The true purpose of the trip to Réunion and
Madagascar was the International Orchid Conservation Congress’ meeting. http://iocc5.univ-reunion.fr/ Held in beautiful Saint-Denis, Réunion, the
conference theme was “Making the Links.”
The goal was to bring together multiple areas of expertise and find ways
to further the conservation of orchids worldwide.
I was honored to give a presentation on behalf of and about The Angraecoid Alliance during the conference. The abstract of this presentation follows:
I was honored to give a presentation on behalf of and about The Angraecoid Alliance during the conference. The abstract of this presentation follows:
Abstract:
Crowd-sourcing Angraecoid Conservation
“Many
angraecoid orchids naturally occur in limited areas of Madagascar and tropical
Africa. Unfortunately, these habitats have suffered extensive destruction and
fragmentation. To date, conservation efforts have been unable to substantially
diminish the destruction of angraecoid-rich habitats. The future of these
habitats is grim. Both in-situ and ex-situ conservation are necessary for
species survival.
Seeking to increase the number of
angraecoid species in ex-situ conservation, plants already in cultivation are
being used to propagate genetically diverse populations for ex-situ conservation.
A large number of angraecoid species—some exceedingly rare—are cultivated in
private collections around the world by botanical gardens and hobbyists with a
passion for angraecoid orchids. The Angraecoid Alliance has recruited (and
continues to seek out) individuals and organizations interested in angraecoids
and ex-situ species conservation. Members of The Angraecoid Alliance donate
pollen, seed and/or flasking services. As of July 2013, members of The
Angraecoid Alliance have pollinated (or attempted pollination) on multiple
species: Aerangis umbonata (syn fuscata); Angraecum conchoglossum; Angraecum
curnowianum; Angraecum dollii; Angraecum pinifolium; Angraecum rhynchoglossum
and Cryptopus elatus. Seed of several additional species has been donated to
The Alliance's efforts: Aeranthes peyrotii; Angraecum birrimense; and Cryptopus
paniculatum. The Angraecoid Alliance's objective is to harness previously
unused resources and methods to effectuate both ex-situ and in-situ
conservation of angraecoid species.”
Many more photographs of orchids and orchid-hunting in Réunion
and Madagascar are still to come.
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