ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

 RESEARCH

Case study: Rattan

Rattan is the tough, flexible material usually used to make 'cane' furniture. It comes from the stems of climbing palms of the genera Calamus and Daemonorops, principally from the tropical forests of Asia and Africa. Unlike other palms, these liana-like plants have no trunks. They rely on the surrounding forest trees for support.

Rattan is a tremendously important non-timber forest product. In the late 1990s the world trade in this resource was estimated to be worth US$6.5 billion. Most still comes from natural forests (primarily from Southeast Asia), where is is gathered by local people and sold on to traders.

Rattan is not only important for trade but also for local use, providing vital sources of basketry materials, rope, medicines, food and many other products. It is used, for example, for building bridges, treating syphilis and brushing teeth!

• Rattan trade has expanded enormously during the last 20 years. The value of rattan products exported from Indonesia increased 250-fold over a period of only 17 years.
• Some 'clustering' rattan species produce multiple stems, which can theoretically be harvested on a sustainable basis without killing the plant. Others are single-stemmed, and are killed by harvesting.
• There is growing interest in the cultivation of clustering species, or management of these species in modified forest systems. This can take pressure off the wild populations.

Rattans and conservation

The rattan industry is threatened by the rapid destruction of tropical forests, particularly in Southeast Asia. Unsustainable and uncontrolled harvesting has also brought about severe depletion of commercial species.

Many rattan species are still very poorly known, and some have yet to be described by science. Rattan is generally traded under local rather than scientific names, and the species and locations of origin are not always clear.

This lack of knowledge constitutes a significant obstacle to the sustainable management and conservation of wild rattans. More research is needed.