By Kate Schecter
The Latin American countries that share the Amazon rainforest recently met to find ways to prevent further destruction of this precious natural treasure. As a huge carbon sink, losing more to clear cutting will only exacerbate climate change.
To protect this massive forest, important to the entire world, Brazil’s government seeks to build a new green economy in the Amazon. The goal is to ensure that what works for the forest also works for the millions who live there. There are numerous proposals to create sustainable livelihoods.
One that has shown promise in other countries with forests at risk is agroforestry.
Bamboo is an important part of rural life in much of Asia, including Nepal. It is eaten when young and used as a building material when mature.
Bamboo plants are abundant in Eastern Nepal. As with trees in the Amazon, Indonesia and other countries, bamboo in Nepal is often cleared to make way for agriculture. In addition to eliminating carbon absorbing plants, clearing bamboo increases the risk of soil erosion and, with it, flooding.
One way to prevent wholesale destruction of bamboo plants is to provide villagers with an incentive to protect and maintain them—and even plant more of them.
The key is to turn bamboo into a cash crop.
