Sustainable Herbs Initiative
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  • Why did you decide to plant these saplings and in this particular region of India?
    • There were some reports coming that the forests do not have sufficient materials to maintain increasing consumer demands. At this rate, the tree populations will inevitably dwindle or disappear, and so we thought to start this process. Though our information on this protected tree is limited, it is well known that demands for Boswellia extracts are continuing to rise and preventative measures to maintain this essential, and sacred tree with reforestation efforts aim to protect the tree and preserve it for future generations by beginning with small steps like planting saplings. Furthermore, the region we selected was chosen as it is the region we are harvesting gum resin for our clinically backed WokVel® Extract; this supports our sustainable and traceable harvesting initiatives. Additionally, the tribal population in this region is well trained to look after and maintain these trees, protecting them for years to come.
  • How does planting these trees relate to the overall mission of Verdure Sciences, both in sourcing ingredients and in addressing issues relating to sustainability (climate change, etc.)?
    • Sustainability and traceability are very important corporate initiatives and are a part of Verdure’s mission for traceable ingredient solutions with tangible health applications. From the perspective of sustainability, planting these trees in regions we are harvesting from aims to ensure that the trees that are humanely tapped are also allowed sufficient resting periods between harvests which allows the trees to become rejuvenated and produce gum resin for a long time. This preventative effort will allow us to prepare for increases in demand, though at this time, they are just that – preventative measures. While the Boswellia trees are very closely guarded, their populations are protected and they are not in an emergent state with these measures in place; Verdure is diligently working ahead of demands to maintain a healthy population of trees.
  • Who are the native tribes with whom you worked in planting these saplings and what is their relationship to Verdure Sciences (i.e. are they involved in supplying boswellia serrata to VS now?)?
    • Native tribes are local and in this particular region are primarily members of the Saharias tribe. Verdure does not work with them directly; however, the district forest officer is involved in working with them very closely on our behalf.
  • Can you tell a story of the day when VS was helping to plant the 200 saplings? Who was there, what was involved, that sort of thing?
    • Roughly 2000 saplings were planted in collaboration with the local tribe, head of Panchayat (local government), and local forest officer, who were all present. Local tribe persons were primarily involved in planting these precious saplings in the areas that they closely watch over.
  • Who ‘owns’ the trees and/or who owns the land on which they are planted? Who is responsible for maintaining them? I’ve spent time in rural India and have seen many tree planting efforts destroyed from wandering goats and other livestock. What precautions are necessary to ensure the trees survive? What about threats of development or other pressures on the land? Are there things you can do/have done to ensure the trees will be protected?
    • The land that we provided Boswellia saplings for is government owned land in India. The government has allocated, and strictly regulates the tapping of all of the non-timber resources in this region, allowing only the native tribal population in the region they live in rights to this. This particular forest area is not frequented by grazing livestock due to its location, and it is also watched over by the tribe members. The tribal population has divided the trees among families living in the region. Each family takes care of, watches over, and taps the trees in their areas.
  • When it comes time to harvest the gum resin from the trees, who ‘owns’ the raw material? Are these trees considered wild and so the tapping will be wild harvested or are they considered cultivated and so owned by the land owner?
    • They trees are wild-harvested, or wild-crafted, as all trees are in the government owned forests. The government has given these local tribal populations rights to tap non-timber resources in these forests for their living. The tribe persons collect gum resin from their plots of trees and sell to the local collector/s that Verdure then works with.
  • What did you learn from this program that you bring to other sustainability initiatives as a company? And do you have any advice for other companies wanting to get involved in efforts like this but not sure how to begin?
    • There are various initiatives from government and NGOs in support of sustainability of forest products. Verdure recognizes that the native persons tapping these trees are the experts in their area; they know how to safely tap the trees, when to harvest, and how much pressure is on these available resources, as well as what the future looks like for their trees. Verdure has been grateful to collaborate in sustaining the Boswellia tree population to help preserve the resources that we are using in our WokVel® Extract. It is a small step in doing our part for the greater good. We urge other companies involved in Boswellia harvesting to get involved in similar efforts and activities to help protect the tree populations for the future.