First ABS Capacity Building Workshop for Africa Cape Town 19-24 Nov 2006

1. Collecting and exporting a medicinal herb by Wivine Ntamubano Burundi First ABS Capacity Building Workshop for AfricaCape Town 19-24 Nov 2006

2. 1.THE COUNTRY: Burundi • Burundi is a small landlocked country Size: 27843 Km2 of land • Altitude: * highlands: 2200 m * Low lands: 750 m • Climate: Temperature: 15-25°C Rainfall: 500-2000 mm wet season: October-May dry season: June-October • Neighbouring countries: Rwanda in north, Tanzania in east and DRC in west • Population: * 6 millions of inhabitants, * and annual growth rate 3% • Income: more than 90% living in rural area from agriculture products

3. THE COUNTRY • Major food crops: * Pulses: beans, soyabean, peanut, peas * Cereals: maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, finger millet * Tubers: irish potatoe, sweet potatoe, cassava * fruit/cooking: banana plantain Tropical fruits: citrus spp, mango, avocado, tomato… * Vegetables: amaranthus spp, cabbage, carrots, onions… * Cash crops: coffea, tea, oil palm, cotton, sugarcane

4. THE COUNTRY • Key institutions involved in PGR management and use: * National Agriculture Research Institute (ISABU) * National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation (INECN) *Department of Forestry (tree seed centre) * Department of Water Protection and Use * Univ of Bdi: Faculty of Sciences and Faculty of Agrononomy * National Seed Service * NGO’s: Global Biodiversity Institute Burundi Branch and Burundi Association for Birds Protection

5. THE COUNTRY: Memberships of organisations/convention/treaties and networks * Member of ISTA, OECD * Member of the CBD * Signatory of the ITPGRF Signatory of the WTO * Signatory of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Signatory of the International Plant Protection Convention * Signatory of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety * Signatory of the CITES Convention, 1988 * Signatory of the RAMSAR Convention, 1997 * Member of regional conventions and networks:EAPGREN, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA) , COMIFAC,CEPGL, On-going laws and policies the field of PGR conservation and use * Harmonization of land and forestry Act * Reorganization of national seed sector ,Seed legislation (PGR inclusive) * Some of the conventions and treaties like IT are not yet domesticated to be taken into account in elaborating national laws. * No existing specific legislation on ABS

6. NAME AND TYPE OF GENETIC RESSOURCE: Ensete ventricosum: • Ensete ventricosum is a vegetal species for various uses. Local communities used it a long time ago in their daily life. They used (and still use) it as medicine in curing animal as well as human diseases. Also, it serves as food , ornementation and various uses. It is further used in traditional ceremonies.

7. NAME AND TYPE OF GENETIC RESSOURCE :Ikigomogomo • Ensete as a medicinal plant: • Human medecine • Leaves for mothers (breastfeeding) • Roots for children • Roots for men(male unvirility) • Teetheache • Powder and seeds for All types of body injuries • Animal medecine: (cows)milk • Young plants and seeds are collected from the forest by autochtone communities and sold to commercial societies.

8. 3. ACTORS INVOLVED : • 1.Local community: The Batwa are autochtone people who live in and around the Kibira National Park. They know the forest and its biodiversity.The livelihood of the Batwa traditionally depends much on the basic natural resources . • Agricultural and commercial Society "PLT”Plantations du Lac Tanganyika" represented by Jacques Heidmann and Emmanuel Bigirimana. • Ministry of environment represented by INECN (National Institute for the environment and nature conservation), INECN is the national institution in charge of protected areas, managing the CITES Convention and CBD national focal agency. • Ministry of Trade • Ministry of Agriculture

9. TYPE/KIND OF ABS AGREEMENT •  There is neither ABS regime nor ABS agreement. Since the Ensette is not including in CITES list, it is not requested to have a license of exploitation. Therefore, the sellers of these plants hide themselves since they get them from the protected areas.

10. AGREED BENEFITS IN THE AGREEMENT • monetary benefits • The lisence of exportation is 20 000 BUF( 20 US) without taking into account the exported quantity • They also pay the tax before exportation This tax represents 10 % of the plant value. • This money is paid to the ministry of trade

11. BENEFITS REALIZED TO DATE • We are not able to know benefits of "Plantation du Lac tanganyika “PLT claims that it has not get any benefit in the last few years, giving the reason that the transport was too long and unsafe in this Civil war period • There is no benefits for the ministry of environment represented by INECN. • there is no benefit for local communities

12. DIRECT CONTRIBUTION TO POVERTY ALLEVIATION • Nonethe local communities, who sell these plants do not get any benefits. In fact, they receive 50 BUF(0,05 US) by sold plant. • The Batwa people is the poorest community in Burundi. their livelihood depends much on the basic natural resources which is being overexploited. • No real job • No fees to send their children to school • No enough food for their familly

13. LESSONS LEARNT TO DATE • There is a real biopiracy on the genetic resources. This situation is favoured by • Acces which is not regulated • decision makers who are not consencious to the GR value, • the absence of a specific ABS regime and • the lack of implementation texts on existing legislations. • The overexploitation of biological ressources without sharing the benefits raised from those ressources will lead the communities to more poverty

14. WHAT CHANGES WOULD HAVE MADE THE DIFFERNCES • Ensete ventricosum is one example but there are at least 300 species exported without real benefit for the government and the community . • Most of them are taken from protected area. • So, there is a need of raising awareness to all levels, especially the decision makers on the GR value as well as the necessity of protect and value GR in poverty alleviation. • Also, a specific ABS legislation is very necessary. • Besides, other legislations on GR are existing but need to be updated as well as implementation texts • Burundi is classified among the very poor countries. Now, the priorities are reconsruction of infrastuctures destroyed during the war, mother and children health, HIV , refugees, reintegration of ancient rebels and soldiers, • Even multilateral institutions which normally founded biodiversity program had stopped their activities(GTZ).