for information

Medicinal Plant Specialist Group
The medicinal plants group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission is preparing a directory of organizations and projects dealing with medicinal plants. The perspective will be mainly conservation issues, but research and management will also be covered. The objectives are to improve communication among concerned people, to learn details of existing initiatives and to foster the coordination of activities on the same topics.
Persons active in the field of medicinal plants are requested to contact:
Dr Max Kasparek, Bleichstrasse 1, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel: +49-6221- 475069. Fax: +49-6221-471858.

Phytochemical screening of plants
SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions) has been actively involved in documenting indigenous knowledge, adding value to it and disseminating it. As part of its research programme on herbal pesticides, the Society has been doing phytochemical screening in order to identify certain properties of plants--insecticidal, medicinal, etc.
SRISTI is now looking for literature and unpublished information on Clerodendron phlomidis and its synonym Clerodendrum multiflorum, which have been used by farmers for various purposes. Information on this plant's biological properties and chemical composition, and relevant ethnobotanical information are most welcome:
SRISTI and Honey Bee network, c/o Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015, India. Tel: +91-79-407241 or +91-70-469079. Fax: +91-79-6427896. E-mail: anilg@iimahd.ernet.in or honeybee@iimahd.ernet.in

Health practices
N.F. Omondi, a researcher with the Transmara Western Group (TMWG) in Kenya, is committed to the ethnographic study of indigenous communities, with a view to analyzing specific health practices in developing countries. This will furnish planners, NGOs, governments and scientists with valuable information about the importance of health practices, values, beliefs and occult sciences in larger social systems.
Any interested persons having relevant baseline information or case studies on the subject are invited to send them to:
N.F. Omondi, TMWG-Kenya, P.O. Box 16, Kilgoris, Kenya.

for papers

Environment
The Second International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment will be held in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), from 15 to 20 June 1996. Anyone interested in participating as session organizer, presenter of one or two papers, chair, discussant or observer, is invited to contact the organizers.

Sustainable development
The International Sustainable Development Research Network, in association with ERP Environment, publishers of the international journal Sustainable Development, are seeking offers of papers from researchers and practitioners in the fields of sustainable development and environmental management. These will be presented at its second annual conference. (See also the section on Conferences.)