Espiritu firms up tour lead; Ravina rules killer stage
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — An ASEAN rattan museum has been set up here.
The museum was established under the “ITTO-Philippines-ASEAN Rattan Project on Demonstration and Application of Production and Utilization Technologies for Sustainable Development of Rattan in the ASEAN Member Countries.”
Housed at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) on the University of the Philippines Los Baños-College of Forestry and Natural Resources (UPLB-CFNR) campus, the facility was inaugurated recently by Dr. Lauren Flejzer of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and ERDB Director Marcial Amaro Jr.
“The museum highlights the ingenuity and creativity of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) peoples in coming up with versatile products and raw materials derived from rattan,” ERDB said.
Now on display at the museum are rattan products such as baskets, trays, bags, and decorative materials. Leaflets, brochures, and newsletters about rattan and the project itself are also available.
The four-year (until April 2010) rattan project is now being implemented, with DENR-ERDB as the lead agency.
Collaborating entities are the UPLB-CFNR, Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), and ASEAN contract persons.
The project is an offshoot of a one-year (April 2003-March 2004) ITTO-funded rattan pre-project titled “The Application of Production and Utilization Technology for Rattan Sustainable Development in the ASEAN Member Countries.”
In the pre-project, a survey on the status of the rattan industry in the ASEAN region was conducted.
Dr. Aida Baja-Lapis of ERDB, the project’s deputy director, reported that the initial survey results indicated the need for improved techniques in rattan plantation establishment, management, harvesting, and utilization..
“This is why ERDB, through a collaborative partnership among research institutions in ASEAN countries, formulated the full project, she said.
The project covers Brunei Darussalam,
Dr. Lapis, a multi-award forest scientist who is one of the country’s foremost experts in rattan, stressed:
“Since rattan is a significant source of earnings in the ASEAN region, most of its resources are exploited in its natural habitat. To prevent this and help save its dwindling supply in the ASEAN region, the project will disseminate relevant technologies on production, utilization, and socioeconomic aspects of rattan.”
She said that there are 600 species of rattan in 13 genera, of which 10 percent are used for commercial purposes. Of the 13 genera, two are found in
In many Asian countries, rattan is second only to timber in economic importance. The cane is the most valuable part of rattan and furniture is the most popular product.
Rattan is at present not sustainably managed in its natural habitat. It has low priority in national forest and conservation policies. There is lack of dedicated rattan development institute in any country. The few existing national rattan programs are weak and limited in R&D capacity.
“These and related realities underscore the need for concerned government and nongovernment institutions and agencies to work together for the development of the rattan sector,” ERDB stressed.
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