**1. Introduction and global scenario**

Bamboos are an extremely multipurpose and most beneficial group of plants. Bamboos are found in almost all continents of the world. Both common people and researchers have utilized bamboo in a variety of ways and have played an important role in today's life. At present, bamboos are considered as highly renewable resources [1, 2]. The development and exploration of bamboo eventually depends, not only on scientific community, but on urban and rural people who are largest utilizers (buyers, sellers and processors) of bamboo. Bamboo has played an important role in the lives of people in South and Southeast Asia [3]. Being an essential natural resource, "sustainable development" is a critical concern of the bamboo economy. The development of bamboo is a concern of both enhancing the supply and ensuring productivity, which leads to development and needs of present and future. Presently nonprofit organizations like American Bamboo Society, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) Latin America, INBAR West Africa, European Bamboo Society, INBAR East Asia, INBAR West Asia and Bamboo Society of Australia have clear objectives to promote all aspects of bamboo interest in respective countries [4].

These organizations promote opportunities for sharing information and education, and awareness among common people. The role of bamboo in plantations and sustainably have achieved forests in providing economically possible environmental services. Different resource inventory methods and technical manuals have been considered by these organizations to improve criteria and indicators for sustainable resource management along with income generation for local people, particularly for bottom billion people. In addition to these societies, researchers are contributing to make a connection of sustainability with the world growing population, average welfare rate and environmental impact of welfare commodities, demonstrating the need of achieving a factor 20 environmental improvement by the year 2040. The material scientists and engineers [5–8] can take up the responsibility to contribute to sustainable development by finding more environmentally benign ways of research in material sciences and engineering applications. One of the ways for solutions is to be found in new material applications: improving the dimensional stability of bamboo products, providing practical methods and procedures in determining the strength and thermal stability of bamboo and their products.

that 60–90 genera of these species are available in different sizes and forms. Nature has given bamboo special structural design. Due to the direction of fibers and hollowness of bamboo less material is needed as compared to materials with high mass content e.g. wood. This unique property has led a world class revolution in bamboo both in cultivation and utilization. A comprehensive range of bamboo products are available in variety of styles and design patterns in the form of furniture, decorative products, wall hangings, basket, lamp shade, and table top items. The mostly rural people have used bamboo crafting as a tool for designing such products. In comparison to ancient era where it has been used as household purposes for keeping goods, the modern scenario is different as the demand of bamboo is persistently growing in the domestic as well as international markets due to its varied design patterns as

**Use of bamboo as plant Use of bamboo as material**

**Local industries** Artisanat Furniture

Houses

Parquet

Fodder

 Energy Charcoal Pyrolysis Gasification

Strand boards

 Laminated lumber Paper and rayon

**Nutritional industries**

 Chemical Industries Biochemical products Pharmaceutical industry

A variety of utensils

**Wood and paper industry**

Medium density fiberboards

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Young shoots for human consumption

**Ornamental horticulture**

Mixed agro-forestry system

 Stabilize of the soil Uses on marginal land Hedges and screens Minimal land use **Agroforestry** Natural stand Plantation

**Ecology**

It has been estimated that at global level about 2.5 billion people use bamboo in different forms with an annual turnover of 10 billion USD and the figures will be doubled by 2015. China is the largest among the bamboo exporting countries. The total export value of bamboo products of the country is \$550 billion per annum [14]. Moreover, advanced research activities have been carried out for efficient fuel generating systems. The international network for

well as its eco-friendly features.

**Table 1.** Various uses of bamboo [16].

The use of bamboo can be explored for various purposes depending upon its properties. It plays an important role for house construction, agricultural tools and implements, as food material, weaponry, bicycles, etc. [9, 10]. The traditional cottage industry has been greatly benefited and it is also an appropriate source of cellulose for paper production and rayon [11]. Bamboo craft is one of the known of traditional cottage industries. Since early ages the baskets, mats and many other products of household use were fabricated from bamboo as it is available in vicinity of nearby forests. Later, tribal and rural people took up bamboo as a means of livelihood. Now bamboo craft is well established in all rural areas of the country and it feeds millions of traditional workers [12].

Bamboo is mainly grown in tropical regions of Asia, Latin America and Africa. Bamboo can be called as a collective name for different species of giant grasses [13]. It has been estimated


**Table 1.** Various uses of bamboo [16].

**1. Introduction and global scenario**

146 Bamboo - Current and Future Prospects

aspects of bamboo interest in respective countries [4].

boo and their products.

it feeds millions of traditional workers [12].

Bamboos are an extremely multipurpose and most beneficial group of plants. Bamboos are found in almost all continents of the world. Both common people and researchers have utilized bamboo in a variety of ways and have played an important role in today's life. At present, bamboos are considered as highly renewable resources [1, 2]. The development and exploration of bamboo eventually depends, not only on scientific community, but on urban and rural people who are largest utilizers (buyers, sellers and processors) of bamboo. Bamboo has played an important role in the lives of people in South and Southeast Asia [3]. Being an essential natural resource, "sustainable development" is a critical concern of the bamboo economy. The development of bamboo is a concern of both enhancing the supply and ensuring productivity, which leads to development and needs of present and future. Presently nonprofit organizations like American Bamboo Society, International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) Latin America, INBAR West Africa, European Bamboo Society, INBAR East Asia, INBAR West Asia and Bamboo Society of Australia have clear objectives to promote all

These organizations promote opportunities for sharing information and education, and awareness among common people. The role of bamboo in plantations and sustainably have achieved forests in providing economically possible environmental services. Different resource inventory methods and technical manuals have been considered by these organizations to improve criteria and indicators for sustainable resource management along with income generation for local people, particularly for bottom billion people. In addition to these societies, researchers are contributing to make a connection of sustainability with the world growing population, average welfare rate and environmental impact of welfare commodities, demonstrating the need of achieving a factor 20 environmental improvement by the year 2040. The material scientists and engineers [5–8] can take up the responsibility to contribute to sustainable development by finding more environmentally benign ways of research in material sciences and engineering applications. One of the ways for solutions is to be found in new material applications: improving the dimensional stability of bamboo products, providing practical methods and procedures in determining the strength and thermal stability of bam-

The use of bamboo can be explored for various purposes depending upon its properties. It plays an important role for house construction, agricultural tools and implements, as food material, weaponry, bicycles, etc. [9, 10]. The traditional cottage industry has been greatly benefited and it is also an appropriate source of cellulose for paper production and rayon [11]. Bamboo craft is one of the known of traditional cottage industries. Since early ages the baskets, mats and many other products of household use were fabricated from bamboo as it is available in vicinity of nearby forests. Later, tribal and rural people took up bamboo as a means of livelihood. Now bamboo craft is well established in all rural areas of the country and

Bamboo is mainly grown in tropical regions of Asia, Latin America and Africa. Bamboo can be called as a collective name for different species of giant grasses [13]. It has been estimated that 60–90 genera of these species are available in different sizes and forms. Nature has given bamboo special structural design. Due to the direction of fibers and hollowness of bamboo less material is needed as compared to materials with high mass content e.g. wood. This unique property has led a world class revolution in bamboo both in cultivation and utilization. A comprehensive range of bamboo products are available in variety of styles and design patterns in the form of furniture, decorative products, wall hangings, basket, lamp shade, and table top items. The mostly rural people have used bamboo crafting as a tool for designing such products. In comparison to ancient era where it has been used as household purposes for keeping goods, the modern scenario is different as the demand of bamboo is persistently growing in the domestic as well as international markets due to its varied design patterns as well as its eco-friendly features.

It has been estimated that at global level about 2.5 billion people use bamboo in different forms with an annual turnover of 10 billion USD and the figures will be doubled by 2015. China is the largest among the bamboo exporting countries. The total export value of bamboo products of the country is \$550 billion per annum [14]. Moreover, advanced research activities have been carried out for efficient fuel generating systems. The international network for bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) are functioning at the international level. A well mechanized mode has been adopted at global level, for primary processing and product manufacturing. A collective effort by Choudhury and Sharma [15] to summarize the uses and importance of bamboo shoots on global level has provided enough knowledge to researchers associated with development and utilization of bamboo. The authors provided a global scenario of marketing the bamboo and earnings from it although considering it as underestimated natural resources at international level, even being found naturally or cultivated. The market value of bamboo in China and America is worth of millions dollars in terms of import and export marketing. USA imports tones of bamboo from many Asian countries for food items. India, an economically superpower country is alone doing bamboo marketing in millions of rupees. As summary, various uses of bamboo are presented in **Table 1**.

**No. Species Local name Uses**

tamalang

4 *Bambusa vulgaris var. striata* Buluh gading Ornamental

5 *Dendrocalamus asper* Buluh betong/pering Shoots as food, chopsticks

8 *Gigantochloa levis* Buluh beting/bias Shoots as food, chopsticks

6 *Dendrocalamus pendulus* Buluh akar/belalai Handicraft, basket

3 *Bambusa vulgaris* Buluh minyak/aao/ aro/gading/

1 *Bambusa blumeana* Buluh duri Chopstick, tooth picks, furniture, musical

2 *Bambusa heterostachya* Buluh galah/tilan/pering Poles, frames, tooth picks, blinds, skewer

7 *Gigantochloa brang* Buluh brang Shoots as food, chopsticks, skewer sticks,

9 *Gigantochloa ligulata* Buluh tumpat/tikus belalai Frames, shoots as food, poles for vegetable

10 *Gigantochloa scortechinii* Buluh semantan Handicraft, small scale industries, incense

11 *Gigantochloa wrayi* Buluh beti/raga Handicraft, small scale industries, incense

13 *Schizostachyum grande* Buluh semeliang/ semenyeh Frames, leaves used for wrapping Chinese

12 *Schizostachyum brachycladum* Buluh nipis/lemang Handicraft, rice vessels (lemang)

14 *Schizostachyum zollingeri* Buluh dinding/kasap/ telor/nipis Handicraft, tooth picks, skewer stick

17 *Gigantochloa balui* — Handicrafts, sailing masts 18 *Schizostachyum pilosum* — Flooring and basketry

15 *Bambusa multiplex* — Fishing rods 16 *Bambusa tuldoides* — Ornamental

 *Dinochloa darvelana* — Pests species *Dinochloa obclavata* — Pests species *Dinochloa prunifera* — Pests species *Dinochloa robusta* — Pests species *Dinochloa scabrida* — Pests species *Dinochloa sipitangensis* — Pests species *Dinochloa sublaevigata* — Pests species *Dinochloa trichogona* — Pests species

**Table 2.** Commonly available bamboo species in Malaysia [20].

instrument, poles, shoot as food

Ornamental, tooth picks, chopsticks, skewer

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sticks

Recent Advancement in Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Studies of Bamboo and Its Fibers

tooth picks

support

sticks

sticks

glutinous rice dumpling

sticks, shoot as food
