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Champions of Change: Empowering Bamboo for a better Future
Dedicated volunteers steer the World Bamboo Organization. The Ambassadors work independently but are connected as a team, and we collaborate to expand the potential of our actions and our mission.
Yiping Lou
China
Forestry and carbon
Dr. Yiping Lou, Ph.D. is a highly accomplished bamboo researcher and leader in the field of bamboo biology, ecology, and sustainable development. He is currently the Director at the Sino-Canadian Bamboo Research Institute, a collaborative initiative between Zhejiang A&F University (ZAFU) in China and the University of British Columbia (UBC). He also serves as a World Bamboo Ambassador for the World Bamboo Organization (WBO).
Dr. Lou has an extensive career, spanning over three decades, including 15 years at the Chinese Academy of Forestry (1984–1998), where he specialized in bamboo biology, ecology, and management, followed by 15 years at the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) (1999–2014) as a Programme Director. At INBAR, he focused on bamboo biodiversity conservation, bamboo forest management, and the role of bamboo in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In the past decade, Dr. Lou has concentrated on technology innovation and the sustainable development of bamboo value chains to improve the livelihood security of rural communities in China, Africa, and Asia. His projects, funded by the European Union, United Nations agencies, and various governments, have made significant contributions to green bamboo shoot technology and sustainable development.
He has managed and led over 20 bamboo projects in more than 30 countries, including the development of national and regional bamboo strategies and action plans for nations such as Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. His work has had a profound impact on rural economies and environmental sustainability through bamboo innovations.
