Webinar: Innovative applications of rattans and the economic potential of the rattan sector

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About the webinar:

Rattans are spiny, climbing palms (Arecaceae) whose long, flexible stems provide the canes of commerce which have unique properties such as strength, lightness, durability, appearance and flexibility.  As an important raw material for the furniture and handicraft industry, rattans play a significant role in supporting the livelihood of many forest-dwelling communities.

Rattan has been used for a long time in different manufacturing fields, such as furniture basketry, interior decoration etc. In recent years, a new application of rattan has been found in a field that has not yet been explored: biomedical application in orthopaedic. Millions of people worldwide have bone repair surgery to treat bone loss resulting from trauma, cancer or bone degenerative conditions. Bone replacement use bone transplant (the best option today) or bone grafts (ceramic, polymer and metal alloys), interventions that work well especially for small bone repair and replacement. But for larger bone replacements medical professionals are grappling with the limitations of existing solutions. The researchers identified rattan as the best candidate, as it has an internal 3D architecture that incorporates xylem-transporting channels, which mimic the way blood vessels run through bone. This webinar examines the innovative application of rattan canes for bone surgery replacement, evaluates the socioeconomic contribution of rattan canes to support the livelihoods of communities in Asia and Africa.

Speakers:

Lorenzo Pradella
Lorenzo is the Co-Founder & CEO of GreenBone Ortho, a new company that develops a highly innovative rattan/wood-derived, biomimetic, reabsorbable and regenerative bone implants to be used in orthopedic reconstructive surgery to repair bone loss caused by trauma, cancer or other bone diseases.

Prof. Terry Sunderland
Dr. Sunderland is a highly published scientist, with over 220 journal articles, books and book chapters He has contributed to numerous global policy processes, including for IUFRO and the UN’s Committee on World Food Security. He has led the CIFOR research on landscape- cale conservation, development and food security and he is an appointed as a Professor of Tropical Forestry in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Krisdianto Sugiyanto
Dr. Krisdianto Sugiyanto is a researcher with expertise on wood processing technology, wood anatomist and non-timber forest products. He works at the Forest Products Research and Development Center, FORDA, Indonesia. He has contributed in several research projects on wood anatomy, wood quality, bamboo quality and rattan stem identification and in drafting National standards on bamboo and rattan

Moderator:

Rene Kaam
Director of INBAR Central Africa Regional Office

Time:

23 February 2021

09:00 GMT (London)
10:00 GMT+1 (Yaounde)
17:00 GMT+8 (Beijing)
04:00 GMT-5 (Quito)