Unofficial reports

The bodiversity of southern Africa depends on water as does the regional economy. Water flows through every economic sector: agriculture, energy, industry, mining, tourism, and fisheries. However, this vital resource is under threat from environmental degradation due to population growth, poverty, climate change and pollution.

This publication presents information on the identification, phytogeography, utilisation and promotional potentials of rattans in Nepal. It also highlights the status of rattan utilisation and conservation along with prospects for their cultivation and domestication. Rattan habitats in the sultry forest of terai and the damp gorges of deep rivers are being progressively reduced due to human encroachment.