Re: home depot, collecting

From: Dustin Howarth (howarth@pulsenet.com)
Date: Fri May 15 1998 - 07:42:40 PDT


Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 10:42:40 -0400
From: "Dustin Howarth" <howarth@pulsenet.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg1655$foo@default>
Subject: Re: home depot, collecting

Trevor Christensen wrote:

> Dustin:
> Buy the plants and let them live. The possibility of harvesting plants
> from the wild and letting them rot in a superstore is one thing, the
> other possibility of harvesting them and keeping them alive, therefore
> possibly producing more plants far outweighs what would become of them if

> they were passed by on one's way out the door.

I couldn't possibly disagree more. And I was about to respond when ...

Chris Teichreb thankfully responded:

>Couldn't help but reply to this posting. This is completely the
>wrong attitude to take. By buying field collected plants, you only
>encourage the poachers to go out and continue to collect.
...
>It is much better, if you know the plants are field collected, to
>let them sit in the store and rot. That way, the store will not buy them
>from the illegal poacher, and that person will be out of business or at
>least out of some business.
...
>Sorry if I've come off a little harsh. I don't mean any ill will
>to anyone, ...

Well said, Chris. If you hadn't, I surely would have. Everyone involved
with CPs, or any rare plant species for that matter, should be sure to
understand this issue. These plants are rare for many reasons, not the
least of which is illegal collection for the nursery trade. Although it
may be difficult to pass up a great deal, or to 'let them rot', it is the
best way to fight against illegal collection practices. Laws and
regulations can only do so much, but using simple economic principles and
strong ethics can help to dry up the trade in collected plants.

That being said, it appears that it doesn't apply in the case of the
superstores, if they in fact purchase plants raised from tissue culture.
Again, if anyone believes otherwise, I would like to hear about it.
Unfortunately, it does apply in all too many cases.

Looks like I started a good one!

Sarracenias are blooming in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA!

Dustin Howarth
howarth@pulsenet.com
Pittsburgh, PA



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