ASSESSING THE ECO SYSTEM SERVICES

AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF BAMBOO

RESTORATION OF DEGRADED LAND

BY MR. NELSON D. ONONYE

CHAIRMANGAMLA GROUP

Bamboo doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. It is often dismissed as a weed and marginalised in traditional forest management especially in West Africa. It is very popular and useful in India and South-east Asian countries where is highly regarded as (Green Gold) and even in Korea it is a metaphor for virtues of resilience, strength and loyalty worth emulating. However, bamboo can actually play a role in forest and landscape restoration. With rapid global development and climate change, there is a need for innovative responses to the use of our natural resources. Bamboo could be used innovatively in alleviating some of the demands on the forests.The Versatility and Renewability of BambooBamboo is highly versatile and rapidly renewable, with approximately 1400 species. It is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet; the Moso species of Chinese bamboo has been recorded to grow at the rate of 1 metre per day. This therefore means that, considering all bamboos, irrespective of the species, reach their full height in one growing season and mature between 3 to 8 years. This therefore would represent an equally rapid return on the investments made in the plantation phase in a particularly short period of time. For years, it has been used as an alternative for timber in furniture, charcoal, crafts and even as food (bamboo shoots). Recently with new technology, its uses have expanded to construction, paper, viscose…to name a few.Bamboo: Potential for Forest and Landscape RestorationBamboo is known to grow in ‘poor soils’ and can therefore be used in the rehabilitation of degraded lands. It is a great starting point in restoring degraded land because it can grow under diverse environmental conditions (full sunlight, high winds etc). It is able to maintain the thick layer of litter due to its fast growing nature and dense foliage; the litter layer is able to maintain microclimate in the understory and soil moisture. This is the most important factors for the restoration of degraded lands.

Bamboos possess large and complex underground root systems, known as Rhizomes. Bamboo shoots and culms grow from the dense root rhizome system. There are two main types of rhizomes: Monopodial and sympodial. Monopodial rhizomes also known as runners or running bamboo grow horizontally, at a surprising rate. The rhizome buds develop either upward, generating a culm, or horizontally, with a new tract of the rhizome net. These rhizomes are not particularly deeply laid roots, typically growing no further than 50 cm below the surface of the ground. However, the complexity of the root system, along with the nutrients that they provide to the plant stem as well as the surrounding soil, means that that below the ground the plant provides a two-fold benefit. On one hand, the complexity of the system means that bamboos can (and often do) grow on slopes, embankments and gullies, without being washed away. On the contrary, the rhizosphere clumps up soil together even more tightly and therefore saturates previous breaks in the earth. Additionally, the increased biomass provided by the enormous root surface, itself a result of the nutrient and water conservatory capacities of bamboos, has the knock on effect of delivering greater fertility to the surrounding soil bed.

As previously stated, this intensive root system helps control soil erosion; according to Arrunachalam, due to its intensive root system, bamboos grown on the hill slopes of degraded land will be able to control the runoff and soil erosion. Different species of bamboos affect soil properties in different ways; among them some have been reported to increase the microbial biomass in rhizosphere zone by providing the large root surface, which helps in increasing the soil fertility.

The rooting structure shown below of the large Beema bamboo developed by Dr. Bharathi Growmore explains in relief why they are so effective.

In many countries around the world, these adaptive capabilities of bamboo have already been tested, each with some level of success. In India, INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and rattan) carried out some work in Allahabad, where a large area of land had been used for decades as a source of clay for brick-making. However, the introduction of pollution control measures and changes in rural development meant that the brick-making industry soon after collapsed and the large majority of the community was left without that which had been their major income generator for decades. Bamboo was used in a pilot project of just over 100 hectares in 1997 and after a number of years; the red earth had been changed into a green oasis. Although the pilot project ended about 10 years ago, the efforts have not ceased as the results of the initial investment have been such that 85,000 hectares of degraded land have now been made productive and aiding up to 90,000 local households.

In Ghana, tests were carried out to assess the suitability of bamboo in the restoration of unused mines in the Ashanti region, and for the provision of economic opportunities for the surrounding communities. In carrying out the tests, some reclaimed mining sites were used as well as untreated former mining terraces. After ten months, there was negligible space between individual plants and the measurement of said plants was somewhat difficult, with the survival rate of all species at over 95%.

In Thailand, along the Coast of Kok Kham Island, bamboo breakwaters and bamboo fencing have been used in the reversal of coastal erosion. 3” diameter and 5m length bamboo culms were used in the construction of walls on the coastal mudflats, up to 4m above ground. The structure of the bamboos dissipates the wave energy and reduces the wind speed near the coast, thereby causing deposition of silt with an average of .46m/yr, with a visible loss of sediment in surrounding areas that possess none of the structures. This sediment contains large amounts of food nutrient suitable for mangrove recovery, with the bamboo walls catalysing a more effective restoration.

Venkatesh et al. also concluded from his study that out of 11 studied species, D. giganteus, D. hookeri and B. nutans, have been found to be the better species for improving and maintaining the fertility status of acid soils in the NEH regionEnvironmental degradation is usually caused by contamination/pollution or natural and social disaster arising from the deliberate misuse or refusal to follow planned use of our natural resources. Degradation of land is mainly caused by activities relating to human migration/population explosion and inappropriate management or lack of planed Land Cadastre System (Cooke et al). This includes illegal and uncontrolled mining/quarrying activities and deforestation created by the slash and burn farming practice and demographic. As a result of the inherent qualities/attributes of the bamboo plant, it has become a cost effective means of restoring degraded land if properly planed with remote sensing and civil engineering tools. Of course, this depends on the type of degradation – localized such as in abandoned mining sites or more dynamic types caused by gully erosion that sometimes swathes/transverses very large areas. As a very important agro forestry plant it offers various ecosystem services:Support primary production and recycling of nutrients from a result of the decaying dense litter of leaves. Provisioning:Wood for fuel, food, industry and household utensils/shelter Regulating:Climate – Carbon sequestration Watershed - Protection & soil conservation and retentionWater purification - because of its natural affinity for nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals. Social-Economic/Cultural ServicesEmployment & new skill acquisition, educational, recreation, aesthetics, preservation of cultural heritage.

Degradation of land invariably diminishes its ability to support any ecosystem. However, because of the forgiving nature of bamboo, degraded sites can sustainably support plantation, agro forestry and silviculture initiatives especially as their natural habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate due to existential pressures. Bamboo is considered to be the most efficient material in nature based on its cost performance ratio, producing more biomass per unit area and time in comparison with other forest plants. Yields of bamboos vary widely in different climatic zones for different species. Therefore, its financial viability also depends on the local climate, silvicultural practices adopted and market conditions. It is necessary to quantify some of the intangible benefits of bamboo forests in economic analysis. Bamboo forests are very effective in preventing soil erosion while improving the water retention capacity of the soil. They are also known and used to improve barren and degraded lands. In consequence, soil fertility is preserved, water run-off controlled, in addition to using it to drastically diminish the siltation of water courses and reservoirs. There is no doubt particularly in marginal land that economic analysis of bamboo plantations at market prices maybe non-profitable. However, some of the intangible benefits are difficult to quantify. Therefore, it is a good assumption that if their unaccounted contribution is considered, planting bamboos in degraded lands is a socially profitable venture. Clearly, research in bamboo economics for each country has to be done in the following areas: Resource Survey, Trade and Socio-economics to understand all the economic benefits. In conclusion, the role of bamboo in eco-restoration of degraded land has received huge attention of ecologists, foresters and soil scientists. It evident that bamboo plantation has an impact in soil erosion control, biodiversity conservation and increasing capacities in restoration of degraded lands. Therefore there is a need to increase awareness on the effectiveness of bamboo in mitigation or restoration programs in addition to the interesting the social and economic benefits.

Bibliography

Desh R. Experience in waste land development: a case study. In: Renewable energy and environment. Proceedings of the International Solar Energy Convention. Udaipur, India, 1 -3 December 1989 (Mathur AN, Rathore NS, Eds.), pp. 139-143. Himanshu Publications, Udaipur, India. Arunachalam A, Arunachalam K. Evaluation of bamboos in eco-restoration of ‘jhum’ fallows in Arunachal Pradesh: ground vegetation, soil and microbial biomass. Forest EcolManag. 2002; 159: 231- 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00435-2 Venkatesh MS, Bhatt BP, Kumar K, Majumdar B, Singh K. Soil properties influenced by some important edible bamboo species in the North Eastern Himalayan region, India. J Bamboo Rattan. 2005; 4(3): 221-230. Dr. N. Barathi, Director Growmore Biotech Ltd. Hosur, Tn, India