Bamboo possesses qualities that make it ideal for restoring degraded lands. Bamboo is able to thrive on degraded soils and steep slopes where many plants cannot grow. INBAR works in a number of countries whose ecosystems, watersheds and rural livelihoods are affected by land degradation and desertification. Over the years, INBAR member states have restored several million hectares of degraded ecosystem with bamboo across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the results have been inspiring. Soil quality improves, biodiversity recovers and crucial ecosystem services are restored. With the right species in the right locations, bamboo plantations can provide global and local significant ecosystem service values. Particularly, bamboos are multiple purpose species, they provide wood, energy, food, feed and fodder and can penetrate into diverse markets, thereby raising off-farm income and resilience of smallholders.
This webinar will provide an overview of various ecosystem services values provided by bamboo forests and/or plantations, how to integrate bamboo in landscape restoration and the results and lessons learned from a case study in Chishui, China.