Taking botanical trade and conservation seriously

Botanical management and conservation efforts frequently lag behind efforts focused on charismatic fauna. Yet, in many places, wild plants continue to form important parts of rural livelihoods, diets, medicines and cultural practices. This is strongly the case in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, an epicenter of botanical diversity that has been subject to few botanical conservation assessments and efforts.

Amidst the widespread threats of habitat destruction, commercial trade represents a targeted, high-intensity pressure on many taxa. Unlike many traditional practices that comparatively local harvest and use, contemporary commercial demand for many wild plants is outstripping supply.

Yet, botanical trade is frequently overlooked.

Such is the case with the Southeast Asian trade in wild ornamental plants for horticultural markets. Our recent study, "Invisible' wildlife trades: Southeast Asia’s undocumented illegal trade in wild ornamental plants" (PDF here), presents key results from surveys of illegal wildlife markets across Thailand, including its borders with Lao PDR Myanmar.

Surveys uncovered more than 400 ornamental species in illegal commercial trade at public markets, including several species new to science. This is alarming news, but potentially overlooked in some circles because it involves plants rather than animals.

Video of plant market on the Thailand-Myanmar border

In fact, this trade has been--until now--officially "invisible". Government statistics of the international trade in plants, gathered by customs and enforcement bodies, document very limited international trade in wild-collected plants across Southeast Asia.

Observed trade volumes were magnitudes higher than is formally reported.

While we know very little about the life histories of most of the species encountered, a number are recognised as threatened or endangered. Trader reports also suggest that many species are increasingly difficult for them to find in the wild.

Admidst growing concern about biodiversity conservation and the illegal wildlife trade, there is risk that plants are still often being overlooked in domestic conservation actions and international fora, including United for Wildlife and the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network.

There is a need to take botanical conservation seriously.

Concern about wildlife should include a concern for plants. This requires an expanded view of illegal wildlife trade that considers not only charismatic megafauna, but also the broad number of plant species also subject to trade. We call for increased attention to botanical trade and conservation in Southeast Asia, and argue that efforts to tackle illegal wildlife trade must ensure they include flora.

There is also an urgent need to improve botanical trade monitoring, to operationalize existing conservation commitments, and as part of broader, multifaceted responses to illegal trade and botanical conservation.

This research was supported by the Rufford Foundation and the National University of Singapore Department of Biological Sciences.

#orchid #conservation #biodiversity #botanicalconservation #illegalwildlifetrade #trafficking