Damyang-gun Leads Carbon Neutrality by Harnessing the Value of Bamboo

Dr. Lee Song-jin of Damyang-gun Provides Bamboo Afforestation Technology Consultation in Cambodia at Korea Forest Research Institute's Request

Stable Securing of Overseas Forest Resources Expected through Exchange and Cooperation

Dr. Lee Song-jin of Damyang-gun Agricultural Technology Center researching bamboo. Photo by Damyang-gun

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] On the 27th, Damyang-gun, Jeonnam announced that Dr. Lee Songjin from the Agricultural Technology Center will provide technical consultation for bamboo afforestation in Cambodia at the request of the Korea Forest Research Institute.

The Korea Forest Service is participating in the REDD+ project, which aims to prevent deforestation and degradation in developing countries?responsible for 18-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions?and thereby reduce carbon emissions caused by these activities.

The Cambodian government is also actively promoting REDD+, including tree planting, but due to livelihood-driven deforestation by residents, the results have been insufficient. In response, the Korea Forest Research Institute under the Korea Forest Service supports the restoration of degraded forests and rural income enhancement in Cambodia at the government's request.

Accordingly, Dr. Lee Songjin, an expert in the bamboo field, plans to visit Cambodia to provide consultation and training on local bamboo ecology, soil requirements for planting, planting techniques, and utilization methods.

Through this exchange cooperation project, Cambodia and Damyang-gun are expected to contribute to the development of various industries such as construction materials, flooring, and biomass raw materials through continuous exchanges.

Additionally, by conducting bamboo tissue culture and genetic analysis, Damyang plans to promote various projects to become a global hub for the bamboo industry beyond South Korea.

Meanwhile, the global bamboo industry market size is $68.8 billion (cited from UN FAO data) and is gradually increasing. Bamboo is gaining attention as a plant for climate change response because it can be thinned without forest destruction, improves soil fertility, prevents floods, and has excellent carbon absorption capacity.