The theft of a rare water lily from Kew Gardens has served as a reminder of the shady international trade in stolen plants. Here are the most irresistible for green fingers
There is a thriving international trade in stolen plants. Exact figures are hard to obtain, but with the legal plant trade valued at £9bn annually, the illegal trade is thought to be in the hundreds of millions.
“There are 30,000 plants on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list (the body that polices flora and fauna levels) list of endangered species, compared with just 5,000 animals,” says Dr Richard Thomas from Traffic, an organisation that monitors illegal wildlife trade. “One issue is that when a species goes on the list – particularly orchids – there is likely to be a run on it. There are a number of species, such as Paphiopedilum vietnamense, that no longer exist in the wild because they have been so collected.”
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to pick rare plants, or to take plants from the owner’s land without permission.
Here are some of the most desirable plants worldwide:
Read More @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk
“There are 30,000 plants on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list (the body that polices flora and fauna levels) list of endangered species, compared with just 5,000 animals,” says Dr Richard Thomas from Traffic, an organisation that monitors illegal wildlife trade. “One issue is that when a species goes on the list – particularly orchids – there is likely to be a run on it. There are a number of species, such as Paphiopedilum vietnamense, that no longer exist in the wild because they have been so collected.”
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to pick rare plants, or to take plants from the owner’s land without permission.
Here are some of the most desirable plants worldwide:
Read More @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk