Orchids (members of the family Orchidaceae) are diverse flowering plants with colorful and fragrant blooms and are often described as neglected plants in Nepal, where an estimated 500 or so of the roughly 30,000 species known to science are found. Most orchid plants require tree limbs for support and don’t need soil to grow — hence the garland-like appearance. Also referred to as the “tigers of the plant world,” orchids have been found to be at the receiving end of unsustainable harvesting and international trade for use in Ayurvedic as well as traditional Chinese medicine. One of the orchid species found in Nepal, Paphiopedilum venustum, has been listed as endangered by IUCN and listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), permitting trade only in exceptional circumstances. Almost all others are listed under Appendix 2, meaning their trade must be controlled in order to ensure utilization is compatible with their survival. Reshu Bashyal with the orchid Pleione praecox. Image courtesy of Reshu Bashyal Reshu Bashyal, a conservation biologist with a focus on wildlife trade research and policy implications associated with the NGO Greenhood Nepal, has been working on orchids for the last few years. Her work takes her to different parts of the country where she works with various communities and government agencies to understand the trade in the species and its implications for conservation. Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi recently met Bashyal at her office to talk about the…This article was originally published on Mongabay