Re: This CITES stuff
Wayne Forrester (forrestr@mendel.Berkeley.EDU)
Sat, 6 Apr 1996 07:23:26 -0800 (PST)
There is a lot of CITES bashing going on in this group. In fact,
this may be one of the most common topics on this list. CITES intention
is to protect plants and animals from unscrupulous collectors. It may not
be perfect, but there is no doubt that some species have been driven to
the brink of extinction in the wild by overcollection. Several species of
Asian Paphiopedilums provide an example of this. And before someone asks;
I have not been there to verify this for myself. I am willing to accept
the accounts of others who have.
To say that hobbyists are providing a last refuge for certain
endangered plants is a wonderful sentiment, and to a certain extent is
true. Zoos are another example. But, I feel that cultivation of these
plants is a poor, although at times necessary, substitute for protecting
them in the wild. For one thing, plants in cultivation are vulnerable to
loss due to failure in cultivation (like the greenhouse freezes, or
whatever other calamity strikes). Obviously this is mitigated by having
the plants grown by many individuals. A second point is that the genetic
diversity of plants in cultivation is certainly less than that of plants
in the wild. Probably most of the species we grow originate from only a
few original plants. Those plants that remain in cultivation may have
come from only a single plant, because we tend to maintain and propogate
those plants that grow the best for us.
I don't think that maintaining plants in culture is a bad thing.
On the contrary I do believe that we are contributing to their
conservation. However, I do believe it is a minor contribution relative
to protecting the plants in their natural habitat. Certainly habitat is
the most significant factor in the extinction of plants and animals.
However, it is also clear that over-collection has contributed to
dramatic decrease in the numbers of certain species, and perhaps
ultimately to their extinction in the wild. Those of you who are so
vehemently opposed to CITES, perhaps you should propose an alternative. I
feel that simply removing all legislation limiting international trade in
endangered species would be truly foolhardy.
Just my thoughts on this topic.
Wayne Forrester