Laos and Cambodia are also included in the programme, according to the WWF’s Rattan Programme.

“The aim is to establish a sustainable and environmentally friendly rattan industry in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam by the end of 2011. It will apply Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) rattan forest certification for forest management as well as encourage rattan companies to apply cleaner production techniques,” said the WWF’s Rattan Programme Manager Thibault Ledecq.

Nine Vietnamese rattan companies have recently visited the WWF-supported sustainable rattan management area in Khamkeut district in Borikhamxay province in Laos to learn about rattan processing and trading from the local authorities and Laotian rattan processors.

The visit was part of a EU-funded rattan programme.

According to the WWF, there are 600 varieties of rattan in the world, 54 of which are widely available in forests throughout the Greater Mekong region. The stems are used for a variety of purposes, including food, shelter and furniture making. Many village communities in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam rely heavily on the rattan trade.

More than 90 percent of rattan processed in the Greater Mekong originates from natural forest that is being used up at an unsustainable rate.

Vietnam has to import a large volume of unprocessed rattan from Laos and Cambodia every year, said the WWF.