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http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/conservation/cites.htm
I think there are several points made in this article that everyone should
consider as they judge CITES.
As Aroiders we have no CITES to deal with.
People can be against CITES and still be conservation minded.
Your oppinion would probably change (one way or the other) if you have been
to a rain forest.
CITES is a political body, not a scientific body.
Breaking the law is breaking the law. If you do it you must be willing to
take the conscequences. Some people who have broken the law and have
accepted the consequences have names such as Jesus, John Brown, Patrick
Henry, Joan of Arc. etc.
My opinions are lengthy on this topic and grew very weary of it on the Cycad
list. I encourage everyone to talk it out here because there is a great deal
to learn. And it is very important.
The real question that should come of this is "What to do about the loss of
biodiversity?".
One big problem I have is that conservation seems to always starts by
blaming the collector as if they have any impact whatsoever.
Consider that collectors and growers are the only people who really care
about any of these plants we love to grow. They are the ones that are to be
applauded for getting this stuff into cultivation, propagating it,
distributing it.
Habitat loss is the enemy. It is the result of the human population on the
earth. It has nothing to do with plant collectors.
Remember, we are passionate about the plants we collect....aroids, orchids,
cycads or whatever. Really the population of the planet could care less
about these plants. In third world tropical countries its food and shelter
that people want.
Neil
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