Laoag City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) on Tuesday said at least 1,000 bamboo propagules are being prepared to jumpstart the establishment of a bamboo sanctuary in a mountainous area in the city.

ENRO personnel Mylene Pascual told Philippine News Agency that the sanctuary would be built near a sanitary landfill in Balatong village.

“Bamboo is not only good to rehabilitate degraded lands and for protection purposes but it is also a carbon sink which captures greenhouse gases from the atmosphere,” Pascual said.

She said the sanctuary could offer an alternative livelihood for local communities and help solve the declining number of bamboo plants in the area.

Pascual expressed hope that the bamboo sanctuary model would encourage more people to grow bamboo and realize its huge economic potential and contribution to the environment.

Bamboo expert Charlie Batin of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) said bamboo can be planted in any type of soil and easily grows without much care and management.

It can be harvested after three to four years unlike trees and also considered as the best substitute for wood. (PNA)