"over-harvesting and surging demand, several species of wild orchids... are at risk of extinction.
According to a report in China Daily, 10 species indigenous to the mountains of Zhejiang province are on the brink of extinction and unless something is done to improve how the flowers are grown for commercial purposes they may disappear... "Excessive harvesting of wild orchids has also led to soil erosion and consequently affected the environment for other plants and animals," the paper quoted an official in the province's Xinchang county as saying. [harvesting orchids and soil erosion : could you cite other examples, explain ?] ... One hundred years ago, it was possible to find 2,400 of China's 3,000 varieties [species ? / that seems a lot of species : do you agree with that number ?] in Zhejiang but rampant development and over-cultivation has reduced that number to just 740... "Orchids are popular because they symbolise the noble character of the literati," Chen Haijiao, an expert on orchids, told China Daily... The orchid is one of the most painted flowers in Chinese art, adorning everything from classical silk paintings to modern-day advertising hoardings. Particularly rare breeds of the flowers are highly sought after and many Chinese will pay eye-watering prices [well said !] for them... At a recent flower exhibition in Shaoxing... a single pot of orchids sold for... 1.35 million yuan (£88,000). ... the huge prices that some species attract has led to a huge increase in the number of orchid farms" article URL : http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2491767.ece ****************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
