Use Bamboo in Sustainable Development

Governments should pay more attention to the role that bamboo and rattan can play in building more sustainable and greener economies. "Because bamboo grows quickly it also absorbs carbon quickly, and is what we call a strategic forest resource in the battle against climate change," says Hans Friederich, director general of INBAR. But Ramadhani Achdiawan, a researcher from the Centre for International Forestry Research in Indonesia, underlines the importance of forest planning for the long term if countries want to use bamboo and rattan for economic growth. For instance, Achdiawan says that "rattan needs trees to support its growth, so maintaining big trees in forests is very important".