Bamboo Becomes A Multipurpose Plant That Can Save The Ecosystem

The bamboo press conference is an environmentally friendly material. (Adelia/VOI)

JAKARTA - In the midst of the proliferation trend and returning to nature, bamboo is starting to be looked at not only as wild plants on the riverbank, but as a symbol of an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

From home, fashion to culinary, bamboo is part of a new story about how we can live more in harmony with the earth.

Indonesia turns out to keep green treasures that are often forgotten. According to Rika Anggraini, Director of Communication and Partnership of the Sehati Foundation, Indonesia is the fourth country in the world in the bamboo forest area, reaching approximately 2.1 million hectares.

"Of the 1,642 types of bamboo in the world, 172 types are in Indonesia. Of that number, 134 are species origins, 38 are introduction, and 109 are endemic. ," said Rika, when met in the Kebayoran Lama area, Jakarta on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

This means that many types of bamboo cannot be found in other parts of the world, only growing in the country. This fact makes Indonesian bamboo a special value, not only as material, but also as a cultural identity.

If in the past bamboo was only associated with angklung or woven walls, now its prestige has penetrated a modern lifestyle.

"Bayang bamboo can be sold logs or processed into various household products, buildings, furniture, musical instruments, to pungent teeth and decorations. The bamboo roots can be decoration, young shoots for bamboo shoots, and the leaves are used for animal feed, tea, or fertilizer," said Rika Anggraini.

Imagine from the kitchen to the living room, from herbal tea drinks to minimalist interior designs, bamboo comes in various forms. It's not excessive if you call bamboo a versatile plant. But behind that extraordinary potential, there is a real threat.

"Bamboo in Indonesia is now experiencing threats due to high exploitation without cultivation. In addition, land conversion has reduced the bamboo forest area. If it continues to be allowed, it will disrupt the balance of the ecosystem," said Rika.

In fact, a bamboo clump is able to absorb up to 5,000 liters of water. Losing it will certainly have an impact on environmental quality, even on the availability of water sources for the community.

Indonesia has many types of bamboo that have economic value, such as vulgar Bambusa, Dendrocalaus asper, Gigantochloa apus, to Schizostachyum blumei. These types are widely used for daily needs and the creative industry.

For lovers of interior designs, black bamboo or Gigantochloa atroviolacea is often used as exclusive material. Meanwhile, the bamboo betung (Dandrocalamus asper) is very popular as a construction and food material (its warehousing).

An inspirational story came from Bulalalak Hamlet, Cangkringan, DI Yogyakarta. This area was damaged by sand mines. However, the local community took the initiative to rehabilitate using bamboo. Now, more than 38 types of bamboo are growing there, springs have sprung up, and 20 types of birds have returned.

Not just reforestation, residents even use bamboo as a source of the creative economy through the SOR Pring' cultural arts market. This is where we see bamboo as a lifestyle, not just building materials.

The bamboo conservation movement was also seriously worked on by the KEHATI Foundation. Since the World Bamboo Congress in 1995, KEHATI has been actively supporting conservation programs. In 2012, they even collaborated with Bank CIMB Niaga to support the preservation of community-based bamboo in West Java, Bali, NTB, and NTT.

The program includes nursery, planting, and bamboo care for bentung, black, to steadfastness.

"The ultimate goal is to use bamboo as an economic driver for culture-based people so that people are empowered," explained Rika.

What about other countries? According to Putu Juli Ardika, Acting Director General of Agro Industry at the Ministry of Industry in the Philippines, the government has formed the Philippine Bamboo Industry Council since 2010 to focus on conservation and industry. Meanwhile, Vietnam has more than 1,500 bamboo processing companies, with a large program of refurbishment including bamboo.

In Indonesia, almost all bamboo comes from people's forests with household and community-based management. The government supports through the program of 1,000 Bamboo Villages, access to seeds, training, and the market.' he continued.

This means that Indonesia needs to imitate the seriousness of neighboring countries in making bamboo part of a national strategy.

More than just conservation, bamboo has also entered the creative world and global design.

Bamboo is an industrial raw material that can be used for construction, furniture, crafts, musical instruments, functional food, to bioenergy. Putu Juli Ardika said.

In Bali, the bamboo business ecosystem is growing rapidly. Ada IBUKU Studio, which is known internationally as a pioneer of bamboo architectural design, Bambouu! as a design education center, to Bamboo Pure which processes bamboo professionally.

This proves that bamboo is not only a village story, but also a modern lifestyle trend, from luxury resorts to environmentally friendly lifestyle products.