In article om,
says...
With the recent flood of posts about orchid smuggling and CITES it got
me wondering. Is anyone on RGO involved with orchid conservation or
involved with groups/societies that actively work to conserve orchid
populations? If so what and how? I know most of you grow exotics and
orchid conservation in other countries is often harder to make a
difference with. Are there any "native" growers in the group and if
so do your attitudes to differ from your exotic growing buddies?

Our orchid society, founded this year, donated 5000 EUR from the
proceeds of our show in February to the Rainforest of the Austrians
(http://www.regenwald.at/RGS/RWdOEE.html), a group dedicated to buying
up private property in the Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica)and
donating it to the park service. That meant 5 ha, or 12.5 acres.

Our project from the proceeds of the next show will be to subsidize hay
farmers in the Alps around us to compensate for crop losses that ensue
from foregoing mowing and fertilizing on the meadows' edge near the
forest. Mowing and especially fertilizing are damaging to the ecosystem
that the native orchids grow in. I am talking about orchids such as
Cephalanthera, Ophrys, Limodorum and so on.

These are all small measures, but as a young club, it's the best we can
do at the moment besides educating the public.
--
Reka

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