We implement low-impact operations by planning our road network, upgrading existing horse tracks that crisscross the landscape, and by minimizing total road width and length. Branch roads that access forest areas will be optimized for bamboo extraction by a combination of horses, horse-drawn bamboo sulkies, iron horses, or small tractors.
We aim to use technologies familiar to local people where possible to keep operations as simple and cost-effective as possible. This includes using manual labor to maximize benefits to local people, using machetes to harvest bamboo, and using horses to extract bamboo from the forest where possible. We monitor the welfare of all working animals associated with our operations, and have consulted with the Society for the Protection of Working Animals (SPANA) to seek advice on key issues such as: