Plants

This small booklet is the pilot version of a longer book which will be published for use in schools throughout the Kamchatka Peninsula. Using the example of the dwarf Siberian pine, one of three species of pines with edible nuts found in Russia, the book seeks input from readers on the content and design of the future publication on wild harvested plants and their uses.

This publication contains four papers on different legal issues of interest to developing countries. The papers were researched and written by four Carl Duisberg Gesellscaft (CDG) Fellows who came to Germany from Bangladesh, Venezuela, Nigeria and China to study under the host leadership of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre.

Bryophytes are of great importance in their ecosystems and for human well-being. They stabilise soil crust through colonisation of bare grounds and rocks; they are essential in nutrient recycling, biomass production, and carbon fixing; they control water through an effective retention mechanism; and they have economic value as peat for fuel, horticulture, oil absorption, and as sources of a wide variety of chemical compounds.

Plant genetic resources are crucial for world agriculture, food security and the global economy. They are vital for the pharmaceutical industry and are important assests for developing countries rich in biodiversity. The patents and intellectual property rights (IPRs) associated with the development of new products are critical to trade in these resources.