By Roger Phillips and Paul Medici | CEO and Manager, American Operations
Dear Donors,
Today we bring you a Project Update that highlights the hope that is born when people such as yourselves generously give to a cause--whether ours or another fine cause or mission. A project update that shows the unique benefits of protecting, extending and recovering our ancient tropical rainforests. A project update we at the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) are proud to deliver during this holiday season--be it Chanukah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, etc...
A chemical extracted from the seed of a tree found in the tropical rainforest of far north Queensland has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of cancer in companion animals and possibly humans.
The successful trial of the rainforest chemical EBC-46, to treat solid tumors with rapid healing of the tumor site and no significant side effect has been celebrated not only by veterinarians and animal lovers, but has been held up by the ARF and other conservationists as a key reason for the protection, extension and recovery of Australia's rainforests. Recently retired ARF Director and past Chariperson, Dr. Victoria Gordon, was part of the team at Ecobiotics that discovered the drug after searching tropical rainforest remnants on private land in the Atherton Tablelands of far north Queensland.
Although only in late preclinical development for the human market, the drug has already demonstrated very compelling proof of concept of the drug's efficacy and safety in cancer models in mice and successful treatment of solid tumors in dogs, cats and horses. EBC-46 will go on trials for humans in Australia in 2011. Further information can be found at www.qbiotics.com
Every tree planted, every feral pig trapped, every invasive weed burned or pulled and every square meter placed with a conservation easement on it matters. Revegetating cleared, fragmented and modified tropical rainforest protects the ancient, old-growth rainforest where biodiversity thrives. These zones serve as buffers to pristine rainforest and provide habitat for rare, threatened and endangered animal species. This is called secondary rainforest (primary rainforest being the old-growth rainforest) and this is rainforest your donations are helping come to life. Protecting primary rainforest and extending the World Heritage Listed rainforest allows ecologists, researchers and chemists the opportunity to recover riches only an ancient tropical rainforest such as ours can provide. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists the World Heritage Listed Wet Tropics region of Tropical North Queensland as having the highest concentration of ancient plant families (9 out of 12) in the world. This means our work is special and your support is vital.
Dr. Victoria Gordon is now the Australian Rainforest Foundation's (ARF) Chief Scientific Advisor. Work like Dr. Gordon's is truly humbling and it feeds our passion, strengthens our resolve and lifts our spirits high. Our work is a journey in the preservation of life and we can't do it without you--our GlobalGiving donors and corporate friends.
We hope you'll consider another contribution to our Project, Protect Vital Rainforest in Australia for Climate and help strengthen our resolve. There is no telling what medicinal treasures lurk deep inside these wild and tangled tropical rainforests. Survival rates for childhood Leukemia have increased to 99% and Hodgkin's disease to 80% thanks to chemicals from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle and drugs such as cortisone are manufactured from Mexican yams.
We can hope for brighter days ahead for many other diseases and we promise to continue utilizing your generous donations on protection, extension and recovery efforts and to shape the hope all around us into solid gains. We have just finished planting the 4000th tree in the Mansford Reserve. Over the wet season, which runs from November to March, our Conservation Officer Adrian Watson will be collecting seeds from the forest to grow out in our nursery for planting next year. He will also be watching the rain since many times during monsoon season the main road leading to and from the conservation office falls in danger of being washed out.
As always-- we thank you for your generosity and your action. Action makes all the difference and your support means the world to us and to future generations.
Cheers,
Roger Phillips & Paul Medici
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