[国际新闻] 多情偷伐者无情砍伐 “性树”一步步走向灭绝

日月光

时下，越来越多的乌干达男性苦求重塑性能力的灵丹妙药。但他们的这种愿望却导致一种名为“Ｏｍｕｂｏｒｏ”的“性树”一步步走向灭绝。
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　　麦克雷雷大学植物学教授奥尔耶姆－奥里达表示：“这种树就像是天然伟哥。由于强大的药性，它们遭砍伐的速度要远超过其得以再生的速度，长期存活的可能性正面临威胁。”奥尔耶姆－奥里达说，由于能够帮助刺激性欲，“性树”颇受乌干达人的喜爱。
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　　奥尔耶姆－奥里达教授所在的研究小组对乌干达其中一个最为重要的天然林——马比拉森林的药用植物进行了研究。研究结果刊登在2005年的《乌干达杂志》之上。% [4 ^3 X& w" m* ^

2 W2 G" w2 R; V! j" u　　“性树”天然生长于热带森林，当地人将它们连根拔起，以获得最有价值的部分——树根。奥尔耶姆－奥里达教授说：“当地人将‘性树’的根砍掉，以致它们丧失了任何生存的可能性。由于生长速度缓慢，我们很难再造一片‘性树’林。”0 g/ j) r+ a( w2 a4 p
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　　新鲜的树根会被吃掉或者晒干后磨成粉末，这种粉末加水搅拌后便成为一种帮助刺激性欲的混合物。虽然国家化疗实验室还没有进行任何医学检测，以确定这种“性药”的功效，但当地人表示他们靠这个来提高性能力已经有很长的历史了。当地居民爱德华·卡塔姆巴说：“只要觉得自己的性能力下降时，我就会用这个。”rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de) R! `6 x& J5 M: N
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Uganda's 'sex tree' at risk from the advances of amorous poachers
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7 w0 `0 d8 ?+ v27 July 2007
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# K7 d; F. R& J4 z6 ?Soaring demand from Ugandan men seeking to restore their sexual potency is driving a species of tree known as the Omuboro to extinction.. b* ^3 R2 O7 M+ q* D

1 }! o, A* }7 k! N8 ]% \3 e$ q9 q& K"It [the tree] is like a natural Viagra," said Hannington Oryem-Orida, a professor of botany at Makerere University. "Because of its enormous medicinal properties, the tree is being harvested faster than it can reproduce, thus threatening its long-term survival."8 W3 R: |' r9 _6 Y3 x
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The "sex tree", or Citropsis articulata, is popular among Ugandans for its aphrodisiac properties, said Professor Oryem-Orida, who was part of the team that carried out a research study on medicinal plants in Mabira Forest, one of Uganda's most important natural forests. The results of the study were published by both the Uganda Journal in 2005 and the African Academy of Sciences in 2002. Researchers spent months in Mabira forest documenting medicinal plants commonly used in the treatment of various ailments.
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The Omuboro grows naturally in tropical forests where locals uproot it to extract the roots, its most valuable part. "Locals strip the tree of all its roots, leaving it with no chance of survival," said Professor Oryem-Orida. "It is hard to recover lost stock because of its slow growth." The roots are either chewed while fresh or dried and pounded into powder, which is then mixed with water to form an aphrodisiac concoction. Although there have not been any chemical tests by the National Chemotherapeutics Laboratory to determine the effectiveness of the aphrodisiac, local people maintain that they have been using the extraction for ages to boost their sexual prowess. "I take it whenever I feel that my energies have gone down," said Edward Katumba, a resident of the area.
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9 R# ?9 S7 T) g: S" ~But scientists fear that the tree's medicinal benefits, other than treating sexual impotence, may be lost if the stock is depleted too quickly.! N+ P0 x- w* N: n
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The tree is just one of many in Africa's tropical forests that are threatened because of their perceived medicinal properties. About 75 per cent of Ugandans live in rural areas, where natural medicine is the most important form of treating ailments.
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; _! |3 J2 Q7 c4 H2 U8 [Another tree, Prunus africana, locally known as Omulondo, is also facing extinction because it is used to treat prostate cancer. Poor harvesting methods, coupled with slow growth and limited habitats, are the reasons that scientists say are responsible for the ever-increasing depletion of natural medicine from Uganda's forests./ n8 l; Z' J, _

2 G  D/ f7 S  A! p/ E( f" W; lMabira Forest is considered one of Africa's most important sites for plant and bird biodiversity, and has been recovering from degradation since illegal settlements, timber and charcoal harvesting and medicinal plant extraction was officially halted at the end of the 1980s. Environmentalists are now fighting to prevent a threatened sell-off by the state of a quarter of the forest reserve to private investors for sugar-cane ethanol cultivation. The forest is an important draw for tourists and also acts as a vital water catchment resource.
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Scientists gathered in the region this week for a symposium on the discovery of natural drugs in the forest. They were told of the extent of medicinal plant trafficking by both traditional African herbalists and commercial drug companies.