* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    Safety concerns in Deep Ellum create apprehension as the entertainment district gains visitors – CBS News

    Safety Concerns Surge Amid Deep Ellum’s Booming Popularity and Growing Crowds

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    Tech Champions with Leo Bletnitsky of Healthy Technology Solutions – Buzz Media Group

    Meet Tech Champion Leo Bletnitsky of Healthy Technology Solutions

    Crypto’s true revolution is about humanity, not technology – Cointelegraph

    Crypto’s Real Revolution: Transforming Humanity Beyond Technology

    $1 Billion Problem: New Technology Could Save Your Daily Cup of Coffee – SciTechDaily

    The $1 Billion Challenge: How New Technology Could Rescue Your Daily Cup of Coffee

    Canada’s construction industry gets serious about investing in technology as pressure mounts to do more with less – Yahoo Finance

    Canada’s Construction Industry Accelerates Tech Investments to Overcome Growing Challenges and Boost Efficiency

    Workforce Technology Eases Staffing Shortages in Rural Health Care – AJMC

    Workforce Technology Eases Staffing Shortages in Rural Health Care – AJMC

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    Safety concerns in Deep Ellum create apprehension as the entertainment district gains visitors – CBS News

    Safety Concerns Surge Amid Deep Ellum’s Booming Popularity and Growing Crowds

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    Tech Champions with Leo Bletnitsky of Healthy Technology Solutions – Buzz Media Group

    Meet Tech Champion Leo Bletnitsky of Healthy Technology Solutions

    Crypto’s true revolution is about humanity, not technology – Cointelegraph

    Crypto’s Real Revolution: Transforming Humanity Beyond Technology

    $1 Billion Problem: New Technology Could Save Your Daily Cup of Coffee – SciTechDaily

    The $1 Billion Challenge: How New Technology Could Rescue Your Daily Cup of Coffee

    Canada’s construction industry gets serious about investing in technology as pressure mounts to do more with less – Yahoo Finance

    Canada’s Construction Industry Accelerates Tech Investments to Overcome Growing Challenges and Boost Efficiency

    Workforce Technology Eases Staffing Shortages in Rural Health Care – AJMC

    Workforce Technology Eases Staffing Shortages in Rural Health Care – AJMC

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home General

It’s tough to be a wild orchid: Interview with conservation biologist Reshu Bashyal

April 27, 2024
in General
It’s tough to be a wild orchid: Interview with conservation biologist Reshu Bashyal
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Conservation biologist Reshu Bashyal highlights gaps in Nepal’s implementation of CITES regulations, leading to ineffective protection measures.Nepal’s transition to a federal system has brought challenges and opportunities for orchid conservation, with local communities often unaware of conservation needs.Protected areas struggle to prioritize plant conservation alongside charismatic megafauna, while road construction further fragments orchid habitats.Bashyal emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about the significance of wild plants and updating inventories to guide conservation efforts.

Orchids (members of the family Orchidaceae) are diverse flowering plants with colorful and fragrant blooms and are often described as neglected plants in Nepal, where an estimated 500 or so of the roughly 30,000 species known to science are found. Most orchid plants require tree limbs for support and don’t need soil to grow — hence the garland-like appearance.

Also referred to as the “tigers of the plant world,” orchids have been found to be at the receiving end of unsustainable harvesting and international trade for use in Ayurvedic as well as traditional Chinese medicine.

One of the orchid species found in Nepal, Paphiopedilum venustum, has been listed as endangered by IUCN and listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), permitting trade only in exceptional circumstances. Almost all others are listed under Appendix 2, meaning their trade must be controlled in order to ensure utilization is compatible with their survival.

Reshu Bashyal with the orchid Pleione praecox.Article title - Orchid trade, law and conservation in Nepal: Interview with Reshu BashyalReshu Bashyal with the orchid Pleione praecox. Image courtesy of Reshu Bashyal

Reshu Bashyal, a conservation biologist with a focus on wildlife trade research and policy implications associated with the NGO Greenhood Nepal, has been working on orchids for the last few years. Her work takes her to different parts of the country where she works with various communities and government agencies to understand the trade in the species and its implications for conservation. Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi recently met Bashyal at her office to talk about the challenges and the way forward for orchid conservation and research in Nepal. The following interview has been translated from Nepali and edited for clarity.

Mongabay: In 2023, you and your team published a study on how CITES-related domestic laws in Nepal are impacting the orchid trade in Nepal. How did the study come about?

Reshu Bashyal: We were actually working on a baseline study for orchid trade in Nepal and were reviewing various national, regional and local legislation related to trade in endangered species in Nepal. That’s when we decided to work on this study.

Mongabay: What are the conclusions of that study?

Reshu Bashyal: We saw that there was a gap in implementation of the laws, as they didn’t come about from a bottom approach. Despite the changes in the law, people continue to practice their culture and way of life, which sometimes involves poaching of different types of plants and flowers such as orchids.

The other issue is that policymakers list certain species under Appendix I [trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances] and certain species under Appendix II [species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival]. They then say they believe that the species concerned are now protected. However, the listing itself may not be backed by field-level research.

There is also a misconception that a species listed in CITES can’t be traded. However, that’s not the case. It allows the trade of Appendix II species provided that the government prepares a species management plan. However, such plans are rarely prepared in Nepal, and Appendix I and Appendix II species are treated in the same way.

The orchid Pleione praecox.The orchid Pleione praecox, which is traded under the name of a common fern species. Image by Kumar Paudel.

Mongabay: Nepal, which had long been a unitary state, is not a federal country with some sovereign powers devolved to provincial and local governments. How has this added to or addressed challenges related to orchid conservation?

Reshu Bashyal: At the central level, we have the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Plant Resources. At the local level, we have community forest user groups that look after and manage forests. The user groups, with the help of the provincial forest offices, come up with five- and 10-year operational and management plans that often refer to various legal instruments such as CITES. Although questions can be raised about the process employed to prepare the plans, whether all stakeholders are consulted or not, the plans are there.

Mongabay: In the case of community forest user groups, we have seen that their primary focus is on extracting timber from the forest, and they are relatively unaware of even wild animals, let alone plants.

Reshu Bashyal: That may not always be the case. Local people are also knowledgeable about orchids, which they call sunakhari in Nepali. But at times, they hide and prosper in plain sight, as people allow plants to thrive on their own without intervening.

Recently, we came across a clump of critically endangered orchids at an easily accessible forest near Kathmandu. We were faced with a dilemma: whether to tell the local people about it or not. Not telling them about it would be akin to hiding information; telling them what it was would risk people coming to see and even pluck them. But in the end, we told a group of selected people about it but with a note that it needs further research.

Satyrium nepalense orchid.Satyrium nepalense orchid. “They are the tigers of the plant world, but unlike tigers, we know incredibly little about them,” say experts. Image by Kumar Paudel.

Mongabay: What about the situation inside protected areas such as national parks?

Reshu Bashyal: We have a heavy presence of law enforcement such as troops of soldiers inside the national parks. But in the case of plants such as orchids, it’s very difficult to regulate poaching, as poachers can easily hide the plants.

The other main challenge for protected areas is that they are designed to meet the needs and requirements of charismatic megafauna such as tigers (Panthera tigris) and rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis). Plant resources and precious flowers such as orchids are not on the radar.

Mongabay: Where is the market for orchids? Is it in Nepal or somewhere else?

Reshu Bashyal: We haven’t seen people use orchids to prepare medicine in Nepal. But it’s used in traditional Tibetan medicine as well as Ayurveda. We assume that it’s also used in traditional medicine of different Indigenous groups.

Mongabay: What are some of the challenges in conservation, in addition to the illegal trade and its regulation?

Reshu Bashyal: The construction of roads in different parts of the country is a major challenge for orchid conservation. When roads are built, trees are cut and heavy machinery is used to level the land. Often, we have seen builders bulldoze past orchid clumps without understanding the value of these flowers.

Dried Dactylorhiza hatagirea.Officials seized around 75 kg (165 lb) of dried Dactylorhiza hatagirea from Gorkha in western Nepal with an estimated market value of $166,280. Image by Reshuffled Bashyal.

Mongabay: As you go around different parts of the country, don’t you get requests from friends and family to bring them orchids to plant at home?

Reshu Bashyal: Yes, I used to get that a lot. However, we don’t bring wildflowers back to our home. Most wildflowers, including orchids, don’t survive in domestic conditions. I tell people who want to grow wildflowers at home that they are called so for a reason and their beauty needs to be appreciated in the wild.

Mongabay: How challenging is it to deal with traders and harvesters?

Reshu Bashyal: The first thing we do is tell them that we are not undercover agents and we won’t report them to the police, nor do we name and shame them. So, they open up to us and tell us how they go about their trade.

In the beginning, they think we also want to be a part of their trade. For example, when we visited a village recently asking about orchids, they told us they would get us as many plants as we wanted but we’d have to pay for them.

As researchers, we need to understand that future researchers carry our baggage and our actions will affect the way people look at other researchers. So, we need to be very careful about adhering to research ethics.

Mongabay: What about the temptation to take photos and post them on social media?

Reshu Bashyal: Until a few years ago, I hadn’t realized how photos of orchids revealing their location would create problems for conservation. Later, I realized that potential poachers can retrace my steps to get hold of the plants.

So, these days, I don’t take photos of orchids, however tempted I may be to see them in full bloom.

Reshu Bashyal Article title - Orchid trade, law and conservation in Nepal: Interview with Reshu BashyalReshu Bashyal, a conservation biologist with a focus on wildlife trade research and policy implications associated with the NGO Greenhood Nepal. Image courtesy of Reshu Bashyal

Mongabay: What should be the way forward?

Reshu Bashyal: The first step is to raise awareness that wild plants are equally as important as wild animals, as most of our conservation work is focused on charismatic megafauna such as tigers and rhinos. Then, there’s the challenge of identifying and preparing an updated inventory of orchid species in Nepal and making law enforcement aware about what’s legal and what’s not.

Also, we need to prepare management plans for species listed under Appendix II. So, a lot needs to be done.

Banner image: Dendrobium longicornu orchid flower from Nepal. Image by Kumar Paudel.

Citation:

Bashyal, R., Paudel, K., Hinsley, A., & Phelps, J. (2023). Making sense of domestic wildlife and cites legislation: The example of Nepal’s Orchids. Biological Conservation, 280, 109951. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109951

Biodiversity, Biology, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Culture, Flowers, Illegal Trade, International Trade, Orchids, Plants, Research, Trade, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Crime

Asia, Nepal, South Asia

Print

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : MongaBay – https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/its-tough-to-be-a-wild-orchid-interview-with-conservation-biologist-reshu-bashyal/

Previous Post

Fishing by dodgy fleets hurts economies, jobs in developing countries: Report

Next Post

Fewer fish and more rules lead to illegal catches, Italian fishers say

How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

June 22, 2025
Angel Reese Has No Words After Another Blowout Loss – Yahoo Sports

Angel Reese Left Speechless After Another Crushing Defeat

June 22, 2025

When Technology Meets Ecology: Charting a Bold Path for Our Planet’s Future

June 21, 2025
‘Jaws’ at 50: Scientists Are Still Studying the Mysteries of Sharks – The New York Times

Jaws at 50: Exploring the Timeless Mysteries of Sharks

June 21, 2025
A Cracked Piece of Metal Self-Healed in Experiment That Stunned Scientists – ScienceAlert

Self-Healing Metal: The Revolutionary Experiment That Amazed Scientists

June 21, 2025
How leading Bollywood actresses are adopting one transformative lifestyle shift – Times of India

How Leading Bollywood Actresses Are Fearlessly Embracing a Bold New Lifestyle Transformation

June 21, 2025
Muskego mom breaks world record in planking – WISN

Muskego mom breaks world record in planking – WISN

June 21, 2025
Russian Minister Warns of Recession as Officials Spar on Economy – Bloomberg

Russian Minister Issues Recession Warning Amid Heated Economic Debate

June 21, 2025
Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

June 21, 2025
Breakfast key to meeting daily fiber needs amid American ‘health crisis’ – Fox News

How Breakfast Can Help You Crush Your Daily Fiber Goals During America’s Health Crisis

June 21, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (696)
  • Economy (710)
  • Entertainment (21,611)
  • General (15,501)
  • Health (9,751)
  • Lifestyle (715)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (713)
  • Politics (717)
  • Science (15,930)
  • Sports (21,207)
  • Technology (15,696)
  • World (690)

Recent News

How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

June 22, 2025
Angel Reese Has No Words After Another Blowout Loss – Yahoo Sports

Angel Reese Left Speechless After Another Crushing Defeat

June 22, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version