The
International Tropical Timber
Organization (ITTO) and the
International Centre for Bamboo and
Rattan (ICBR) invite papers for
submission to the Regional Workshop on
Sustainable Development of Rattan Sector
in Asia, which will take place in
Beijing, China, from 24-30 July 2005.
This workshop is organised under the
auspices of the ITTO-funded project,
Capacity building for the development of
a sustainable rattan sector in China
based on plantation sources (PD
100/01 Rev. 3(I)) with technical support
from the
International Network for Bamboo and
Rattan (INBAR).
Background
Rattan comprises about 600 species in 13
genera. It is widely distributed in
tropical Asia and the Pacific, as well
as in Africa. INBAR estimates the global
trade of rattan products to be in the
range of US$4 billion and the domestic
trade to be US$2.5 billion. These
figures show the importance of the
rattan economy, which has become, in
terms of export value, almost 40% of the
US$10 billion trade of primary tropical
timber products covered by ITTO. This is
equivalent to 80% of the value of the
banana trade, which is around US$5
billion. This huge economic importance
of the rattan sector is due to the fact
that rattan cane has long been used as
one of the most popular materials for
furniture.
The business of rattan production and
trade is well established in Asia, and
many workshops and international
seminars have been held in the region
during the past three decades. The most
recently organized international event
on rattan, the Regional Conference on
Sustainable Development of Rattan in
Asia under the ITTO funded Pre-Project (PPD
51/02 Rev. 1 (I)), showed that Asia is
still leading production and trade in
the world’s rattan industry. However,
there still exist a number of knowledge
gaps, including a lack of understanding
of resource bases and utilization and
marketing, as well as a lack of
strategies and policies for rattan
sector development in Asia.
Purposes of the workshop
- Discuss R&D issues in the rattan
sector as well as directions and
strategies
- Discover business and investment
opportunities in the rattan sector in
Asia
- Explore, exchange and update
scientific and technological findings
and information
- Provide a forum for researchers to
present their projects and
methodologies, state-of-the-art
technologies, products and services
- Identify new directions and
strategies in R&D of rattan
- Provide a platform for key players
in the rattan industry and government
officials to interact, network and
build strategic partnerships
Areas of interest/themes
Papers that fit into one or more of the
following themes of the rattan sector
are encouraged:
- Assessment, management and
conservation of natural resources
- Cultivation and plantation
management
- Processing and utilization,
especially for edible shoots
- Biotechnology, biodiversity and
the environment
- Forest policies and economics
- Application of information
technology (IT)
- Capacity building of the rattan
sector
Abstracts and registration
Abstracts, papers and expressions of
interest should be submitted by e-mail
to Dr Huang Shineng (snhuang@pub.guangzhou.gd.cn)
by 30 April 2005. Accepted contributions
will be notified by 30 May, at which
time further details will be provided at
that time. Note that attendance at the
workshop does not imply acceptance of
the paper for possible publication.
Likewise, papers that are not presented
may also be considered for publication.
