Brasília, 12/4/2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The president of the Brazilian Environment Institute (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis) (Ibama), Rômulo Mello, has unveiled a commemorative plaque at the Medicinal Plant Facility which is to become a national referral center for information and research on medicinal plants.

According to Mello, at the moment, Ibama has identified only 300 species of medicinal plants in the country, which is estimated to be just 6% of what is available in Brazil. "There is an enormous potential in Brazilian flora. We are just scratching the surface. We need to invest more, stimulate demand and do much more research as part of public policy," declared Mello. (AB)