I’m glad to share that our review article on cane palm (Calamus tenuis) in Bangladesh is featured in the latest B.E.E.R.R. from the American Botanical Council.
I co-wrote the paper with Nasir Ahmed and Professor Rownak Jahan at the University of Development Alternative in Dhaka. It was published in Next Research. It asks about the potenital of one plant to support medicine, nutrition and rural livelihoods while its forest habitat keeps regenerating.
The review places C. tenuis in a five-stage cycle: conservation, cultivation, sustainable harvesting, market regulation and post-harvest treatment. The species is still listed as Least Concern, but it faces growing pressure from habitat degradation.
The opportunities are broad. They include traditional medicine (including its use as “Vetra”), drug discovery, food security, nutraceuticals, and handicraft and building-material livelihoods. Responsible development may also connect with several UN Sustainable Development Goals. Much still needs work, especially supply chains, regulatory compliance and cultivation practices that balance conservation with commercial use.
Thank you to ABC for highlighting this work, and to my co-authors for the collaboration. If you are interested in supporting livelihoods by bringing ingredients into supplychains, please reach out to learn about the EBI Network!
Ahmed MN, Hughes K, Jahan R. From ethnophytomedicine to sustainable bioeconomy: Contextualizing the multifaceted potential of Calamus tenuis Roxb. Next Research. 2026;11:102040.
Our cane palm review is in the latest American Botanical Council B.E.E.R.R. 🌴 🎉
