CYPRIPEDIUM AND CONSERVATION PHILOSOPHY: A PRACTICAL AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

3 Pages·1997·0.5 MB·

by  Whitlow, Carson E

Selbyana 18(2): 183-185
CYPRIPEDIUM AND CONSERVATION PHILOSOPHY:
A PRACTICAL AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
CARSON E. WHITLOW
2291 280th Street, Adel, Iowa 50003
ABSTRACT. Activities are explored for the lay individual to impact positively on conservation of plant
species. The following nine recommendations are made:
1. Under some conditions, increase of genetic diversity through introduction of foreign clones is appro
priate.
2. Introduction into the wild can be useful to conservation, even if survivorship of the introductions is low.
3. Communication between government officials with information on areas slated for development and
conservationists willing to salvage plants should be improved.
4. Collection of superior clones for development of 'improved' line-bred species can reduce incentive for
collection in the wild by flooding market demands with more attractive material.
5. CITES should encourage salvage efforts and promote flow of rescued material.
6. Conservation requires a multilateral approach and should include individuals and commercial growers
as well as botanical institutions. The conventional wisdom that arboreta and botanical gardens have
much more commitment to conserving species than individuals is too often shattered by personnel
changes and budgetary constraints.
7. Individuals can better work to help preserve orchid populations on a local level, an activity not possible
through membership in most conservation organizations.
8. Rare and desirable plants should be rescued from habitat destruction even if they enter commercial
Illarkets.
9. Commercial growers can aid conservation efforts by filling market demands and by serving as infor
mation sources for possible illegal activity.
My philosophy and approach to conservation However, at the local and state level I can
is primarily founded on what I can do to impact have considerably more impact. I can provide
positively on maintenance of beneficial plant input on regional parks helping to guide devel
life. Though in situ habitat preservation is by far opment and maintenance of management policy.
preferred mode of conservation, prevention of With permission of appropriate authorities, I can
extinction in many cases will also require ex situ study population growth or decline of those spe
conservation efforts. My emphasis is plant life cies of concern to me as well as of causative
primarily orchids. Also, my concern favors our factors affecting it. I can assist in pollination,
own native species of orchids over those occur providing more seed for disbursal. For rare
ring elsewhere. For personal reasons these are plants such as the native orchids there may be
my priorities set by the limits of time and per times when the genetic material from popula
sonal finances. tions outside the native area would be better
Maintaining natural habitats is an unattainable adapted. In smaller populations, environmental
goal for most individuals such as myself, and shifts may occur requiring additional diversity in
large tracts of land may be required to conserve order for the species to adapt. I can help with
a single species. National and international or transplant efforts, especially from areas under
ganizations exist for purchasing and maintaining development. With permission of park authori
land. However, my input as a member would be ties, I can assist with weeding, clearing of un
limited to providing financial support. As an in derbrush and/or thinning the overstory. Reintro
dividual I am concerned with land purchase and duction of a species into areas where previously
the commitment need to preserve it. Does the known is a possible activity. Many orchid spe
area include species of concern to me? Can com cies can be introduced into new areas success
mitment for protection be sustained? Will it be fully as adults but fail to produce future gener
managed and if so how? How vulnerable are in ations apparently owing to lack of micorrhiza
place conservation policies to changes in admin for seedling development or pollinators for seed
istration? What influence do I have in these hab set. However, even a low success rate would be
itats? I consider all these questions when pro beneficial to truly rare and endangered species.
viding my limited s~pport to conservation or Other activities in which I can participate in
ganizations that purchase land with intent to clude caging plants to prevent herbivory by
preserve. overabundant deer or rabbits, removal of unes-
183
184 SELBYANA [Volume 18(2)
sential flower parts following pollination or re curb uncontrolled and illegal collecting in the
moval of other flowers to reduce visibility by wild.
herbivores or collectors. I can also alert author Commercial growers are also bound up in the
ities concerning holes where plants may have bureaucratic machinery when attempting to ex
been removed illegally, thus increasing vigilance port artificially propagated mature plants under
by park officials. Clearly as an individual there CITES. The necessary paperwork for assuring
is much that I can do to support and encourage that each species and hybrid is artificially prop
conservation efforts locally without spending agated as well as the ongoing inventorying of
my disposable income. each species and hybrid is time consuming and
One of the problems I encounter is the lack costly. But, worse, when such permits are grant
of communication by many state offices in ed the process does not in any way assure that
volved with conservation and/or environmental the material is not, in reality, wild collected. Fur
protection with other agencies and/or individ thermore the requirement to maintain three to
uals concerning information on planned habitat five clones of each species indefinitely is unrea
destruction through development. Such devel sonable. Isn't something wrong when it is easier
opment includes road widening as well as to collect from the wild and export CITES cov
building. In some cases, rare plants may be ered plants than to use artificially propagated
moved to other sites despite possible low sur material?
vivorship. Often, the plants are destroyed and There is another encumbrance to mass pro
no one capable of arranging for their prior re duction of plants listed as endangered in the
moval is advised of the upcoming event. In United States. Under our laws no plant material
some areas, removal is even prohibited result of endangered species, not even seeds, can be
removed for other than research purposes, and
ing in considerable genetic waste. Plant rescue
never for commercial propagation. Any removal
may be best provided by knowledgeable indi
of seed must be done by a research organization
viduals, even commercial growers, who have
which usually lacks the expertise to germinate
the expertise to transplant with minimal mor
it, let alone develop mature plants from it.
tality. Rescued plants that may end up on the
On the international scene, plant salvage is
commercial market should be no stumbling
essentially unknown. Habitats under develop
block to salvage. Is it not far better to have
ment may already be destroyed by the time the
salvaged material to be made available com
necessary permits are granted, if they are grant
mercially than to have destroyed genetic diver
ed at all. CITES should provide guidance and
sity? Is it not desirable to gain support from
encouragement for salvage efforts in foreign
commercial growers by pointing them to
countries including the development of efficient
sources in need of salvage? Commercial grow
permitting processes where applicable.
ers have the expertise and facilities to produce
Ex situ preservation outside natural environ
plants in large quantities fulfilling market de
ments is often envisioned as maintaining rare
mands thus reducing incentive for wild collec
plants in arboretums, botanical gardens, wildlife
tion. They can also serve as sources for plant
preserves, etc. However, such organizations
protection much in the same way as one-time
whose commitment waxes and wanes with the
poachers have become protectors for the alli
changes of administration or by financial crises
gator.
have not developed sterling records. Many chal
One other note needs to be made concerning
lenge the value of private collections as reposi
commercial growers. Growers are primarily in
tories for rare plants because of the relatively
terested in providing a superior product in com
short life time of collectors, but such collections
parison to the bulk of wild material which may have the advantage of being curated by mission
not sell well. Growers need to develop collec committed collectors at no cost to the public.
tions of superior clones as breeding stock for Furthermore these individuals can specialize, of
improved line breeding. They usually lack the ten developing techniques for maximizing
opportunity to select from the wild and therefore growth of wild collected plants or seed. Utilizing
must purchase large quantities of wild collected the expertise of these individuals may lead to
plants from which to select. Would not a better more successful methods for reestablishing or
method of selection be for the grower or natu increasing populations. Many collectors are will
ralist to enter habitats, especially those slated for ing to provide their expertise, and occasionally
development, and make the initial selections of propagated plants material. Since the goal of
superior clones rather than to purchase material collectors is usually not financial, they focus on
that may have a questionable origin? Certainly species which are often not found in general cul
line breeding superior strains aimed at satiating tivation, and which are usually considered dif
market demands is a useful conservation tool to ficult to grow and to propagate. It is under the
1997] WHITLOW: CYPRIPEDIUM AND CONSERVATION PHILOSOPHY 185
hand of such individuals that many of the "in thing is done to facilitate wild collection to aid
significant" species, when extinct in the wild ex situ conservation efforts, CITES may actually
may be found. There is too often a rift between contribute to plant extinction. In this presenta
the 'expert' in institutions with good 'book' tion, I have explored potential areas where in
knowledge and the collector with practical dividuals may be most effective in their conser
knowledge. What we need is a multilateral ap vation efforts. Each of us, whether as commer
proach to ex situ conservation; one that includes cial growers, or as collectors has a great poten
private individuals and their collections as wen tial for assuring the continued existence of our
as the experts and their institutions. world's botanical heritage without spending pub
Education is a valuable tool to conservation, lic funds.
but developing an appreciation of native species
will also increase demand that should be filled LITERATURE CITED
with artificially propagated material. Certainly
WHITLOW C.E. 1980. A note from a Cypripedium
an educated public should not be discouraged
grower. Missouriensis 2(2): 11-13.
from owning and growing rare plants if artifi ---. 1989. Asexual propagation techniques for
cially propagated. several genera of native hardy terrestrial orchids.
We must come to accept the fact that we lack In: North American Native Terrestrial Orchids
the resources to save all plant species from ex Propagation and Production, Conference Proceed
tinction owing to habitat loss. Budgetary and ings. Brandywine Conservancy. Chadds Ford,
Pennsylvania. (ed. C.E. SAWYERS 1989). pp. 68-
time constraints will force us to set priorities on
74.
which species to preserve. Just how to determine
---. 1990. Approaches to reducing collecting pres
those priorities is outside my expertise, but as sure on terrestrial orchid species. Amer. Orchid
an individual propagator I can continue my ef Soc. Bull. 59: 51-52.
forts as a provider of plants and can help main ---. 1991. A review of CITES. and its effects on
tain and hopefully increase the populations with orchid growers. Orchid Digest 55: 158-160.
which I work in the wild. It is essential that the ---. 1994. CITES-Blueprint for extinction. The
Orchid Newsletter 7(4): 30-35.
conservation community work with collectors
---. 1996. Mass production of Calopogon tuber
and growers, commercial or not, in order to uti
osus. In: North American Native Terrestrial Or
lize this untapped resource. chids Propagation and Production, Conference
Habitat destruction is recognized as the great Proceedings. Germantown, Maryland (ed. C. AL
est cause of extinction in the wild. Unless some- LEN 1996) pp. 5-10.