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least two million wild orchids are dug up from
the Southern Highlands of Tanzania each year, fueled
by a demand for food and income, according to the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Citing
a report, the WCS said that the orchids, some of
which are found only in Africa, will vanish without
better protection of their wild habitats. According
to the WCS report, the people of this region in Tanzania
dig up wild orchids by the root for use in a delicacy
called "chikanda" in which the root is
the key ingredient in a meatless sausage.
There is now a huge commercial market for
the flowers in neighboring Zambia, where the
orchids are taken. According to the WCS, even
though Africans have consumed orchids for years,
their popularity in Zambia has driven Tanzanians
to dig up orchids in unprecedented numbers.
"Millions of orchids are being virtually
strip-mined from Tanzania's Southern Highlands," Tim
Davenport, WCS Conservation biologist, was
quoted as saying. "At current rates, many
species will be wiped out in a matter of a
few years."
According
to the WCS, orchids are protected by the
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) which requires plants
crossing international borders by certified.
But because CITES is not well known, their
rules go unenforced which leads to "truckloads" of
uncertified plants entering Zambia each day.
Initial surveys show the region contains a
significant portion of biodiversity in the
form of plant life.
The
report, according to the WCS, found that
men and women in Tanzania also dig up orchids
to supplement their income, often with their
families. The digging up of orchids is so popular
that Davenport is quoted as saying, "Even
primary school children participate in the
collection during school holidays."
"The fact remains that the Southern Highlands
are currently losing significant resources
at an alarming rate," Davenport reportedly
said. "The current rate in orchid tubers
for consumption in Zambia is neither environmentally
or economically in the best interests of Tanzania."
The WCS is reportedly pushing to turn an area
of the Southern HIghlands, the Kitulo Plateau,
into a national park. It will be one of the
first areas in Africa to be protected because
of its floral significance.
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