COP18: Bamboo viewed as a force of good for the environment

COP18: Bamboo viewed as a force of good for the environment

COP18 (01/12/12) – Dr J Coosje Hoogendoorn from the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan talks about the important role Bamboo could play as one of the fastest growing plants in the world.

She explains that it produces biomass at a very fast rate and has traditionally played an important role in people lives, as a material for construction and other uses on a daily basis. She says its use is also growing in more urban areas, as it has begun to be seen as a positive force for the environment.

She talks about the interest in the possibility of using bamboo for carbon sequestration and says her organisation’s research has shown this is possible. A bamboo carbon credit has even been created in China, she adds/

She says that there are between 25-50 million hectares of bamboo around the world, not just in Asia but also Africa and Latin America, and that bamboo trees can grow up to 1 metre per day.