The green gems of Yunnan

Biodiversity efforts

The botanical garden has conserved over 900 species of orchids, all of which are classified as either first — or second-class nationally protected plants, said Xi Huipeng, a senior researcher at the garden's Center for Gardening and Horticulture.

Xi began cultivating orchids in 2014, and through trial and error has learned how to instantly assess an orchid seedling's needs just through observation.

"For example, if the seedling leaves appear slightly wrinkled and there are numerous small shoots, it typically indicates an excess of hormones. We should, therefore, lower the hormone levels to promote fewer but sturdier shoots, thereby improving the seedling's chances of surviving the next stage of transplantation," Xi said.

He said he used to cultivate orchids in the lab, believing that once they were ready to be reintroduced into the wild they would flourish. "However, that approach proved ineffective because it failed to address the issue of illegal excavation," he added.

The center's conservation team is trying to expand public awareness about protecting rare and endangered plants through a combination of soft and hard strategies, he said.

The center has introduced orchids into schools, streets, and communities to create unique landscapes. They serve a dual purpose of being ornamental and a promotional tool, with the aim of raising public awareness about protection of these plants.

As a deterrent, Xi has facilitated collaboration between the botanical garden, the local court, and forest police to establish a judicial warning center to educate the public about the severe penalties for illegal excavation of plants.

The wider availability of orchids has also reduced the financial incentives for would-be orchid thieves.

Xi cited Dendrobium officinale orchid, as an example. The plant is recognized for its medicinal properties, including as an antibiotic and for its cancer-fighting effects, and is utilized in traditional Chinese medicine.

More than a decade ago, it was priced at over 1,300 yuan per kg. But now, with greenhouse cultivation, it costs about 70 yuan per kg. Since everyone can afford it, there's no longer a need to harvest it from the wild, he said. In other words, promotion of successful cultivation of orchids and widespread planting which make them "as affordable as common vegetables", can result in their conservation, Xi said.

"What we can do for Yunnan's biodiversity conservation is to engage in legal, scientific, and rapid propagation, aiming to efficiently downgrade species from first-level to second-level protection and ultimately remove second-level species from the protected list entirely," Xi said.