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Bioprospecting is the exploration of natural sources for small molecules, macromolecules and biochemical and genetic information that could be developed into commercially valuable products for the agricultural, aquaculture, bioremediation, cosmetics, nanotechnology, or pharmaceutical industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, almost one third of all small-molecule drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 1981 and 2014 were either natural products or compounds derived from natural products.
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Wayne Arthur Whistler was an American ethnobotanist, academic and writer. Whistler, an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii's Department of Botany, was an expert on tropical flora of the Pacific Islands, especially Samoa and Tonga.
O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park is the oldest national park in Samoa. Established in 1978, the park covers 5019 hectares of the southern-central portion of the island of Upolu on the border of the Atua and Tuamasaga districts. The park extends from Mount Fito, the highest mountain on Uplou, to the coast, and includes uplands, valleys, marshes, the O Le Pupu lava field, and coastal cliffs. In 2016 it was designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
References
- ↑ Isle Botanica, Art Whistler (May 1999). "Guide to the most commonly used medicinal plants in Samoa" (PDF). American Samoa Community College Land Grant Program. Honolulu, Hawai'i. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ↑ Roger R. B. Leakey, Craig R. Elevitch, Isabella Aiona Abbott (2006). Traditional trees of Pacific Islands: their culture, environment, and use. Permanent Agriculture Resources. ISBN 978-0-9702544-5-0 . Retrieved 11 July 2010.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Traditional medicines still strong in Samoa". Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
