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northiana,ampullarias,ferns,orchids

  • #41
First off...welcome Jonte Rm and Brutal to the forums.  
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I see the old field collecting topic is rearing its ugly head.

I don't think posting photos on a CP forum is going to cause a flood of people to jump on airplanes to fly to the location to buy a big fat Nep for a few bucks.  You'd spend more on the flight there than if you bought yourself a big fat Nep here in the States.  I enjoyed the photos because I think its interesting to see flora, fauna and cultures of other countries I'll never have a chance to see.  It never entered my head to see it as promoting field collecting.

I doubt seriously if anyone here on this forum saw those photos as an invitation to go r/ape that area for Nepenthes.  Nor do I think anyone saw it as encouragement to field collect or to buy field-collected plants.  Anyone who makes the choice to do that is selfish and doesn't care a fig about conservation and protection of rare plants anyway and will do as they will, photos or no photos.  Some people simply have no scruples when comes to personal gain or monetary profit.

Now.  As for field collecting, I'm sure the VAST majority of people here understand the wrongness of field collection and wouldn't do it no matter what country they live in.  But it also depends on the plant and the location.  A plant might be rare in one location and common as weeds in another.  Some are protected, some aren't and should be, some don't need legal protection as they are plentiful.

Fact remains that all the people here and on other forums who have collections of Nepenthes and other carnivorous plants have them ONLY because someone field collected seeds/plants at some time in history. It is a necessary evil to keep these plants in cultivation, some of which might have disappeared off the planet if someone hadn't taken wild seed and propagated it.  Field collection is necessary at times but should be done by someone who is experienced and understands what a "sensitive collection" is and who does it for the right reasons (keeping the plant in cultivation to reduce the need to field collect for gain).

And it is a sad fact that people who live in less affluent countries than the US and Europe are sometimes reduced to doing something that makes most of us cringe...collecting plants or destroying habitat in order to make a living.  Of course I don't want to see this happen but I cannot stand in judgement of someone who must decide on taking a plant out of the wild to sell or watching his/her family starve before his/her eyes.  Same with the natives who log the rain forests.  I hate what is happening in the rain forests but for me, who has a roof over my head and a pantry and refrigerator full of food, to look down on the person who does what he/she MUST do to just to barely survive would be totally wrong.

What you have to look at with field collecting is "intent".  It is never acceptable to collect for personal collections, greed and profit.  Necessity is another matter...whether its to feed a hungry family or ensure that a plant stays on this planet for generations to come.  I will agree it is best NOT to purchase a FC plant if someone is making a great profit.

Obviously it would be better if people in poorer countries had more choices in how they make a decent living.  Maybe some of the conservation organizations can give natives jobs protecting the plants instead of harvesting them for sale. Give them a reasonable alternative.
 
  • #42
I just returned from Asia and I gave some money to poor people sitting and bagging for food etc...

I could also buy something thats been collected in the markets like the N.Kuchingensis that  people also were selling.

But I choose NOT to do it, we all have a choise when we see something like this, helping poor people by encouraging them to do illegal things is a stupid thing to do.

Why does anyone have to benfit from helping someone in that situation?

Do you want to get paid for being kind to someone?

I dont, just getting the smile back is enough for me...:).

I know people working HARD for helping these plants to survive
in Sarawak and these kind of things is really one ot the problems that they are trying to stop.

Maybe it does not mean much to you or "some" people but others wich I call my friends is trying to stop this things everyday in their work.

Vikings in sweden legally imported..:)
 
  • #43
Field collecting talk aside...N. viking really is a stunning Nepenthes. I love those pronounced wings it has. Hopefully it'll become easier to obtain (legally) in the future, because I'd love to grow it.
 
  • #44
[b said:
Quote[/b] (LLeopardGGecko @ Jan. 26 2006,4:47)]Field collecting talk aside...N. viking really is a stunning Nepenthes. I love those pronounced wings it has. Hopefully it'll become easier to obtain (legally) in the future, because I'd love to grow it.
Hi!
They are really something special, no other plants can compare to this.
When they are in water they really look like the old Vikinships we had in sweden.
I can understand the man who named them "vikings"...:)
 
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