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Smuggling 201
Al wrote:
I know the US has laws against the collection, ownership and sale of native species. How many Americans own native orchids? Or make them a central part of their orchid collections? How many foreigners have our native orchids in their collections? I believe buying native American orchids here in this country is rather hard. Everyone is concerned that they are not wild collected. Yet there are a few vendors of native orchids and their catalogs are pretty sparse compared with the number of native orchids I know of. Why look outside your own borders for 'treasures"? Be careful of comparing apples with oranges. The majority of orchid growers cultivate tropical species, and the majority of North American orchids are hardy species. Of the tropical species native to the U.S. (mostly in Florida), the more spectacular species have indeed been over-collected and require protection. Reading a field guide to Florida orchids is rather depressing in that respect -- even more so when you consider that most of the over-collected species are already available in cultivation. Some of the less spectacular orchids are still fairly common, but the number of growers who would want to devote a greenhouse to things like Epidendrum magnoliae is smaller than the number who want to grow Cattleya hybrids. Therefore, fewer nurseries sell Epi magnoliae. With regard to the hardy North American species, I do not think they are under-represented in cultivation relative to hardy species from Europe and Asia. North American Cypripediums are more readily available that Asian Cyps. The smaller woodland orchids are less common in cultivation, but North American, European, and Asian species seem to be available in cultivation in roughly equal proportions. Some North American species (e.g. Spiranthes odorata) are readily available in general garden centers. AFAIK, federal laws cover only endangered species. Individual states may have laws forbidding collection on public land, but most permit collection on private land _with the permission of the landowner_. I don't know of any laws that forbid the ownership of all native species; I "own" a number of native orchids by default, because they are wild in my backyard. My state (NC) does regulate the private ownership of a very few species that are endangered within the state, but permits are available (at no cost, I think). States may forbid selling collected plants, but they don't seem to limit the sale of artificially propagated native species. For instance, it is very easy to find artificially propagated Encyclia tampensis for sale. Collecting E. tampensis from areas being developed may be fun, but since E. tampensis is well established in cultivation, it is of limited conservation value. The state of Florida may have determined that allowing the salvage and sale of such plants could make it more difficult to detect real poachers. regards, Nick |
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