Marie Selby Botanial Gardens Plant Show

[cdayinflorida]

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

[yvonni]

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 .

[mauraec]

Maura,

Glad you enjoyed it. I work at the Gardens, and it's lovely to see other people's reactions. Next time you're in Sarasota, let me know - perhaps I could give you a personal tour! We have some amazing orchids--and of course lots of other beautiful plants.

Wow!!! Would I EVER love to have a personal tour. Thank you so much for the offer, and since my husband and I drive from Atlanta to southwest Florida at least once a year, I'll definitely take you up on that! Wish I could go back right now - what a terrific job you must have!

[mauraec]

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.

[yvonni]

Thanks Maura I think you gave me just enough to get the gist of what it's supposed to represent .

[mauraec]

Believe me, there's a lot to know about this topic, and if you ever get into paphs and/or phrags, it really becomes fascinating. If you ever want to know more, I can give you some references - and there's a really interesting book by a reporter who followed some of the more notorious CITES raids, if you have extra reading time.