The sustainable use and trade of indigenous plants has created valuable economic opportunities for 2,500 Namibian women and their communities.
The Eudafano Women’s Cooperative in Namibia extracts ingredients from seeds of indigenous plants such as marula, a medium-sized deciduous tree, for the domestic and international cosmetics industry.
Oil extracted from marula seeds is rich in elements that are essential for the preservation of human skin, making it an ideal ingredient for cosmetics.
The cooperative commercializes the marula and other plants in line with a set of guidelines on environmental, social and economic sustainability, known as BioTrade principles and criteria.
The term “BioTrade” refers to the supply and commercialization of goods and services derived legally and sustainably from a country’s biodiversity.
“We use the plants to support our livelihoods, while conserving them so that they sustain us for a long time,” said Martha Negumbo, the cooperative’s manager.
Ms. Negumbo said applying BioTrade principles enables the cooperative to “promote sustainability, equal sharing of benefits and respect for the rights of all actors, especially the local community.”
A matter of principle
BioTrade principles encourage sustainable trade and investment in developing countries’ unique natural resources, while ensuring their long-term conservation and enhancement.
More than 80 countries have implemented the principles to date, with several examples of successful adoption by governments, companies and communities.
The principles are aligned with key multilateral environmental agreements, notably the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
They are also in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris climate agreement and the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.
“These principles empower local communities and cooperatives to protect biodiversity and benefit from it at the same time,” said Lorena Jaramillo, project manager of UNCTAD’s BioTrade initiative.
Reference
https://namibia.un.org/en/134620-women-rural-namibia-profit-biodiversity-friendly-trade