A Guide to Building Ethical Orchid Collections and Societies

Trade of wild-collected orchids as ornamental plants remains a persistent threat to conservation around the world.

In collaboration with orchid societies around the world, we have developed a new resource that presents suggestions for how orchid societies can help promote best practices among our members, events and community.

The guide aims to foster sustainable collections and societies, seeking to balance our enjoyment of plants with our shared commitment to species conservation in the wild. It is not intended as a fixed set of rules, but rather a tool that orchid collectors and societies can adopt and adapt to their own contexts, upholding our collective responsibility to ensure the continued survival of our beloved orchids.

The Guide is intended as an open-source resource available and accessible to all. We actively encourage societies, colelctors and enthusiasts to download and/or share the resource on their websites, list serves and social media, or to print physical copies to share with members at meetings.

Our thanks to Orchid Magazine for helping to promote the guide in their May 2025 issue.