Assessment, Conservation and Development of PNG Biological Resources, AP 1

Introduction

AP 1 scientists oversee the many activities conducted in PNG that are essential for the accomplishment of ICBG goals.  Dr. Teatulohi Matainaho is responsible for the administration of all these elements within PNG.  Projects headed by investigators within UPNG are funded through the UPNG administrative structure.  Projects directed by investigators of the FRI are supported through subcontract mechanisms.

A major focus of AP 1 in this second round of funding will be the documentation of PNG traditional medicines and the preservation and study of indigenous knowledge concerning the use of the associated medicinal plants.  These activities provide opportunities for student training, botanical description of indigenous medicinal plants, and for the advancement of PNG’s new National Policy on Traditional Medicine.  Dr. Prem Rai (Professor of Pharmacy and Chairman of the Traditional Medicines Taskforce) and Dr. Matainaho will train senior pharmacy students at UPNG to conduct annual traditional medicine surveys, and to collect vouchers of medicinal plants.  These records will be entered into the Traditional Medicines Database maintained at UPNG.  Plant identification and assistance in voucher preparation will be provided by Dr. Osia Gideon, Director of the UPNG Herbarium, and his staff.  Dr. Matainaho will oversee student projects aimed at the extraction and screening of PNG medicinal plant collections at the bioassay laboratory within UPNG.  Traditional medicines that are the foci of student projects, and others selected by the PNG Traditional Medicines Taskforce, will be evaluated in this facility, in collaboration with AP 3 and AP 4, for validation of activity, identification of active metabolites, and for the standardization of preparations.

In addition to the identification of medicinal plants, ICBG botanists will participate in the conservation and botanical inventory activities of the CTFS/SIGEO forest dynamics plot in Wanang, PNG.  Dr. Matainaho will also work with PNG BioNET to provide administrative and financial support for further development of legislative initiatives concerning conservation of biodiversity, the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), equitable access and benefit sharing (ABS) protocols in PNG.  AP 1 will foster conservation and educational outreach activities that are conducted as part of the Traditional Medicines Surveys, the Traditional Medicines Taskforce’s activities, ICBG botanical collection activities, and by PNG BioNET affiliated NGOs such as Conservation Melanesia.  Dr. Matainaho will also arrange the required collecting and export permits.

Complete Story: http://pharmacy.utah.edu/ICBG/AP1/ajax2.htm