Abstract
BackgroundIn Epirus, Greece, orchids have been traditionally harvested for the production of salep, a beverage made from their tubers. Over-collection of orchids for salep is believed to be a growing threat to wild species, yet very little research has concentrated on orchid populations in the wild. Here, we studied the impact of salep collection on population demographic parameters and uniformity of distribution patterns of the Elder-flowered orchid, Dactylorhiza sambucina, the most commonly collected orchid in northern Greece.MethodsWe carried out fieldwork in four meadows where salep harvesting occurs, and conducted interviews in villages close to these sites. Fieldwork focused on the demographic parameters of orchid populations and on the characteristics of their habitat (natural-anthropogenic). We also measured population size and distribution, extent and multi-scale density, comparing distributions to Poisson and fractal models.ResultsAccording to interviews, salep collection by the local community has decreased, contrary to collection by people outside the community, which is increasing. Interviewees did not believe that orchid abundance was higher in the past; they claim that it can be very variable. None of the participants seemed aware of the legislation to conserve orchids. Demographic parameters did not seem to be strongly dependent on whether it was a harvested and non-harvested sites and population density was greatest in the site of highest collection pressure.ConclusionsOur findings show that salep collection is still ongoing in Epirus. Our interview results and our population study indicate that current levels of collection are not significantly affecting the abundance of the Elder-flowered orchid in Epirus subalpine meadows. However, the expanding commercial collection could reach levels that threaten the species. There is a need for a longer-term monitoring of these orchid populations, and a more effective modeling of the species’ response to different harvesting pressures.
Highlights
In Epirus, Greece, orchids have been traditionally harvested for the production of salep, a beverage made from their tubers
Negotiation and the collector’s position in the product value chain and they can vary from 10 to 80 euros per kilo of dry tubers, while ground salep price in the market rises at 120–180 euros per kilo
These people collect mainly Dactylorhiza sambucina, though they are familiar with other orchid species, based on the results of our interviews
Summary
In Epirus, Greece, orchids have been traditionally harvested for the production of salep, a beverage made from their tubers. The Orchidaceae, one of the oldest vascular plant families (76–112 My old) [1,2,3], have an almost global distribution, yet they are absent from the deserts and the poles [4, 5]. They are the most diverse vascular plant family comprising ca. 28,000 species [6, 7] Since their first mention in Chinese medical texts around 2800 BC [8], orchids have always been in the spotlight of plant enthusiasts and scientists. In terms of legislative actions, many orchid species are included in local (the Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981), regional (Annexes A and B of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC in the European Union) and global (Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora-CITES) protection/conservation laws, that prohibit their collection and harvest, as well as any commercial use [16]
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