By Nura V Lorna & Clement Erik Wong
SARAWAK’S vast jungles are no stranger to a plethora of unique orchids.
When it comes to recorded specimens, the state makes up about 40 per cent or 1,200 out of the 3,000 types of orchids in Borneo.
Being one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the world, with Orchidaceae (orchid family) as the largest plant family, more specimens stand to be brought to light with aggressive exploration in Sarawak’s forests – from its lowland to highland areas.
As assured by Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh, orchids can be key indicators of environmental health, and Sarawak is no exception.
“Their occurrence (presence or absence) signifies that the ecosystem is vibrant and lively because their survival depends on a delicate balance within healthy ecosystems, inclusive of habitat microclimate conditions, microbiome, and pollinators.
“They are also sources of food to pollinators and some orchids provide shelters for small animals (ants, insects) and have the ability to store water,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
Once considered a popular pastime among the elite, orchid growing has also developed into a multi-million-dollar industry.
Len Talif supported the idea of commercialising Sarawak’s orchids in a non-destructive manner. Orchids are popular as ornamental plants.
“Orchid floriculture is a lucrative industry in Malaysia, and in Sarawak in particular. The floriculture industry in Malaysia contributes the largest income earner and export value, recording an export value of RM417.3 million in 2021, compared to RM403 million the previous year.
“The Malaysian orchid floriculture industry contributed 40 per cent of the total value of the country’s floriculture production with an annual growth rate of six to nine per cent. In Sarawak, planting materials, cut flowers and foliage contribute RM551,755,” he said.
Len Talif said the hybrid orchid is one of the major contributors to the decoration industry in Malaysia because of its beautiful, fragrant and durable flower.
“Agriculture floriculture can be one of the potential industries that offers jobs and career opportunities especially for youths and graduates which may also resolve the labour shortages in this industry.”
Apart from that, he said the privileges of shape, colour, and long-life expectancy also provide a deep source of aesthetic value, resulting in orchids becoming a very profitable industrial plant around the world, with more than one million hybrids known and planted.
“Sarawak has more than 20 per cent endemic and 40 per cent flagship species identified as potentially propagated for the floriculture industry. Orchids are the most highly prized ornamental plants; the most expensive orchid so far is Cymbidium Shenzhen Nongke priced at £160,000 (RM870,354). Malaysia’s very own ‘Gold of Kinabalu’ (Paphiopedilum rothschildianum) is ranked the fifth most expensive flower in the world with a price tag of £3,800 per stalk,” he said.
“Other species we could profit monetarily are by mass propagation of our endemic flagship species,” he suggested.
Elaborating further on the potential of orchids to be developed and commercialised, Len Talif also did not dismiss the possibility that there exists an orchid ‘black market’ in the state involving plant poaching.
However, he assured that all wild orchids are protected in Sarawak under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1998 (Second Schedule, Part II).
“Some orchids are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) appendix and the procedures or protocols are clearly stated in CITES documents,” he said.
Len Talif pointed out that the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) is also adopting two types of conservation approaches to protect wild orchids and their habitats, namely the in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods, both complementing each other.
It is learnt that the in-situ conservation main target is to preserve the ecosystem, regardless of with or without the conservation of certain species of interest as the major aim, while the ex-situ conservation prime aim is to preserve certain species of interest through cultivation, propagation, and storage.
In addition to that, he asserted that the role of local growers or the public is also significant in contributing towards the conservation of orchids.
“The growers should be able to produce many in-vitro and hybridised seedlings to fulfil the market demands, collaterally helping in conserving the orchid populations in the wild. This is because if certain flagship orchid species can be easily found in local nurseries, nobody will go inside the forest in search of the orchids. Moreover, continuous collection from the wild will deplete orchid populations.
“The authorities can contribute back to the community by spreading awareness on orchid conservation and threats through posters, books, and magazines publications, and orchid shows,” he said.
