This has nothing to do with CITES.
The Raising Money and Awareness Program
A label would be created with the picture of an orchid and words like Grown from Flask or Born in a Flask, and A percentage of sale for Orchid Conservation. We are fortunate that with orchids we can put out a cute public face like dolphins and pandas. I suggest Born in a Flask as an option only because anthropomorphizing works well with the general public. The label would be licensed out to orchid businesses for a percentage of each sale. The percentage could be a part of the sale price or added at purchase by choice of the business. The program would be voluntary but would require full participation of each sale if participating. The percentage would be sent forward each month by participating businesses for use in orchid conservation and awareness. Part of the money generated would be used to explain orchid conservation to the general public, and to promote looking for the label to support businesses in the program.
The biggest challenge in this area may be getting big wholesale nurseries that sell to garden centers, and groceries to participate. Some may choose voluntarily, realizing the marketing potential and good that would come from the program. Pressure could be brought to bear on the big box stores that sell orchids. I can only speak for the US, but I do know that the big hardware stores are very cogitative of sustainable harvested lumber, and coming across to the public as environmentally friendly. At least in some parts of the country and the world, grocery stores are use to organic produce and other distinctions in the groceries, so labels for a cause would not be foreign to them. In Europe and some parts of the world, genetically modified organisms (GMO) are also distinguished in grocery stores. I do think these stores could be interested in pressuring their wholesale orchid suppliers to participate because of the marketing potential of a public image of giving something back, and caring for the environment. There are many examples similar to this proposed labeling program for orchid conservation. One example that is similar and maybe known to many worldwide is the dolphin free tuna label on cans of tuna.
The Organization
The organization will probably be the biggest challenge of this proposal. Personally I am against bureaucracy as it mostly impedes getting things done. So among the challenges would be to stay lean but effective. The organization would consist of a coalition of businesses, orchid societies, and orchid organizations worldwide. Each country would elect a board. Obviously the countries where most of the money would be generated generally have the least diversity of orchids species, so there would have to be some movement of money to countries where the inverse is true. One possible way of staying lean is using the World Wide Web, setting up a virtual office, being very public and open with the running of the organization especially showing the money at work, successes, and proposals.
The Conservation of Orchid Habitat
Other then spending of money on orchid conservation awareness talked about above, I think that the main focus should be in actually buying orchid habitats, and possibly micro lending. The organization could partner with large environmental organization like the Nature Conservatory, and local orchid societies to buy and protect orchid habitats. The Nature Conservatory ( http://nature.org/ ) is an organization that buys land world wide for the protection of species habitat. They also setup legal protection for restricting land use for conservation only and then sometimes turn that land over to governments or other entities for stewardship. Local orchid societies could also propose habitat buying and stewardship to the organization. An example would be Peter OBrynes wish to protect Papilionanthe hookeriana habitat posted on Sat, 20 Dec 2003 on the OGD with the subject line Papilionanthe hookeriana habitat. More information on this is at http://www.orchidspng.com/discus/messages/6/5395.html?1071919503
Micro lending is possible and there are very successful models in Southeast Asia. The micro lending in this case would be for setting up flasking labs, and orchid nurseries for local orchid propagation.
Mark Sullivan
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