You know, it's a big privilege for me to be working in one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world: the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. These islands — Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Réunion — along with the island of Madagascar, they are blessed with unique plants found nowhere else in the world. And today I will tell you about five of them and their particular features and why these plants are so unique.
Velika mi je čast raditi u žarištu biodiverziteta u svetu: na Maskarenskim ostrvima u Indijskom okeanu. Ova ostrva, Mauricijus, Rodrigez i Reunion, uz ostrvo Madagaskar, blagosloveni su jedinstvenim biljkama, koje se ne nalaze nigde drugde na svetu. Danas ću vam govoriti o pet biljaka i o njihovim specifičnim odlikama i o tome, zašto su toliko jedinstvene.
Take a look at this plant. I call it benjoin in the local vernacular, and the botanical name is Terminalia bentzoe, subspecies bentzoe. This subspecies is endemic to Mauritius, and its particular feature is its heterophylly. What do I mean by heterophylly? It's that the same plant has got leaves that are different shapes and sizes. Now, these plants have evolved very far away from the mainland, and within specific ecosystems. Often, these particular features have evolved as a response to the threat presented by the local fauna, in this case, grazing tortoises. Tortoises are known to have poor eyesight, and as such, they tend to avoid the plants they don't recognize. So this evolutionary foil safeguards the plant against these rather cute animals, and protects it and of course ensures its survival.
Pogledajte ovu biljku. Ja je zovem benžoan, po lokalnom narečju, a po botaničkom nazivu je Terminalia bentzoe, podvrsta bentzoe. Ove podvrste su endemične na Mauricijusu i njihova posebna odlika je heterofilija. Šta mislim pod heterofilijom? To je kada jedna biljka ima lišće različitih oblika i veličina. Ove biljke su se razvile veoma daleko od kopna, unutar specifičnih ekosistema. Često su se ove odlike razvile kao odgovor na pretnju koju predstavlja lokalna fauna, u ovom slučaju kornjače koje pasu. Poznato je da kornjače slabo vide i kao takve, sklone su da izbegavaju biljke koje ne prepoznaju. Ova evolucionarna folija čuva biljku od ovih ljupkih životinja, štiti je i naravno, osigurava njen opstanak.
Now the question you're probably asking yourself is, why is she telling us all these stories? The reason for that is that we tend to overlook the diversity and the variety of the natural world. These particular habitats are unique and they are host to a whole lot of plants. We don't realize how valuable and how precious these resources are, and yet, through our insouciance, we keep on destroying them. We're all familiar with the macro impact of urbanization, climate change, resource exploitation, but when that one last plant — or animal for that matter — when that very last specimen has disappeared from the face of this Earth, we would have lost an entire subset of the Earth's biology, and with it, important plants with medicinal potential or which could have ingredients that would speak to the cosmetic, nutrition, pharma, and even the ethno-veterinary sectors, be gone forever. And here we have a very prime example of the iconic dodo, which comes from Mauritius, and, of course, we know is now a symbol of extinction.
Sada se verovatno pitate zašto vam pričam sve ovo? Zato što težimo da previdimo različitost i raznovrsnost prirode. Ova posebna staništa su jedinstvena i udomljavaju mnoge biljke. Ne shvatamo koliko su vredni i dragoceni ovi resursi, i ravnodušno nastavljamo njihovo uništavanje. Upoznati smo sa ogromnim uticajem urbanizacije, promenom klime, eksploatacijom resursa, ali kada poslednja biljka ili životinja, poslednji primerak svoje vrste nestane sa lica zemlje, onda smo izgubili ceo podskup Zemljine biologije i sa njime nestaju važne biljke sa medicinskim potencijalom u kozmetici, ishrani, farmaciji, čak će nestati i etno-veterinarstvo zauvek. Evo, imamo prvi primer legendarnog dodoa, koji potiče sa Mauricijusa, a znamo da je sad simbol izumiranja.
We know plants have a fundamental role to play. Well, first of all, they feed us and they also give us the oxygen we breathe, but plants are also the source of important, biologically active ingredients that we should be studying very carefully, because human societies over the millennia, they have developed important knowledge, cultural traditions, and important plant-based medicinal resources. Here's a data point: 1.4 percent of the entire land surface is home to 40 percent of the species of higher plants, 35 percent of the species of vertebrates, and this 1.4 percent represents the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world, and this 1.4 percent of the entire land surface already provides for 35 percent of the ecosystem services that vulnerable people depend on. And as you can see, the island of Mauritius where I work and where I live, belongs to one such biodiversity hotspot, and I study the unique plants on the island for their biomedical applications.
Biljke imaju fundamentalnu ulogu. Pre svega, one su nam hrana, od njih dobijamo kiseonik koji udišemo, ali su takođe i izvor važnih biološko aktivnih sastojaka, koje bi trebalo pažljivo proučavati, jer ljudska društva su milenijumima razvijala važna saznanja, kulturnu tradiciju i važne medicinske resurse koji se zasnivaju na biljkama. Evo jedne činjenice: 1,4 procenta celokupnog kopna je stanište za 40 posto viših biljnih vrsta, za 35 posto kičmenjaka, i ovaj 1,4 posto kopna predstavlja 25 žarišta biodiverziteta u svetu, i 1,4 posto sveukupnog kopna obezbeđuje 35 posto usluga ekosistema, od kojih zavise ugroženi ljudi. Kao što vidite, ostrvo Mauricijus, gde ja radim i živim, je jedno od žarišta biodiverziteta, i ja proučavam jedinstvene biljke na ostrvu, zbog njihove primene u biomedicini.
Now, let's go back again to that first plant I showed you, the one, of course, with different-shaped leaves and different sizes, Terminalia bentzoe, subspecies bentzoe, a plant only found in Mauritius. Now, the local people, they used a decoction of the leaves against infectious diseases. Now our work, that is, the scientific validation of this traditional information, has shown that precisely that leaf extract shows activity, potent activity, against a wide range of bacteria that could be pathogenic to humans. Now, could this plant be the answer to antibiotic resistance? You know, antibiotic resistance is proving to be a big challenge globally. While we may not be sure, one thing is certain: we will not want this plant to disappear. But the harsh reality is that this particular plant is in fact considered to be vulnerable in its natural habitat.
Hajde da se vratimo na prvu biljku koju sam vam pokazala, na onu sa različitim oblicima i veličinama lišća, Terminalia bentzoe, podvrsta bentzoe, biljka koja se nalazi samo na Mauricijusu. Meštani su koristili esenciju iz lišća protiv infektivnih bolesti. Naš rad, odnosno naučna potvrda ove tradicionalne informacije, je tačno dokazao, da ekstrakt lišća pokazuje snažnu aktivnost protiv širokog spektra bakterija koje su patogene. Može li ova biljka da bude odgovor na otpornost na antibiotike? Otpornost na antibiotike je veliki globalni izazov. Možda još nismo sigurni, ali jedno je sigurno: ne želimo da ova biljka nestane. Ali surova stvarnost je ta, da je ova posebna biljka ranjiva u svom staništu.
This brings me to another example. This bush here is known as baume de l'ile plate in the local vernacular. The botanical name is Psiadia arguta. It's a plant which is rare, which is endemic to Mauritius. It used to grow on the mainland, but through the sheer pressures of urbanization has been pushed out of the mainland, and we've managed to bring it back from the brink of extinction by developing in vitro plants which are now growing in the wild. Now, one thing I must point out straightaway is that not all plants can be developed in vitro. While we humans, we are happy in our comfort zone, these plants also need their ecosystem to be preserved, and they don't react — endemic plants don't react to very harsh changes in their ecosystem, and yet we know what are the challenges that climate change, for example, is posing to these plants. Now, the local people again use the leaves in traditional medicine against respiratory problems. Now, our preliminary labwork on the leaf extract has shown that precisely these leaves contain ingredients that are very close, in terms of structures, chemical structures, to those medicines which are sold in the chemist's shop against asthma. So who knows what humanity will benefit from should this plant decide to reveal all its secrets.
Ovo me dovodi do još jednog primera. Ovaj grm je poznat kao baume de l'ile plate na lokalnom narodnom jeziku. Njen botanički naziv je Psiadia arguta. Ona je retka biljka, koja je na Mauricijusu endemska. Nekada je rasla na kopnu, ali pod pritiskom urbanizacije gurnuta je sa kopna, i uspeli smo da je vratimo sa ivice izumiranja tako što smo razvili biljke "in vitro", koje sad rastu u divljini. Moram odmah da ukažem na jednu stvar, a to je da ne mogu sve biljke da se razviju in vitro. Mi ljudi smo srećni u našoj zoni komfora ali ovim biljkama je takođe potrebno da očuvamo njihov ekosistem, jer one ne reaguju - endemske biljke ne reaguju na veoma grube promene u svom ekosistemu, dok mi znamo koji su izazovi klimatskih promena kojima su izložene ove biljke. Meštani koriste lišće u tradicionalnoj medicini protiv respiratornih problema. Naša preliminarna istraživanja ekstrakta lista su pokazala da baš ovo lišće sadrži sastojke, koji su veoma slični po strukturi hemijskim strukturama onih lekova, koji se prodaju protiv astme u apotekama. Ko zna kakvu će korist doneti ljudima ova biljka, kada nam otkrije svoje tajne.
Now, I come from the developing world where we are forever being challenged with this issue of population explosion. Africa is the continent which is getting younger, and whenever one talks about population explosion, one talks about the issue of food security as being the other side of the same coin. Now this plant here, the baobab, could be part of the answer. It's an underutilized, neglected food plant. It defines the landscape of West Africa, where it is known as the tree of life, and later on I will tell you why the Africans consider it to be the tree of life. Now interestingly, there are many legends which are associated with this plant. Because of its sheer size, it was meant to be lording over lesser plants, so God didn't like this arrogance, uprooted it, and planted it upside down, hence its particular shape. And if you look at this tree again within the African context, in West Africa, it's known as the palaver tree, because it performs great social functions. Now if you have a problem in the community, meeting under the palaver tree with the chiefs or the tribesmen would be synonymous to trying to find a solution to that particular problem, and also to reinforce trust and respect among members of the community. From the scientific point of view, there are eight species of baobab in the world. There's one from Africa, one from Australia, and six are endemic to the island of Madagascar. The one I have showed you is the one from Africa, Adansonia digitata. Now, the flower, this beautiful white flower, it opens at night, is pollinated by bats, and it gives rise to the fruit which is curiously known as the monkey apple. The monkeys are not stupid animals. They know what's good for them. Now, if you open the fruit of the baobab, you'll see a white, floury pulp, which is very rich in nutrients and has got protein, more protein than in human milk. Yes, you heard right: more protein than in human milk. And this is one of the reasons why the nutrition companies of this world, they are looking for this fruit to provide what we know as reinforced food. The seeds give an oil, a very stable oil which is sought after by the cosmetic industry to give to produce body lotions, for example. And if you look at the trunk, the trunk, of course, safeguards water, which is often harvested by a thirsty traveler, and the leaves are used in traditional medicine against infectious disease. Now, you can see now why the Africans consider it to be the tree of life. It's a complete plant, and in fact, the sheer size of these trees is hiding a massive potential, not only for the pharma, nutrition, and the cosmetic industry. What I have showed you here is only the species from Africa, Adansonia digitata. We have six species yet in Madagascar, and we don't know what is the potential of this plant, but one thing we know is that the flora is considered to be threatened with extinction.
Dolazim iz sveta u razvoju, gde smo stalno izloženi izazovu porasta populacije. Afrika je kontinent koji se podmlađuje i kad god neko priča o porastu populacije, u stvari priča o obezbeđenju hrane, kao o drugoj strani medalje. Evo, ova biljka, baobab, može biti deo odgovora. Ona je neiskorišćena, zapostavljena jestiva biljka. Ona određuje pejzaž Zapadne Afrike, gde je poznata kao drvo života, a kasnije ću vam reći zašto je Afrikanci smatraju drvetom života. Zanimljivo je da postoje mnoge legende vezane za ovu biljku. Zbog same veličine smatralo se da ona vlada nad manjim biljkama, pa se Bogu nije dopala ova drskost, iščupao je i posadio naglavačke, otuda njen poseban oblik. Ako ponovo pogledate ovo drvo, u kontekstu Afrike, u Zapadnoj Africi ga zovu drvo brbljanja, jer obavlja veliku društvenu ulogu. Ako imate problem u zajednici, sastanak ispod drveta brbljanja sa vođom ili članovima plemena je isto, što i traženje rešenja za određeni problem, osnažuje poverenje i poštovanje među članovima zajednice. Sa naučnog gledišta, postoji osam vrsta baobaba na svetu. Onaj iz Afrike, zatim iz Australije, a šest vrsta su endemske na ostrvu Madagaskar. Onaj koji sam vam pokazala je iz Afrike, Adansonia digitata. Ovaj divan cvet se otvara noću, oplođuju je slepi miševi i donosi plod koji se zove neobično: majmunska jabuka. Nisu majmuni glupe životinje. Znaju oni šta je dobro za njih. Kada otvorite plod baobaba videćete belu, brašnjavu pulpu koja je veoma bogata hranljivim sastojcima i sadrži proteine, više proteina nego humano mleko. Da, dobro ste čuli: više proteina nego u humanom mleku. Ovo je jedan od razloga zašto kompanije koje proizvode hranu traže ovo voće, da bi obezbedli ono što nazivamo pojačanom hranom. Od semenja se dobija ulje, veoma stabilno ulje, koje je traženo u kozmetičkoj industriji za proizvodnju losiona za telo, na primer. Ako pogledate stablo, ono, naravno, obezbeđuje vodu koju prikuplja žedni putnik, a lišće se koristi protiv infektivnih bolesti. Eto, zato se u Africi smatra drvetom života. Ono je celovita biljka i, u stvari, njena veičina krije ogroman potencijal ne samo za farmaciju, ishranu i industriju kozmetike. Ono što sam vam pokazala je samo afrička vrsta, Adansonia digitata. Imamo čak šest vrsta na Madagaskaru, a ne znamo mogućnosti ove biljke, ali znamo da flori preti iskorenjivanje.
Let me take you to Africa again, and introduce you to one of my very favorite, the resurrection plant. Now here you'll find that even Jesus has competition. (Laughter) Now, this plant here has developed remarkable tolerance to drought, which enables it to withstand up to 98 percent dehydration over the period of a year without damage, and yet it can regenerate itself almost completely overnight, over 24 hours, and flower. Now, us human beings, we're always on the lookout for the elixir of youth. We don't want to get old, and rightly so. Why should we, especially if you can afford it? And this gives you an indication of what the plant looks like before. Now, if you are an inexperienced gardener, the first thing you'll do when you visit the garden is to uproot this plant because it's dead. But if you water it, this is what you get. Absolutely amazing. Now, if you look at our aging process, the aging process is in fact the loss of water from the upper epidermis, resulting in wrinkling as we know it, especially women, we are so conscious of this. And this plant, in fact, is giving the cosmetic chemists very important ingredients that are actually finding ways to slow down the aging process and at the same time reinforce the cells against the onslaught of environmental toxins.
Hajde da vas ponovo povedem u Afriku i da vam predstavim moju omiljenu biljku, biljku vaskrsnuća. Vidite, čak i Isus ima konkurenciju. (Smeh) Ova biljka je razvila značajnu toleranciju na sušu, što joj omogućava da izdrži čak 98 posto dehidracije tokom godine, bez oštećenja, i može potpuno da se regeneriše preko noći, za 24 sata, i da procveta. Mi smo, kao ljudska bića, u stalnoj potrazi za eliksirom mladosti. Ne želimo da ostarimo. A i zašto bi, ako to možemo da sebi priuštimo? Ovo se nagoveštava prethodnim izgledom biljke. Ako ste neiskusni baštovan, prvo što ćete uraditi u bašti je, da iščupate ovu uvenulu biljku. Ali, ako je zalivate, dobićete ovo. Potpuno neverovatno. Ako posmatramo naš proces starenja, to je, u stvari, gubitak vode iz epiderma i za posledicu ima bore, a mi žene to znamo i veoma smo svesne toga. Ova biljka daje kozmetičarima vrlo važne sastojke, koji pronalaze način da uspore proces starenja i istovremeno osnažuju ćelije u borbi protiv agresije toksina iz okoline.
Now, these four examples I have just given you are just a very tiny reminder as to how our health and our survival are closely linked to the health and the resilience of our ecosystem, and why we should be very careful about preserving biodiversity. Every time a forest is cut down, every time a marsh is filled in, it is a potential lab that goes with it, and which we will never, ever recover. And I know what I'm talking about, coming from Mauritius and missing the dodo.
Ova četiri primera, koja sam vam upravo pokazala, samo su mali podsetnik o tome, koliko su naše zdravlje i opstanak usko povezani sa zdravljem i otpornošću ekosistema, i zašto bi trebalo da budemo obazrivi u sačuvanju biodiverziteta. Kad god se poseče šuma, kada se zatrpa močvara, one postaju potencijalna laboratorija, koju nikada nećemo moći oporaviti. Znam šta pričam, pošto dolazim sa Mauricijusa i nedostaje mi dodo.
Let me finish with just one last example. Conservation issues are normally guided towards rare, endemic plants, but what we call exotic plants, that is, the ones which grow in many different habitats across the world, they also need to be considered. You know why? Because the environment plays a very important role in modifying the composition of that plant.
Dozvolite da završim sa još jednim primerom. Aktivnosti očuvanja se obično usmeravaju prema retkim, endemskim biljkama, ali egzotične biljke koje rastu u mnogim različitim staništima na svetu takođe se moraju uzeti u obzir. Zašto? Zato što okolina igra veoma važnu ulogu u modifikovanju strukture biljke.
So let's take a look at this plant here, Centella asiatica. It's a weed. We call it a weed. Now, Centella asiatica grows across the world in many different habitats — in Africa, in Asia — and this plant has been instrumental in providing a solution to that dreadful disease called leprosy in Madagascar in the 1940s. Now, while Centella grows across the world — in Africa, in Asia — the best quality Centella comes from Madagascar, because that Centella contains the three vital ingredients which are sought after by the pharma and the cosmetic companies. And the cosmetic companies are already using it to make regenerating cream.
Pogledajmo ovu biljku. Centella asiatica. Korov je. Tako ga bar nazivamo. Ona raste u mnogim različitim staništima u Africi, u Aziji, Koristila se za za saniranje smrtonosne bolesti, lepre, na Madagaskaru četrdesetih godina prošlog veka. Iako Centella raste širom sveta, u Africi, u Aziji, najbolja je ona sa Madagaskara, jer sadrži tri ključna sastojka koji su traženi u farmaciji i kozmetičkim kompanijama. U kozmetici se već koristi u kremama za regeneraciju.
Now, there is an ancient saying that for every disease known to mankind, there is a plant to cure it. Now, you may not believe in ancient sayings. You may think they're obsolete now that our science and technology are so powerful. So you may look on Centella as being an insignificant, humble weed, which, if destroyed, won't be missed. But you know, there is no such thing as a weed. It's a plant. It's a living biological lab that may well have answers to the question that we may have, but we have to ensure that it has the right to live.
Postoji jedna stara izreka da za svaku bolest postoji biljka koja je leči. Možda ne verujete u to. Možda mislite da je to danas zastarelo, jer su nauka i tehnologija moćne. Možete smatrati Centellu za beznačajni, skromni korov, koji nam ne bi nedostajao čak i ako bi nestao. Ali i korov je važan. Ono je biljka. To je živa biološka laboratorija koja možda već ima odgovore na naša pitanja, i moramo osigurati njeno pravo na život.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)