Tecophilaea Cyanocrocus
Harold Koopowitz (Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:10:44 PDT)
Alberto:
I have not forgotten. I was the one who invited Read and Campbell to
the meeting in the first place. However, the fact that some plants
are on CITES has very little to do with actual levels of threat. It
has more to do with "do-gooders" who actually did not really
appreciate what they were doing when plant groups were placed on
CITES. If you read my book "Orchids and their Conservation" you will
understand where I am coming from. Not all species of cyclamen are
threatened. Some are very widespread and weedy - take C. graecum for example.
This does not mean that some plants are not truly endangered but the
species endangered by trade is a minuscule percentage compared to
those endangered by other activities.
Harold
At 04:55 PM 9/4/2011, you wrote:
Harold, you were present, along with Peter Goldblatt, Brian Mathew,
Martyn Rix, Alan, Fred Meyer, Adrian, Chuck Hardman and scores of
others when Mike Read and Faith Thompson Campbell unmasked the
frantic Cyclamen plundering in Turkey. You were the Chairman of
International Bulb Society in those glory days.
The extent of the looting was such that even here in farway
Argentina huge hederifolium tubers (dessicated and hopeless) were
available for sale. Granted the leaading case was mirabile but the
fact that ALL cyclamens are CITES plants for years indicates all
species were threatened.
Rodger, it was Stan Farwig, in all they were three letters and they
appeared in Pacific Horticulture mag in the Readers Letters section.
I would strongly recommend reading them to the generation of younger
growers. that are so eager to obtain the rarest amaryllids "without
asking much". Stan's arguments were demolishing. I don't remember
the arguing was nasty, only that it exposed a founding father.......
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