Conservation has become an extremely important topic in the past 20 years. Justifiably so, because the rate of destruction of natural habitats has also greatly accelerated during this period, particularly in the tropics. Orchids are found all over the planet, but most abundantly in the tropics, and are, therefore, particularly affected. Thousand, if not millions, or orchid plants are burned every year along with their tropical habitats. As a result, a large number of species have become exceedingly rare, and some have been driven to extinction all together. Other orchids, including many found in temperate areas of the world, are also destroyed when their natural habitats are obliterated for the construction of roads and housing or industrial developments.
Both in-situ (literately “in the original location”) and ex-situ (outside the original location”) conservation have been advocated to save the rich biodiversity of our planet, including the orchids. Ex-situ conservation takes place not only in seed collections, botanical gardens, and arboreta but in the case of orchids, also in the greenhouses and windowsills of aficionados. The Massachusetts Orchid Society plays an essential role in ex-situ conservation by providing guidance to its members on how to grow orchids, thus maximizing the survival of orchid species in cultivation. There are, however, over 25,000 orchid species worldwide, most of which have specific environmental requirements, and ex-situ conservation can hope to save only a small fraction of them. In-situ conservation, therefore, must become a major thrust in our efforts to save the bulk of the orchids of the world.
Biodiversity and wealth of populations are inversely related: biodiversity is relatively low in rich, developed countries, and relatively high in poor, developing countries. Therefore, both in-situ and ex-situ conservation are easier to implement in rich countries, both because there are fewer species and more resources to dedicate to conservation efforts. In contrast, conservation is much more difficult to implement in poor countries, because of the relatively large number of species involved and the few resources that are available and/or that can be allocated to this effort. Furthermore, a large proportion of the population of underdeveloped countries relies on the tropical forest for their sustenance, often turning survival and conservation into mutually exclusive activities. Ultimately, poverty, hunger, and misery are the most important determining factors affecting the future of the world’s orchids and biodiversity in general
Conservation, for the reasons outlined above, is a viable concept in rich, developed countries. However, in poor, developing countries, conservation amounts to no more than “conversation” unless it improves the welfare of their populations who then, in turn, decrease their reliance on tropical forests for their sustenance.
What can we do? Much, by making sure our contributions to organizations dedicated to conservation are well spent, not in bureaucracy and fancy brochures, but in projects that help the inhabitants of tropical forests. Otherwise, we will continue to observe the current, gradual destruction of the world’s biodiversity.