2003 BOTA Report
Project activity was centered on Mexico this past year. The National Bamboo Collection of Mexico is a two –year joint program. Equipment, travel and student wages were funded by BOTA. Administration, facilities and project activities were provided by the participating institutions. In November 2002 the final contracts were signed and funds totaling $25,500 were transferred to the Ecology Institute (INECOL) in Jalapa under the direction of Dra. Teresa Mejia Saules and to the Technological Institute of Chetumal (ITCH) under the direction of Biol. Glberto Cortés Rodriguez. The first official collection trip was to the state of Jalisco in December. Live native bamboo species and herbarium sheets were collected and returned to the Ecology Institute and Clavijero Botanical Garden in Jalapa. Field -work and collections are under the direction of Biol. Gilberto Cortes. Additional collection trips were carried out to Quntana Roo, Chiapas, Campeche, Guerrero, Michoacán, and Veracruz. This has resulted in more than half of the about 40 species of native Mexican bamboo in living and herbarium collections. Both Gilberto and Tere have given many talks and seminars to students and staff about bamboo. Gilberto and Tere have met and spoken to many people in Mexico and the USA about the project.
Prior to April BOTA Director, Gib Cooper heard news that Drs. Lynn Clark, Tere Mejia and graduate student, Jim Triplett were travelling to Los Angeles to make presentations to the Monocots III conference at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. Both speakers were able to free up a few days to accept an invitation to speak at a special American bamboo seminar co-sponsored by BOTA, the Southern California Chapter of the ABS and the Wrigley Botanical Garden located in Avalon on Catalina Island. The successful event was held on April 6.
Earlier in the year the BOTA directors involved with Mexico attempted to help the team investigating venues for the World Bamboo Congress (WBC). The Mexican Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) was interested in looking into this and met with WBO representative Karina Quintans. CONAFOR chose to take an inactive role due to the brief period of time available to organize the international event. However, the idea to showcase bamboo as an alternative forestry crop in Mexico featured at the national Century 21 Forestry Expo in Guadalajara, Mexico on August 7-9. Speakers came from many countries in the Americas and included presentations from BOTA project directors Dr. Teresa Mejia, Gilberto Cortés and Gib Cooper. A major theme of the conference was bamboo conservation and the need to investigate the native bamboo species of Mexico. The director of INBAR for Latin America, Jorge Moran from Ecuador and the director for INTEC in Chile, Jorge Campos invited Gib Cooper to visit each country. They both consider the BOTA program for bamboo conservation as developed in Mexico to be important and would like to investigate applying the model to their countries.
This is the first year for the Mexican Bamboo Association (MBA). The officers are as follows: President - Gilberto R. Cortés Rodríguez of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Secretary - Alfonso Rangel Rodríguez of Mexico City, D.F., Treasurer - Raúl Pérez Jiménez of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Publicity - Elda Ma. Webb of Monterrey, Nueva Leon. The MBA begins with 31 members. CONAFOR donated a booth to the MBA for the exposition.
Program Evaluation from the Director
The funds donated by the ABS, SCC-ABS, NCC-ABS, OBA-ABS, TBS-ABS, LGC-ABS, NEC-ABS and numerous individuals allowed the BOTA project to unfold this past year. The long-range plan is to stimulate interest in the native bamboo in Mexico and transfer the program to other Latin American countries. This is happening beyond our expectations in Mexico. The national forestry commission (CONAFOR) has invited INECOL, ITCH and BOTA to update the formal list of native bamboo species and to prioritize the species in most danger of extinction. CONAFOR has also asked to be included in the Phase 2 program for Mexico. We have received several proposals for projects in Mexico that expand the base of professional and student interest in bamboo. BOTA Director for Mexico, Gilberto Cortés is leading another project for the states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche. The program is through CONAFOR, the Secretary for Planning and Development and National Research Institute of Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP). A key component of this program titled Bamboo: An Alternative for the Land in Quintana Roo is involvement in the BAMBU-MAYA plan for cooperation in bamboo conservation and ethnobotany in the region of the Maya: Southern Mexico, Belize and Guatamala.
BOTA director, Gib Cooper was invited to Ecuador by Arq. Jorge Moran, co-representative of INBAR for Latin America and the Caribbean and Jorge Campos, Director of the Non-Wood Forestry Production Program for Chile to investigate the application of the BOTA bamboo conservation program in those countries. The director plans travel to Chiapas, Mexico, Euador and Chile in late November and early December for this purpose.
Help is Critical to Advance
To continue the program and sustain the momentum created in Mexico to Ecuador and Chile more funds are needed. Please consider making a personal donation or making a motion to your bamboo society chapter give funds to BOTA this year.
BOTA is administered by The American Bamboo Society - Southern California Chapter (ABS-SoCal) and is a California non-profit scientific and literary charitable corporation, tax-exempt under section 501(C)-3. Contributions to this project are tax-deductible under federal and California laws. For more information contact Gib Cooper at (541) 247-0835 or visit http://www.bamboooftheamericas.org
By Gib Cooper
Director, Bamboo of the Americas (BOTA)
http://www.bamboooftheamericas.org
At-large Director of the Oregon Bamboo Association
28446 Hunter Creek Loop
Gold Beach, OR 97444
Tel: 541/247-0835