Cameroon regional workshop 2016 ,nelson d. ononye ,gamla group

1. BY MR. NELSON D. ONONYE
CHAIRMAN
GAMLA GROUP

2. Bamboo doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. It is often
dismissed as a weed and marginalised in traditional forest
management especially in West Africa. It is very popular and
useful in India and South-east Asian countries where is highly
regarded as (Green Gold) and even in Korea it is a metaphor for
virtues of resilience, strength and loyalty worth emulating.
However, bamboo can actually play a role in forest and
landscape restoration. With rapid global development and
climate change, there is a need for innovative responses to the
use of our natural resources. Bamboo could be used
innovatively in alleviating some of the demands on the forests.
The Versatility and Renewability of Bamboo
Bamboo is highly versatile and rapidly renewable, with
approximately 1400 species. It is one of the fastest growing
plants on the planet; the Moso species of Chinese bamboo has
been recorded to grow at the rate of 1 metre per day. This
therefore means that, considering all bamboos, irrespective of
the species, reach their full height in one growing season and
mature between 3 to 8 years. This therefore would represent an
equally rapid return on the investments made in the plantation
phase in a particularly short period of time. For years, it has
been used as an alternative for timber in furniture, charcoal,
crafts and even as food (bamboo shoots). Recently with new
technology, its uses have expanded to construction, paper,
viscose…to name a few.
Bamboo: Potential for Forest and Landscape Restoration
Bamboo is known to grow in ‘poor soils’ and can therefore be
used in the rehabilitation of degraded lands. It is a great
starting point in restoring degraded land because it can grow
under diverse environmental conditions (full sunlight, high
winds etc). It is able to maintain the thick layer of litter due to
its fast growing nature and dense foliage; the litter layer is able
to maintain microclimate in the understory and soil moisture.
This is the most important factors for the restoration of
degraded lands.

3. Bamboos possess large and complex underground root
systems, known as Rhizomes. Bamboo shoots and culms grow
from the dense root rhizome system. There are two main
types of rhizomes: Monopodial and sympodial. Monopodial
rhizomes also known as runners or running bamboo grow
horizontally, at a surprising rate. The rhizome buds develop
either upward, generating a culm, or horizontally, with a new
tract of the rhizome net. These rhizomes are not particularly
deeply laid roots, typically growing no further than 50 cm
below the surface of the ground. However, the complexity of
the root system, along with the nutrients that they provide to
the plant stem as well as the surrounding soil, means that
that below the ground the plant provides a two-fold benefit.
On one hand, the complexity of the system means that
bamboos can (and often do) grow on slopes, embankments
and gullies, without being washed away. On the contrary, the
rhizosphere clumps up soil together even more tightly and
therefore saturates previous breaks in the earth. Additionally,
the increased biomass provided by the enormous root surface,
itself a result of the nutrient and water conservatory
capacities of bamboos, has the knock on effect of delivering
greater fertility to the surrounding soil bed.
As previously stated, this intensive root system helps control
soil erosion; according to Arrunachalam, due to its intensive
root system, bamboos grown on the hill slopes of degraded
land will be able to control the runoff and soil erosion.
Different species of bamboos affect soil properties in
different ways; among them some have been reported to
increase the microbial biomass in rhizosphere zone by
providing the large root surface, which helps in increasing the
soil fertility.
The rooting structure shown below of the large Beema
bamboo developed by Dr. Bharathi Growmore explains in
relief why they are so effective.

5. In many countries around the world, these adaptive capabilities of
bamboo have already been tested, each with some level of
success. In India, INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and
rattan) carried out some work in Allahabad, where a large area of
land had been used for decades as a source of clay for brick-
making. However, the introduction of pollution control measures
and changes in rural development meant that the brick-making
industry soon after collapsed and the large majority of the
community was left without that which had been their major
income generator for decades. Bamboo was used in a pilot project
of just over 100 hectares in 1997 and after a number of years;
the red earth had been changed into a green oasis. Although the
pilot project ended about 10 years ago, the efforts have not
ceased as the results of the initial investment have been such that
85,000 hectares of degraded land have now been made productive
and aiding up to 90,000 local households.
In Ghana, tests were carried out to assess the suitability of
bamboo in the restoration of unused mines in the Ashanti region,
and for the provision of economic opportunities for the
surrounding communities. In carrying out the tests, some
reclaimed mining sites were used as well as untreated former
mining terraces. After ten months, there was negligible space
between individual plants and the measurement of said plants was
somewhat difficult, with the survival rate of all species at over
95%.
In Thailand, along the Coast of Kok Kham Island, bamboo
breakwaters and bamboo fencing have been used in the reversal of
coastal erosion. 3” diameter and 5m length bamboo culms were
used in the construction of walls on the coastal mudflats, up to 4m
above ground. The structure of the bamboos dissipates the wave
energy and reduces the wind speed near the coast, thereby
causing deposition of silt with an average of .46m/yr, with a visible
loss of sediment in surrounding areas that possess none of the
structures. This sediment contains large amounts of food nutrient
suitable for mangrove recovery, with the bamboo walls catalysing
a more effective restoration.

6. Venkatesh et al. also concluded from his study that out of 11
studied species, D. giganteus, D. hookeri and B. nutans, have been
found to be the better species for improving and maintaining the
fertility status of acid soils in the NEH region
Environmental degradation is usually caused by
contamination/pollution or natural and social disaster arising from
the deliberate misuse or refusal to follow planned use of our
natural resources. Degradation of land is mainly caused by
activities relating to human migration/population explosion and
inappropriate management or lack of planed Land Cadastre System
(Cooke et al). This includes illegal and uncontrolled
mining/quarrying activities and deforestation created by the slash
and burn farming practice and demographic.
As a result of the inherent qualities/attributes of the bamboo
plant, it has become a cost effective means of restoring degraded
land if properly planed with remote sensing and civil engineering
tools. Of course, this depends on the type of degradation –
localized such as in abandoned mining sites or more dynamic types
caused by gully erosion that sometimes swathes/transverses very
large areas.
As a very important agro forestry plant it offers various ecosystem
services:
Support primary production and recycling of nutrients from a
result of the decaying dense litter of leaves.
Provisioning:
Wood for fuel, food, industry and household utensils/shelter
Regulating:
Climate – Carbon sequestration
Watershed - Protection & soil conservation and retention
Water purification - because of its natural affinity for nitrogen,
phosphorus and heavy metals.
Social-Economic/Cultural Services
Employment & new skill acquisition, educational, recreation,
aesthetics, preservation of cultural heritage.

7. Degradation of land invariably diminishes its ability to support any
ecosystem. However, because of the forgiving nature of bamboo,
degraded sites can sustainably support plantation, agro forestry and
silviculture initiatives especially as their natural habitat is shrinking
at an alarming rate due to existential pressures.
Bamboo is considered to be the most efficient material in nature
based on its cost performance ratio, producing more biomass per
unit area and time in comparison with other forest plants. Yields of
bamboos vary widely in different climatic zones for different
species. Therefore, its financial viability also depends on the local
climate, silvicultural practices adopted and market conditions. It is
necessary to quantify some of the intangible benefits of bamboo
forests in economic analysis.
Bamboo forests are very effective in preventing soil erosion while
improving the water retention capacity of the soil. They are also
known and used to improve barren and degraded lands. In
consequence, soil fertility is preserved, water run-off controlled, in
addition to using it to drastically diminish the siltation of water
courses and reservoirs.
There is no doubt particularly in marginal land that economic
analysis of bamboo plantations at market prices maybe non-
profitable. However, some of the intangible benefits are difficult to
quantify. Therefore, it is a good assumption that if their
unaccounted contribution is considered, planting bamboos in
degraded lands is a socially profitable venture. Clearly, research in
bamboo economics for each country has to be done in the following
areas: Resource Survey, Trade and Socio-economics to understand all
the economic benefits.
In conclusion, the role of bamboo in eco-restoration of degraded
land has received huge attention of ecologists, foresters and soil
scientists. It evident that bamboo plantation has an impact in soil
erosion control, biodiversity conservation and increasing capacities
in restoration of degraded lands. Therefore there is a need to
increase awareness on the effectiveness of bamboo in mitigation or
restoration programs in addition to the interesting the social and
economic benefits.

8. Bibliography
Desh R. Experience in waste land development: a case study. In: Renewable energy
and environment. Proceedings of the International Solar Energy Convention.
Udaipur, India, 1 -3 December 1989 (Mathur AN, Rathore NS, Eds.), pp. 139-143.
Himanshu Publications, Udaipur, India.
Arunachalam A, Arunachalam K. Evaluation of bamboos in eco-restoration of ‘jhum’
fallows in Arunachal Pradesh: ground vegetation, soil and microbial biomass. Forest
EcolManag. 2002; 159: 231- 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00435-2
Venkatesh MS, Bhatt BP, Kumar K, Majumdar B, Singh K. Soil properties influenced
by some important edible bamboo species in the North Eastern Himalayan region,
India. J Bamboo Rattan. 2005; 4(3): 221-230.
Dr. N. Barathi, Director Growmore Biotech Ltd. Hosur, Tn, India