Tecophilaea Cyanocrocus

Harold Koopowitz hkoopowi@uci.edu
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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