From issue 2642 of New Scientist magazine, 08 February 2008, page 6 : "laws designed to protect...rare plants are threatening their future by making it more difficult for researchers to study them.
Botanists are calling for reform of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which blocks the exchange of specimens between herbariums around the world. They claim CITES's purpose is being undermined by red tape. All orchids are listed under CITES as protected species. The rules are designed to stop them being plundered, and require a complex paper trail to be set up for any exchange of orchids, even between research labs. "Botanists are giving up on orchid research because it is so difficult to get access," says David Roberts of the UK's Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. ... he is publishing a study showing that orchid collection from Brazil and Costa Rica - key orchid habitats - has fallen since CITES came into force in 1975, while collection of unlisted plants has soared (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1683). "Many orchid species which face extinction are going unstudied because of red tape," agrees Pat Raven of the Missouri Botanical Gardens." URL : http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19726423.700-conservation-laws-threaten-rare-orchids.html *************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
