Objective:
“Traditional" or "wild" products such as medicinal plants, aromatic herbs and edible mushrooms (including truffles) are part of an emerging mass market that often targets rare or protected species. Orchids, although they are protected by legislation on a national and global scale, are a good example of such a product. Here, we discuss how we can manage the effect of harvesting on wild orchid populations, as our study points to an urgent need to find sustainable management solutions for such species of commercial interest. The dynamics and spatial characteristics of populations are extremely important for applications in conservation; to that end, we introduce an integrated approach that examines the impact of salep harvesting on orchid populations in Epirus (NW Greece).
Context:
Orchids have an interesting cultural history, being ion the spotlight of fanciers and hunters for centuries, used as exotic ornaments, aphrodisiacs, medicines, and also food. Especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, orchids are used as to produce salep (Greek: salépi), a flour made from dried orchid tubers. Salep is used to make the homonymous hot beverage, used as a traditional remedy for colds and coughs primarily in Turkey, Greece and other neighboring countries. It is mainly sold by street vendors during winter and it also has a long tradition in gourmand and culinary products as key ingredient in the famous dondurma (Kahramanmaras) ice cream in Turkey, and kaimaki ice cream in Greece.
Contacts:
Kalliopi Stara, kstara@uoi.gr, https://saleporchidproject.gr
Martha Charitonidou, martha.charitonidou@gmail.com, https://saleporchidproject.gr
John M. Halley, jmax.halley@gmail.com, https://saleporchidproject.gr
Further information:
Charitonidou, M., Stara, K., Kougioumoutzis, K., Halley, J.M. 2019. Implications of salep collection for the conservation of the Elder-flowered orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina) in Epirus, Greece. J Biol Res (Thessalon).26:18. http:// doi:10.1186/s40709-019-0110-1.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6936056/
https://jbiolres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40709-019-0110-1