Not all orchids look pretty. Some have a quite repelling appearance. Yet they are revered among those fond of botany, for these people see beyond decoration. Quite a while ago, the Splendid slipper orchid, a genus of the Lady’s Slipper Orchid grown in Meghalayan hills, found itself in the company of such botanists. Except, these botanists lived far away from the native lands of the slipper orchids: as far as England.

During the great orchid boom of the  nineteenth  century, the Lady’s slipper orchid was of interest to the English. They took back with them all the varieties in Meghalaya they could find. It drove orchids to extinction in 1917. In 1930, a single Lady’s Slipper was found surviving. Since then, the plant has tight  wrung  security, more expensive than most celebrities. Only a few people on the planet know where the orchids in England are.

Scientists, of course, worked on creating multitudes of the orchids to combat its rarity. This, however, came with dangers. One orchid could cost 5000 pounds on the black market, thus increasing the chances of thievery. In 2009, fears of thievery came true. Exactly one part of a Lady’s Slipper was taken from the Lancashire golf club. Luckily, there are still other plants existing.

One thing that drives up the prices of endangered plants like the Lady’s Slipper on the black market is its listing in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The more endangered it appears on the CITES list, the more its price.

On the one hand, you have dedicated thieves. On the other, you have dedicated protectors, one of whom is the Kew Royal Botanic Garden in the UK. This garden keeps track of all the Lady’s Slippers in the world, including the Splendid Slipper in Meghalaya. And they work hard to keep the Slippers alive. According to their  website , they are “working on a suite of conservation activities, including  ex-situ  storage, propagation, reintroduction and conservation genetics. These activities mean we are learning more about the biology of these species and how they can be best conserved.”

In happier news, Kew also said, “Due to improved propagation methods, a range of species and hybrids is now available in the trade. Hopefully, this will lead to a reduction in collecting pressure on wild populations by unscrupulous collectors.”

Conserving plant species is not just important for the environment but also to curb illegal black market activities. If the species is available in abundance, there would be no demand for it in the black market. However, many plants and animal species are going endangered every day. Taking step-by-step measures is essential. And starting with the Lady’s Slipper Orchid, which went extinct over a century ago, would be a good place.

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