Mangifera sylvatica (Wild Mango):A new cocoa butter alternative

Cocoa butter is the pure butter extracted from cocoa beans and is a major ingredient in the chocolate industry. Global production of cocoa is in decline due to crop failure, diseases and ageing plantations, leading to price fluctuations and the necessity for the industry to find high quality cocoa butter alternatives. This study explored the potential of a wild mango (Mangifera sylvatica), an underutilised fruit in south-east Asia, as a new Cocoa Butter Alternative (CBA). Analyses showed that wild mango butter has a light coloured fat with a similar fatty acid profile (palmitic, stearic and oleic acid) and triglyceride profile (POP, SOS and POS) to cocoa butter. Thermal and physical properties are also similar to cocoa butter. Additionally, wild mango butter comprises 65% SOS (1, 3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol) which indicates potential to become a Cocoa Butter Improver (an enhancement of CBA). It is concluded that these attractive properties of wild mango could be prompted by a coalition of policy makers, foresters, food industries and horticulturists to promote more widespread cultivation of this wild fruit species to realise the market opportunity

KBAD-A Real Time Opportunity for Sustainability Education During Covid-19

In achieving Sustainable Development Goals, the university holds a leading position. However, throughout the year long pandemic attachment between university and student has moved towards a more virtual platform. It has become a great challenge for both students’ and educational institutions to continue education through online platform. Facing the challenges of pandemic IUBAT successfully continues the online educational program. KBAD-Knowledge Based Area Development, a UNU (United Nations University) Flagship project has proven effectiveness in building links with IUBAT to students across the country. This program is to produce at least one technical graduate from 87,963 villages of Bangladesh. Door to door proper guidance for higher education is provided in the remote villages with financial assistance and interest free loans for the meritorious and needy. Since 2010, a total 9,381 students have graduated and another 11,699 are currently studying under KBAD from 535 out of 550 Upazilas and Thanas across the country. In the year of 2018, Merit Scholarship has been given approximately BDT 164.9 million; Interest free loan approximately BDT 20 million; Special Scholarship BDT 0.66 million with a total sum 185.56 million BDT or 2.2 m USD. Generally, 15% (Fifteen) more scholarship has been given to female students to ensure gender equity.  There is no other such university sponsored scheme/program for financial loan available in the country.  In the period of COVID-19, an additional 15% (fifteen) tuition fee waiver has been given to all, admission fee reduced 50%, a 6 USD fund transferred to the students to avail mobile data. Students have graduated with technical and ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) skills as it is a mandatory practice of this university. This nationwide education promotion made it a sustainable campaign outreaching the majority of remote villages of the country and encouraging technical education to the underprivileged group of the society along with the urban students. This unique program complies with SDG goals 4.3, 4.4 and 4.7. These goals ensure equal access of affordable, technical, tertiary and sustainable education to all leaving no one behind. KBAD is a model to eradicate educational discriminancy in a nation by removing financial barriers in tertiary education.Keyword: Sustainability Education, KBAD, Education Loan, Equal Access of Tertiary Education, Mentoring Rural Student

Morphological, nutritional and medicinal traits of wild mango (Mangifera Sylvatica Roxb.): Implications for increased use and options for cultivar development

Mangifera sylvatica Roxb. is an underutilised and threatened wild fruit species found in Bangladesh, which is highly valued by local people as a source of fruit and is an important source of nutrition. As part of a feasibility study of the domestication and cultivar development potential of M. sylvatica, a preliminary study examined the morphological traits (fruit, kernel and pulp mass), nutritional profile (carbohydrate, sugar, pH, fat, protein, mineral and vitamins) and medicinal traits (total phenolic and phenolic profiling). The fruit of M. sylvatica is small (27.00g ± 7.03g) with a comparatively bigger kernel fruit (40% of its body weight). M. sylvatica fruit pulp has been proved to be a good source of carbohydrate, Vitamin C, sodium (Na) and potassium (K) and also has good medicinal properties (mangiferin and quercetin). The kernel is also a rich source of carbohydrate and has a good fatty acid profile (rich in stearic and oleic acids) consistent with cocoa butter, which indicates its potential to be used in the chocolate and confectionery industry. There is continuous variation in these traits, indicating opportunities for multiple trait cultivar development targeted at the food and pharmaceutical industries. The information generated in the study can be used as a stimulus to the process of domestication and to encourage widespread use of the species, which will ultimately help to conserve this wild underutilised fruit species

Conservation of Mangifera sylvatica:a Wild Fruit Species for Health and Livelihoods

Many wild and underutilised plants contribute to food and nutrition. However, overexploitation due to ever increasing demand for wood products has frequently led to declines in populations of these species. Enhanced knowledge of the status of such species is necessary for livelihood security and conservation of these valuable species. The present study considers an underutilised and threatened species of Bangladesh, namely wild mango (Mangifera sylvatica Roxb.). Although this wild mango is one of the genetically closest species to the common mango (Mangifera indica L.) research is very limited and mostly focused on wood quality and phylogenetic relationships. Therefore, this study investigated the conservation potential of wild mango considering its contribution for food, nutrition and livelihoods. To do so, an assessment was made of the current and future distribution of the species, which is a crucial first step towards mitigation and management of future species losses or habitat shifts. The study characterized fruit quality by profiling morphological, nutritional and medicinal values. Finally, farmers’ preferences, and the agroforestry potential of this unutilized native fruit species were explored. The study conveyed five key messages: 1. Wild mango may become extinct under future climate change scenarios so it is high time to start thinking about conservation initiatives. 2. Wild mango is a small sized mango with a large kernel in relation to other Mangifera species which provides significant nutritional and medicinal advantages that can contribute to nutrition and health of local people. 3. Wild mango fruit kernels producing a butter which has the potential to be used as a Cocoa Butter Alternative (CBA) thus providing new market potential. 4. Wild mango is a considered as a food for wildlife but local people are also appreciative of the taste and colour of the fruits and consume them. The unripe fruit is also sold to the pickle industry and can generate income during the fruiting season. 5. The crown architecture of wild mango is similar to other popular agroforestry species (M. indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Acacia auriculiformis). Therefore, urgent conservation initiatives are required to evaluate its potential as a new native agroforestry tree species. It is concluded that these attractive properties of wild mango could be promoted by a coalition of land use planners, climate change policy makers, government or non-government organizations, commercial breeder, potential investors (chocolate, butter, nutraceuticals, flavourings), food industries, food technologists, minister responsible for foreign direct investment in Bangladesh and Bangladesh forestry department to promote more widespread cultivation of this wild fruit species to realise its full potential

Carbon storage in a bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) plantation in the degraded tropical forests: implications for policy development

Tropical forests potentially contribute to global climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration, hence a global carbon pool. In order to mitigate the global climate change impact, the Kyoto protocol developed the clean development mechanism (CDM) which supports carbon credits for plantation activities in developing countries. Unfortunately, none of the CDM forestry projects included bamboo as a carbon reservoir. Although bamboo is an integrating part of tropical forest ecosystems, it was overlooked in the initial negotiating process. The present study, therefore, investigated the carbon storage potential of a common bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris at Lawachara forest reserve of Bangladesh. Results showed that five-year-old B. vulgaris stand stored in total 77.67 t C ha(ˉ¹) of which 50.44 t C ha(ˉ¹) were stored in the above ground biomass (culms, branches and leaves), 2.52 t C ha(ˉ¹) in the below ground biomass and 24.71 t C ha(ˉ¹) in the soils. This amount of carbon storage is much more promising than the carbon storage of many other tree species considered in the CDM projects. These findings demonstrate the potential of B. vulgaris to be considered in CDM projects as a plantation species and thereby mitigate climate change impact more efficiently

Jacobi Zabarellae Opera Physica

Tropical forests potentially contribute to global climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration, hence a global carbon pool. In order to mitigate the global climate change impact, the Kyoto protocol developed the clean development mechanism (CDM) which supports carbon credits for plantation activities in developing countries. Unfortunately, none of the CDM forestry projects included bamboo as a carbon reservoir. Although bamboo is an integrating part of tropical forest ecosystems, it was overlooked in the initial negotiating process. The present study, therefore, investigated the carbon storage potential of a common bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris at Lawachara forest reserve of Bangladesh. Results showed that five-year-old B. vulgaris stand stored in total 77.67tCha-1 of which 50.44tCha-1 were stored in the above ground biomass (culms, branches and leaves), 2.52tCha-1 in the below ground biomass and 24.71tCha-1 in the soils. This amount of carbon storage is much more promising than the carbon storage of many other tree species considered in the CDM projects. These findings demonstrate the potential of B. vulgaris to be considered in CDM projects as a plantation species and thereby mitigate climate change impact more efficiently

Predicting impacts of climate change on forest tree species of Bangladesh: evidence from threatened Dysoxylum binectariferum (Roxb.) Hook.f. ex Bedd. (Meliaceae)

The impact of climate change on ecosystems, especially at the species level, can be currently observed in many parts of the world. Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to predict the likely changes in the distribution of species in future climate change scenarios. The aim of the present study is to predict the effect of climate change on a valuable threatened tree species Dysoxylum binectariferum in the northeastern part of Bangladesh using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model on species’ occurrence data. The future distribution of D. binectariferum was predicted under two scenarios from the IPCC 5 assessment (RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) in 2050 and 2070. Model results showed that approximately 32% (2177 km) of the studied area is currently suitable for this species to grow. However, future predictions obtained by the model projected a complete loss of suitable habitat for D. binectariferum in the studied area by both 2050 and 2070. Therefore, urgent measures are required for the conservation of D. binectariferum in northeastern Bangladesh. The application of species distribution models to simple inventory data (such as the occurrence of the species) may provide policymakers and conservationists with a useful tool for the prediction of future distribution (at both local and regional scales) of poorly known species with high preservation concerns

Habitat distribution modelling to identify areas of high conservation value under climate change for Mangifera sylvatica Roxb. of Bangladesh

The impact of climate change on ecosystems, especially at the species level, is already being observed across the world. To assess potential future climate change effects on species, scientists often use species distribution modelling (SDM). The estimation of likely changes in the distribution of species under future climate conditions is a crucial first step towards the mitigation and management of future species losses or habitat shifts. Considering this, the aim of the present study is to predict the effect of climate change on a valuable threatened tree species, Mangifera sylvatica Roxb., of Bangladesh using Maximum Entropy. The current potential distribution as by the model suggests that around 5% of the study area is highly suitable wild mango habitat, with between 6% and 11% being moderately suitable. Under the RCP 4.5 scenario, the net decrease in suitable habitat is predicted to be 7% by 2070. Under the RCP 8.5 scenario, the model predicts that the total area suitable for mango will reduce by 12% by 2050, disappearing altogether by 2070. Therefore, urgent measures are required for the conservation of M. sylvatica in Bangladesh. The application of the species distribution model may provide policymakers and conservationists with a useful tool for the prediction of future distribution (at both local and regional scales); of poorly known species with high preservation concerns. The approach used in this study can provide a rapid assessment of the future conservation status of other important forest tree species in Bangladesh to improve our understanding of the vulnerability under changing climate