Quote Originally Posted by yvonni View Post
Thanks Cathy . So is it some kind of certification and if so what does it mean for the potential buyer ? I don't mean to ask so many questions but being knew to the orchid game there is a lot of info that I now have to acquire . Having said that I've never heard of CITES here in Barbados , well actually Angela mentioned it but not in too much detail .
Aha! I wondered whether Angela might have figured in here somewhere - how fortunate you are to have such a wonderful person and accomplished orchid grower!

As for CITES, in really basic terms, it is a set of regulations implemented in 1989 by many, but not all, countries, and was designed to protect animals and plants that have been officially termed "endangered", from being imported and exported without proper documentation. There are three "lists" of what things are considered to be endangered, and orchids, particularly slipper orchids (paphs and phrags, primarily), are near the top of the list. If caught violating CITES regulations, a person can be tried and if convicted, can incur fines, and even jail time. That's what happened when Phrag. kovachii first appeared in the U.S. I would emphasize that this is a REALLY simplified explanation. If you read further on the topic, you will see that CITES issues are both complicated and frustrating to orchid growers all over the world, and there is a fairly large number of vociferous opponents to it. I have no idea if Barbados is a signatory to CITES, but even if it isn't, you may be sure that it has had some impact, at some point, on the orchids that are available to you as an orchid hobbyist. I would close only with the observation that the spirit of CITES is a noble one - protecting endangered species is certainly laudable - but, from my reading (which has NOT been in depth at all), the actual implementation appears to bear little resemblance to the original intent.