ex situ conservation
Toward Orchid Boy's comment about our orchid collections being 'living museums' and 'miniature arks' preserving a gene bank for future re-introduction back into the wild. I used to think this way, that our collections, or more specifically MY collection was an 'ark'.
Time proved to me how wrong this thought is. No collection, private or public is a reliable permanent ark. These collections are ephemeral. Everyone screws up and eventually looses most of their plants to disease or accident over time. Usually we loose them one or two at a time, so we often are not conscious of just how poor a preservation job we are doing. I have owned thousands maybe even more than ten thousand orchids over the last 40 years. (given time, if you buy in 200 or 300 orchids a year, over 40 years, it adds up) Currently my collection is some 1300 plants in my inventory. Of all these plants I bought, at least 1/3 were species, yet I only have at best 50 plants that I have kept alive for more than 25 years. The rest perished for one reason or another. After you kill a couple really rare plants, once you are able to stop weeping, you realize that the only way to preserve these species long term is to make sure there is a healthy population in their native habitat. Habitat preservation is the only long term preservation. Eric Christiansen and I argued about this for a long time and it was he who pointed out how few of my plants actually survived my care for more than 10 years. Even less for more than 25 years. I was struck ill back in 2009 and lost many, many Phrags while I was ill. It is surprising what survives and what doesn't. Murphy's Law says the rare stuff dies first. And it is true. Public collections are just as bad as private collections, often worse. I donated many a rare plant to a conservatory. When I visited after 3 changes of curators in 5 years, only one of the 100 or so plants was left. And it was a common one. (the Odm bictoniense I made my first hybrid with).
As an inferior 2nd best option, if you end up with a 'next to the Last of the Mohicans', a truly rare plant, if you want to preserve it, you must as quickly as is safe to do try to propagate it. Some of my seed crosses were to spread around rare plants. Your plant might not survive, but if enough progeny are out there, somebody might have some left.
Ten-man and I have traded back and for a rot prone wild collected Lycaste, Lycaste deppei var punctitissimum, he got a division from me 15 or more years ago. Periodically my division would rot and die, he'd be able to give me a piece of the original. Then his would rot and die and I would give him a piece back in return. Any time there is only one piece left we collectively get nervous. So far timing hasn't been good for producing a selfing for seed. Key is, if you don't spread the rare stuff around it is doomed.
You can argue with me on this, but show me how many plants have survived, and I will point out how many have been lost to cultivation. Paph sanderianum was lost to cultivation long enough that many were beginning to think the original 19th century water colors were a hoax to promote Sander's firm. Most of the Antique Paphs are hybrids, with the benefit of hybrid vigor, some of them have survived. A much smaller number of species have survived. Much smaller.
Work toward preserving and restoring habitat, it is the only way. And, start at home. In Illinois we have less than 2000 acres of forest that is truly old growth, never been logged or harvested forest. The single largest tracts are not much more than 200 acres each. I believe the acreage of never plowed prairie for Illinois is less than 10,000 acres. This is in a state that is millions of acres in area. That IS NOT maintaining sustainable healthy habitats. Some of these old growth forest tracts do not even have protected status, and could be logged in the future. Before we dance around telling the developing nations they have to preserve their rain forests, we should really put some effort in saving our own.
So DON'T buy an orchid and keep it thinking "I'm helping preserving the species", that is a delusion. Especially wild collected plants, you are behaving badly purchasing them.
BUT DO pick up that rare orchid up knowing that if it has any chance at all surviving 'ex situ' you need to grow it well and propagate it. You can try, but to think the 'ex situ' captive population is a long term viable solution is wrong. I never import species unless I am certain they are seed propagated, I have purchased imported plants once they were already here in country. I do my best to propagate the rare stuff. I don't for a minute think this is being 'ecologically responsible'. As my penance for bad behavior, collecting rare plants, I volunteer with local prairie preservation group, help with the clean ups and such. Also occasionally donate money to certain projects, especially if their ratio of money vs overhead is good, where the bulk of the money goes to the project and not to pay administrator salaries.
Okay now I shall step off my soap box. Done now.
