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Advice on Publications Available.By Larry Geno
The goals for national and international strategies and agreements to conserve biodiversity are gradually becoming clear. However, it is less clear how these strategies will be applied by individual landholders and businesses. This article outlines some thoughts on the role of one agricultural sector, the currently-expanding native foods industry in northern NSW, in seeking to conserve biodiversity in the region.
Bushfood or bush tucker is a wide range of native plants and animals useful for food, flavouring and medicinal purposes. Some have traditional Koori (ie aboriginal) uses while others are only now finding other commercial applications.
In addition to establishing the first genuine Australian cuisine, bush cultivation offers the opportunity for a truly sustainable, profitable commercial enterprise. In particular, bush farming provides the economic incentive for conservation of biodiversity in native flora and fauna. This applies whether the crop is gathered from the wild or whether plantations of improved selections are being grown.
In wild areas, an appreciation of the potential commercial value can assist in the preservation of valuable species. An example of this is the natural stands of tea tree in northern NSW that were left uncleared during agricultural development of the region. Some of these trees with high or specific oil content were later used for clonal propagation when establishing commercial tea tree plantations. It will be important to ensure that the genetic diversity that is present in native stands is retained.
As bush foods become commercial, wild bush foods come under increasing observation and use, thus expanding the knowledge base on the extent of biological diversity. We have already observed significant spatial and climatic variations in populations under trial, and these sometimes assist in resolving questions of biogeography and evolution.
The commercialisation of bush food species will often lead to an increase in the numbers of rare and endangered members. Once this occurs, there is always the opportunity to return members to the wild. Many growers of bush food plantations are consciously seeking to obtain as wide a genetic base as possible for the development of improved selections for future development.
The emerging priority in bush food farming of creating analog forests or polyculture plantings of compatible species means that information on the dynamics of wild ecosystems becomes important for plantation design.
Those involved in the development of new crops have typically sought to protect their interests by such mechanisms as Plant Variety Rights. The bush food industry recognises that it is dependent on the biodiversity of present and potential crop species and is increasingly considering replicating that diversity in plantations with the objective of achieving the resultant ecological sustainability.
In the northern rivers region of NSW, growers and processors are developing a register of species and selected genotypes. This records characteristics and identifies source plants in plantations so that product of known character can be confidently traded while allowing conservation of maximum diversity.
Under the conventional PVR approach, there is a clear financial incentive for ethnobotanists, collectors and plant breeders to carry out their work. In the northern rivers area, we are encouraging a complementary approach that is more likely to conserve diversity.
When a plant explorer identifies a potentially commercial specimen, he or she enters into a binding contract or voluntary agreement with a propagating nursery for a royalty that is collected at point of nursery sale and returned to fund further plant exploration.
The establishers of bush tucker plantations have concerns that native pests and diseases may make their plantations non-viable and wild-gatherers worry about competition from unethical or ignorant excessive harvesting.
A small grant has been made available by the Rural Industry Research and Development Corporation to conduct a Conference in early 1996 to bring industry representatives together at a national level to address various issues such as these, and to develop national networks.
The future for bush tucker production is seen as bright, biodiverse, profitable and, in particular, tasty.
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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