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Iwokrama Fungal/Plant Bioprospecting Project 2000–2003 – A Model for the Future?

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Bioprospecting

Part of the book series: Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation ((TOBC,volume 16))

Abstract

In 2000 the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IIC), Guyana embarked on a bioprospecting and bioinventory project of endophytic fungi and their plant hosts in partnership with other institutions. The project was called the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Biodiversity in the Iwokrama Forest (CSUBIF) programme and was funded by the European Commission (EC). The main objectives were (a) establishment of a bioprospecting-bioinventory laboratory in Guyana, (b) an inventory of Iwokrama’s unknown endophytic fungi, (c) isolation of bioactive natural compounds from fungal endophytes and host plants, and (d) development/commercialisation of natural products. A local laboratory was established at the University of Guyana to collect, identify and analyse samples. The project was an overall success having identified (a) hitherto unknown endophytic fungi and (b) 110 fungal and 29 plant extract leads for further research and development. The major constraints of the project was its short duration, lack of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreements and access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS) protocols. There has never been a more important time to reassess efforts such as the Iwokrama Bioprospecting Project, given the current crisis caused by resistant bacterial and fungal diseases and the lack of effective antibiotics with which to treat them.

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Acknowledgement

The EC is gratefully acknowledged for its funding of the Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation of Biodiversity in the Iwokrama Forest EC Project B7-6021/98-02/VIII/FOR Guyana of which bioprospecting was a component.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those held by the European Commission nor the International Board of Trustees, management and staff of the Iwokrama Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Ramish Pingal

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  1. Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Russell Paterson

  2. Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Nelson Lima

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Pingal, R. (2017). Iwokrama Fungal/Plant Bioprospecting Project 2000–2003 – A Model for the Future?. In: Paterson, R., Lima, N. (eds) Bioprospecting. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47935-4_8

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