A. Species
Scientific name: Oxytenanthera abyssinica
Common name(s): African lowland bamboo
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Ethiopia
Country/Region: Ethiopia / Mandura District (10° 50′ 55" to 11° 10′ 10" N and 36° 02′ 48" to 36° 32′ 42" E )
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Four kebeles (villages): Kutir-hulet, Deha-anzabuguna, Bahus, and Deha-nubeshe
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2020
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Medicine and hygiene, Energy, Decorative and aesthetic and Materials and construction
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study's assessment.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Because local people harvest bamboo freely without any restriction, this has led to overexploitation and degradation of bamboo resources. The study emphasized that from field observation protocols and participants’ refection during discussion groups, it was understood that bamboo resource management was inefficient and unsustainable.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Bamboo is used for construction material, traditional furniture, income, food, and medicine, although the socio-economic importance of each usage varied with ethnic group. Due to highly unsustainable management practices the livelihood of people relying on bamboo in this region is in jeopardy.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Bamboo is used for construction material, traditional furniture, income, food, and medicine, although the socio-economic importance of each usage varied with ethnic group. Due to highly unsustainable management practices the livelihood of people relying on bamboo in this region is in jeopardy.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Primarily, the study recommends that traditional knowledge should be integrated with a more scientific silvicultural system so that sustainable bamboo resource management can be achieved. This could be achieved by integrating bamboo management in the curricula of higher education institutions that offer forestry and natural resource management, resulting in a better informed and skilled workforce engaging in bamboo stewardship. In addition, providing short-term training to forestry experts and farmers would address the knowledge and skill gap on bamboo resource management. A well-defined forest tenure system would have a crucial role in creating a sense of belongingness in the local people to conserve the bamboo resources. Finally, improving regulatory and enforcement mechanisms, and introducing a controlled grazing system would be beneficial.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-12-26