The family Orchidaceae is the largest group of flowering plants known to modern science. It consists of over 25,000 unique species. Orchids are the most fascinating plants in the world. Their blooms vary in size, some so tiny that a magnifying glass is needed to appreciate them, to others over 20 centimetres (eight inches) in diameter. The blooms may be nearly any color and shape imaginable.
Through the efforts of environmentalists worldwide, there are now many creatures and plants that are protected from extinction - insects, fish, mammals, birds, and yes, even orchids are on the list. In the past 200 years, scientists and orchid enthusiasts have explored every nook and cranny of our world from mountainous forests to the tropical jungles in the search for new species of these wondrous plants. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm and demand for orchids resulted in the natural habitats being stripped of every orchid causing many to become either extinct or rare.
It has not been that long ago when you could purchase "jungle collected" plants. Many orchid people thought that the only way to get most of the rare species was through jungle collecting. All that has changed now with new laws created and enforced in many countries. Some nations are now preventing all collection of orchid species from the wild within their borders.
On the surface, the ban against collecting is to be applauded. However, there is a problem with the anti-collection program in many countries. The species are protected but the habitat necessary for their survival is not. As populations increase, greater demands are made on the land. When the land is cleared, the natural habitat of the orchids is also destroyed.
Many of you may know that huge sections of rainforest are cleared for the lumber or adapted for farming every day. Virgin mountainous regions are also being adapted for human use. What is the future of the orchid species in these areas? The loss of habitat also means the loss of orchids, including those species that have yet to be discovered.
This brings up a question that has created much controversy in the world of orchid growers, hybridizers, collectors and scientists. "Should collectors be allowed to 'save' orchids in the areas that are being destroyed?" If orchids were allowed to be collected, the orchids then could be protected. Many species that otherwise would
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