LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - BSU here recommended Saturday the massive propagation of bamboo in the different parts of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as they are an effective deterrent for landslides and soil erosion.
Recent Advances in Bamboo Research
To start with the massive propagation of bamboo region wide, BSU officials claimed local varieties must first be utilized since the species could save lives and properties, especially in identified landslide-prone villages in the region.
The BSU officials claimed the propagation of bamboo is part of the snowballing concern of most sectors to rehabilitate the denuded mountains in order to bring back the beauty and greenery of the region's forests, as envisioned by the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera. At the same time, plans to harness carbon credits through bamboo production is also underway, thus, the pro-environment measures being done by numerous government and private groups are now gaining headway in a bid to give the present and future generations a descent place to live in. Once most of the barren mountains are planted with bamboo varieties, Dr. Rogelio Colting revealed the region will have greater carbon crediting, thereby, helping reduce the pollutants in the air which is primarily caused in these parts by motor vehicle emissions.
World Bamboo Resources: A Thematic Study Prepared in the Framework of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (Non-Wood Forest Products)
Colting said bamboo could also be used for the promotion of bamboo crafts without impeding their growth as well as a source of food through its bamboo shoots popularly known as "labong" or "rabong" in the local dialect. The Cordillera Bamboo Development Council (CBDC), in coordination with the RDC-CAR, is now working in the grassroots level to impart to people how bamboo protects the environment. The CBDC hopes its campaign will encourage residents to propagate bamboo in their areas
