The fast extinction of bamboo trees from rural Bangladesh is indeed a cause of serious concern, particularly for the environmentalists. Once rural hamlets across the country used to witness luxuriant growth of bamboos. These trees used to give shade to farmers in times of scorching heat, help pass gentle breeze and act as bulwarks against severity of storms.
The need for countrywide plantation of bamboo trees has now become more urgent than ever before in view of climate change that has already set off alarm bells. "Bamboo is an excellent crop for climate change adaptation. This should be brought under massive cultivation across the country as it can easily mitigate global warming", according to Dr Mohammed Ataur Rahman, a plantation crop specialist.
Bamboos are being planted in different countries in view of huge benefits it yields. Director of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) Dr Hans Friederich said Jamaica and other African countries would embark on large-scale production of bamboo for construction of low-cost houses and value-added products such as furniture and charcoal for export market.
"The plant bamboo, and there are about 1,250 different species, has a very important role to play in environmental protection and climate change mitigation. Bamboos have very strong and very extensive root systems and are therefore amazing tools to combat soil erosion and to help with land degradation restoration," Friederich said.
Bamboo absorbs more CO2 but once one cuts that bamboo and uses it, he locks the carbon up. It, as a grass, grows so fast one can actually cut it after about four or five years, unlike trees that he has to leave for a long time.
"So by cutting bamboo you have a much faster return on investment, you avoid cutting trees and you provide the raw material for a whole range of uses," explained the INBAR chief, who is an internationally acclaimed export on bamboo.
Experts say, bamboo is a very fast-growing wonderful natural resource suitable for climate change adaptation by converting atmospheric CO2 into biomass, keeping water table up, controlling erosion, acting as strong windbreaks and reducing storms and cyclones. "It rejuvenates and creates soil and it has endless uses. More interestingly, it grows luxuriantly without application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and it absolutely grows organically," Dr Ataur said.
Unfortunately, although bamboo is a great crop with many contributions but a very little study on its production, yield, habit and habitat has been done here in Bangladesh.
About 30 different species, including exotic, naturally grown and cultivated bamboo species, are found in Bangladesh. Eighteen species are local and found in different regions especially in the hilly and flood-free zones but the rest are found only in botanical gardens and Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, Chittagong and forestry campuses.
The Environment and Forest Ministry should take a comprehensive programme to initiate extensive bamboo plantation along the coastal areas of Bangladesh so that these trees could work as effective shield against catastrophic storms and cyclones.
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