The Role of Bamboo, Rattan and Medicinal Plants in Mountain Development
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Role of Bamboo, Rattan and Medicinal Plants in Mountain Development Proceedings of a workshop held at the Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, Nepal 15-17 May 1996 Editors: Madhav Karki, A.N. Rao, V. Ramanatha Rao and J.T. Williams INBAR Technical Report No. 15 International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) 1997 International Development Research Centre All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The presentation of material in this publication and in maps which appear herein does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of INBAR or IDRC concerning the legal status of any country, or the delineation of frontiers or boundaries. ISBN 81-86247-21-1 Design & production Christopher Samuel & VVT Communications Pvt. Ltd. International Network for Bamboo and Rattan 17 Jor Bagh New Delhi 110 003 INDIA Contents FOREWORD Introduction Inaugural Speech 3 Hun. Asst. Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation, His Majesty’s Government of Nepal Background to the Workshop 6 Mudbav Karki Thematic Papers 13 Sustainable utilization 15 Pitamber Sharma Gender and the environment 24 Vineeta Hoon Research and development 34 J. T. Williams Sustainable management of MFP 45 N.K. Joshi Mountain bamboos and rattans 59 A.N. Rao, Abdou Salam Ouedraogo and V. Ramanatha Rao Country Reports 77 Bangladesh 79 Priority bamboo research for denuded hills of Bangladesh and other high rainfall zones of South Asia R.L. Banik III China 87 Integrated approaches and existing policies for maintaining development in China with special reference to bamboo, rattan and medicinal plants Jiang Zehui and Cai Mantang. Indigenous management of bamboo 97 and rattan processes in the Chinese Himalayan mountains Pei Shengji Medicinal and aromatic plants in mountain 108 enterprise development in China Hu Zhi-ha0 India Endangered biodiversity of bamboo, 113 rattan and medicinal plants in Indian Himalaya Sas Biswas, S. Chandra and S.S.Jain Economic and ecological rehabilitation 122 through sustainable commercialization of medicinal plants in the Indian Himalaya D.N. Tewari Nepal Resource management in mountain 131 development through farm forestry in Nepal Pradeep Dixit and Madhav Karki Bamboo production, use and trade 144 in eastern Nepal: a case study J.B.S. Karki and Madhav Karki Rattan in Nepal 156 Chhotelal Chaudha y and Shyam K. Paudel Medicinal and aromatic plants of Nepal 162 Nirmal K. Bbattarai iv Status of commercialization of 174 medicinal and aromatic plants in Nepal Rana Bahadur Rawal Medicinal plants, markets and margins: 189 implication for development in Nepal Himalaya C.S. Olsen Pakistan 207 Medicinal plants of Pakistan Zahoor Ahmad A note on bamboo in Pakistan 215 Zahoor Ahmad Thailand 216 Medicinal plants, bamboos and rattans in mountain development of Thailand Songkram Thammincha, Bunvong Tbailltsa and Wanida Subansenee Working Group Recommendations 219 The Pokhara Declaration 228 List of Participants 230 Foreword These proceedings of the workshop held 15-17 May, 1996 in Pokhara, Nepal focus on the roles of three important non-timber forest products-bamboo, rattan and medicinal plant- in the development of mountain areas of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya and beyond The workshop was sponsored by a group of international organizations involved with development, poverty alleviation and wise use of natural resources: the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and the IDRC Medicinal Plants Network (IMPN) both hosted and headquartered by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC); the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Institute of Forestry of Tribhuvan University in Pokhara readily consented to co-sponsor the workshop and hosted it. Bamboo, rattan and medicinal plants are renewable natural resources. While rattan is more abundant at lower altitudes, many high-value medicinal pIants grow at colder ‘and higher altitudes, and bamboo is common throughout the greater part of the Himalayas. In addition, all three groups of plants are often common property resources and are of direct practical use to rural communities, offering oppor- tunities for income generation, particularly for landless rural households. Therefore, the scope of this workshop encompassed the whole range of ecological zones in the mountains and involved discussions on the environmental, socio-economic, and cultural value systems in integrated development with a specific focus on bamboo, rattan and medicinal plants. While we have some understanding of the present use of these keystone commodities, we also know that the increasing levels of exploitation are not sustainable and that rural communities benefit insufficiently from this exploitation. The workshop participants identified the policies and practices for improved management of these groups of plants that would contribute to environmental stability, conservation vii of the resources and enhanced utilization for increased incomes and other benefits to the poor mountain households of this region. Innovative mechanisms for improved resource management, processing and trade are required to tap the full potential of these versatile plants. It was clear that much remains to be done in developing a more comprehensive knowledge base and strategic approaches for not only sustainable but also more productive systems. We hope that the present document can play a role in further promoting collaboration and information exchange in the development of this group of plants. Cherla B. Sastry Egbert Pelinck Abdou Salam Ouedraogo Director INBAR Director General Senior Scientist Director IMPN ICIMOD Forest Genetic Resources IDRC, New Delhi Kathmandu IPGRI, Rome Viii Introduction Inaugural Speech Hon. Mohan Bahadur Khatri Asst. Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation, His Majesty’s Government of Nepal On behalf of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, I extend greetings and salutations to all of you attending this august gathering. It gives us great pleasure and satisfaction that the international workshop on the role of bamboo, rattan, and medicinal plants in mountain devel- opment is being held in Nepal. The sponsoring organizations, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), International Net- work for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), International Plant Genetic Resources (IPGRI) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) deserve our gratitude for choosing the Insti- tute of Forestry, Pokhara, as the venue for this important international meeting. His Majesty’s Government of Nepal has attributed highest priority to environmental protection and economic development in the mountain regions, since Nepal is largely a mountainous country. The Forest Policy implemented by our Government gives greater emphasis on community participation in the management of forest ‘resources. The highly liberal small-enterprise development policies adopted by our Government, I hope, will help promote non-timber forest products in our mountain regions. The fast-growing forest-user group system in Nepal will assist in this by providing organizational support. In our view, this workshop is both timely and of immense impor- tance to the people and environment of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region. It is timely, because the rapid deterioration of biological resources in the region threatens to impact all of us in very real ways soon. It is of immense importance to the local people, because there is a more urgent need than ever to uplift the sliding socio-economic 3 quality of the lives of people in this region, which proper manage- ment and use of these plants may also serve to accomplish. Historically, all the three plant groups covered by this workshop are highly important to the lives of the poor people. Bamboo has found ubiquitous use in our daily life. As most of you are probably aware, our ancient traditions fully recognized the intrinsic role played by bamboo and canes, and took steps to ensure that these resources were sustainably managed. Bamboos are found throughout Nepal; in the hills and mountains, they provide multiple services and products, especially to the poor and disadvantaged people. Cane or rattan-based furniture industries are gradually developing in the urban areas of Nepal where they find ready markets and thus provide employment opportunities and cash income to the urban poor. Medicinal and aromatic plants are high- value and low-volume cash crops which are very suitable to meet subsistence and commercial goals of the mountain economy. Even now, over 90% of the people in Nepal still depend on medicinal plants for treating most of their ailments. The goals of an integrated development in the mountain region should be the alleviation of poverty, diversification and enhancing employment opportunities, conserving the environment, and creating enabling opportunities for sustainable development. Sustainable development in the mountain context can be viewed as development involving changes in the production and distribution of desired goods and services which result, in a given target population, in an increase in welfare that can