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Orchids, with their captivating beauty, have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, many species are on the brink of extinction, particularly in Vietnam, due to unsustainable wild harvesting and minimal enforcement of laws restricting it.

Lead author of a new study in Biotropica released Sept. 26, Elizabeth Davis, senior researcher in community engagement at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and her colleagues at Vinh University in Vietnam, were motivated to dig into this issue after colleague and co-author Heinfried Block, senior plant propagator at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, observed a high volume of orchid trading occurring within a Vietnamese orchid hobbyist and trader Facebook group. Orchids were being offered for sale in bushels, including extremely rare and possibly Critically Endangered species.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing being sold online, both the species and the volume," said Block. "We knew we needed to dig into this to better understand the trade and determine ways to stop it."

While many studies document the extent of orchid trafficking, the motivations of traffickers are a critical but underexplored aspect of the orchid crisis.

"Without understanding the motivating factors, creating sustainable solutions is unlikely," said Davis. "Our goal with this study is to shed light on the motivation and knowledge gaps among the collectors who are—often unwittingly—contributing to the problem. What we found provides us with hope that we can turn the tide."

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