International trade in rare plants

From 1979 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) has limited the trade of endangered
plants which is a function of individual countries. Currently there
are about 25,000 species of plants which are within the CITES program.,
A country or the National Plant Protection Organization of that
country will petition to the International committee to allow the
placement of a plant species into the CITES program. It is the right
of the sovereign country to control (or not) their natural resources.
For instance American Ginseng Panax quinquefolius has a higher value
on the international market than it's Asian cousin. US place native
Ginseng on the CITES appendix II list which allowed controlled
harvesting and government control over exports from the Northern
states. For Wollemi Pine Australia opted to allow tissue culture to
promote the distribution of germplasm and avoid loss due to the
narrow habitat range. Some plants are very rare and so endangered and
they are on the CITES Appendix I list. It is up to the NPPO to
maintain regulatory control and often smugglers have more resources
than governments to police when other social economic pressures
compete for resources.
The break down is as follows:

Appendix I includes species that may be threatened with extinction and
which are or may be affected by international trade. International
trade in wild specimens of these species is subject to strict
regulation and is normally only permitted in exceptional
circumstances. Trade in artificially propagated or captive-bred
specimens is allowed, subject to license. This covers certain species
of orchids and cacti.

Appendix II includes species not considered to be under the same
threat as those in Appendix I, but which may become so if trade is not
regulated. International trade in these species is monitored through a
licensing system to ensure that trade can be sustained without
detriment to wild populations. Trade in wild, captive bred and
artificially propagated specimens is allowed, subject to permit. This
would be nursery grown orchids, cacti and carnivorous plants.

Appendix III contains species that are not necessarily threatened on a
global level, but that are protected within individual countries where
that state has sought the help of other CITES Parties to control
international trade in that species. Examples include mahogany from
Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Bolivia

The EU has expanded this to replace the three Appendixes into four
Annexes, there the lowest Annexes is for plants not listed in CITES
but individual countries consider the species at risk.

http://www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/16/index.shtml

In the US there is a balance between growers who want to promote and
cash in on rarity and the conservation groups that want to preserve
the species as is...

http://explorers.org/expeditions/161diggles2003/…

verses

http://www.telosrarebulbs.com/calochortus.html

Individuals can trade in endangered species when artificially
propagated. Problem is that the rare status is often lost when mass
produced- like Phalenopsis and Cymbidium orchids now dying slowly at
you local hardware store.

rare becomes common place and then falls into obscurity when it's
cheap and over abundant.

Bill