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No.21 Winter06- 07 The Newsletter of the Initiative for Biodiversity Studies in Arid RegionsA

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ial Women and Biodiversity

This article was originally published in “This Week in Palestine”; Edition No.95; 2006. It is

reproduced here by permission of the author Mr. Sami Backleh.

Life, nature, and the planet earth have been generally exposed to female features

throughout different civilizations and times. Some old cultures symbolized and

devoted women as goddesses. “Gaia,” Mother Earth for the early Greeks, was

worshipped as the universal mother for centuries. The notions of fertility, nativity,

beginning, birth and renewal have always been associated with females, because

of their natural function of conceiving, thus ensuring the continuity of the species.

Their role as caretakers in the up-bringing of children and for their daily provision

has also made women the primary users of natural resources for non-commercial

purposes in the preparation of food, clothes, shelter, and medicine. Therefore,

there is a strong link between women and biodiversity. For certain communities,

biodiversity is considered as a basis for women’s work, whereby their everyday

activities are a manifest of cultural practices.

Historically, it had been documented that the role of women in farming communities,

as in Palestine, is valuable. Women also take charge of many agricultural activities

and go hand-in-hand with men in planting and preparing the land and harvesting its

fruits. Another female task tied closely to biodiversity is the collection of medicinal

plants, which may be used for curing illnesses, in addition to other kinds of plants

that have economic or industrial values while also serving as fodder and fuel or

even as manure and pesticide. Therefore, their knowledge is huge because the

community’s well-being depends on it, and the preservation of this knowledge is

crucial for maintaining biodiversity. This acquired traditional ecological knowledge,

which stems from generations living in close contact with nature, is mainly associated

with women as they can easily transfer this knowledge to their children. Highly

sophisticated and dynamic, this kind of knowledge encompasses information about

locations, movements and other factors, explaining spatial patterns and timings of

the ecosystems.

Due to the wise management and use of biological resources, important

international policies and legal agreements acknowledge the key role that women

play, especially in the developing world. International environmental treaties such

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Biodiversity Can Also Mean Tasty and Healthy Food

Traditionally, rural people have relied on wild edible plants for nutrition especially

during the harsh winter months and the frugal spring months. This is a recipe based

on mallow (khubayzeh), a wild plant that can be found throughout the Lebanese

mountain. The mallow for this particular recipe was collected in Kuakh (Hermel)

and standardized at AUB’s pilot plant by the staff of the IDRC-supported wild edible

plant project. It will be part of a traditional food cookbook to be published soon.

But first…some information on mallow:

• English name: Mallow

• Arabic Name: Khibayzeh

• Scientific name: Malva-sylvestris

• Therapeutic Uses: Used as a febrifuge, an anti-inflammatory,

and to treat the respiratory system.

• Active Compounds: Mucilage, L- rhamnose, D-galactose,

D-galacturonic acid and D-glucuronic acid.

Mallow grows on moist soils. It is collected from December

until mid-May. Its leaves and stalks are edible. It is reported

in the Literature to be therapeutic: anti-inflammatory and

anti-bacterial. However, traditional knowledge from the

towns of Aarsal and Kuakh claims that mallow can also

treat chest problems, gallbladder diseases, lung disorders,

liver cirrhosis, respiratory tract problems, gastrointestinal

discomfort, inflammation and can also be used as an

appetite stimulant.

By Dr. Malek Batal, Department of Nutrition and

Food Science

Mallow

as those on biological diversity and desertification now recognize the central role

of women as stewards of the natural world. Despite this increased recognition at

the international level, little has been done to clarify the nature of the relationship

between biological diversity and the activities, responsibilities and rights of women.

Thus their contributions to conservation go unrecognized.

Among the forces that are threatening women’s ecological knowledge and status

are the large-scale modernization of agriculture and the destruction of biodiversity

through different means such as biotechnology, along with limited access to

education and services that impose major constriction.

Hence, women’s involvement and empowerment are needed to secure the sound

management of biological resources. Empowerment in this case entails the

improvement of the conditions of rural women, in their role as users and preservers

of local biological knowledge. In doing so, women’s involvement in managing

biodiversity and decision- making have to be enhanced and encouraged for the

welfare of the community. They make a major contribution to the well-being and

sustainable development of their communities and nations, and to the maintenance

of the earth’s ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources.

Sami Backleh, currently a freelance conservationist, is from Jerusalem. He received

his M.Sc. degree in Conservation biology from the “Durrell Institute of Conservation

& Ecology” in UK. He has worked on a wide range of issues from bird conservation

to heritage landscapes in Palestine. He can be contacted at his email address:

sbackleh_2000@yahoo.com.By Sami Backleh

Mallow with Burghul

Region Kuakh

Total Servings 7

One Serving 1 cup

Preparation Time �0 minutes

Ingredients

500g mallow

2 cups burghul

1 tbsp salt

� cups water

1 small onion

1 tbsp olive oil Preparation

• Wash the mallow, pick it, then chop.

• Wash the burghul, combine it with the mallow, salt, and water.

• Peel the onion and finely chop.

• Fry the onion in a shallow pan with virgin olive oil until its

color turns light brown.

• Heat the mallow and burghul mixture for 20 minutes.

• Then combine with the onion and serve with cold yogurt aside.

The finished dish. Healthy and….delicious!

Why Native Plants Matter and What we can do to Preserve Them

There’s a good reason to recognize native plants – in fact, there are many reasons.

Their role in the landscape is key. They are adapted to harsh conditions of growth

related to soil, salt tolerance, weather, and resistance to diseases. Native plants

can have cultural value (such as the Lebanese cedar) and countless uses such as

ornamental, edible and medicinal uses. Furthermore, it is easier for farmers and

growers to get access to plant propagation material because they are readily

available in the wild (seeds, wood cuttings etc.).

Of course, plants native to Lebanon occur in a wide variety of attractive species. Some

species are popular and easily marketable, such as the pine and the cedar, while

others are known abroad and sometimes imported, like the Cercis siliquastrum. For

other species, marketability is a work-in-progress.

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Figure 1. Advantages and disadvantages of bridging between scientific and local communities

The idea of promoting the well-being of societies through science can be taught in

analytical chemistry and highlights the potentials of the discipline which may attract

students to engage in the development, maintenance, and regulations of food,

biomedical and pharmaceutical processes. Analytical chemistry is also important for

the protection of the environment where continuous testing of pollutants in water,

air and soil is required. Furthermore, the development of new analytical techniques

is needed to measure new pollutants or detect common pollutants at lower limits to

meet the requirements established by the world environmental protection agencies.

The global market, too, needs accurate and reliable measurements so that technical

barriers to trade can be minimized and where analytical chemistry is the basis for

the assessment of the quality control of most goods used in every aspect of society

(Figure. 2)

Role of Science in Promoting Well-Being of Societies

We are working on making native plant species known to the public to create public

demand for them in local nurseries. Meanwhile, we are encouraging nurseries to

produce these plants, to expand the scope of their use. So far, we offered native

plants (Cercis siliquastrum, Acer syriacum, Lippia nodiflora and Polygonum

aviculare) to Jwar El-Hoz Municipality and to Bain Militaire in Manara, Beirut. Some

of our experiments aim at enhancing the quality of these plants up to international

standards in order to promote their marketability. In all our experiments, the species’

rarity is taken into consideration. If the species is rare, precautions are taken during

collection of seeds and cuttings to ensure species sustainability in wild habitats.

Cercis siliquastrum in flower Juniperus excelsa tree

By Khaled Sleem, IBSAR Field Coordinator

and Ibrahim Saliby, IBSAR Production Coordinator

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Creative Chemistry: Teaching Bench to Market Concept

In countries with emerging economies, the vital role that science could play is

identifying actual problems of society and translating them into authentic research

and teaching questions. Analytical chemistry, for example, involves the development

of measurement techniques and instrumentations that are vital to any industrial

application. Isolating analytical chemistry in academic settings will widen the gap

between scientists and local industries, thus preventing industrial and economic

developments (Figure 1). On the contrary, relating basic, applied and industrial

sciences provides basic needs like access to clean water and air, food and nutrition

security, in addition to diversified job and product opportunities. In this context,

scientists become the gateway for local, regional, and international collaborations

to discover novel solutions to existing local problems.

Figure 2. Different tasks undertaken by analytical chemists

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A New Vision for an Old Chemistry Course

The analytical chemistry course was modified to respond to challenges. For this,

seven laboratory sessions were revised and new experiments specifically designed

to integrate the fundamentals of the discipline into the different industrial

and environmental applications. In addition, an activity, “special project”, was

introduced as a new teaching component of the course. In this activity, students are

asked to design an analytical chemistry experiment under the theme assigned for

that semester. During the process, students are guided through collective lectures

and subgroup discussions to work in a group of two or three people in order to

i) identify a need in our society, ii) develop the analytical chemistry procedure of

the experiment, iii) conduct the experiment in the laboratory, and iv) analyze and

evaluate the results by comparing the data to other reported values in the literature.

Interestingly, limited access to resources sometimes has a positive outcome in the

formation of the students and the educators, forcing them to be more creative. Using

simple tools and techniques, adapting protocols and converting them into low cost

approaches and substitution of reagents, some students came up with innovative

and creative project topics.

Findings of the special projects are disseminated via poster presentation and

a written report complying with a scientific journal type format. Examples of

themes covered included “Arguileh Smoke and Turkish Coffee”, “Mediterranean

Cosmetics and Chemistry”, “Art and Chemistry”, and “Post War Chemistry”. This

coming semester, the theme for the project is “Bioprospection”. The posters will be

presented on the International Biodiversity Day, May 22. All are invited!By Dr. Najat A. Saliba,

Department of Chemistry

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A Chance to Meet IBSAR’s Advisory Board

Guiding IBSAR’s aims and operation are the seven distinguished members of its

Advisory Board. Representing a cross-section of society with interest in biodiversity,

these accomplished individuals are leaders in their academic/research, community,

and business fields. The purpose of this Board is to advise on IBSAR Center’s vision

and priorities and on the direction of its research programs and activities; to promote

IBSAR to the general community, other institutions, businesses, and governments;

to advise on partnerships, capacity building, and networking; to advise on, facilitate

and assist in fundraising; and to secure contacts and develop public relations. Here’s

a brief profile of each of our Advisory Board members…

Dr. Abdul Hamid Hallab is the Special Advisor to the President of the American University of

Beirut and the Vice President of the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research.

* He is published extensively in the field of Food Technology and Nutrition in refereed Inter-

national Journals. He has established and administered regional programs of training and

technical assistance for the public and private sectors in the Middle East.

Dr. Simon N. Haydar, Ph.D. is Principal Research Scientist, Group Leader at the Wyeth Phar-

maceuticals, Neuroscience Department Princeton.

* His research experience is in CNS (obesity, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s,

stroke), oncology, immunosuppression, antiviral and inflammation. Lead projects to clinical

development.

Ms. Ann Zwicker Kerr has spent a total of fifteen years living, studying and teaching in the

Middle East. Ann is currently at the University of California in Los Angeles, where she coordi-

nates the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Enrichment Program.

* She is a frequent speaker on the Middle East and an escort for study groups to the region.

Her late husband, Malcolm Kerr, was the president of the American University of Beirut and

was assassinated in office in 198�.

Dr. Mike Maunder is Director of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, USA

(a research and conservation-focused botanic garden).

* His professional interests include: International and national plant conservation policy,

practical application of plant conservation, capacity building for biodiversity, and public

understanding of plant conservation issues.

Mr. Walid Nasser, Lawyer, specialises in anti-piracy, registration of trade marks and intel-

lectual property.

* Mr. Nasser is one of the drafters of the newly enacted copyright and patent laws of Leba-

non. In addition, he drafted the Access and Benefit Sharing law, and the biosafety decree for

Lebanon. Furthermore, he contributed to the drafting of the biodiversity section of the special

book on environmental laws and regulations in Lebanon and authored a number of articles

published in international legal publications.

Dr. Michael Wink is Dean of Research; Faculty of Life Science Heidelberg University; and

Guest professor at the University of Harbin (China).

* His fields of interest include: Molecular pharmacology, evolution and ecology of plant

secondary metabolites; their application in medicine and agriculture; biosynthesis and

production of active compounds in cell cultures; and molecular phylogeny, phylogeography,

and population genetics of plants, birds and reptiles. He is author/coauthor of more than 500

publications and more than 20 books/monographs.

Dr. José A. Zaglul is the President of EARTH University (Escuela de Agricultura de la Región

Tropical Húmeda), an institution dedicated to the conservation and sustainable development

of the tropics.

* Dr. Zaglul has been President of EARTH since its inception in 1989 and has guided its devel-

opment from the conceptual stages into the operational stage in which it currently exists.

By Sarah P. Shebaya, Outreach Officer to the

Executive Board

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Designed by the Office of University Publications

Sem

inar

s Monthly Seminars to Highlight Contemporary Topics in Biodiversity

Not only do IBSAR seminars bring together faculty members and students and inform them

about IBSAR projects – they also elicit mutual interest among them in contemporary biodiver-

sity topics and provide a forum for the exchange of perspectives and for raising new research

questions to further pursue topics at hand. To this end, IBSAR’s Research and Patent Commit-

tee will be holding a monthly seminar every first working Tuesday of the month at 1:00 pm.

For March, a seminar titled “Landscape and Biodiversity” was held by Dr. Jala Makhzoumi,

and for April, a seminar titled “Economic Barriers to Diversifying Away from Tobacco Produc-

tion in Rural South Lebanon”, was held by Dr. Nader Kabbani.

Here’s the schedule for the next three months…

By Zeina Abdel Khalik, Assistant to IBSAR Research

and Patent Committee

Month

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

Seminar Title

Why the World is Interested in Essential Oils

The Potential on biodiversity-based traditional Lebanese recipes in improving dietary diversity

Urban nature: Summarizing Our Findings on Plant Biodiversity in Lebanese Cities

Landscape and Biodiversity

Economic Barriers to Diversifying Away from Tobacco Production in Rural South Lebanon

Aerosols in the Atmosphere: Pre- and Post-War Assessments

Challenges of Plant-Derived Anti-Cancer Drug Discoveries

Presenter

Dr. Elie Barbour

Dr. Malek Batal

Dr. Salma Talhouk

Dr. Jala Makhzoumi

Dr. Nader Kabbani

Dr. Najat A. Saliba

Drs. Hala Muhtasib and Nadine Darwiche

Interested in knowing more about IBSAR?Visit our bi-lingual website at www.ibsar.org or contact us at ibsar@aub.edu.lb

IBSAR – The Initiative for Biodiversity Studies in Arid RegionsThe American University of BeirutP.O Box: 11- 02�6. Beirut, LebanonTelephone: +961 1 �50 000, Ext: �509Fax: +961 1 ��0 �60, Ext: �505