BioTrade Production and Sourcing of Siam Benzoin Gum in Northern Viet Nam
摘要
This chapter presents a case study carried out under BioTrade, an initiative headed by UNCTAD to promote sustainable and biodiversity-friendly trade. The case is related to production of Siam benzoin gum in Viet Nam supported under the Helvetas’ Regional BioTrade Project, and demonstrates well how sustainable trade can lead to effective biodiversity conservation and livelihood benefits for those responsible for managing needed resources. Impacts of the programme are assessed through internal evaluations and published literature. BioTrade is an example of what can happen when a product or service sourced from biodiversity is commercialized and traded in a way that respects people and nature, as in the case of benzoin gum. BioTrade has established a set of Principles and Criteria to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits through trade, and these are applied on the ground by businesses and other organizations around the world, including the highlighted case in Viet Nam. Future work is expected to expand on these successes and also to strengthen the SEPLS-management aspect of the work through stronger cooperation with the Satoyama Initiative.