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Bamboo
is very special. It is a fast growing natural resource whose rate of
biomass generation is unsurpassed in the plant kingdom. It is
without doubt one of the most important non-wood forestry products
and one of the most important agricultural plants in the world.
Technically,
bamboos are grasses belonging to the subfamily Bambusoideae.
Over 1200 different species grow world-wide. Various species can
reach heights of 30m and more. About
18 million ha of bamboo are distributed in world forest ecosystems,
in Asia, Africa, and America.
Unlike
most timber, bamboo is a self-regenerating natural resource; new
shoots that appear annually ensure production after individual culms
are harvested. In developing countries it is a basic raw material
with numerous traditional uses. Bamboo has many applications in rural industries
(handicrafts, furniture, utensils and houses) and it is also widely
used in modern wood and paper industries.
Governments,
research institutions, and private enterprises are taking increased
interest in the environmental and economic possibilities of bamboo.
In the last decade, there has been a boom of manufacturing
industries utilizing bamboo world-wide.
Bamboo
is a plant that provides considerable environmental benefits. It
is used for ecological
purposes such as soil stabilisation and erosion prevension on hill
slopes and verges. It is a very important forestry plant which
is harvested from existing natural forests, plantations,
and mixed agroforestry systems.
Bamboo
silviculture
is a option for conserving and protecting tropical forests
while creating enduring supplies for the wood and cellulose
industries.
There
has been a growing awareness in recent years that bamboo is a vital
component of development and an effective means to improve the
livelihoods of rural poor people. Over 600 million people generate
income from bamboo; hundreds of millions of
people in the world live in bamboo houses.
A great part of the bamboo that is used is
harvested by women and children, many of whom live
below subsistence levels in developing countries.
Bamboo
is a natural vehicle for development because rural people generally
have adequate access to it. It can be easily grown and
harvested in the perimeter of forest areas or under agroforestry
schemes. Bamboo
agroforestry requires only a modest capital investment
and generates steady income to farmers. In many parts of the
tropical world the rural poor are dependent on bamboo for their
shelter and for every-day utilities.
During
the last decade, increased knowledge and reserach about bamboo has
had a tremendous economic impact and has given rise to many new
industries and products. In China, for instance, income from bamboo
products has increased sevenfold in the 1990s due to an emphasis on
R&D. Many export markets have been opened and the development of
innovative products is a continuous process. The utility of bamboo has expanded to include its
transformation into various structural composite panels. Bamboo
composites offer strategic advantages in promoting bamboo as an
alternative to wood and other construction materials.
There is also general interest and expertise in using bamboo
for producing pulp and paper.
One
of the main problems with bamboo is that it has been regarded as a
natural resource which is simply there to take. However, in
industrial economies such practice leads to overexploitation and
rapid depletion of bamboo resources, especially in the vicinity of
the paper mills and factories.
Harvesting bamboo from natural stands too distant from mills
and factories results in transportation costs becoming too high for
bamboo to be economical. Estimates regarding future use of bamboo
indicate that there will be a huge shortage for bamboo planting
material in medium and long term.
In
Europe, bamboo has been used as an ornamental for over 150 years and
currently over 300 different species of temperate bamboos are grown
throughout Europe. Only recently has bamboo been recognised as a
potential agroforestry plant in Europe. There are significant
developments within Europe in propagation techniques, biotechnology,
and wood technology that are relevant for enhancing the value and
utility of bamboo globally. Research
shows that bamboo has potential as an alternative crop for the
agricultural sector in Europe as a non-food crop.
More
information about Bamboo can be found at the following web sites:
INTERNATIONAL
NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN
AMERICAN
BAMBOO SOCIETY
BAMBOO
SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA
BAMBOO
SELECT
OPRINS
PLANT
BAMBOO
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