I have traded overseas or bought plants from overseas and I have used my
import permit. I had one shipment of plants from Switzerland arrive in LA,
were accepted by the Inspector, were then mailed to Sweden and ultimately
ended up back in Switzerland. These plants were brought in in accordance
with the law. This story is very minor compared to others I have been
involved in and have heard. The way the government is operating, it is
encouraging people to break the law.
Ethics is also an issue. If the plants are not circulated around the world,
they are more likely to become extinct. And the number one cause of
extinction is habitat destruction. So is it wrong to remove a verylimited
number of plants from the wild (even illegally), if it helps to ensure the
survival of the species. CITIES the way it is set up encourages the
extinction of many plants.
Malaysia, the home of many of the Nepenthes species, has a goal of population
growth. This translates into destruction of the rain forests and thousands
of species of plants, the Nepenthes included. If you are a socially
conscious individual, you have to be concerned. And you may even have to
admire people who travel to these to collect plants and seed and forward them
home where they will be distributed and serve as a hedge against extinct.
Tom