By Henrylito D. Tacio
By now, the world is already experiencing the consequences of climate change: typhoons, floods, landslides, sea level rise, drought, diseases, too much cold and heat, El Niño and La Niña, food insecurity, and coral bleaching, to name a few.
One of the best ways to lessen the impacts of climate change is, according to most experts, by planting trees – “at least a trillion of them, and fast,” pointed out Laura Geggel in an article published by Live Science.
“That may sound like a lot of trees, but the Earth has room for their gnarled bows and branches,” Geggel explained. Citing a study that excluded cities and agricultural areas, “researchers found that the planet has nearly 9 million square kilometers to spare for trees.”
There are several kinds of trees but for a developing country like the Philippines, the best tree to plant is bamboo, which can be planted anywhere in the country. Bamboo, said the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), is “a strategic resource for countries to reduce the effects of climate change.”
“A number of bamboo species are potential tools for carbon sequestration and combating climate change,” said INBAR Director General Hans Friederich on behalf of its 40 member countries.
“Bamboo plants store carbon at a fast rate, and bamboo products can effectively ‘displace’ more emissions-intensive materials such as cement, steel, and plastic,” Friederich said.
Recent INBAR research suggests (well-managed) bamboo can store 200 to 400 tons of carbon per hectare per year. “With such high carbon storage rates, there is clearly potential for countries to integrate bamboo into their climate mitigation plans,” he said.
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, agreed. “Bamboo and rattan can make an important difference in the fight against climate change,” she said. “Nature-based solutions like bamboo do not just contribute to sustainable development, they also help build the kind of world we want.”
In the Philippines, the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) is the leading bureau that pushes bamboo for climate change adaptation. “Bamboo is considered a valuable economic and environmental resource, and ERDB hopes to continue to innovate ways of increasing awareness on the promising potentials of bamboo, especially in attaining environmental sustainability and economic resiliency,” said Dr. Sofio B. Quintana, ERDB director and national coordinator of the bamboo plantation development project.
The ERDB is the principal research and development arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Having done research on bamboo since 1987, it has established a bambusetum – a garden having a collection of bamboo plants – at the Los Baños Experimental Station to conserve and preserve more than 40 different rare and endangered bamboo species.
From 2013 to 2014, the ERDB conducted a study assessing the carbon sequestration of four economically important bamboo species, namely: “bolo” (Gigantochloa levis), “buho” (Schizostachyum lumampas), giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper), and “kawayan-tinik” (Bambusa blumeana).
The results of the study showed bamboo can store 39.8% to 44.3% of carbon of its total biomass. “The carbon sequestration ability of bamboo is almost comparable to trees (47.66%) which makes it an ideal element for reforestation efforts,” the ERDB said.
Carbon sequestration is defined as a natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid form. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that also includes methane and nitrous oxide. The carbon overload in the atmosphere is reportedly caused mainly by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas and by cutting down and burning forests.
Another good thing about growing bamboo is that it is being supported by the government. In fact, the country will carry out this year a P100.05-million bamboo work program which includes trade and marketing in global venues to promote Filipino innovations in bamboo architecture and other products.
“Bamboo is an industry where we have huge potential to earn from export. This is why PBIDC is putting up with our present budgetary lack to promote our products that are really world class,” said Deogracias Victor B. Savellano, vice chairman of the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC) and also undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture.
Bamboo is described as “a sunshine industry,” with 24 million being allocated by the PBIDC for nursery establishment and management all over the country this year.
Not only that. To support identification of existing bamboo plantations, the PBIDC is allocating a P5-million budget for the Bamboo Inventory and Technology-Enabled Mapping (BRITEMAP).
Inventory mapping of bamboo plantations will be critical now that many private companies have started investing in bamboo product manufacturing, said PBIDC Executive Director Rene Butch Madarang.
Meanwhile, the Kawayan Act – authored by Senator Mark A. Villar, who is also the Senate Committee Chairman on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship – eyes an initial P100-million budget for the future law’s implementation.
The country’s neighboring nations are investing heavily in their bamboo industries. Thailand, for instance, is reportedly infusing $10 billion for its “bamboo villages” development.
The Bamboo Global Report Market 2023 placed bamboo revenue at $66.22 billion in 2022 and $71.63 billion in 2023. This is seen to further grow to $92.62 billion in 2027.
“The worldwide demand for bamboo products, especially engineered bamboo for construction, is growing by leaps and bounds,” said former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
Piñol forecasts that by 2031, the market size of bamboo products “is expected to reach US$99.8-billion.”
“While there is an on-going movement to promote the planting of bamboo, especially the huge giant bamboo, this is largely undertaken by private advocacy groups,” he said.
Right now, the Philippines has an estimated bamboo area of around 104,000 hectares. It generates a value of $60 million yearly.
Despite the potential of bamboo in curbing climate change, Friederich said many decision makers, planners and national sustainable development action plans have not yet taken account of this resource and the benefits it can bring to society.
“Properly applied, bamboo will help many low and middle-income countries achieve their sustainable development goals,” Friederich believed.
The administration of Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is reportedly embarking on a flagship multi-billion peso “bamboo villages” program that seeks to uplift the livelihood of the poor and indigenous people in ancestral lands.
During the recent United Nations General Assembly, Marcos said the climate challenge is a major policy goal of his administration. “The program will use bamboo as a climate change mitigation tool,” said Savellano.
Bamboo grows anywhere in the country. In fact, it grows on marginal farm areas not much good for anything else. “It is a pity that we have neglected this important crop for so long,” deplores Jethro P. Adang, the director of Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center.
Unknowingly, bamboo is a superb reforestation species due to its varied utility and importance in controlling soil erosion and stabilizing riverbanks.
“Bamboo is considered to be the best conservation material because of its low maintenance compared to other plantations aside from the fact that there is a high return on investment and faster payback in bamboo,” said Dr. Henry A. Adornado, ERDB executive director.
The bamboo business, however, is labor intensive, more so during the first two years of operation. Studies have shown that labor alone eats around 90 percent of the total production cost. But the beauty of bamboo growing lies in passing the first two critical growing years.
“If the bamboo survives, you are assured of money for the next 30 to 50 years,” says a bamboo grower. Another good thing: the price of bamboo does not suffer from severe fluctuations unlike pork and chicken. In fact, they are priced depending on the diameter, volume and distance traveled. – ###
