Sustainable Bamboo Development

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Introduction

1.1 The Imbalanced Status of Bamboo Development in the World

Bamboo is widely distributed in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, while many developed countries in Europe and North America, including Japan and Australia, are key consumer countries of bamboo products. Among these developed countries, Japan is an exception, because it has a natural distribution of bamboos. The country used to have a very developed bamboo sector, but because of labour shortage and costs, there is no longer any large-scale bamboo production in Japan, and it has now become an important bamboo consumer country, especially of bamboo food products.

Fig. 1.1. Bamboo fossil from the 2014 Beijing Garden Expo (Zhu Zhaohua).

Fig. 1.2. The World Bamboo Pioneer Award at the 2015 World Bamboo Congress (from left to right: Michel Abadie, President of the WBO; Jorge Moran; Choi Hyungsi; Susanne Lucas; D.N. Tewari; and Zhu Zhaohua).

Although the global distribution of bamboos is quite wide, people’s awareness of the roles of bamboo is quite different. Before the 1980s, in most bamboo-producing countries, bamboos were still growing in natural stands, with little or no management. Bamboo products were made in a traditional, handmade way, using traditional technologies, and they were also traditional products for local markets; there was little or no industrial processing.

However, earlier, before the 1950s, some bamboo-producing countries, influenced by their long history of civilization and traditions with bamboo, had started research on bamboo biodiversity, its ecological and biological characteristics, its timber properties and processing technologies. For example, India, China, Brazil and Vietnam developed bamboo pulp processing industries. Equally, Colombia and some other Latin American countries established bamboo construction industries. In China and other South-east Asian countries, a small-scale bamboo shoot processing industry already had a comparatively long history. In some Latin American countries, such as Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and in some Asian countries, such as the Philippines and China, the bamboo furniture industry was also well developed before the 1980s. Between the 1950s and 1960s, China and India started to research and develop ply bamboo and boards. At the same time, Japan and Taiwan, China (henceforward ‘Taiwan’) had started the mechanical processing of bamboo mats, curtains, sticks and laminated boards. From 1986, Mainland China began to introduce bamboo-processing machinery from Taiwan and thus a larger scale and industrialized bamboo sector came into being. Not long after this, it was possible to produce all types of bamboo-processing equipment in Mainland China.

Until recently, there were still development gaps and an imbalanced development situation among bamboo-producing countries. However, in the 1980s, under the influence of a number of early bamboo-developing countries, the first worldwide non-governmental organization (NGO) concerning bamboo – the World Bamboo Organization (WBO) – was established (in 1984), and organized the First World Bamboo Congress (WBC). In 1997, the first intergovernmental bamboo and rattan network – the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR; since May 2017 the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization) was launched. As a result of the efforts of the above organizations, global awareness of bamboos and bamboo development, and their roles, were greatly raised.

1.2 The Co-efforts of the IDRC, IFAD and a Number of Countries in Promoting Bamboo Sectors in the World, and the Establishment of INBAR

The first to introduce bamboo to international society, the IDRC has made crucial contributions.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada was the first organization that introduced bamboo into global view, and raised attention of it in the international sphere. IDRC sponsored an international workshop on bamboo and rattan in Singapore in 1980, and this initiated international exchange and communication about these two valuable non-timber forest resources that used to be neglected. From then on, IDRC started to sponsor major producing countries of these two resources in conducting research. This research has led to a wide interest, with the number of participating countries and organizations increasing rapidly. In 1993, IDRC organized an international conference in India, where INBAR was formed as an international cooperation and development programme. In 1994, INBAR succeeded in obtaining funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The early projects of INBAR successfully raised people’s awareness of the significance of protecting and developing the two important plants and their related industries. However, people soon realized that a single international cooperative programme may not be able to continuously support the promotion of global bamboo and rattan sectors in the long run.

In order to promote the protection of biodiversity and the sustainable development of bamboo and rattan globally, and improve their services in the construction of ecological systems and contributions to livelihood improvement in poor regions and countries – as well as their benefits to consumers and producers – IDRC, IFAD, and a number of major countries participating in the INBAR programme (including China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.), started discussions about establishing an independent and permanent international organization based on the original INBAR programme. In March 1995, consultants of the INBAR programme and the main project experts from IDRC, IFAD, India, China, Malaysia and Thailand held a meeting in Malaysia, after which a Special Taskforce Group for the Preparation of INBAR Internationalization was established, and it was decided that INBAR’s headquarters would be located in China. Soon after this, China established the ‘China Leading Group of INBAR Launching’, which was composed of the representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Finance and the Municipal Government of Beijing. Over more than 3 years of cooperation, INBAR was established as an independent, intergovernmental and non-profit international organization on 7 November 1997 in Beijing. This INBAR is different from the INBAR mentioned earlier (which is an international programme initiated in 1993), although it shares the same name, and it works as the first international organization dealing with bamboo and rattan. At its launch, INBAR had nine founding member countries; by 2017, the number of member countries had increased to 43; except for Canada, all of the member countries are bamboo and rattan-producing countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania.

According to its establishment Treaty, the Mission of INBAR is ‘to improve the well-being of producers and users of bamboo and rattan within the context of a sustainable bamboo and rattan resource base by consolidating, coordinating and supporting strategic and adaptive research and development’. Since its establishment, INBAR has carried out a series of global and regional activities, and fostered cooperation with and among member countries; it has also played the role of an exchange network and platform for bamboo and rattan development strategies, policies, scientific research, technology transfer and international training (see INBAR, 2007). Professor Zhu was honoured to have been involved in the whole processes of preparation and launch of INBAR.

1.3 The WBO and WBC as Important International Cooperation and Exchange Platforms

1.3.1 Mission and goals of the World Bamboo Organization (WBO)

The WBO is a diverse group consisting of individual people, commercial businesses, non-profit associations, institutions and allied trade corporations that all share a common interest in bamboo. Its purpose is to improve and promote bamboo, as well as the conditions affecting it and the industry surrounding it. The Organization is dedicated to promoting the use of bamboo and bamboo products for the sake of the environment and economy.

The WBO is a US tax-exempt trade association that was formed to facilitate the exchange of information from around the world on the environmental, socio-economic, biological and cultural aspects of bamboo. By bringing together people concerned with bamboo and creating mechanisms for global communication, the WBO’s goal is to facilitate the development of partnerships and alliances to advance the cause of bamboo worldwide.

1.3.2 The World Bamboo Congress (WBC)

The WBC is a unique event that encourages global interaction by providing a platform for direct networking and the sharing of ideas and information. Up to 2015, ten WBCs were held: in Puerto Rico (1984), France (1988), Thailand (1991), Indonesia (1995), Costa Rica (1998), India (2004), Thailand (2009), Belgium (2012) and South Korea (2015).

The Congress has become an important international exchange platform on bamboo issues. Each Congress has attracted large numbers of bamboo experts, who gathered to exchange information on the latest research results and new products. The theme of each Congress varies according to the status of bamboo development in the world, and the ‘hot’ topics have been ever-changing. The main issues that have been the concern of the Congress have been guiding the world bamboo sector by providing new fields and directions of development.

Below is a simple introduction to the Tenth WBC held in Damyang, (South) Korea, in 2015 (WBC, 2015), which describes the activities that were involved.

The World Bamboo Fair

The Fair was divided into two parts, the Korea Pavilion and the International Pavilion. Rich information and many fine products were found in the Korea Pavilion. The exhibition gave a systematic introduction to the development history, resources, management and culture of bamboo in the country. The bamboo industry of South Korea features fine and high value-added handicrafts, for example, bamboo musical instruments and fine crafts. Besides these products, South Korea has also developed innovative bamboo-processing techniques for cosmetics, health drinks, medicines, special bamboo salts, bamboo composite materials and bamboo coffee and wines, etc. The International Pavilion gathered various bamboo products from all over the world, ranging from those most advanced in technology to the most special in cultural features.

The Bamboo Seminar

The Seminar was held on 18–22 September 2015, and was a very compact but ordered event. The contents were divided into topics on bamboo architecture, bamboo and climate change, bamboo and environment, large-scale bamboo silviculture, bamboo and community development, etc. In the Seminar, bamboo architecture and bamboo carbon trade seemed to be the main focus, and there were quite a number of articles and presentations on architecture. These presentations were of wide interest to the participants from Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America and Africa. More than 400 participants from around 30 countries attended the Seminar.

World Bamboo Day

At the Eighth WBC (2009) in Thailand, the Thai Royal Forestry Department proposed the designation of September 18 of each year as World Bamboo Day, and more than 350 participants of the Congress from 41 countries agreed to this initiative. Representatives from each country planted a bamboo plantlet at the Garden of the Thai Royal Research and Development Center as a token of their respective countries. Since then, 18 September each year has become an opportunity to speak out loudly about bamboos, plant bamboos and carry out other bamboo-related activities. The initiative has successfully promoted the protection of bamboo resources, as well as their sustainable management and utilization worldwide.

The World Bamboo Design Competition

In 2014, the Organizing Committee of the WBC decided to hold a ‘World Bamboo Design Competition’ during the 2015 Congress. This event was supported by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, the Forest Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Winners included designers from India, Portugal and the Netherlands for the Household Goods Category, from South Korea, China, Ghana, the Netherlands and Vietnam for the Transportation Category and from South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines for the Architecture Category. The prizes ranged from US$1000 to 10,000.

The World Bamboo Congress Bamboo Pioneer Award

The WBC Bamboo Pioneer Award was first initiated in the Eighth WBC in Bangkok, Thailand. Why this award? Its introduction as stated by the WBO was:

From its reputation as a ‘poor man’s timber’ to its current potential as a high-end product that provides better structural, architectural and visual qualities over traditional alternatives, bamboo’s use globally has progressed at an unprecedented rate. Additionally, bamboo has been rediscovered as an alternative fibre, an alternative to fossil fuels, a substitute for plastic, a nutritional food supplement, and a green resource to mitigate climate change, as well a viable tool for rural economic development. Dedication, determination and collaboration are required to advance any scientific endeavour, and those individuals whose lifelong commitment to bamboo science deserve our attention and honoured recognition.

At the WBC in Thailand, nine people won the awards; they were from Japan, Thailand, the USA, Germany, Canada, Taiwan, Colombia, the Netherlands and Mainland China. At the Damyang WBC, four people won the awards. They were Professor Jorge Morán from Ecuador, who has been researching on bamboo architecture; Dr Dina Nath Tewari from India, who has been working on rural development and relative policy studies; Mr Choi Hyungsik from South Korea, Governor of Damyang County, who has been promoting the development of effective use of bamboo in the county, and was also a great contributor to the Damyang WBC. Professor Zhu was honoured when awarded the title of Bamboo Pioneer at the Damyang WBC.

Launch of the World Bamboo Ambassadors platform

In order to facilitate international cooperation on bamboo development, and to raise people’s awareness of the status of bamboo development in different countries and regions, the WBC launched a new platform in 2015 called the ‘World Bamboo Ambassadors’. The Ambassadors comprised a number of enthusiastic, progressive and dedicated persons from important bamboo-producing countries who wanted to push forward the global potential of bamboo.

1.4 The Impacts of International Training Activities in China on World Awareness of Bamboo and its