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Members' Voices: Austin George Smith, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan

02.11.2023

In this latest Members' Voices feature, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat interviews Austin George Smith, a Communication and Press Specialist at the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), who sheds light on the benefits of bamboo and rattan, their role in conversing mountain biodiversity as well as INBAR’s positive impact on mountain communities worldwide.

Special thanks also to Tefera Belay, INBAR Programme Development Officer, for his contribution and editing.

What is the driving mission behind the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, and how does it relate to mountains?

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, or “INBAR”, is an intergovernmental organization with 50 member states across Africa, the Americas and Asia that promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. INBAR’s mission is to improve the well-being of bamboo and rattan stakeholders by promoting the sustainable management of bamboo and rattan resources through strategic and adaptive research and development. In addition to its Secretariat headquartered in China, INBAR has five regional offices in Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana and India and holds observer status in the United Nations General Assembly.

Bamboo covers over 50 million hectares, primarily in the Global South where most of INBAR’s member states are located. INBAR helps deliver skills, knowledge and technology to vulnerable mountain communities around the world. Projects have spanned from strengthening the bamboo value chain in East Africa's highlands and Asia's mountain regions to facilitating safe, sustainable bamboo construction in the Amazon. Rattan is also critical to INBAR’s sustainable mandate, with many species growing in montane rainforests up to 1 500 metres. Rattan can help improve rural livelihoods through its agroecological and economic potential, as it can grow in degraded soils and can be made into a plethora of high-quality and durable products.

What should Mountain Partnership members know about bamboo and rattan?

Bamboo, a fast-growing grass plant, and rattan, a spiky climbing palm, can offer versatile nature-based solutions to many pressing global challenges, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty alleviation, job creation, environmental conservation, green trade and resilient construction.

In the global highlands, these plants hold special cultural, economic and ecological value. Since bamboo and rattan can be harvested annually without re-planting, they sustain livelihoods, provide income for many mountain communities, and drive economic growth. Bamboo can capture more carbon than some tree species and stores it throughout its lifespan. Both plants are ideal for agroforestry, as they do not compete with other crops, deliver a range of sustainable benefits, and diversify household income streams through value-added activities.

Both plants can be used to make baskets, building materials, fabrics and furniture. Bamboo can be made into over 10 000 products such as cutlery, chopsticks, bowls, packaging and other durable products like flooring, furniture, construction materials and more. Since it provides a continuous supply of material, bamboo can also be a renewable source of energy, mitigating deforestation. Rattan is even being explored for innovative uses in the medical sector to help bone repair. These diverse applications have resulted in a booming global bamboo and trade sector worth approximately USD 60 billion. There is enormous potential for mountain communities to harness their traditional skills and knowledge to generate new products and services.

What is the role of bamboo and rattan in conserving biodiversity in mountains, and how does it benefit these ecosystems?

Bamboo and rattan play a vital role in conserving and restoring mountain ecosystems. Mountains are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced floods, landslides and droughts, disproportionately affecting mountain communities. Bamboo can grow across sloping and degraded lands. Its extensive root and rhizome systems tightly bind soils and regulate streamflow, helping to safeguard watersheds from natural disasters. For example, in India, a bamboo-based landscape project successfully increased the groundwater table by 10 metres in 20 years. Additionally, bamboo’s leaf litter enriches soil organic matter, particularly in harsh mountain environments.

Bamboo and rattan are also essential food sources for many endangered wildlife in mountains, including giant and red pandas, mountain gorillas, apes, Indian elephants, South American spectacled bears and bamboo lemurs. Additionally, bamboo provides shelter for various flora and fauna and offers a unique habitat for insects that have adapted to live inside its inner walls.

What tangible impact has INBAR had on mountain communities?

Since its founding, INBAR has been making a real difference in the lives of millions of people and environments around the world. Many of these actions have been launched in mountain areas. Two of our current flagship mountain projects, the Bambuzonía project and the Dutch-Sino East Africa Development project, operate in the Amazon and East Africa.

Undertaken across Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the Bambuzonía project harnesses the potential of bamboo to address land degradation, deforestation and climate change while bolstering livelihoods in rural mountain communities. In 2022, the Bambuzonía project yielded many positive outcomes across the Latin America and the Caribbean region, with over 3 000 smallholders now implementing bamboo-farming systems and sustainable management practices. Specifically, in the Peruvian Amazon, women of the rural Awajún ethnic group have formed their own association — the Tajimat Women’s Association — and are now using bamboo to make jewellery. In 2021, the Economic Development Sub-Administration of the Municipality of Awajún connected the women of the association with INBAR’s Bambuzonía project. Project staff were then able to help the community learn more about bamboo and its historical uses in the area. Members of the association champion this model of ecological stewardship coupled with artistic innovation. Bamboo jewellery has created additional economic opportunities for the mountain community through the manufacture and sale of their high-quality jewellery, putting cash into the pockets of Amazonian women.

In East Africa, the Dutch-Sino East Africa Development project uses an innovative Triangular Cooperation model to improve the bamboo supply chains in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to end poverty, create jobs and safeguard nature. The project facilitates the transfer of knowledge, technologies, experiences and vital resources to stakeholders. Our most recent work in 2022 has made significant progress for holistically upgrading the bamboo sector by conducting 42 technical and entrepreneurship trainings, providing skills for 1 270 beneficiaries who are now capable of producing high-quality bamboo products. In addition, 3 300 rural women were provided access to bamboo charcoal briquette-making units, boosting household income and lowering pressure on forests. There has also been a substantial environmental component to the project, supporting 36 large-scale and over 100 small-scale nurseries which have in total grown 365 million new plants. The project also supports the inclusion of 600 hectares of new bamboo plantation and 1 600 hectares of forest and farmland.

How does INBAR address climate change challenges in mountains?

INBAR comprehensively promotes bamboo as an effective tool to fight climate change in mountain regions, contributing to mitigation and adaptation. INBAR’s interventions, from landscape restoration, agroforestry development and renewable energy production, all contribute to climate change mitigation and help strengthen livelihood resilience in mountain communities. INBAR has also developed over 20 national policies and strategies incorporating measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

In Southeast Asia, INBAR has worked to refine landscape policy in mountains areas. With donor support from the Government of Germany, the FLOURISH programme aimed at enhancing the potential of forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as livelihood development. The project championed production-driven landscape restoration and community-private sector partnerships in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam. These efforts culminated with a national policy brief in 2022 and visual media showcasing how lung bamboo can bolster resilience for Indigenous Peoples and other forest-adjacent communities.

What does INBAR hope to gain by being a member of the Mountain Partnership?

INBAR is thrilled to be a part of the Mountain Partnership. As a longstanding ally of mountain peoples and communities, we are excited to have the opportunity to work alongside other great organizations involved in sustainable mountain development. INBAR will benefit by deepened cooperation with organizations with similar thematic focuses through sharing knowledge, identifying new synergies, mobilizing resources and developing and implementing joint projects.

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