Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people trade in or use rattan for purposes ranging from furniture - the most well-known rattan product - to walking sticks, umbrella handles, baskets, matting, hats, ropes, birdcages, fish traps and numerous other local uses. However, rattan resources (which comprise some 600 species), throughout their natural range in the tropical forests of Asia and Africa, are being depleted through overexploitation, poor forest management and loss of forest habitats.
This issue of Unasylva spotlights this important but perhaps underappreciated non-wood forest product (NWFP). The first article, by C. Sastry, gives an overview of the resource and major issues for the global development of rattan, looking at resource management, technology and research as well as trade and industry. Sastry also discusses the potential of rattan as a plantation crop for both smallholders and large-scale planters.
Taxonomic knowledge of rattan species is patchy, and confusion in nomenclature has proved a challenge to rattan research and development. In the second article, J. Dransfield discusses issues in rattan taxonomy and the biology and ecology of this group of plants. He also addresses difficulties in assessing the conservation status of rattans.
Although most species by far are native to Asia, 20 species in four genera are endemic to Africa. However, the development of the rattan resource in Africa has until recently been hindered by a lack of basic knowledge about the exact species used, their ecological requirements and the social context of their utilization. T. Sunderland discusses the status of rattan resources in Africa and examines the issues influencing development of their utilization and trade.
Although like many NWFPs rattan is typically exploited from the wild, it can also be cultivated. In Kalimantan, Indonesia, rattan planted in a traditional rice-swidden system has long had a vital role as a primary, supplementary and/or emergency source of income. However, as demonstrated in the article by B. Belcher, the role of rattan in rural livelihood strategies is changing as a result of combined policy and economic factors, especially the recent large-scale establishment of oil-palm and pulp plantations.
Can rattan harvesting be managed sustainably? S.F. Siebert examines this question, with a focus on a study of the ecological effects associated with cane extraction in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Management of the existing resource is also considered against the alternatives: clearing for cash crops on the one hand, and rattan cultivation on the other.
Post-harvest treatments for rattan, including seasoning, oil curing, bleaching and protection from insects and fungi, are necessary to increase market value. W. Liese summarizes challenges and constraints encountered in treatment, processing and utilization of rattan, noting the progress made in overcoming these over the past 20 years, particularly in Asia.
Finally, L.T. Hong, V. Ramanatha Rao and W. Amaral describe work carried out by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) on the identification, diversity and conservation of rattan genetic resources - research that is needed in order to foster sustainable management and utilization of the species.
The articles in this issue have all been adapted from papers presented at the Expert Consultation on Rattan Development, which was held in Rome from 5 to 7 December 2000 to assess the current status of the resource and its utilization, identify the major issues facing the rattan industry and formulate recommendations for promoting economic and technical cooperation for the development of rattan globally. The complete papers will be published in the proceedings, which will be available from the Forest Products Division, FAO Forestry Department, towards the end of 2001.
A problem underlined by the expert consultation, and voiced by many authors in this issue, is the absence of reliable statistics on rattan at all levels. National forest inventories, with few exceptions, do not include rattan, and quantitative information on the resource base and volume and value of trade is scarce. Because of wide variation in figures from different sources, data in different articles may seem contradictory. Readers should keep in mind that figures quoted in these articles are estimates only.
Collection of statistics and exchange of information on rattan are among the main objectives of the International Network on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), established in 1997 with a global mandate to promote the development of bamboo and rattan for socio-economic and environmental well-being (see profile of INBAR in Unasylva, 198: 48-53). In addition, international agencies such as the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), IPGRI and FAO deal with rattan, either through specific programmes or indirectly in their livelihood support programmes.
Given its economic, ecological and socio-cultural importance to a large number of people in the world, there is an urgent need to ensure a sustainable supply of rattan. Attention to property rights, quality improvement, control of illegal harvesting, market information, prevention of post-harvest losses and supportive tax policies are recommended to help improve benefits to harvesters and producers, providing incentive to maintain the resource sustainably.
