Washington University Record, September 9, 2005

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/record/2045/thumbnail.jp

Stakeholders’ perceptions of wetland conservation and restoration in Wakiso District, Uganda

Natural wetlands are critically important to the lives and livelihoods of many people. Human activities result in the degradation of wetlands globally, and more so in developing countries prioritizing fast economic growth and development. With an increasing population in their immediate surroundings, wetlands in Wakiso District, Uganda, have become over-exploited to meet human needs. Policies, plans and projects have been put in place aiming at wetland conservation and restoration, but with limited stakeholder participation, have achieved limited success. Our research objective was to identify stakeholders, their perceptions, and understand the role these perceptions play in wetland conservation and restoration activities. To achieve these objectives, we used the ecosystem services concept within a qualitative, multi-site case study research approach. Findings show that stakeholders hold divergent perceptions on wetland ecosystem services, perceiving them as source of materials, fertile places for farming, cheap to buy and own, as well as being “God-given”. Furthermore, wetlands as habitats are perceived as not prioritized by central government. Implications for conservation and restoration vary with stakeholders advocating for (1) over-use, wise-use or not-use of wetlands and their resources, (2) educating and sensitization as well as (3) the implementation of the available laws and policies. This paper explores the findings and important implications for the conservation and restoration of wetlands in Wakiso District, Uganda

Monitoring the Sustainable Intensification of Arable Agriculture:the Potential Role of Earth Observation

Sustainable intensification (SI) has been proposed as a possible solution to the conflicting problems of meeting projected increases in food demand and preserving environmental quality. SI would provide necessary production increases while simultaneously reducing or eliminating environmental degradation, without taking land from competing demands. An important component of achieving these aims is the development of suitable methods for assessing the temporal variability of both the intensification and sustainability of agriculture. Current assessments rely on traditional data collection methods that produce data of limited spatial and temporal resolution. Earth Observation (EO) provides a readily accessible, long-term dataset with global coverage at various spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper we demonstrate how EO could significantly contribute to SI assessments, providing opportunities to quantify agricultural intensity and environmental sustainability. We review an extensive body of research on EO-based methods to assess multiple indicators of both agricultural intensity and environmental sustainability. To date these techniques have not been combined to assess SI; here we identify the opportunities and initial steps required to achieve this. In this context, we propose the development of a set of essential sustainable intensification variables (ESIVs) that could be derived from EO data

Development of Artemisia annua L. as a crop for production of the antimalarial drug artemisinin

Artemisinin is the parent compound for the latest generation of anti-malarial drugs. In many cases of severe or drug-resistant malaria, the artemisinins are the only effective means of treatment for this common and life-threatening parasitic infection. However, the current supply of artemisinin is unstable, and is predicted to fall far short of demand in the coming years. As artemisinin can currently not be economically synthesised, the only source of the compound is the Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. With the ultimate objective of stabilising the global supply of artemisinin, a Consortium of academics, agronomics and business partners was established. The Consortium, with funding from Defra and the Horticultural Development Company under the name of Project LINK 0822, was to examine the feasibility of establishing an “artemisinin supply chain” – from crop in the field to pure, active pharmaceutical ingredient – based entirely within the UK. The work presented in this thesis formed part of this Consortium’s research – namely, the establishment and validation of rapid, accurate and economical means of quality control of both raw herbal material and purified ingredient. To that end, methods were developed allowing both field-based, triaging quantification and more accurate, high-throughput laboratory-based quantification of sample material. Improved means of artemisinin purification – in particular the removal of the inactive metabolite deoxyartemisinin, which co-elutes and co-crystallises with artemisinin - were also developed. In addition, the potential pharmacological value of other compounds besides artemisinin was explored – namely, chrysosplenetin. This latter is a methoxylated flavonoid that accumulates with artemisinin in the plant, and has been shown, in this study, to have potential in the treatment of cancer. Finally, the feasibility of self-medication with Artemisia annua L. - in the form of herbal teas and over-the-counter preparations of the plant – was examined, and the amount of artemisinin, deoxyartemisinin and chrysosplenetin in such preparations was examined. 22 During the four years in which the LINK project ran, the Consortium members worked together to ultimately develop new lines of Artemisia annua L, that not only flourished in the UK climate, but also consistently yielded high (> 2.2 % w/DW) levels of artemisinin – almost a twofold increase from that at the beginning of the project. These new lines, together with the improved analytical techniques and means of artemisinin purification, demonstrate clearly that an artemisinin supply chain can indeed be based within the UK, thus contributing to a stable, year-on-year supply of artemisinin.Sponsored by Defra through the Renewable Materials LINK Programme (Project LK 0822, ‘Developing an alternative UK industrial crop Artemisia annua, for the extraction of artemisinin to treat multi-drug resistant malaria’) with financial input from the Horticultural Development Council (HDC)