Ecological restoration of fragile Eastern Himalayan landscapes through bamboo bioengineering

The Eastern Himalayas is a highly sensitive region experiencing an average warming trend of 0.01 ºC/yr and has exhibited and is predicted to experience an erratic precipitation pattern. The region is prone to hydrometeorological and seismic disasters. The rugged mountainous topography combined with poor geological structure has made the region very prone to climate change-induced mass wasting phenomena. Thus, the region is experiencing varied climatic extreme events that have degraded the landscapes considerably. Poorly managed land-use systems have resulted in the further deterioration of the soil characteristics and the hydrological regime. This calls for immediate attention and action through sustainable measures such as soil and water bioengineering (SWBE). We explored Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to address the above-mentioned problems through soil and water bioengineering with bamboo. The work encompassed practical solutions and provides recommendations for conserving the fragile landscapes with native bamboo species tailored to the specific problem and site. Important bamboo species for landscape stabilization include Bambusa bambos, B. balcooa, B. vulgaris, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, D. strictus and Melocanna baccifera. Use of bamboo in crib walls, matting, and inclusion in agriculture land-use to prevent land degradation are crucial bioengineering measures. The main challenges of bioengineering, namely cost-effectiveness, durability and suitability of the species, can be overcome by carefully selecting bamboo species within the range of native species and their natural distribution in the specific problem area. To ensure that the sustainability and risk reduction from the bamboo-based SWBE efforts are moving in the direction specified by UN SDG 13 Climate Action – strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity of infrastructure and the public to climate-related soil and water disasters – actors need to focus on specific remedial measures through proper planning, installation of SWBE structures with suitable bamboo species, management and maintenance.