World leaders, opinion shapers, activists, thinkers and captains of industry would converge at Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday, to develop strategies for conserving the biological diversity that binds all life on Earth.
"The iconic and elusive Mountain Gorilla may provide a clue for understanding how bamboo can be part of the solution," according to a
release issued by International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) copied to Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.
INBAR, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the social, economic, and environmental benefits of bamboo and rattan. INBAR connects a global network of partners from government, private, and not-for-profit sectors in over 50 countries to define and implement a global agenda for sustainable development through bamboo and rattan.
"Very few species in the world universally embody the strength, beauty and vulnerability of nature as the Mountain Gorilla, in Rwanda in Africa, and the Giant Panda, in China," Dr Coosje Hoogendoorn, Director General of INBAR has said.
"And both of these critically endangered animals rely heavily on bamboo for food and shelter. By protecting the habitats in which they live, not only can we help save these species but we can help preserve the many other animals, plants and organisms in bamboo forests that may not receive the same amount of attention but that are equally as important in sustaining our
complex web of life," Dr Hoogendoorn said.
"In many cases there is a trade-off, or a compromise, between protecting the environment and providing incomes for the poor, especially
the rural poor," Dr Hoogendoorn added.
"But in the case of the bamboo forest that the Mountain Gorilla lives in, we can demonstrate that it's possible to deliver win-win solutions. This bamboo provides not only shelter to the gorillas but can also be grown and harvested by local people as a sustainable and efficient alternative to timber," Dr Hoogendoorn said.
The release said Rwanda would host this year's World Environment Day, with bamboo hailed as a win-win solution to conserve biodiversity and reduce rural poverty.
World Environment Day (WED), observed on June 5 of every year, was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972, and designed to empower
people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development.
WED 2010 coincides with the International Year of Biodiversity, so has adopted the theme of "Many Species. One Planet, One Future."
Rwanda has been selected as the global host of WED 2010, and two major events would mark the occasion: an International Conference on Biodiversity, taking place on Thursday in Kigali, which would bring together scientists, policy makers and other stakeholders from around the globe to discuss ways to reduce biodiversity loss.
The second event is the Sixth Annual Gorilla Naming Ceremony, popularly known as Kwita Izina, which would take place on Saturday, June 5, at the at the foot of the Virunga Mountains in Kinigi.
According to the Rwanda Development Board, who would host the Kwita Izina event, Rwanda is home to about one third of the 750 mountain gorillas left in the wild. Names would be given to 11 infants at this year's ceremony and INBAR has been selected to name one baby gorilla, in recognition of its contribution to promoting a sustainable environment through the use of
bamboo.
"As well as constituting the major food source for Mountain Gorillas, bamboo also delivers other environmental and livelihood benefits for Rwanda," said Mr Christophe Bazivamo, Rwanda's Minister of Natural
Resources and current Chairman of INBAR Council.
"Bamboo helps to protect watersheds and prevent soil erosion, which is a serious issue in parts of the country, while it provides firewood,
fencing, fodder and other subsistence goods for rural communities. Bamboo can also be used for construction and lifestyle products in urban areas, a very interesting potential market that we are investigating in Rwanda together with INBAR," he added.
The INBAR Council is the inter-governmental development organisation's governing body and is made up of representatives from its 35 member
countries. African members include Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Nigeria, Madagascar and Togo.
INBAR has recently commenced a project, supported by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to promote pro-poor livelihoods and address environmental degradation in Eastern and Southern Africa. Specifically, it would involve resource inventories, nurseries, model plantations, value chain analysis, enterprise development, market
research and policy workshops.