1. Provisioning services
Provisioning services are the more obvious ecosystem services, where people directly obtain the resources they need for use.
-
Food provision：Over 200 species of bamboo provide edible shoots.
-
Forage production：Livestock such as horses, cattle, goats, sheep, and rabbits can eat bamboo leaves, which can be used fresh or dried. One advantage of bamboo is that it provides fresh leaves even in winter (winter forage grasses are only dry). In addition, for farmers engaged in comprehensive production, the bamboo leaves removed after harvesting the bamboo stalks can be used as feed.
-
Structural materials（Timber, construction materials）：Bamboo poles can be directly used as building structure materials, or mechanically processed into laminated bamboo, which can be used as an alternative to wood, steel, cement and other building materials.
-
Raw materials：In addition to being made into various utensils and supplies, bamboo fiber can also be used as raw material for paper pulp and cloth.
-
Bioenergy：Bamboo grows quickly and absorbs carbon dioxide. Using bamboo or processed fuel pellets as an energy source and burning them to obtain energy can be considered as zero carbon emission. However, the processing of fuel pellets still consumes energy and produces carbon dioxide emissions, and an overall assessment is required to determine its benefits.
-
Medicinal resources：Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda (traditional medicine of Hinduism and Buddhism) both record the use of bamboo as a medicinal material. Bamboo leaves, bamboo stems, and bamboo roots all have different uses. In recent years, studies have also shown that extracts from Phyllostachys edulis have strong antioxidant properties, mature bamboo leaves contain phenolic acid (an antioxidant), and bamboo roots contain cyanogenic glycosides (cyanogenic glycosides produce cyanide after metabolism, which is toxic). Natural antioxidants have been one of the focuses of food, medicine and cosmetics in recent years.
2.Regulating services
Regulation services are invisible services and therefore easily overlooked until they become dysfunctional.
-
Landscape restoration：Planting fast-growing bamboo in some forests that have been cut down and have exposed soil can help conserve soil and thus help restore forest functions.
-
Absorbing carbon dioxide (Carbon sequestration)：Bamboo grows quickly and, if used effectively, is a good way to absorb carbon dioxide.
Carbon absorption is the process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and energy into carbohydrates through photosynthesis, which are then turned into cellulose, lignin and other main components of bamboo. Therefore, when bamboo forests are young and vigorous, they can absorb carbon dioxide very efficiently; but when they are mature or even old, their growth becomes slow, and the carbon absorption rate will decrease or even approach zero (it can retain the fixed carbon, but will not absorb more). Therefore, bamboo forests should be cut down. Cutting down can free up space in the forest so that a new generation of bamboo can grow and absorb more carbon. The felled wood and bamboo can be used to build houses and make furniture, and the carbon will be stored for a long time. Another use is to utilize the energy stored in wood and bamboo through burning. While obtaining energy, the fixed carbon is released. This way of obtaining energy releases the carbon fixed by forest growth in recent years and decades, and can therefore be considered to not change the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, that is, zero carbon emissions. In contrast, burning fossil fuels (oil, coal) releases carbon that was fixed millions of years ago, increasing the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Therefore, if bamboo forests are to effectively fix carbon, proper management, maintaining the vitality of the bamboo forests, and effective utilization after felling are all necessary links.
-
Carbon stock：Bamboo forests absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into their own substances. We usually estimate carbon storage in terms of biomass, for example the weight of bamboo in a forest, multiplied by its carbon content. Dead bamboo will slowly decompose on the forest floor. During the decomposition process, some of the carbon will be released back into the atmosphere, while some of the debris will be mixed into the soil and become soil carbon storage. In forests, not only trees store carbon, but soil is also an important carbon pool.
-
Air quality and local climate regulation：Bamboo forests can filter the air, remove odors and pollutants (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) in the air, and help dust particles settle.
-
Sediment retention：The bamboo canopy intercepts rainwater and has a well-developed underground rhizome system, which helps reduce soil erosion, stabilize slopes, and retain fallen leaves and soil in the forest, thereby reducing sedimentation downstream. to prevent siltation in rivers, reservoirs and estuaries. Moreover, some bamboo species are particularly strong and can adapt to steep slopes and harsh soil environments. If used properly, they can be good helpers in protecting the soil.
-
Floods/landslides control：Bamboo forests control floods and landslides by holding soil particles together through a complex network of roots and stems. However, collapse is affected by many factors at the same time, and the weight of the plant body may also increase the risk of collapse, so practical applications still require testing and evaluation.
-
Groundwater recharge： Studies have shown that increasing bamboo forest area can reduce runoff rates and facilitate soil water infiltration. However, plants themselves also use water resources, so whether or not there is an overall increase in water resources still needs to be confirmed by more research.
-
Water purification：If water containing a large amount of organic matter is discharged into rivers and lakes, it will cause algae and plankton to multiply rapidly, consume too much oxygen, and reduce the dissolved oxygen content in the water. Such an environment would be conducive to the growth of oxygen-deficient microorganisms, leading to foul odors and, in extreme cases, fish deaths. When water flows through the soil of a bamboo forest, the bamboo forest has a well-developed rhizome system that helps filter, decompose and absorb organic waste in the water, helping to purify the water.
-
Moderation of extreme events：Bamboo forests act as natural buffer zones that help protect against wildlife attacks, strong winds, landslides, and other disasters, thereby reducing destructive impacts.
3.Cultural services
-
Landscape beauty: Bamboo forests can prevent land degradation and enhance the landscape restoration of degraded forests.
-
Recreation and ecotourism: Bamboo forests promote greening and landscaping. Single-stem scattered bamboos (such as Phyllostachys morifolia) can form large tracts of pure bamboo forest landscapes, which have the potential for the development of leisure and ecotourism.
-
Cultural/ religious values: In many areas where bamboo species are native, traditional life is closely related to bamboo. In addition to daily use, bamboo is also used in rituals and sacrifices, from cradle to grave. See bamboo applications.
In summary, bamboo forests can contribute many values to mankind. Other types of ecosystems, such as coniferous forests and broad-leaved forests, can also provide many similar or different functions, and the resources themselves do not have absolute advantages or disadvantages. What should not be overlooked is that only through proper management and utilization of resources by humans can these benefits be maximized. Introducing the concept of "circular economy" into the development of the bamboo industry is the best way to give this traditional material a future.
3.Hundreds of bamboo forests < Previous ，Next > 5. Circular economy in bamboo
Bamboo Knowledge Base Related Articles Extended Reading