Status of Bamboo in India

Abstract

Bamboos are very important forest resources found in the forest as well as the non-forest area in the country. The total bamboo bearing area of India is estimated to be 15.69 million hectares. Endemism in Indian bamboos is of a very high order. The maximum concentration of species is found in the deciduous and semi-evergreen regions of North-east and the tropical moist deciduous forests of North and South India. The North-eastern hilly States of India harbor nearly 90 species of bamboos, 41 of which are endemic to that region. There are 3 large genera (Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, and Ochlandra) of bamboos in India with more than 10 species each. Together, these three genera represent about 45% of the total bamboo species found in India. On the other hand, there are some genera which are represented by only one species each e.g. Ampelocalamus, Sarocalamus, Chimonobambusa, Pseudostachyum and Stapletonia. Bamboos in India show a great diversity in both their habitat and habit of growth. They occur in different forest types, ranging from tropical to sub-alpine zones. Some species are found only in the cultivated state in few gardens. They are fast growing, widely present, renewable and versatile resource. With the growing demand for timber, bamboo can be used as a viable substitute for timber in the country. As per productivity and conservation are concerned, there a need to assemble an adequate information base as a foundation for policy and management decisions. Also, the current market demand and supply gap accentuate the actions for the active promotion of the cultivation of bamboo outside the conventional or natural growth areas.