guidelines developed by BTFP
and validated together with national partners and private sector.
The main expectations for the implementation of these activities
are:
- Implement cost-effective management plans according to the
companies’ needs and legal requirements
-
Provide tools to monitor harvest rates
based on the documentation generated by the company and its
providers in such a way that it guarantees the provision of raw
materials in the long term
-
Support control mechanisms of
environmental authorities, based on information generated from
documentation completed by the company and its providers
-
Generate biological information of the
species, which is useful in establishing conservation strategies and
sustainable use at different levels (viz. authorities,
academia, private sector)
-
Define agendas for research in priority
species that can strengthen the activities of the sector at national
level.
Click here to see the steps for the
development and implementation of management plans for wild species
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