Orchid Conservation Orchid conservation facts • There are 26,000 known orchid species and an estimated 5,000 still to be discovered. Around 200-300 are discovered each year and most unknown species are likely to be found in the Andes. • Around 33% of orchid species are thought to be threatened but less than 1% (206 species) have been formally assessed. In contrast, all 10,000 known bird species have been assessed. • This map shows the ‘biodiversity hotspots’; areas with at least 1,500 unique plant species and over 70% loss of natural habitats. Major centres of orchid diversity broadly correspond with these highly threatened hotspots. • Orchids are under threat from both general factors that affect all species, such as habitat loss and climate change, and specific threats that target certain species, such as over-collection for trade. General threats to orchids Deforestation Climate Change Around 75% of orchid species grow Climate change may result in as epiphytes, many of them in tropical migration of species to cooler areas, forests. The loss of these habitats is most likely towards the poles or to occurring on a large scale due to a higher elevations. Mountain species combination of conversion of land to and those in areas surrounded by agricultural or development use, degraded or lost habitats will not be forest fires or logging for timber. able to migrate and will be at risk of extinction. Even where movement is • Many species in Nigeria and possible, orchids and their specific Cameroon, such as Bulbophyllum pollinators may move at different bifarium, are threatened due to rates or may become out of sync clearance of land for agriculture2 with each other, decreasing the chance of pollination. • In Ecuador, species such as Cattleya maxima are being • For every 1oC increase in spring threatened as the trees that they temperature, Ophrys sphegodes grow on are felled. flowers in the UK open around 6 days earlier5 • Orchids in the Seychelles, such Cattleya maxima growing on a tree in a deforested landscape in Ecuador. Photo: Dave Roberts as Malaxis seychellarum may be threatened by a reduction of cloud forest humidity due to climate change6 Orchids growing on a tree in a mountainous area of Ecuador. Photo: Ian Chalmers Changing agricultural management For terrestrial orchids, destruction for development is not the only threat. Many orchids grow well in agricultural landscapes but can decline following changes caused by intensification, abandonment of traditional practices or changing grazing or burning regimes. • Terrestrial species in Greece and Turkey may be threatened by the abandonment of traditional olive groves and pastoral activities3 • In the USA, Platanthera praeclara is threatened by a shift away from traditional prairie management, which has led to trampling by cattle and out-competition by invasive plant species4 Orchis anatolica, growing in Turkey. Photo: Susanne Masters 1Joppa, L.N., Roberts, D.L., Myers, N., Pimm, S.L. (2011) Biodiversity hotspots house most undiscovered plant species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108: 13171-13176. 2Pollard, B.J. & Darbyshire, I. 2004. Bulbophyllum bifarium. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org accessed 31st March 2013 3Rankou, H. 2011. Anacamptis boryi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org accessed 31st March 2013 4Goedeke, T., Sharma, J., Delphey, P. & Marshall Mattson, K. 2008. Platanthera praeclara. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org accessed 31st March 2013 5Robbirt, K.M., Davy, A.J., Hutchings, M.J., Roberts, D.L. (2011) Validation of biological collections as a source of phenological data for use in climate change studies: a case study with the orchid Ophrys sphegodes. Journal of Ecology, 99:235-241. 6Gerlach, J. 2011. Malaxis seychellarum. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org accessed 31st March 2013 Bulbophyllum species growing in an ex situ conservation centre in Malaysia. Photo: Amy Hinsley Why conserve orchids in the wild? Whilst ex situ orchid conservation in seed banks, botanical gardens and nurseries is important, it is essential that species are also conserved in situ in their natural habitats. This is especially important as successful reintroductions of orchids in to the wild are difficult to achieve, due to the different selection pressures that exist in cultivation. They are indicator species As they often rely on specific conditions, including the presence of certain pollinators and fungi, orchids are amongst the first species to be lost when an ecosystem is under stress. This makes them good ‘indicator’ species, providing a valuable early warning for the declining health of an ecosystem and allowing conservation action to be taken before it is too late. This is especially true of Other species may rely on them epiphytes1 but terrestrial orchids can also be used in this Ecosystems consist of complex interrelationships and way, such as the white-fringed orchid Platanthera sometimes the loss of one species may result in the decline blephariglottis in Canada, which is a good indicator for in others. This may be especially true for orchids, due to sphagnum bog health2 their specific relationships with other species. For example, it has been suggested that the brazil nut tree relies on the female of one or two orchid bee species for pollination. The male bees, in turn, rely on certain orchids, from which they collect fragrance chemicals that they use to attract their mates. Without the orchid, the bees would not be able to breed, there would be no pollinator for the tree and there would be no more brazil nuts3 There may be more than we think The diversity of wild orchids is far greater than those in cultivation, and wild populations provide important genetic storehouses that have the potential to produce new varieties, including new colours that may be popular in trade. As well as new forms there are likely to be many more species; between 200-300 are still being discovered each year4. Research suggests that many unknown species will be in the most threatened areas5, meaning that without conservation it is likely that we may lose new varieties and species before they are even discovered. They may be important to local communities Orchids provide a source of food, medicine and decoration to people who live near to their habitats and may also be used in religious or cultural ceremonies, such as Day of the Dead in Mexico. Where orchids are in demand from trade, their collection may also provide money to communities, as can promoting orchids in their natural habitats as tourist attractions. Using orchids as a tourist attraction can encourage the long term protection of wider orchid habitats. In this way, orchids can act as a ‘flagship’ for the conservation of a habitat, such as in the case of the Tanzanian Southern Highlands, a National Park designated based solely on the orchids it contains6. 1Turner, I.M., Tan, H.T.W., Wee, Y.C., Ibrahim, A. B., Chew, P.T. and Corlett, R.T. (1994), A Study of Plant Species Extinction in Singapore: Lessons for the Conservation of Tropical Biodiversity. Conservation Biology, 8: 705–712. 2Laroche, V., Pellerin, S., & Brouillet, L. (2012). White Fringed Orchid as indicator of Sphagnum bog integrity. Ecological Indicators, 14(1), 50-55. 3Mori, S. A., Prance, G. T., & Balick, M. J. (1990). Taxonomy, ecology, and economic botany of the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa Humb. & Bonpl.: Lecythidaceae). Advances in Economic Botany, 8, 130-150. 4Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.kew.org/plants/orchids/orchiddiscovery.html. Accessed March 2013. 5Joppa, L.N., Roberts, D.L., Myers, N., Pimm, S.L. (2011) Biodiversity hotspots house most undiscovered plant species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108: 13171-13176. A wild Cypripedium growing in China. Photo: Dave Roberts 6Davenport, T. R., & Ndangalasi, H. J. (2003). An escalating trade in orchid tubers across Tanzania's Southern Highlands: assessment, dynamics and conservation implications. Oryx, 37(01), 55-61. .