Indena is proud to announce that CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organisation) released the documentary “Custodians of the forest”, the first documentary about a very successful example of sustainable management and corporate social responsibility program in the Prunus Africana.

Pygeum africanum Hooker (the more popular name of Prunus africana) has been demonstrated by numerous clinical results to be effective in reducing symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia in the early stages and prevent it spreading.

The project was set up to provide thorough ongoing monitoring of the status of the species in Cameroon, and to collect data on the biology, availability, management, use and trade of products derived from the Prunus. The CITES officers in Cameroon use the data to regulate the collection of Prunus tree bark and to ensure this natural resource is managed sustainably.

The project named "Non-detriment Findings for Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman in Cameroon," has been sponsored by the ITTO, an intergovernmental body that promotes the conservation and sustainable management of tropical forest resources, fruit of a program of cooperation with CITES, and saw the backing from Indena and other European companies particularly committed to respect and take care of the world around to make it more valuable for the people who live in it.

“Custodians of the Forest” has been presented at the recent CITES Conference of Parties during a dedicated workshop inside the Side Event on the ITTO-CITES Programme for Implementing CITES Listings of Tropical Tree Species. The video is available also at the Youtube channel of Indena.

“We study nature to obtain active molecules and botanical extracts that can benefit people. As working with plants, natural biodiversity is an invaluable resource for our research. For this reason, joining the project was a natural choice for Indena. Thanks to this project, we make sure that the Prunus bark that is harvested, even if in limited quantity, in Cameroon is obtained without any detrimental activity, neither on the trees nor on the local population, that is earning sustainable money from this activity.” commented Dr. Renato Iguera, medicinal plant purchasing manager at Indena.