Country Report on Status, Prospects and Problems of Bamboo Resource in Nepal

NAMASTE

Country Report on Status, Prospects and Problems of Bamboo Resource in Nepal

Seminar on Sustainable Management and Utilization of Bamboo Resources for ASEAN

Countries18th June to 8th July 2014,

Beijing, PR China

Prepared and Presented byRajeev Kumar Jha

Assistant Research OfficerDepartment of Forest Research and Survey,

Nepal (DFRS)Raja Ram Aryal

Ranger DFRS

Outline of presentation

1. Introduction: General Information2. Biodiversity3. General Information of Bamboo in Nepal4. Management Effort for the Development of

Bamboo Resources5. Prospects of Bamboo Market for Rural

Development 6. Stakeholders in Bamboo development in Nepal7. Initiatives of DFRS in B&R Research and

Development8. Constraints for Bamboo Development in Nepal9. Research needs in Bamboo & Rattan10.DFRS Capability11.Areas of possible collaboration

Nepal: situated in central part of Himalayas between China and India

Lat: 26022’ and 30027’ N

Lon: 80004’ and 88012’ E

Area: 147,181 Km2Physiographic region: 5

IntroductionGeneral Information

Source: LRMP, 1986; DFRS, 1999

Forest29.0%

Shrub land10.6%

Agriculture land21.0%

Grassland

12.0%

Non-cultivatd land7.0%

Water2.6%

Others17.8%

Land Use Class

IntroductionGeneral Information cont…

Administrative Division

Capital city: Kathmandu


Total population: 26.49 millionMale population: 12,849,041 (48.50%)Female population: 13,645,463 (51.50%)Urban population: 17.07%

-10123

-0.13-0.07

1.16

2.271.642.05

2.622.082.25

1.35

Population Growth Rate

Caste: 125Mother tongue: 123Religion: 10 (Hindu: 81.3% and Buddhist: 9% Muslim: 4.4%Literate: 65.9% (M: 75.1% F: 57.4%)Source of fuel: 64%

Economy growth rate: <4% after 2007HDI: 0.463 GII: 0.485 (UNDP, 2013)

Demography and Socio-economy

Source: CBS, 2011

Male Female


-influenced by the Himalayan mountain range (altitudinal variations) , the South Asian monsoon rains and westerly wind disturbances

•Season: 4Pre-monsoon (March‒May)Monsoon (June‒September)Post-monsoon (October‒November)

Winter (December‒February)

•Average Annual Rainfall: 1600 mm (165 mm in the rain shadow areas to 5500 mm in the Pokhara Valley in western Nepal•Annual precipitation---- Decline in pre-monsoon rainfall in far -and mid-western and while some increase in other parts

•Maximum annual temperature rise: 0.04-0.06 0C

•From alpine cold semi desert type in the trans-Himalayan region to tropical humid type in the Terai

Climate


• Nepal is very rich in biodiversity due to:-unique geography (incorporating Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan bio-geographical regions) with its dramatic change in elevation (around 70 msl in eastern alluvial plain to 8,848 msl at the Mount Everest) along north south- high variability in eco-climatic conditions

• Nepal lies at a transition zone comprising 6 floristic regions (CBD, 2009)

• Nepal is a part of biodiversity hotspot, among 4 hotspots occurring in the Himalayan region.

Biodiversity

• 118 ecosystems (112 forest, 4 cultivation, 1 water body and 1 glacier/snow/rock ecosystem)

• Endemism: Flowering plant- 284 (DPR, 2013), Animal–160 (Mammal-1, Bird-1, Herpetofauna-14, Others-144) (MoFSC, 2005)

• 35 Forest type (Stainton, 1972)

• Wetland site: 242 (9 as Ramsar Site) (IUCN, 1996; MoFSC, 2009)

• 6 biomes, 9 ecoregions

Biodiversity cont..Nepal’s (%) share of global diversity of

some species

•Number of medicinal plant species in Nepal range from 593 to 1,700 species.

An overview of species richness in Nepal

Group of Organism

No. of sppNepal

Representation (%)Globally Nepal

Bacteria 3,000-4,000 ? Lichens 20,000 465 2.3Fungi 69,000 1,822 2.4Algae 26,000 687 2.6Bryophytes 16,600 853 5.1Pteridophytes 11,300 380 3.4Gymnosperms 529 28 5.1Angiosperms 220,000 5,856 2.7Platyhelminthes 12,200 168 1.4Spiders 73,400 144 0.2Butterflies and

Moths 112,000640 2.6

2,253 Other Insects 751,000 5,052 0.7Fishes 18,150 182 1Amphibians 4,184 43 1Reptiles 6,300 100 1.6Birds 9,040 852 9.3Mammals 4,000 181 4.5

Source: MoFSC, 2002

Biodiversity cont..

Existing Mechanisms for Conserving Biodiversity

• Institutional Framework

Parliamentary committee on natural resources and environment

Environment Protection Council

Local authorities • Protected Areas• Forest National and leasehold forestry

programmes Community and private forestry programmes

Non-timber forest products

• Rangelands • Agro-biodiversity (crops & livestock)

• Wetland• Mountain biodiversity

Source: NBS, 2002

Management & Conservation Modalities for Biodiversity in Nepal

• Participatory approach

Community forestry Leasehold forestry Collaborative forestry Buffer zone Community Forestry

Buffer zone Leasehold Forestry

Conservation area

•Non-participatory approachGovernment Managed ForestProtected Area 23.23%(National Parks-10, Wildlife Reserve-4, Hunting Reserve-1)Protected ForestPrivate Forestry

Nepal is the pioneer country for participatory management approach such as Community Forestry

Forest types based on Forest Act 1993

1.Government Managed Forest

2.Protected Forest3.Community Forest4.Leasehold Forest5.Religious Forest

A.National Forest B. Private Forest

Forest Classification in Nepal

Biodiversity conservation: Protected Areas in Nepal

Different activities related these modalities comes under the jurisdiction of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

General Information of Bamboo in Nepal

In the world: 90 genera and 1500 species (FAO, 2005)

In Nepal: •12 genera and 53 species of bamboo are found in

Nepal (Das, 2002)•Both tropical bamboos found in the South-East Asia and temperate bamboos found in Tibet and Bhutan (Karki, et. at 1998 cited by Ghimire, 2008)•Sympodial (e.g. Bambusa), Amphipodial

(e.g.Mellocanna baciferra), and Monopodial (e.g. Phyllostachys nigra)} are available (Bamboo Update 2004, Vol.1 No.1)

•Total coverage: around 63,000 ha out of which 60% is estimated to be in the natural forests (Joshi and Amatya, URL http://www.inbar.int/documents/country%report/nepal.htm)

Status

• Total estimated growing stock: around 15 million m3

• Biomass value of 1,060 Mt• Annual production of bamboo culm : 3.01 million out of which 2.64 is internally consumed and around 0.64 m. culms are exported to India (Poudyal, 1992 and Karki et al., 1995).

• Annual Production of Bamboo shoots: approx. 102 Mt

• About 66% of the bamboos are grown for commercial purposes and an equal percentage of growers are interested in expanding bamboo farming (Shrestha, 1994 cited by Adhikari, 2008).

• It is estimated that about 3.3 million farming families are somehow involved with the bamboo sub-sector either as producers or users of bamboo based products (Pant,2006).

General Information of Bamboo in NepalStatus cont….

Distribution in Nepal

• Natural forest and private land (Shrestha, 1998 cited by Adhikari, 2008).

• 73 districts (Das, 2002)

• Terai (70 msl) to as high as 4000 msl

• Large diameter sized (between Terai to Midhills below 2000 m)g to small diameter sized

General Information of Bamboo in Nepal

Main Bamboo species found in Nepal

S.N

Local Name

Scientific Name

1 Tharu bans, Seti bans Bambusa tulda

2 Pahelo bans

Bambusa glaucencens

3 Mokla bans Bambusa sp.4 Kante bans Bambusa arundinacea 5 Dhanu bans Bambusa balcooa 6 Mal bans Bambusa nutans7 Koraicho bans Bambusa oxytenathera 8 Phosre bans, Khasre bans

Dendrocalamus sp.

9 Tama bans, Ban bans, Choya bans

Dendrocalamus hamiltonii

10 Kalo bans, Bhalu bans Dendrocalamus hookeri

11 Kath bans, Lathi bans Dendrocalamus strictus 12 Dhungre bans Dendrocalamus sp.13 Nibha bans, Lyas bans Dendrocalamus patellaris

14 Bhalu bans Dendrocalamus giganeus15 Malingo, Nigalo Drepanostachyum Arundinaria

recemosa16 Malingo Arundinaria maling17 Drepanostachyum hookerianum

18 Gopi bans Cephalostachyum capitatum

Sour

ce:

Jackso

n 1987

; St

apleto

n 1994

.

Uses of BambooFor more than 4000 years people have used bamboosCalled the backbone of Nepal’s rural culture and closely associated with indigenous culture and knowledge (from birth to death)Bamboos are used in more than 180 ways in Nepal (Das, 2002).More than 1500 types of uses in Nepal

Bamboo Checkdam and plantation, Rupandehi, Nepal

Used in:• Construction•making handicrafts•making furniture•flooring and making ply boards

•Scaffolding•bioengineering works•as vegetables•making charcoalsAnd many other uses

General Information of Bamboo in Nepal Conti…

Management Effort for the Development of Bamboo Resources

Propagation• By Seed• By Rhizome• By Single Node Culm Cutting

Bamboo seedlings from seed

Bambusa nutans seedlings from stem cutting

Management• Both in plantation and natural forests

• Growth and management trials conducted

• Arboretum of bamboo and rattan established

• Biomass study of some of the species

• Draft “Bamboo and Rattan Policy ”

Management trial of bamboo in Baijnathpur, Banke

Management (harvesting) trial of bamboo in Bhaktapur

Management Effort for the Development of Bamboo Resources

Prospects of Bamboo Market for Rural Development

• Diversified bamboo products are marketed in Nepal but limited efforts in trapping the international markets

• More than 3 million culms are sold in market places

• More than 2000 tons of edible bamboo shoots

• Growing demand of fermented bamboo shoots in Overseas markets

• High Demand of lighter and cheaper products in urban areas

• Products worth millions/annum by Himalayan Bamboo for international markets

• No need to make large investments for making basic goods

Bamboo products in exhibition

• Bamboo market in Nepal around Rs 1 billion

• Approx. 600 processors and traders are involved in Bamboo sector in Nepal

• More than 25,000 households from poor and ethnic groups are involved in bamboo livelihood activities

• 3.3 million households are involved in farming activities

Source: Das, 2007

Bamboo products in exhibition

Prospects of Bamboo Market for Rural Development cont….

Stakeholders in Bamboo development in Nepal

• Public Sector: Dept. of Forest Research & Survey, Dept. of Small Cottage Industries, Dept. of Forests, Dept. of Soil Conservation etc.

• NGO Sector: Community Forestry User Groups, Bamboo and Rattan Society, RES NEPAL, ROSE Nepal, Handicrafts Association of Nepal etc

• INGO/Donor Sector: CFC/UN; GTZ; INBAR; Save the Children USA, Biodiversity International, LFP (DFID), OXFAM, PLAN Nepal, CECI, MEDEP, UNDP, IUCN, USAID, Action Aid, WWF, BISEP-ST etc

• Private Sector: Bamboo Growers; Craftmakers; Entrepreneurs and Traders

Initiatives of DFRS in B&R Research and Development

• DFRS is the mandated government agency to carry out forestry research including Bamboo & Rattan and conducting national level Forest Resource Assessment

• DFRS is the Focal Point of INBAR

• Research on Bamboo started since late 1980s

• Research areas include: Nursery, Plantation Management, Socio-economics, Taxonomy

• Project on "Market development of B&R products with potential” in collaboration with INBAR completed

• Initiation in formulating separate Bamboo sector policy

Nursery Research

Initiatives of DFRS in B&R Research and Development cont….

Initiatives of DFRS in B&R Research and Development Cont….

Plantation/Management Research •Bamboo plantation research•Bamboo growth and management trials at 6 locations•Biomass estimation of some Bamboo species•Demonstration plot of different Bamboo species near Kathmandu•Site species matching trial

•Introduction of exotic B&R such as Moso bamboo

Moso plantation at Dhaneshwor, Kavre

Initiatives of DFRS in Bamboo Research and Development Contd..

1. Training for artisans

2. Training for Growers

Training/Extension

5. Articles on B&R on scientific journals

6. Publication materials such as leaflets, brochures in Nepali languages

4. Local and national level workshops, interaction programmes

Initiatives of DFRS in Bamboo Research and Development Contd..

3. Technical advice to bamboo growers and other interested individuals

11/06/2022 31

Constraints for Bamboo Development in Nepal

• Lack of National policy on Bamboo sector• Lack of separate National level institution to look after Bamboo sector

• Inventory of Bamboo resources has not been done extensively

• No large scale natural and plantations bamboo resource

• Less emphasis has been given to Bamboo products design and development to trap the international market

• Promotion of Bamboo based industries is weak

• Less efforts in disseminating proven technology to local level

• Promotion of indigenous knowledge and skill of artisans and craftmakers is either neglected or not documented

• Extension program is not sufficient• Lack of financial resources • Not so much suitable for intercropping

Research needs in Bamboo & Rattan

Resource assessmentPropagation and managementSocio-economic understandingAgroforestry with bamboo and RattanConservation and improvement of local germplasmTechnology Transfer and Extension NeedsMarket promotion

DFRS Capability

• Government Research institution• Trained manpower

• Research Nurseries - at 5 locations• Plantations/Demonstration sites - 6 at present

• Facilities for Resource inventory - RS, GIS• Institutional linkages with national and Intl. Organisations• Laboratory facilities – Soil and Seed

• Central Forest Library

Areas of possible collaboration

* Exchange of Germplasm* Socioeconomic studies

* Bamboos for slope stabilisation and Bioengineering

* Exchange of experience and training

* Technology transfer - processing, bamboo shoot production

* Market information and promotional activities

Documents

Country Report on Status, Prospects and Problems of Bamboo Resource in Nepal