IAS Aroid Quasi Forum

About Aroid-L
 This is a continuously updated archive of the Aroid-L mailing list in a forum format - not an actual Forum. If you want to post, you will still need to register for the Aroid-L mailing list and send your postings by e-mail for moderation in the normal way.

  Philodendrons and economics and conservation, oh my
From: Steve Marak samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 2001.11.06 at 06:14:17(7739)
Yes, this one seems to be developing pretty much as expected. Just a day
or so old, and we're already ranging across many topics:

1) Does a collector have a "right" to keep the price of something high by
artificially restricting supply, even if the something is an endangered
species (or subspecies or cultivar)? If so, is this directly in conflict
with the aims of generally conservation minded organizations to which they
may belong? And is the answer different depending on whether it involves
how one earns one's livelihood? (That last one is a whole mine field in
itself.)

2) How to maintain genetic diversity in a limited population of something?

3) Is habitat loss the major cause of species (or whatever) loss? Or is it
overcollection/evolution in action/human introductions/asteroid
impacts/mysterious extraterrestrials/something else?

As always, our group will have diverse opinions and all are welcome to
express them. The person who disagrees with your view on one or all of
these issues probably doesn't dislike you and may agree with you on many
others. One aspect of any area of semi-free expression such as Aroid-L (we
do have limits) is that once the group is large enough it pretty much
ensures that someone will have views you find offensive and yours will
offend someone else. (I personally consider that one of the tests of free
[or semi-free] expression, but that's yet another debate.)

The two or three pending notes will be posted momentarily.

Steve

+More
Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.