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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:53 am
Time: 2:53 am
Results for illicit orchid trade
1 results foundAuthor: Smith, Ardea Title: The Seductive Orchid: A look into the Justifications and Motivations Behind the Illicit Flora Economy Summary: In a world that is focused on conserving what is deemed ‘sexy’ no creature better fits this description than the exotic and colorful orchid. The history of this often delicately depicted flora is a sordid tale that spans the globe, from the murky swamps of the Fakahatchee State Preserve in Florida to the Amazonian tropics of Brazil and Borneo where deadly tropical diseases and harsh wilderness threaten orchid hunters at every turn. Set against the backdrop of such foreboding environments, the orchid stands out as a sophisticated version of the wild area in which it lives, its vibrant colors and twisted leaves tempered by its smooth petals and soft curves. “Orchids are subtle, delicate, voluptuous and masters of disguise. They take on the shapes, scents and colours that seduce the insects they feed upon. But they are best of all at seducing humans” (You can get off alcohol and drugs, but you can never get off orchids. Never 2006). How have orchids become so closely associated with such avid exotic sexual appeal? One of the primary interests in writing this paper was to understand how seduction became so closely associated with orchids and how this definitional framework for understanding orchids in the Western world influences or drives the illicit orchid market. The metaphors and descriptors governing the orchid market connect directly to the current motivations and justifications used by orchid smugglers and orchid consumers to continue their hunt for wild flora. An investigation into the behavioral component of the illicit orchid trade presents some clues to the obstacles facing the crackdown on orchid smuggling but also prompts a larger question; should we as citizens care and work to change the behavior of orchid smugglers? Biodiversity and sustainability of our collective ecosystem are two powerful motivators to stop the harvesting of wild orchids. However, in assessing the overall damage of the wild orchid industry to the environment a study of this illicit economy runs into the problem of the “politics of numbers” (Dillman 2012) that encompasses issues of rarity and taxonomy. With a sometimes-cloudy view of the dangers of continued orchid trafficking, it is difficult to always formulate and justify a need to curb orchid smuggling activities. The solutions offered in this paper encapsulate the difficulties of dealing with an illicit economy and in particular, the seductive orchid. Details: Tacoma, WA: University of Puget Sound, 2011(?). 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2013 at: http://www.pugetsound.edu/files/resources/11228_Smith.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.pugetsound.edu/files/resources/11228_Smith.pdf Shelf Number: 128830 Keywords: ConservationIllicit Orchid TradeNatural ResourcesOrchidsTheft of Plants |