Humble plants that hide surprising secrets | Ameenah Gurib-Fakim:

Prevodilac: Tereza Ivanovic Lektor: Mile Živković

You know, it's a big privilege for me

Velika mi je čast raditi

to be working in one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world:

u žarištu biodiverziteta u svetu:

the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean.

na Maskarenskim ostrvima u Indijskom okeanu.

These islands — Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Réunion —

Ova ostrva, Mauricijus, Rodrigez i Reunion,

along with the island of Madagascar,

uz ostrvo Madagaskar,

they are blessed with unique plants

blagosloveni su jedinstvenim biljkama,

found nowhere else in the world.

koje se ne nalaze nigde drugde na svetu.

And today I will tell you about five of them

Danas ću vam govoriti o pet biljaka

and their particular features

i o njihovim specifičnim odlikama

and why these plants are so unique.

i o tome, zašto su toliko jedinstvene.

Take a look at this plant.

Pogledajte ovu biljku.

I call it benjoin in the local vernacular,

Ja je zovem benžoan, po lokalnom narečju,

and the botanical name is Terminalia bentzoe,

a po botaničkom nazivu je Terminalia bentzoe,

subspecies bentzoe.

podvrsta bentzoe.

This subspecies is endemic to Mauritius,

Ove podvrste su endemične na Mauricijusu

and its particular feature

i njihova posebna odlika je

is its heterophylly.

heterofilija.

What do I mean by heterophylly?

Šta mislim pod heterofilijom?

It's that the same plant

To je kada jedna biljka

has got leaves that are different shapes and sizes.

ima lišće različitih oblika i veličina.

Now, these plants have evolved

Ove biljke su se razvile

very far away from the mainland,

veoma daleko od kopna,

and within specific ecosystems.

unutar specifičnih ekosistema.

Often, these particular features

Često su se ove odlike razvile

have evolved as a response to the threat

kao odgovor na pretnju

presented by the local fauna,

koju predstavlja lokalna fauna,

in this case, grazing tortoises.

u ovom slučaju kornjače koje pasu.

Tortoises are known to have poor eyesight,

Poznato je da kornjače slabo vide

and as such, they tend to avoid the plants

i kao takve, sklone su da izbegavaju biljke

they don't recognize.

koje ne prepoznaju.

So this evolutionary foil safeguards the plant

Ova evolucionarna folija čuva biljku

against these rather cute animals,

od ovih ljupkih životinja,

and protects it and of course ensures its survival.

štiti je i naravno, osigurava njen opstanak.

Now the question you're probably asking yourself is,

Sada se verovatno pitate

why is she telling us all these stories?

zašto vam pričam sve ovo?

The reason for that is that we tend to overlook

Zato što težimo da previdimo

the diversity and the variety of the natural world.

različitost i raznovrsnost prirode.

These particular habitats are unique

Ova posebna staništa su jedinstvena

and they are host to a whole lot of plants.

i udomljavaju mnoge biljke.

We don't realize how valuable

Ne shvatamo koliko su vredni

and how precious these resources are,

i dragoceni ovi resursi,

and yet, through our insouciance,

i ravnodušno nastavljamo

we keep on destroying them.

njihovo uništavanje.

We're all familiar

Upoznati smo sa ogromnim

with the macro impact of urbanization,

uticajem urbanizacije, promenom klime,

climate change, resource exploitation,

eksploatacijom resursa,

but when that one last plant —

ali kada poslednja biljka

or animal for that matter —

ili životinja,

when that very last specimen

poslednji primerak svoje vrste

has disappeared from the face of this Earth,

nestane sa lica zemlje,

we would have lost

onda smo izgubili

an entire subset of the Earth's biology,

ceo podskup Zemljine biologije

and with it, important plants with medicinal potential

i sa njime nestaju važne biljke

or which could have ingredients

sa medicinskim potencijalom

that would speak to the cosmetic,

u kozmetici,

nutrition, pharma,

ishrani, farmaciji,

and even the ethno-veterinary sectors,

čak će nestati i etno-veterinarstvo

be gone forever.

zauvek.

And here we have a very prime example

Evo, imamo prvi primer

of the iconic dodo, which comes from Mauritius,

legendarnog dodoa, koji potiče sa Mauricijusa,

and, of course, we know is now a symbol of extinction.

a znamo da je sad simbol izumiranja.

We know plants have a fundamental role to play.

Biljke imaju fundamentalnu ulogu.

Well, first of all, they feed us

Pre svega, one su nam hrana,

and they also give us the oxygen we breathe,

od njih dobijamo kiseonik koji udišemo,

but plants are also the source

ali su takođe i izvor

of important, biologically active ingredients

važnih biološko aktivnih sastojaka,

that we should be studying very carefully,

koje bi trebalo pažljivo proučavati,

because human societies over the millennia,

jer ljudska društva su milenijumima

they have developed important knowledge,

razvijala važna saznanja,

cultural traditions,

kulturnu tradiciju

and important plant-based medicinal resources.

i važne medicinske resurse koji se zasnivaju na biljkama.

Here's a data point:

Evo jedne činjenice:

1.4 percent of the entire land surface

1,4 procenta celokupnog kopna

is home to 40 percent of the species of higher plants,

je stanište za 40 posto viših biljnih vrsta,

35 percent of the species of vertebrates,

za 35 posto kičmenjaka,

and this 1.4 percent

i ovaj 1,4 posto kopna

represents the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world,

predstavlja 25 žarišta biodiverziteta u svetu,

and this 1.4 percent of the entire land surface

i 1,4 posto sveukupnog kopna

already provides for 35 percent

obezbeđuje 35 posto

of the ecosystem services

usluga ekosistema,

that vulnerable people depend on.

od kojih zavise ugroženi ljudi.

And as you can see,

Kao što vidite,

the island of Mauritius

ostrvo Mauricijus,

where I work and where I live,

gde ja radim i živim,

belongs to one such biodiversity hotspot,

je jedno od žarišta biodiverziteta,

and I study the unique plants

i ja proučavam jedinstvene biljke

on the island for their biomedical applications.

na ostrvu, zbog njihove primene u biomedicini.

Now, let's go back again

Hajde da se vratimo

to that first plant I showed you,

na prvu biljku koju sam vam pokazala,

the one, of course, with different-shaped leaves

na onu sa različitim oblicima

and different sizes, Terminalia bentzoe,

i veličinama lišća, Terminalia bentzoe,

subspecies bentzoe,

podvrsta bentzoe,

a plant only found in Mauritius.

biljka koja se nalazi samo na Mauricijusu.

Now, the local people,

Meštani

they used a decoction of the leaves

su koristili esenciju iz lišća

against infectious diseases.

protiv infektivnih bolesti.

Now our work, that is,

Naš rad, odnosno

the scientific validation of this traditional information,

naučna potvrda ove tradicionalne informacije,

has shown that precisely

je tačno dokazao,

that leaf extract shows activity, potent activity,

da ekstrakt lišća pokazuje snažnu aktivnost

against a wide range of bacteria

protiv širokog spektra bakterija

that could be pathogenic to humans.

koje su patogene.

Now, could this plant be the answer

Može li ova biljka da bude odgovor

to antibiotic resistance?

na otpornost na antibiotike?

You know, antibiotic resistance is proving to be

Otpornost na antibiotike

a big challenge globally.

je veliki globalni izazov.

While we may not be sure, one thing is certain:

Možda još nismo sigurni, ali jedno je sigurno:

we will not want this plant to disappear.

ne želimo da ova biljka nestane.

But the harsh reality is that

Ali surova stvarnost je ta,

this particular plant is in fact

da je ova posebna biljka

considered to be vulnerable

ranjiva

in its natural habitat.

u svom staništu.

This brings me to another example.

Ovo me dovodi do još jednog primera.

This bush here is known as baume de l'ile plate

Ovaj grm je poznat kao baume de l'ile plate

in the local vernacular.

na lokalnom narodnom jeziku.

The botanical name is Psiadia arguta.

Njen botanički naziv je Psiadia arguta.

It's a plant which is rare,

Ona je retka biljka,

which is endemic to Mauritius.

koja je na Mauricijusu endemska.

It used to grow on the mainland,

Nekada je rasla na kopnu,

but through the sheer pressures of urbanization

ali pod pritiskom urbanizacije

has been pushed out of the mainland,

gurnuta je sa kopna,

and we've managed to bring it back

i uspeli smo da je vratimo

from the brink of extinction

sa ivice izumiranja

by developing in vitro plants

tako što smo razvili biljke "in vitro",

which are now growing in the wild.

koje sad rastu u divljini.

Now, one thing I must point out straightaway

Moram odmah da ukažem na jednu stvar,

is that not all plants

a to je da ne mogu sve biljke

can be developed in vitro.

da se razviju in vitro.

While we humans, we are happy in our comfort zone,

Mi ljudi smo srećni u našoj zoni komfora

these plants also need

ali ovim biljkama je takođe potrebno

their ecosystem to be preserved,

da očuvamo njihov ekosistem,

and they don't react — endemic plants

jer one ne reaguju - endemske biljke

don't react to very harsh changes in their ecosystem,

ne reaguju na veoma grube promene u svom ekosistemu,

and yet we know what are the challenges

dok mi znamo koji su izazovi

that climate change, for example,

klimatskih promena

is posing to these plants.

kojima su izložene ove biljke.

Now, the local people again use the leaves

Meštani koriste lišće

in traditional medicine

u tradicionalnoj medicini

against respiratory problems.

protiv respiratornih problema.

Now, our preliminary labwork

Naša preliminarna istraživanja

on the leaf extract has shown

ekstrakta lista su pokazala

that precisely these leaves contain ingredients

da baš ovo lišće sadrži sastojke,

that are very close, in terms of structures,

koji su veoma slični po strukturi

chemical structures, to those medicines

hemijskim strukturama onih lekova,

which are sold in the chemist's shop

koji se prodaju protiv astme

against asthma.

u apotekama.

So who knows

Ko zna

what humanity will benefit from

kakvu će korist doneti ljudima

should this plant decide to reveal all its secrets.

ova biljka, kada nam otkrije svoje tajne.

Now, I come from the developing world

Dolazim iz sveta u razvoju,

where we are forever being challenged with this issue

gde smo stalno izloženi izazovu

of population explosion.

porasta populacije.

Africa is the continent which is getting younger,

Afrika je kontinent koji se podmlađuje

and whenever one talks about population explosion,

i kad god neko priča o porastu populacije,

one talks about the issue of food security

u stvari priča o obezbeđenju hrane,

as being the other side of the same coin.

kao o drugoj strani medalje.

Now this plant here, the baobab,

Evo, ova biljka, baobab,

could be part of the answer.

može biti deo odgovora.

It's an underutilized, neglected food plant.

Ona je neiskorišćena, zapostavljena jestiva biljka.

It defines the landscape of West Africa,

Ona određuje pejzaž Zapadne Afrike,

where it is known as the tree of life,

gde je poznata kao drvo života,

and later on I will tell you why

a kasnije ću vam reći

the Africans consider it to be the tree of life.

zašto je Afrikanci smatraju drvetom života.

Now interestingly, there are many legends

Zanimljivo je da postoje mnoge legende

which are associated with this plant.

vezane za ovu biljku.

Because of its sheer size,

Zbog same veličine

it was meant to be lording over lesser plants,

smatralo se da ona vlada nad manjim biljkama,

so God didn't like this arrogance,

pa se Bogu nije dopala ova drskost,

uprooted it, and planted it upside down,

iščupao je i posadio naglavačke,

hence its particular shape.

otuda njen poseban oblik.

And if you look at this tree again

Ako ponovo pogledate ovo drvo,

within the African context,

u kontekstu Afrike,

in West Africa, it's known as the palaver tree,

u Zapadnoj Africi ga zovu drvo brbljanja,

because it performs great social functions.

jer obavlja veliku društvenu ulogu.

Now if you have a problem in the community,

Ako imate problem u zajednici,

meeting under the palaver tree

sastanak ispod drveta brbljanja

with the chiefs or the tribesmen

sa vođom ili članovima plemena

would be synonymous to trying to find a solution

je isto, što i traženje rešenja

to that particular problem,

za određeni problem,

and also to reinforce trust and respect

osnažuje poverenje i poštovanje

among members of the community.

među članovima zajednice.

From the scientific point of view,

Sa naučnog gledišta,

there are eight species of baobab in the world.

postoji osam vrsta baobaba na svetu.

There's one from Africa,

Onaj iz Afrike,

one from Australia,

zatim iz Australije,

and six are endemic

a šest vrsta su endemske

to the island of Madagascar.

na ostrvu Madagaskar.

The one I have showed you

Onaj koji sam vam pokazala

is the one from Africa,

je iz Afrike,

Adansonia digitata.

Adansonia digitata.

Now, the flower, this beautiful white flower,

Ovaj divan cvet

it opens at night, is pollinated by bats,

se otvara noću, oplođuju je slepi miševi

and it gives rise to the fruit

i donosi plod

which is curiously known

koji se zove neobično:

as the monkey apple.

majmunska jabuka.

The monkeys are not stupid animals.

Nisu majmuni glupe životinje.

They know what's good for them.

Znaju oni šta je dobro za njih.

Now, if you open the fruit of the baobab,

Kada otvorite plod baobaba

you'll see a white, floury pulp,

videćete belu, brašnjavu pulpu

which is very rich in nutrients

koja je veoma bogata hranljivim sastojcima

and has got protein,

i sadrži proteine,

more protein than in human milk.

više proteina nego humano mleko.

Yes, you heard right:

Da, dobro ste čuli:

more protein than in human milk.

više proteina nego u humanom mleku.

And this is one of the reasons why

Ovo je jedan od razloga zašto

the nutrition companies of this world,

kompanije koje proizvode hranu

they are looking for this fruit to provide

traže ovo voće, da bi obezbedli

what we know as reinforced food.

ono što nazivamo pojačanom hranom.

The seeds give an oil, a very stable oil

Od semenja se dobija ulje, veoma stabilno ulje,

which is sought after by the cosmetic industry

koje je traženo u kozmetičkoj industriji

to give to produce body lotions, for example.

za proizvodnju losiona za telo, na primer.

And if you look at the trunk,

Ako pogledate stablo,

the trunk, of course, safeguards water,

ono, naravno, obezbeđuje vodu

which is often harvested by a thirsty traveler,

koju prikuplja žedni putnik,

and the leaves are used in traditional medicine

a lišće se koristi

against infectious disease.

Now, you can see now why the Africans consider it

Eto, zato se u Africi smatra

to be the tree of life.

drvetom života.

It's a complete plant,

Ono je celovita biljka

and in fact, the sheer size of these trees

i, u stvari, njena veičina

is hiding a massive potential,

krije ogroman potencijal

not only for the pharma, nutrition, and the cosmetic industry.

ne samo za farmaciju, ishranu i industriju kozmetike.

What I have showed you here

Ono što sam vam pokazala

is only the species from Africa,

je samo afrička vrsta,

Adansonia digitata.

Adansonia digitata.

We have six species yet in Madagascar,

Imamo čak šest vrsta na Madagaskaru,

and we don't know what is the potential of this plant,

a ne znamo mogućnosti ove biljke,

but one thing we know is that the flora

ali znamo da flori

is considered to be threatened with extinction.

preti iskorenjivanje.

Let me take you to Africa again,

Hajde da vas ponovo povedem u Afriku

and introduce you to one of my very favorite,

i da vam predstavim moju omiljenu biljku,

the resurrection plant.

biljku vaskrsnuća.

Now here you'll find

Vidite,

that even Jesus has competition.

čak i Isus ima konkurenciju.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Now, this plant here has developed

Ova biljka je razvila

remarkable tolerance to drought,

značajnu toleranciju na sušu,

which enables it to withstand

što joj omogućava da izdrži

up to 98 percent dehydration over the period of a year

čak 98 posto dehidracije tokom godine,

without damage,

bez oštećenja,

and yet it can regenerate itself almost completely

i može potpuno da se regeneriše

overnight, over 24 hours, and flower.

preko noći, za 24 sata, i da procveta.

Now, us human beings,

Mi smo, kao ljudska bića,

we're always on the lookout for the elixir of youth.

u stalnoj potrazi za eliksirom mladosti.

We don't want to get old, and rightly so.

Ne želimo da ostarimo.

Why should we, especially if you can afford it?

A i zašto bi, ako to možemo da sebi priuštimo?

And this gives you an indication

Ovo se nagoveštava

of what the plant looks like before.

prethodnim izgledom biljke.

Now, if you are an inexperienced gardener,

Ako ste neiskusni baštovan,

the first thing you'll do when you visit the garden

prvo što ćete uraditi u bašti je,

is to uproot this plant because it's dead.

da iščupate ovu uvenulu biljku.

But if you water it, this is what you get.

Ali, ako je zalivate, dobićete ovo.

Absolutely amazing.

Potpuno neverovatno.

Now, if you look at our aging process,

Ako posmatramo naš proces starenja,

the aging process is in fact the loss of water

to je, u stvari, gubitak vode

from the upper epidermis, resulting in wrinkling

iz epiderma i za posledicu ima bore,

as we know it, especially women,

a mi žene to znamo

we are so conscious of this.

i veoma smo svesne toga.

And this plant, in fact, is giving the cosmetic chemists

Ova biljka daje kozmetičarima

very important ingredients

vrlo važne sastojke,

that are actually finding ways

koji pronalaze način

to slow down the aging process

da uspore proces starenja

and at the same time reinforce the cells

i istovremeno osnažuju ćelije u borbi

against the onslaught of environmental toxins.

protiv agresije toksina iz okoline.

Now, these four examples

Ova četiri primera,

I have just given you

koja sam vam upravo pokazala,

are just a very tiny reminder

samo su mali podsetnik o tome,

as to how our health

koliko su naše zdravlje

and our survival are closely linked

i opstanak usko povezani

to the health and the resilience

sa zdravljem i otpornošću

of our ecosystem,

ekosistema,

and why we should be very careful

i zašto bi trebalo da budemo obazrivi

about preserving biodiversity.

u sačuvanju biodiverziteta.

Every time a forest is cut down,

Kad god se poseče šuma,

every time a marsh is filled in,

kada se zatrpa močvara,

it is a potential lab that goes with it,

one postaju potencijalna laboratorija,

and which we will never, ever recover.

koju nikada nećemo moći oporaviti.

And I know what I'm talking about,

Znam šta pričam, pošto dolazim sa Mauricijusa

coming from Mauritius and missing the dodo.

Let me finish with just one last example.

Dozvolite da završim sa još jednim primerom.

Conservation issues are normally guided

Aktivnosti očuvanja se obično usmeravaju

towards rare, endemic plants,

prema retkim, endemskim biljkama,

but what we call exotic plants,

ali egzotične biljke

that is, the ones which grow in many different habitats across the world,

koje rastu u mnogim različitim staništima na svetu

they also need to be considered.

takođe se moraju uzeti u obzir.

You know why? Because the environment plays

Zašto? Zato što okolina igra

a very important role

veoma važnu ulogu

in modifying the composition of that plant.

u modifikovanju strukture biljke.

So let's take a look at this plant here,

Pogledajmo ovu biljku.

Centella asiatica. It's a weed.

Centella asiatica. Korov je.

We call it a weed.

Tako ga bar nazivamo.

Now, Centella asiatica grows across the world

Ona raste u mnogim

in many different habitats — in Africa, in Asia —

različitim staništima u Africi, u Aziji,

and this plant has been instrumental

Koristila se za

in providing a solution to that dreadful disease

za saniranje smrtonosne bolesti, lepre,

called leprosy in Madagascar in the 1940s.

na Madagaskaru četrdesetih godina prošlog veka.

Now, while Centella grows across the world —

Iako Centella raste širom sveta,

in Africa, in Asia — the best quality Centella

u Africi, u Aziji,

comes from Madagascar,

najbolja je ona sa Madagaskara,

because that Centella contains the three vital ingredients

jer sadrži tri ključna sastojka

which are sought after by the pharma

koji su traženi u farmaciji

and the cosmetic companies.

i kozmetičkim kompanijama.

And the cosmetic companies are already using it

U kozmetici se već koristi

to make regenerating cream.

u kremama za regeneraciju.

Now, there is an ancient saying

Postoji jedna stara izreka

that for every disease known to mankind,

da za svaku bolest postoji

there is a plant to cure it.

biljka koja je leči.

Now, you may not believe in ancient sayings.

Možda ne verujete u to.

You may think they're obsolete

Možda mislite da je to danas zastarelo,

now that our science and technology are so powerful.

jer su nauka i tehnologija moćne.

So you may look on Centella as being

Možete smatrati Centellu za beznačajni,

an insignificant, humble weed,

skromni korov,

which, if destroyed, won't be missed.

koji nam ne bi nedostajao čak i ako bi nestao.

But you know, there is no such thing as a weed.

Ali i korov je važan.

It's a plant.

Ono je biljka.

It's a living biological lab

To je živa biološka laboratorija

that may well have answers

koja možda već ima odgovore

to the question that we may have,

na naša pitanja,

but we have to ensure

i moramo osigurati

that it has the right to live.

njeno pravo na život.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)