NATIONAL COLLECTIONS

The best form of conservation is undoubtedly in situ, in the subject's undisturbed home habitat.  However, with the greatest conservation threat being habitat destruction, parallel ex situ approaches have a vital role to play in any realistic conservation strategy.

One such approach is the development and maintenance of specialist collections in cultivation, usually under the auspices of nationally organised schemes.  Such collections, normally concentrating on single genera, not only play a valuable part in conservation (e.g. as a "captive" seed source) but also provide a very useful research resource.  Significantly, most of these collections are the creations of private individuals - amateur growers with no scientific training and no links to commercial horticulture, just a passionate interest in orchids - who have developed a frequently unrivalled understanding and knowledge of their specialities.

United Kingdom

The mission of The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens is to conserve, grow, propagate, document and make available the amazing resource of garden plants that exists in the UK.  Its main conservation vehicle is the National Plant Collection scheme, where individuals or organisations undertake to document, develop and preserve a comprehensive collection of one group of plants in trust for the future.

Currently 19 collections of Orchids are recognised under this scheme, the great majority created and maintained by amateur growers.  A complete and up-to-date list is available on the British Orchid Council's web site, here . . .

 National Plant Collection(s)^®  is a Registered Trade Mark of the NCCPG.