Orchids are possibly the most trafficked flowers globally, both officially and illegally, due to their beauty, therapeutic properties, and food value.

As a result, locals are under pressure from collectors, deliberately or unknowingly, to steal these exquisite blooms from the wild for use as decorative flowers, medicine, or food.

This puts the world's second-most-popular flower, which has over 29,000 species, in jeopardy and can even lead to extinction. However, according to conservationists, some orchids may be saved from extinction if the legal orchid trade is elevated as a major conservation problem.

Nepalese Orchids

Nepal has 507 documented orchid species, and the Nepalese government has included all wild orchids in Appendix I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This global convention protects endangered plants and animals. On the other hand, local dealers irresponsibly harvest tons of orchids from the wild and ship them to worldwide markets each year, causing conservation concerns.

Plant Trade

Nepal exports 10,000 tonnes of medical herbs to 50 different nations each year. There are 24 orchid species in total, as well as 12 Dendrobium cultivars having anti-cancer potential. And the examples that have been recorded are simply the tip of the iceberg.

According to research released in 1985 by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, there is a long history of unsustainable orchid harvesting in Nepal's forests, such as when roughly 800 tonnes of orchids were smuggled to India from eastern Nepal in the 1980s.

As a result, a significant percentage of Nepal's wild orchids are sent to India and China, with little to Hong Kong.

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Illegal Trade

In the previous ten years, Reshu Bashyal, who runs the Illegal trade and sustainable use of medicinal orchids in Nepal, has discovered 15 seizure records, ranging from 4.4 to 9,364 kilos of orchids. 

According to Reshu, Nepal recorded 49,789 kgs of legal orchid commerce between 2008 and 2016, changing dramatically over time. Artificially produced orchids, primarily belonging to the genera Dendrobium, Coelogyne, Cymbidium, and Otochilus, accounted for just 4% of the legal trade.

Wild-collected orchids dominated the legal trade, accounting for 96 percent of the trade. A minor quantity of merchandise worth 200 kg remained unaccounted for. 'As part of a larger effort to triangulate and validate commercial trade patterns, they give first insights into the nature and extent of illicit orchid trading in Nepal,' Reshu noted.

Historical Significance

Buddhi Rai, a member of the indigenous Kirant tribe from Siktemba village in Panchthar District in eastern Nepal, brags about his orchid collection, which includes Cymbidiums primarily has accumulated over 40 years.

Buddhi told Global Voices, "In our language, we call them aamlabung. Our woodlands are home to a variety of orchid species. However, most of my collection comes from the Indian cities of Mirik, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong."

People like hybrid orchids because they are more durable and produce gorgeous flowers that linger for months. Beautiful orchids, he continued, grow on inaccessible limbs of ancient trees or cliffs and are difficult to gather.

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