Dehradun, March 4
Orchids, the unique, fascinating flower plants which has inspired painters, ceramic artistes, sculptors and photographers over the ages are fast dwindling in the country.

The orchid (orchidaceae) family forms the largest group of flower plants with over 18,000 species in the world and second largest in India with more than a thousand species. Uttarakhand forests are home to a large number of orchid varieties.

But owing to habitat degradation and fragmentation, natural populations of these highly advanced yet most sensitive plants are dwindling. Orchids are regarded the flagship species in plant conservation. In ancient China, it was known as “the plant of king’s fragrance.”

In a greenhouse, orchids can be a frustrating challenge to a grower’s skill and in the wild a reward at the end of day’s exploration.

Worried about the threat to these most fascinating group of plants which have a highly advanced reproductive biology, scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) are working hard to conserve the orchid species found in the vast forests of the state.

Dr GS Rawat, a renowned orchidologist who has written a book on these flowers, said: “In a renewed attempt, a workshop of researchers, scientists and commercial growers will be held at Kaladhungi on the periphery of Corbett National Park to discuss the status of orchids and efforts to conserve these.”

Besides orchids, the workshop will focus on research findings of other rare plants in the state. These efforts are part of a sustained campaign launched after a meeting of the Indian Sub-Continent Regional Orchid Specialist Group (ISROSG), a unit of the International Conservation Union ( IUCN) and the Species Survival Commission (SSC) at here in April 2001.

The meeting deliberated on the status of orchids of the sub-continent, their conservation biology and sustainable commercial use.

After the international workshop in 2001, Dr Rawat as investigator and Dr JS Jalal as researcher undertook a study of orchids in Uttarakhand and found that the state ranked seventh among the Indian states in terms of orchid richness. the distribution of the orchids is patchy with concentration along riverine areas and pockets of moist forests.

The proposed workshop will identify species that need urgent “Red Data listing” at the national and regional levels. The Orchid Specialist Group, which was established in 1984,now has 103 active members from 42 countries. It is an international network of professional and non-professional volunteers whose singular objective is to conserve, manage and sustainably utilise orchid species and their habitats around the world.

Dr Rawat, a member of the group, said nearly one-third of India’s orchids are threatened due to commercial harvest, habitat fragmentation, alteration and pollution. A large number of posters and live exhibits will be on display to promote cultivation of orchids and related flowers in Uttarakhand.

The state has more than 200 species, many of them rare, endemic and medicinal. It has a tremendous potential to promote ex-situ conservation through horticulture and floriculture. A large number of private growers have been invited to the workshop to encourage them to grow orchids.

“We will be launch a thorough search for species believed to be extinct. Since finding orchids in forests is a strenuous exercise, researchers will be encouraged to locate the exact habitat of these orchids,” said Dr Rawat.

He said one of the species found in Rajaji Park and Mohand forest area known as “Salam Miser” has not been found. “ We will be making another attempt to find this species in May or June besides going into some valleys that are home to some of these near-extinct species,” he added.

Orchids are very sensitive to habitat change. Habitat loss and cutting of the host trees, fragmentation of riverine forests, over- exploitation of medicinal species, grazing pressure in the high altitude and poor knowledge of species are the main threats to the orchids.

Certain rare species are confined to particular habitats that are themselves rare. A total of 13 species are listed in the “Red Data”. A total of 28 species which were once collected from the state are no more to be found.

“We searched repeatedly but could not locate the certain species in the wild. Only 49 species were reported from a single locality and habitat and these are highly endangered,” Dr Rawat said.

In Uttarakhand species like cymbidiums and dendrobiums can be cultivated through mass prorogation whereas species like coelogyne cristrata, coelogyne ovalis and vanda cristratabe can be grown in pots. Orchids are not only used in the cut flower industry but also in the indigenous system of medicine. A total of 12 orchid species are traded from Uttarakhand.

“There is a need to involve the horticulture department and commercial growers in preserving and cultivating orchids,” Dr Rawat said. Several localities in Uttarakhand are rich in orchids and are potential habitats for orchids. Among the rich localities, the Gori valley has the maximum number of species: half of the species found in the state have been reported from this valley. Other rich areas are Sandev, Nainital, Hindorakhal, Mandal, Nagtibba and the Asi Ganga valley.

Orchids are a special group of plants that need to be treated with special care as these play a vital role in the ecosystem. “In order to conserve the orchids, it will be necessary to identify conservation areas at the local level and to develop an effective conservation plan, it will be necessary to identify threatened species and micro-habitats.

“There is an urgent need to conduct a population monitoring programme along with orchid ecological studies (especially on micro-habitats) so that we can use this information to design orchid conservation plans for regions where orchids still thrive, and notify orchid rich localities as ecologically sensitive sites and initiate action for the declaration of conservation reserves/ orchid conservation areas (OCA), preferably within the reserved forests,” said Dr Rawat.

“The entire orchid family has been placed as an endangered species due to commercial exploitation of these flowers all over the world. As a research organisation, we are willing to help if the state government seeks our help in getting any scientific input on commercial plantation of orchids. But for commercial exploitation of orchids, there is a need for permission from the ministry of environment due to its endangered status,” explained Dr HJ Chaudhary, deputy director, Botanical Survey of India, Dehradun.