Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/03/2020
By Kuo Chih-hsuan and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) A tropical plant conservation group in Taiwan is pushing ahead with an ambitious program aimed at saving the island's indigenous orchids by reviving the native moth orchid species and allowing them to thrive in the forests where they originated.

The goal of the "Bringing Moth Orchids Back Home" program is to have every moth orchid species in the world boom at their native breeding sites, Chen Chun-ming (陳俊銘), a senior collection manager at the Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center (KBCC) in Pingtung County, told CNA in a recent interview.

The program, launched two years ago, aims to save moth orchid species in Taiwan.

Taiwan, like many places around the world, have seen its moth orchid species gradually disappear from the wild because they have been "mercilessly picked" for their beauty, Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]