This document discusses the potential of bamboo for landscape restoration and erosion control. It provides examples of bamboo being used successfully for these purposes in various countries. Bamboo can bind large amounts of soil with its extensive root systems, and studies show bamboo plantations significantly reduce runoff and soil erosion compared to other crops. The document also outlines INBAR's work promoting sustainable bamboo management and trade worldwide. It concludes that bamboo grows quickly and can be harvested annually, making it a good option for soil conservation and restoration projects, as well as an important traded commodity.

1. Bamboo and Resilient Landscapes
5 December 2014, Lima, Peru
hfriederich@inbar.int
www.inbar.int

2. Contents of Presentation
• International Network for
Bamboo and Rattan - INBAR
• Bamboo distribution
• Bamboo and erosion control
• Bamboo and land restoration
• Bamboo products and
international trade
• Conclusion and what next?

3. INBAR
• Established in 1997 in China
as a global Inter-
Governmental Organization
• Improve the lives of the
producers and users of
bamboo and rattan through
sustainable management,
use and trade of the
resources.
• International Commodity
Body for bamboo and rattan
since 2001

7. Growth of Bamboo
Copyright ©2013 GPS LLC. All rights reserved

8. Bamboo Root System
Bamboo can bind up to 6m3 of soil
A single
bamboo
plant can
bind up to
6m3 of soil

9. Erosion Control Research, China
 Rain throughfall in
bamboo is 89%.
 Rainfall interception in
bamboo is 9.3%
 Runoff compared to
sweet potato cropland
is reduced by 24.6%
 Soil erosion in sweet
potato cropland 4.7
times higher than
bamboo plantation

10. Rwanda National Bamboo Policy
 Grow bamboo in order to reduce soil
erosion and siltation of rivers and water
bodies
 Plant bamboo in 5 metre corridors along
small rivers
 Plant bamboo in 10 metre corridors along
big rivers
 Plant bamboo in 50 metre corridors along
lake shores

11. River Bank Protection - Brazil

12. River Bank Protection - Philippines
Photo: Villars Foundation
Bamboo and mangrove species shall be tapped as reforestation crops, particularly on river
banks and in coastal areas, to control soil erosion and as buffers against wave action”

13. Landscape Restoration Near Allahabad, India
• Pilot project in 1996 by
Utthan and INBAR
• 100 Hectares reforested
with bamboo by 2003
• 2007 Alcan Prize for
Sustainable
Development
• After 10 years:
• 85,000 hectares
• 786,000 people

14. Landscape Restoration Near Allahabad, India
Land devastated by quarrying
for brick-making was
rehabilitated with bamboo
One of the nurseries used
to supply bamboo seedlings
After 5 years

15. Restoring mined land with bamboo in Ghana
After 10 months
After 3 months
Before the planting
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana
Trial Plots in Ashanti Region
Each plot covered an area of 825 m2, and planted with six
bamboo species in a 2 m x 2 m matrix at three trial sites

16. Species Performance, Ghana
Table 3: Bamboo species performance rating for live fencing at the various sites
(E = excellent; VW = very well; W = well; NR = Not Recommended)
Performance rating of bamboo species for live fencing
Un-mined site Rating Reclaimed site
Rating Un-reclaimed site
Rating
D. Strictus N.R D. Strictus N.R D. Strictus N.R
Oxytenanthera
Abyssinica
V. W Oxytenanthera
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana
Abyssinica
V.W Oxytenanthera
Abyssinica
V.W
Bambusa
vulgaris vitata
V. W Bambusa
vulgaris vitata
V. W Bambusa vulgaris
Vitata
N.R
Bambusa
Oldhamii
N. R Bambusa
Oldhamii
N.R Bambusa oldhamii N.R
Bambusa
Ventricosa
N. R Bambusa
Ventricosa
N.R Bambusa
Ventricosa
N.R
Dendrocalamus
membranaceae
E Dendrocalamus
Membranaceae
E Dendrocalamus
Membranaceae
E
Guadua
Chacoensis
N. R

17. Chishui County, Guizhou Province, China
Total plantation: 38,466 h. of which 30,066 ha bamboo plantation.
Species: Dendrocalamus farinosus and Bambusa rigida
Before planting
After 8 years

18. Chishui County, Guizhou Province, China
1 year 2 years
3 years 8 years

19. Bamboo and Climate Change

20. Carbon accumulation t C/ha
Bamboo and Climate Change
Carbon sequestration under regular harvesting for Ma bamboo & Eucalyptus urophylla plantations
(INBAR 2010)

21. Carbon Sequestration, Lin’an County, China
 Pilot and verification site for
China Green Carbon Foundation
carbon accounting methodology
 46.7 ha of Phyllostachys
pubescens planted in Lin’an
County, Zhejiang Province, China
in 2007
 Healthy bamboo forest after 5
years
 Alibaba paid USD 30,000 in 2011
to buy 8155 tonnes CO2e
generated by the plantation

22. Resilience – 2008 South China Snow Storm
Damaged bamboo stands in 2008 – recovered by 2010
0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48
Recovery time (years)
Survival rate (r/%)
140
120
100
80
60
*
S. superba
C. carlesii
L. formosana
P. Massoniana
A. fortunei
C. rargesn
Graph adapted from Chen. et al, Chin. J Appl Environ Biol
2012, 18(2): 194-199

25. Traditional Bamboo Use

26. Traditional Bamboo Construction

27. Engineered Bamboo Construction Material
www.lamboo.us
www.moso-bamboo.com
ADAL factory, Addis Ababa
www.lamboo.us

28. Interior Design
Barajas Airport, Madrid – Terminal 4
www.dassogroup.com

29. 2012 Trade in Bamboo
• Domestic bamboo trade in China 19.5 billion USD
• Estimated domestic bamboo trade in India 3 billion USD
• Estimated bamboo trade rest of the world 5.5 billion
USD
• International bamboo trade 2 billion USD
• TOTAL 2012: 30 billion USD
Figures based on UN Comtrade database and Harmonised
System Codes of International Customs Organisation –
under-estimate

30. Conclusion
• Bamboo is a crop that grows fast and can
be harvested annually
• Bamboo plants are good soil conservation
and slope restoration
• Using bamboo will help avoided
deforestation
• Bamboo as a traded commodity is a
serious development option
• Bamboo could and should be used in
African landscape management

31. What is Needed ?
• Nurseries to produce planting
material and training in bamboo
nursery management
• Policy framework to enable and
promote development of bamboo
industry
• Training and technology transfer
from countries that have advanced
further
• Investment from private sector
partners
• Quality control to facilitate access
to international market