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The Huntington joins global coalition to fight plant black market. Here's how you can help
Signage at The Huntington
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Katherine Garrova for LAist
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This week The Huntington in San Marino joined an international coalition of botanical gardens dedicated to fighting the black market for plants.
Succulent thieves
Orchids and succulents are some of the most illegally harvested plants around the world. Sometimes hundreds of plants are harvested in the wild, wiping out whole populations. Many consumers unwittingly buy the illegally harvested plants, adding to the demand in a global illicit trade.
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The Huntington joins global coalition to fight plant black market
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Dendrobium lindleyi plants that were illegally trafficked and seized at the U.S. border. United States Botanic Garden, Washington, D.C.
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Courtesy The Huntington
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“We’re actually seeing extinction of plants because of this. I mean, it’s happening,” Nicole Cavender, director of botanical gardens at The Huntington, told LAist. Cavender spoke from the the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where this week the Illegal Plant Trade Coalition was announced.
According to The Huntington, the U.S. Botanical Garden in Washington, D.C. recently “received 118 specimens of wild cacti, and previous confiscations have included equally surprisingly large numbers, such as an illegal shipment of 99 Dendrobium lindleyi orchids.”
The coalition
Gardens around the world -- including the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the Toronto Zoo -- have joined a campaign to bring awareness to the issue. According to The Huntington: “Public gardens nationwide collectively attract more visitors each year than visitors of the top three U.S. professional sports combined, giving them an unparalleled platform to raise awareness and inspire action.”
What you can do
Plant lovers can help by asking retailers where they source their plants and avoiding dubious online listings. For a full list of ways you can fight the plant black market, visit The Huntington’s website.
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Frank Kohn of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (left) and John Trager, Bernie and Miyako Storch Curator of the Desert Garden and Collections at The Huntington, document plants placed in the care of The Huntington.
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Courtesy The Huntington
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