Sabah moves to protect orchids

Some of the orchids on display at the show.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is on a mission to protect its precious blooms, especially its rare and valuable orchids, from being smuggled out of the state.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said he had heard rumours of researchers leaving the state with “tokens” from its rich forests and mountains.

“But we have not really seen a concrete case and I’d like to believe that we have none,” he said at the opening of the Borneo International Orchid Show 2015 here yesterday.

Stricter measures, said Masidi, would be put in place to ensure such a practice did not take place.

“And, that includes getting ­thorough details of everyone who has gone into Sabah Parks and other research areas,” he said.

“The government, too, has had to strictly enforce rules and regulations to conserve many species that have become endangered due to over-collecting and loss of forests.

“We had to ban the export of certain orchids.”

Native orchid species, said Masidi, were not easy to grow.

They need special conditions for shade and cooler temperatures, he said.

“And, many wild species collected from the hill areas would just die in the lowlands and cities.

“All wild orchids are now protected under the Wildlife Act and permits are needed to enter forest reserves and protected areas with the hope of cutting down further loss of our beautiful and rare species and encourage artificial propagation,” he said.

Sabah, Masidi pointed out, hosted an estimated 1,300 out of the entire 1,600 to 1,700 species of orchids in Borneo island despite only forming 10% of its land mass.

“The Mount Kinabalu area with 870 species within a 120sq km area has 54% of all the named species in Borneo.

“We do not want anyone to come in and leave with our flowers,” he said, adding that Customs officers at checkpoints were also doing their part in curbing the smuggling.

“But with all the different technologies and methods nowadays, people can still smuggle things out if they really want to.”

A wide range of hybrid orchids are on display during the three-day show.