Rattan
From NTFP
Contents |
Resources and Distribution
The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) have jointly initiated a project which combined information on the distribution of individual taxa with floristic data and global data on forest cover to determine global distribution and estimate the total area of forest containing bamboo and rattan.
Global overview and regional distribution maps of all rattan species occurring in the Asia-Pacific region (South, Southeast and East Asia, Papua New Guinea and Australia) and Africa were produced. In the course of the study, 610 individual rattan species and subspecies in 13 genera of the sub-family Calamoideae were mapped. The highest figures of potential species richness (92 spp per square km) were recorded in Sarawak, Malaysia.
With habitats ranging from sea level to over 3,000 m elevation, from equatorial rainforests to monsoon savannahs and the foothills of the Himalayas, there is a huge range of ecological adaptation among rattans. However, rattans are predominantly plants of primary rain and monsoon forest (Dransfield and Manokaran, 1993). Some species may be adapted to growing in secondary habitats, but these are the exception. Rattans are distributed in tropical and subtropical areas in the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. No rattans are found growing naturally in other tropical and sub-tropical areas, or in the temperate regions.
Management Systems
Rattan entering world trade is, overwhelmingly, collected in the wild, with only a very small proportion coming from cultivated sources. Most is gathered by villagers and forest dwellers and in some places communities have developed advanced management systems such as the rattan gardens in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Uses and Value-Added
Rattans are spiny, climbing palms. Some 600 species are growing in the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia and Africa, with around 50 traded commercially. Rattan, or cane as it is commonly known, is a ready source for the cane furniture industry. Because of its strength and flexibility, the stem of rattan is used extensively in the manufacture of cane furniture and in matting. Other uses of rattan, mostly in the rural areas, are for cordage, in construction, basketry, thatching and matting. Rattan is increasing in popularity because it is easy to work with, requiring only simple tools and low-cost machines. It lends itself to uncomplicated labour-intensive processing and thus generates diverse employment, and its manufacturing costs are minimal.
Overexploitation and loss of habitat have led to a dramatic reduction in the rattan resource over the last 50 years. Rattan collection is often separated from manufacture hence the poorest people do not normally benefit from the value of the finished product.
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Partner Activities, Projects, Sites
INBAR
