Plant bamboo & save the planet. Bamboo as a strategic solution in climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
Paulino Botao: Environmental consultant, member and community manager @Weltweit, enthusiastic bamboo entrepreneur with 10 years of experience in bamboo cultivation.
The severe effect of climate change in Mozambique, such as tropical cyclones, floods, and droughts, has been increasingly evident. These lead to land degradation, including loss of fertile soils, erosion, salinization, among others. Due to its geographical location, Mozambique is frequently affected by tropical cyclones, which destroy numerous infrastructures and agricultural fields and leave thousands of people homeless and in need of humanitarian aid.
In this context, the promotion of bamboo culture is seen by 101 BambooSolution as a strategic solution to mitigate both environmental and social problems caused by the effects of climate change. Bamboo plays an important role in environmental and social problems through adaptation and mitigation, reclamation of degraded land, and creation of livelihoods for the affected population. Promoting bamboo cultivation in cyclone and flood prone areas will result in erosion control and water retention, which will lead to protection of existing fertile soils and restoration of degraded soils.
Being a strong believer in environmental protection, climate change, social justice, and the concept of circular economy, I co-founded a social enterprise 101 BambuSolution & ASSAMBA (bamboo friends association) based in Germany and Mozambique respectively, thus will promote and address the impacts of bamboo cultivation in countries of the global South.
As part of my bamboo initiative, I have established a 3-ha bamboo nursery (so far with seven species of different ages – from 0 to 10 years) and am currently in the process of developing a bamboo research and environmental education center in Mozambique in cooperation with Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique (IIAM). Furthermore, in my master thesis project at the University of Lisbon – Portugal, I focused on the socio-economic and environmental impact of bamboo cultivation in regions affected by a tropical cyclone called Idai in Mozambique and produced a bamboo housing prototype resilient to strong winds and floods.
“Wherever I go, I preach the bamboo”.
Author: Paulino Botao