Tackling "plant blindness"

We have been working, via the IUCN Orchid Specialist Group-Global Trade programme, to highlight "plant blindness" in conservation, and particularly among efforts to reduce illegal wildlife trade.

Plant blindness refers to the systematic privileging of animal life above plant life. Our recent IUCN Blog, "Illegal wildlife trade endangers plants — but few are listening" explains how plants - some of the world’s most trafficked and endangered wildlife - were are often missing from the agenda.

Colleagues and I have received some traction in the UK, following our letter to various UK Government ministers and lobbying efforts . We hosted the first information stall on plant conservation at the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in October, 2018. This was the 4th in a series of high-level global meetings on wildlife trade, and this was the first time that plants were represented.

We also hosted an 2-hour workshop at the event Evidence to Action: Research to Address Illegal Wildlife Trade, focused on how to tackle "plant blindness" in our sector. This resulted in a new paper "Illegal wildlife trade and the persistence of plant blindness", which makes clear the need to ensure plant conservation is taken seriously.

(Captions: (Top) Mendip Studio School students, pictured with Dr Thérèse Coffey, Defra Parliamentary Under-Secretary, in front of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group booth at the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. (Bottom) Michael Gove, Defra Secretary of State, pictured with a hybrid Cymbidium orchid at St. James Palace,