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.
在世界上生物多樣性最豐富的地方工作 是我極大的榮幸 這個地方位於印度洋的馬斯克林群島 這些群島包括:模里西斯、 羅德里格斯島和留尼旺群島 以及馬達加斯加島 這些島嶼有著獨一無二的植物 你在其他地方不可能找得到 今天我將向你們介紹其中五種植物 包括它們特殊的特徵 以及它們如此特別的原因
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.
我們先來看看這種植物 當地人稱它為安息香 它的植物學名叫欖仁葉 是欖仁樹屬的次級種類 這種植物為模里西斯特有植物 而它的特徵就是 它的異形葉性 什麼是異形葉性呢? 就是指說在同一株植物中 有許多不同形狀和大小的葉子 如今這些植物都經過進化 已經遠離了大陸 而且只存在於特定的生態系中 通常這些特徵 都進化為一種激烈反應 以此應對當地動物的威脅 在這裡指的就是食草性的陸龜 陸龜的視力很差 所以它們會盡量避免 那些它們無法辨認的植物 所以這種進化的葉子保護植物 防止它們被這類動物吃掉 也就更加確保其存活率
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.
現在你心裡的疑問來了 她為何要說這些故事呢? 原因是,我們常常忽略 自然世界中的多樣性 這些自然棲息地獨一無二 它們是無數植物賴以生長的家 我們沒有意識到 這些資源是多麼有價值且珍貴 我們甚至仍毫不在乎地 繼續破壞它們 我們都非常熟悉 城市化所帶來的巨大衝擊 氣候變遷、資源掠奪 但唯有當最後一種植物 或是最後一種動物 最後一個樣本 從地球上消失以後 我們就真的失去 一個完整的地球生物體系 在這套體系中有著 潛在醫療價值的重要植物 或是植物中的成分 本來可以用於化妝品 營養品、製藥品 甚至是獸醫用的方針 都將消失而永不復見 這裡有個典型的例子 具有代表性的模里西斯渡渡鳥 當然,現在牠已是 一個物種滅絕的象徵
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.
我們都知道植物扮演著 一個很重要的角色 首先,它是我們的食物 它們也提供我們呼吸的氧氣 而植物同時也提供很多 重要且具有生物活性的成分 因此值得我們仔細研究 因為人類社會經過幾千年 已經發展出許多重要的知識 不同的文化傳統 以及重要醫療用的植物資源 數據顯示 全球地表上的 1.4% 生長著 40% 的高等植物 35% 的脊椎動物 而這 1.4% 的土地代表著 世界上 25 個生物多樣性最豐富的地方 而全球陸地上的 1.4% 提供了 35% 我們脆弱人類最賴以生存的 生態系統服務 就如同你們所看到的 模里西斯群島 就是我工作和生活的地方 這裡正屬於物種大熔爐的地方之一 而我研究的正是島上 這些獨一無二的植物 作為生物醫療方面的應用
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.
現在,讓我們回去看 我給你們看的第一種植物 這個有著不同形狀和大小的葉子植物 欖仁葉 屬於欖仁樹屬的次級種類 是模里西斯所獨有的植物 現在,模里西斯的當地居民 他們用這種葉子煎藥 以治療感染疾病 而我們的工作就是 透過科學的方法 來驗證這種傳統醫療方式 以恰好證明 這些葉子的提取物證明他們的活性 可以用來對付許多 使人類致病的細菌 現在,這種植物能解決 抗生素耐藥性的問題嗎? 抗生素耐藥性正是 一個全球所面臨的巨大挑戰 儘管我們還不確定 但有一點是無庸置疑的 我們一定不能讓這些植物消失 但殘酷的事實是 實際上這種特定的植物 在它的自然原生棲息地中 是非常脆弱的
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.
我們來看另外一個例子 這些灌木被當地人稱為 小島香油膏 植物學名叫做菊科毛國木菊 這種植物非常稀少 是模里西斯特有的植物 它以前生長在大陸上 但是由於城市化帶來的種種壓力 在大陸上已經再也見不到它了 而我們設法使它從滅絕的邊緣中 死灰復燃 透過人工培育 讓它重新在野外開始生長 但我必須說清楚一點 那就是並不是所有的植物 都能透過人工培育重新復育 正如同我們人類 快樂地待在舒適圈一樣 這些植物也需要 合適的生態環境 而本地植物往往 對生態環境的劇烈變化反應遲鈍 然而我們並不知道 除了氣候變遷 植物的生存環境還面臨了那些挑戰 現在,當地居民依然用這些樹葉 根據最傳統醫藥的方式 來治療呼吸道的疾病 我們對葉子的提取物進行研究 結果初步顯示 這些葉子的成分 從化學結構式來看 和藥店裡面所賣的 那些抗氣喘的藥 是非常相近的 所以沒有人知道 人類會從這些植物當中 獲得多少的益處
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.
我來自發展中國家 我們一直面臨著 人口爆炸的挑戰 非洲人口正變得越來越多 每當人們提到人口爆炸的時候 總會提到食物短缺的問題 就像是一枚硬幣的兩面一樣 這個植物名稱叫做猴麵包樹 也許會是解決方案 它被忽視且未被完全開發利用 它構成了西非的風景線 被視為是生命之樹 稍後我會解釋 非洲人稱之為生命之樹的原因 很多很有趣的傳奇 關於這種植物的故事 主要是因為它的巨大體型 使它稱霸其他比它小的植物 這種狂妄惹惱了上帝 因此將它連根拔起 以倒頭栽的方式種植它 也就形成了它獨特的形狀 而若我們以非洲的角度 來看這種樹 在西非,它被稱為「談判樹」 因為它具有重要的社交功能 如果部落裡面有什麼麻煩 他們就會和酋長或族人 在談判樹下碰面協商 就如同他們正一起努力 去解決那個特定的問題 這麼做也更加強化 部落之間彼此的信任和尊重 從科學的角度來看 世界上有八種不同種類的猴麵包樹 一種來自非洲 一種來自澳洲 另外六種則是 馬達加斯加島的地方特有種 我給你們看的這種 是來自非洲的 叫做非洲猴麵包樹 現在這種漂亮的白花 它在夜晚綻放,經由蝙蝠受粉 最後結出果實 而很有創意地被稱為 猴蘋果 猴子非常聰明 牠們知道這種果實很好吃 如果把猴麵包樹的果實打開 就會看到白色粉狀的果肉 這些果肉非常具有營養價值 且含有大量蛋白質 甚至比人奶所含的蛋白質更豐富 是的,你沒有聽錯 比人奶所含的蛋白質更豐富 這也是為什麼世界上 那些做營養品的公司 都積極尋找以獲取這類果實 以生產所謂的增強性食品 它的種子還能產出一種穩定的油 這種油可以使用在化妝產業 來生產如身體乳液之類的產品 再來看看它的樹幹 這種樹幹可以保持水分 口渴的旅人常用它來解渴 它的樹葉也能被傳統藥物使用 來治療感染疾病 現在你們可以明白為什麼 非洲人稱它為生命之樹了吧 它是一種完整的植物 而事實上光是這些樹的體型 就蘊藏著極大的開發潛力 不僅僅在醫療、營養與化妝產業 我剛才所介紹給你們的 是非洲特有品種中的一種: 非洲猴麵包樹 在馬達加斯加島上 還有另外六種猴麵包樹 我們還不知道這種植物的潛力 但有一點是確定的 那就是這種植物正面臨滅絕
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.
讓我們再次回到非洲 來談我最喜歡的一種植物: 復活花 你們會發現 就連會復活的耶穌也有競爭對手了 (笑聲) 現在這種植物已經進化 對乾旱有非常強大的忍受力 這使得它在一年中 可以承受高達 98% 的脫水程度 而不至於受到破壞 而且它還能在一夜間,24 小時後 幾乎完全地再生並開花 現今我們人類一直在尋找 可以永保青春的靈丹 的確,誰都不想變老 如果可以永保青春,為何要變老呢 這個是脫水的時候 這株植物的樣子 如果是你是新手園丁的話 當走進花園看到這樣子的植物時 第一反應大概是它已經死了 趕緊拔了它 但是如果幫它澆點水 你就會看到這樣的變化 非常神奇 現在我們來研究我們衰老的過程 其實就是一個上層表皮脫水的過程 導致皺紋產生 我們都知道,特別是女性 我們女生都非常在意皺紋 而事實上這種植物 給予化妝品化學家非常重要的原料 從中正在尋找 能延緩老化過程的方法 並且同時增強細胞 抵抗外部環境的毒素
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.
以上我所介紹的 四個例子 還僅僅是一個極小的警示 它們提醒著我們 我們的健康和生存 是如何與我們生態系的健康和韌性 緊密相連的 也提醒著我們 保護生物多樣性的重要性 每當一片森林被砍伐 每當一個濕地被填滿 一個潛在的研究領域也就此消失 而我們將再也無法挽回 就如同我所提到 模里西斯島所消失的渡渡鳥一樣
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.
在結束之前我再舉一個例子 環境保護議題通常都是 針對稀有、當地特有的物種 但那些外來物種 也就是分布在世界各地不同的物種 它們同樣值得被保護 為什麼呢?因為環境 在改變這種植物成分的過程中 扮演著非常重要的角色
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.
現在我們來看這種植物 崩大碗,它是一種野草 我們稱之為積雪草 它們分布在世界各地 不同的地區,比如非洲、亞洲 這種植物在 1940 年代 提供了一種解決方案 治療馬達加斯加島上致命的痲瘋病 儘管積雪草遍布在世界各地 在非洲與亞洲都有 但品質最好的品種 還是來自馬達加斯加 因為那種積雪草含有三種重要成分 各大醫藥與化妝品公司 都在竭力獲取它們 一些化妝品公司已經在使用它 來製造護膚霜
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.
古人有云 世間百病 皆有植物作為解藥 也許你們可能不相信這些古語 也許覺得它們是已經過時 況且我們當今的科技已經如此發達 所以你們可能會把積雪草當成 一種無關緊要、低賤的雜草 即使它滅絕了也無所謂 但你必須知道,世上其實沒有野草一說 它不僅是一株植物 它還是一個活體生物研究實驗室 在這個實驗室我們可能會找到 解決我們各種問題的答案 但是首先,我們必須確保 它們擁有生存的權利
Thank you.
謝謝
(Applause)
(掌聲)