World Bamboo Day is annually observed across the globe on 18 September to raise awareness about the incredible benefits of bamboo and emphasise bamboo’s role as a sustainable resource with significant environmental, economic, and social impact.
- The annual observance of the Day is led by the World Bamboo Organisation (WBO), an international coordinating body for bamboo practitioners.
- 18 September 2024 marks the observance of the 16th World Bamboo Day.
Purpose of the Day:
This Day is celebrated to raise awareness on:
- Protecting natural resources and the environment;
- Achieving sustainable utilisation of bamboo;
- Promoting new bamboo cultivation for new industries in regions around the world; and
- Encouraging traditional uses locally to promote the local economy.
Background:
i.In 2009, during the 8th World Bamboo Congress (WBC) in Bangkok, Thailand, the WBO, with support from the Royal Forest Department (RFD) of Thailand formally recognized 18 September as World Bamboo Day.
- Delegates from nearly 100 countries attended the WBC and agreed to declare September 18 as World Bamboo Day.
ii.The observance was initiated by Kamesh Salam from Assam, who served as the President of the WBO from 2007-2009.
iii.The 1st World Bamboo Day was celebrated on 18 September 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.
- The Day was unanimously declared on 18 September to coincide with the Royal Thai Forestry Day of Thailand.
Note: 12th World Bamboo Congress 2024 held in Taiwan under the aegis of the United States of America(USA) based the WBO from April 18 to 22, 2024, with the theme “Next Generation Bamboo: Solution, Innovation, and Design.”
Initiatives:
In 2016, The “BAMBOOK: The Global Bamboo Resource Directory” project was launched by the WBO ,connecting the global bamboo community and providing access to information on suppliers, products, and research.
- The WBO also aligned its initiatives with the United Nations(UN)’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
About Bamboo:
i.The Bamboos (Bambusoidaea) is a type of grass, not a tree, despite its woody appearance, and is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world.
- Some bamboo species can grow over 3 feet (47.6 inches) in a single day.
ii.Its rapid growth is supported by Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSCs), a good source of carbon that aids in shoot development.
iii.It belongs to the family Poaceae, also called the family of grasses, thriving in tropical and subtropical regions.
iv.Bamboo features hollow, woody stems called culms, which emerge from underground rhizomes.
v.Bamboos are found as natural flora in many parts of the world, from sea level to the snowy mountains, with 1678 species classified into 123 genera.
vi.They are found in abundance in Asia’s southern and south-eastern borders, from India to China and Japan to Korea, and are also found in Africa, Australia, Madagascar, etc.
- China, often referred to as “The Kingdom of Bamboo,” houses over 500 species in 39 genera, showcasing the plant’s global diversity.
vii.Bamboo forests are classified as a Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) due to their economic value.
viii.Bamboo has many uses, including construction, textiles, food, and paper production, and is an important food source for animals like pandas and gorillas
Bamboo in India:
i.In India, Bamboo covers about 13.96 million hectares area with 136 species. Though a grass taxonomically, bamboo was defined as a tree under the Indian Forest Act, of 1927.
ii.The Government of India (GoI) promulgated the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 to exempt bamboo grown outside forest (non-forest areas) from the definition of tree.
iii.The amendment excludes bamboo from tree classification in non-forest areas, removing regulatory challenges for farmers.
- This eliminates the need for a felling/transit permit, boosting its economic use.
iv.The National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was initially launched by the GoI in 2006 to increase bamboo production and commercialization.
- It was subsumed under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) during 2014-15 and continued till 2015-16.
v.It was restructured and relaunched as Restructured National Bamboo Mission in 2018-2019 to focus on the development of a complete value chain of the bamboo sector and link growers with markets.
2024 Events:
i.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH), virtually inaugurated the world’s tallest bamboo tower constructed by Bhavya Srishti Udyog (BSU) at Kathiya near Raipur in Chhattisgarh on World Bamboo Day(September 18, 2024).
- It was built at Rs 11 lakh on the lines of the Eiffel Tower, the tower is 140-feet tall, weighing about 7,400 kilogram(kg).
ii.World Bamboo Day 2024 was celebrated by Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency(NBDA) on 18th September 2024, at the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Centre, Dimapur, Nagaland.
- During the event, ‘Bamboo Entrepreneur Award 2024’ was awarded to Aosanen from Dimapur for his Bamboo craft and outstanding product innovation.
About the World Bamboo Organisation (WBO):
WBO was initially established as the International Bamboo Association (IBA) in 1992 at the 3rd International Bamboo Congress in Japan. The IBA was renamed as the World Bamboo Organisation (WBO) in 2005.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Susanne Lucas
Headquarters– Boston, Massachusetts, the United States of America (USA)
