Sharing the latest news and activities from the bamboo and rattan sectors
This issue of the Bamboo & Rattan Update Magazine highlights the unique advantages of bamboo for contributing to the goals of the UNCCD, and considers the untapped promise of the plant.
Landscape restoration schemes rely upon accurate baseline data, so decision-makers can allocate resources in an optimal manner. However, in many areas of the Global South where desertification and land degradation are most rampant, there is a paucity of relevant information. Working to solve this stubborn problem, INBAR partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN in 2020 to put bamboo on the map with new tools for monitoring forest coverage. Though current figures place total global bamboo forest coverage at approximately 35 million hectares, some estimates range as high as 50 million, as many countries lack the capacity and coordination for forest resource assessment.
The first article examines new instruments for bamboo resource monitoring to help bamboo-rich countries achieve the full potential of this multifunctional plant and intelligently inform long-term sustainable policymaking.
The second article takes a look at The Restoration Initiative (TRI), which is a major initiative seeking to reverse degradation and restore landscapes around the world. INBAR is currently working to achieve these twin goals with partners on the ground in Cameroon including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, UN Environment Programme, Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, FAO, and other local government ministries and civil society organizations.
The third article showcases one of their recent public-private partnership projects which has now accumulated five years of data during its trial period. Using bamboo to protect one of Ghana’s transitional zones from deforestation and endless cycles of fire, the project is bringing new life into what has been characterized as “deserted wasteland.”
About INBAR
INBAR, The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, is an intergovernmental organisation bringing together some 40 countries for the promotion of the ecosystem benefits and values of bamboo and rattan.
