Cane Furniture & The Environment
If you thought the commercial harvesting of rattan in the forest of South East Asia was environmentally unfriendly, then you'd be wrong, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Much of the quality rattan used in the manufacture of cane furniture comes from Indonesia, which is the world's biggest supplier, accounting for nearly 70% of the entire global trade. Rattan is a promising crop because it grows very fast - as much as six metres a year - in areas which cannot support other land products, for example those which remain under flood waters for long periods of time.
But the real beauty as far as conservation issues are concerned is that rattan can only grow among existing trees, such as fruit orchards and rubber estates, so it can accurately be claimed to encourage the preservation of forests.
It "hugs" the trees and saves them from the logger's axe by providing equal or more benefit that the companion tree, without disturbing the natural habitat.
Ecologically, rattan is very important. It grows in degraded forests and in marginal soil. It can also be introduced artificially in natural forests without disturbing the existing struture and balance.
The social significance of rattan is no less. Ideally suited as a smallholder crop, it provides sustainable income to some of the poorest people living in and on the fringes of forests.
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.
Article courtesy of Desser - cane furniture company: >> view article
Much of the quality rattan used in the manufacture of cane furniture comes from Indonesia, which is the world's biggest supplier, accounting for nearly 70% of the entire global trade. Rattan is a promising crop because it grows very fast - as much as six metres a year - in areas which cannot support other land products, for example those which remain under flood waters for long periods of time.
But the real beauty as far as conservation issues are concerned is that rattan can only grow among existing trees, such as fruit orchards and rubber estates, so it can accurately be claimed to encourage the preservation of forests.
It "hugs" the trees and saves them from the logger's axe by providing equal or more benefit that the companion tree, without disturbing the natural habitat.
Ecologically, rattan is very important. It grows in degraded forests and in marginal soil. It can also be introduced artificially in natural forests without disturbing the existing struture and balance.
The social significance of rattan is no less. Ideally suited as a smallholder crop, it provides sustainable income to some of the poorest people living in and on the fringes of forests.
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.
Article courtesy of Desser - cane furniture company: >> view article
0 Comments:
<< Home