News

Nigeria and Sierra Leone join INBAR
First Lady of Madagascar visits INBAR Headquarters Office
CIDA/INBAR Funding Agreement Signing Ceremony
INBAR and UNEP-WCMC launch first report on global bamboo biodiversity
Bamboo fibre and fabric

Nigeria and Sierra Leone Join INBAR

Delegates from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone raised their respective national flags on the square in front of INBAR's new headquarters building on 16 March.

Nigerian flag raising	Sierra Leone flag raising

First Lady of Madagascar Visits INBAR Headquarters Office

Mrs. Lalao RAVALOMANANA,the First Lady of Madagascar visited INBAR Headquarters on 14 May. Accompanied by Mr. Sylvain RABOTOARISON, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Water Resources of Madagascar, Mrs. RAVALOMANANA visited the Permanent Bamboo and Rattan Product Exhibition at the headquarters and had a short meeting with the Deputy Director General of INBAR. The party was impressed and expressed that Madagascar, a country that has the richest bamboo biodiversity in Africa, is expecting to join INBAR this year.

The First Lady is visiting the INBAR exhibition, accompanied by Prof. Chen, Deputy Director General of INBAR (from the left: Prof. Chen, the Ambassador of Madagascar, the First Lady)

CIDA/INBAR Funding Agreement Signing Ceremony

The CIDA/INBAR Funding Agreement Signing Ceremony, for a grant of $Cad 500,000 per year for three years, was held at INBAR Headquarters on June 18, 2004. Those attending the ceremony were: Mr. Joseph Carron, the Ambassador of Canada; Mr. Gorden Houlden, Minister of Canadian Embassy; Dr. Keith A. Bezanson, Chair of the INBAR Board of Trustees; Prof Jiang Zehui, President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and Co-Chair of the INBAR Board of Trustees, and Dr. Ian Hunter, Director General of INBAR.

The first tranche will be made available in this fiscal year (i.e. April 1 2004-March 31 2005). This contribution is of inestimable value to INBAR as it comes in the form of a core contribution, thus affording much-needed latitude for strategic initiatives and for the actions required in order to secure INBAR's financial stability over the longer term.

Mr. Joseph Carron, the Ambassador of Canada and Dr. Ian Hunter, Director General of INBAR signing the Agreement.

INBAR and UNEP-WCMC Launch First Report on Global Bamboo Biodiversity

UNEP-WCMC released a press during the launch of the First Report on Global Bamboo Biodiversity in May, which urged action be taken to protect one of the world's most ancient life forms and the species that depend on it. The new study carried out by INBAR and UNEP-WCMC (United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre) estimates that as many as half of the world's 1200 woody bamboo species may be in danger of extinction as a result of massive forest destruction.

Consequently, many extraordinary and vulnerable species such as lemurs, giant pandas and mountain gorillas that depend almost entirely on bamboo for food and shelter face an even-greater struggle for survival.

Bamoos play a significant role in biodiversity conservation and contribute to soil and water management. They are important for biomass production and play an increasing role in local and world economies. Millions of people use wild bamboo for construction, handicrafts and food. And international trade in bamboo products, mostly from cultivated sources, is worth more than $2 billion annually.

The study, produced by INBAR and UNEP-WCMC, is the most comprehensive ever undertaken on the subject and uses novel analyses to combine data on the distributions of bamboo species and on existing forest cover. It shows that many bamboo species, including relatives of those cultivated commercially, have tiny amounts of forest remaining within their native ranges.

Some 250 woody bamboo species have less than 2000 km2 of forest (an area the size of London, UK) remaining within their ranges. This study shows locations of high forest bamboo diversity and the areas where deforestation risks are highest, creating a valuable planning tool for conservation action.

The extraordinary life cycle of bamboos - individuals of each species flower once simultaneously every 20 to 100 years and then die - make them especially vulnerable to rapid deforestation that is restricting the areas in which they can survive.

The report is an important input into the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, which aims to halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity.

For more information please see:

About Bamboo Biodiversity - the report is in two parts, volume 1, Asia Pacific and volume 2, Africa, Madagascar and the Americas. To download volume 1, click on: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/ss1/WCMC%20bambooCompletePOv6.pdf
To download volume 2, click on:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/UNEP_WCMC_bio_series/19.htm

Bamboo fiber and fabric

Bamboo fibre is made of cellulose and is being produced by processing methods such as steaming and boiling, etc. Natural bamboo fiber textile is extracted directly from bamboo culms, and completely different from bamboo viscose, which is produced by chemical processing. The fiber does not contain any chemical additives. It has unique antibacterial, deodorant, coloration, elasticity, drapability, and wearability characteristics. Notable are also moisture absorption and ventilation. Because of its special structure and natural "hollowness" in the horizontal cross sections, the abundant gaps in the fiber can absorb and evaporate the moisture of human skin instantly. It is now used for knitted underwear, T-shirts, shirts, bed linen, etc., woven by machine.

For the moment, in China, only one company produces natural bamboo fiber on a commercial scale. Using natural bamboo fiber or bamboo fiber mixed with other materials such as cotton, ramie, various bamboo textile fabrics with different colors and styles are produced and exported to Europe and the USA. Presently, bamboo fiber based textiles are more expensive than cotton fabrics.