Forest Biology Lab.

Orchids are a highly diverse group of plants that are threatened due to habitat destruction and overharvesting. Globally, conservation translocation (sensu IUCN 2013) - the deliberate movement of organisms from one site for release in another with an intended conservation benefit - has been an important recovery strategy for orchids. In this study, we review current conservation translocation efforts of orchids in the Florida and China to understand 1) the choice of plants for translocation; 2) the length of monitoring time; 3) the success of translocation efforts and 4) the type of agencies invoking translocation as a management action. We based our analyses on information gained from peer- and non-peer reviewed publications, and our own research projects. We hope to unveil the motivation for orchid translocations between these two countries; both of which have notable contrasting socioeconomic and political systems. Based on our review of the literature we found 61 species (38 genera) targeted for conservation translocation across China (21 genera; 36 species) and the United States (17 genera; 25 species). We found that 2.6% and 12.2% of the national orchid species have been subjected to conservation translocation in China and the US, respectively. Five (13.9%) of the Chinese species and 11 (44%) of the US species were threatened on the global level while 22 (61%) of the Chinese species and the same number of US species (88%) were threatened on the national level. The type of species selected (habit) for translocation varied slightly among countries: for China, 42% were epiphytes, 2.8% were semi-terrestrial and 55.6% were terrestrial while in the United States 40% were epiphytes, 4% were semi-terrestrial and 56% were terrestrial. Furthermore the majority of plants used for reintroduction in China were adults (83%) while in the United States saplings were the most used growth stage (57%) in reintroduction efforts. The majority of the translocations had no or very short (1 year or less) monitoring periods. The majority of the translocation cases in China were carried out by state institutes. In contrast, the majority of the orchid translocation actions were carried out by private entities, such as nonprofits or universities, in the US. Overall, our results indicate that species are chosen for reintroduction more on the basis of threats at the national or local level than on a global level, and some were not chosen based on their biological rarity, threats or habit in either country. We propose that social value (cultural and/or educational) be incorporated as a priority ranking along with more biological endangerment rankings of species.