Conservation

Excerpts from articles that Al Svoboda has written for the ORCHIDS conservation column:

Preservation and protection of orchids and their habitats throughout the world are among the primary goals of the AOS and their affiliated societies. The AOS and OSSB encourages and engages in worthwhile activities to these ends, including but not limited to:

1. The propagation and cultivation of orchid species to maintain a diverse gene pool, especially for endangered species.

2. Formalization of procedures to ensure the protection and maintenance of orchid species in private and research collections where neglect endangers the plants.

3. Development and dissemination of proper cultural information for species to ensure their survival and propagation

4. Support and development of national parks and nature preserves worldwide.

5. Management of orchid habitats, endangered or not.

• What you can do to help

  Conservation is one of today's most widely discussed topics and one of the keystones of the American Orchid Society's mission. Each member of the AOS can play a part in the global conservation of orchids. You can start by making sure the orchid species you have in your collection are well-grown and not inadvertently killed by neglect or ignorance. This is amazingly simple. It is known as ex situ conservation and it is defined as the preservation of species outside of their natural range. In other words, by growing your orchid species well, you are contributing in a real way to a conservation effort. Afterall, an increase in better-grown species equates to more cultivated plants being available, and to a lessened demand for wild-collected plants. Share your plants with your friends. Every division you share of your species plants, every selfed or sibbed seed capsule, lowers the number of plants that must be collected from their increasingly decimated habitats. Orchid societies, both local and national, play an important part in this. We encourage our members to network effectively, so the plants collectively held by their group survive as a whole.

  Emergencies such as power outages, equipment failure, glazing breakage, etc. often occur when the grower is absent and the collection is in the care of a non-orchidist friend or neighbor. Download the new AOS Emergency Care Contact Card at www.aos.org and put your mind at ease and give your orchid collection a measure of safety for when you are away. Also plan for the continued care of your collection in case of serious illness or death. We have too often seen valuable collections of plants lost due to neglect after the owner's death. Arrange for ultimate dispersal of your collection. Your orchids should continue to receive the loving care and appreciation you have given to them.

  We also hear of collected papers, journals or correspondence of orchid enthusiasts discarded as an unappreciated part of an estate. The existence of centers which will accept, collate, and preserve such memorabilia may not be widely known. The American Orchid Society Historical Committee is such a resource where the importance of donated papers can be evaluated, catalogued, and stored in the AOS Library. Ernest Heatherington, AOS Emeritus Judge, Gold Medal winner, and member of the AOS Historical Committee has developed a similar resource for the west coast at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino , California .

  Remember – conservation begins at home!

  While individuals need to be encouraged to support larger issues with their votes, their checkbooks and their membership in advocacy groups such as the American Orchid Society, they should also do what they can at local levels to preserve species. Ex situ conservation is, in a real sense, where species preservation must start.