Coronavirus pandemic fuelling plant poaching in Philippines
Source: The Guardian
Coronavirus pandemic fuelling plant poaching in Philippines
Gardening craze has led to endangered species being dug up from mountains and forests
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Mon 14 Sep 2020 09.16 BST
First published on Mon 14 Sep 2020 08.42 BST
Officials in the Philippines say the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling a new problem: a surge in plant poaching.
The country’s lockdown earlier this year, one of the strictest in the world, helped drive demand for greenery among Filipinos who were longing for nature. Though restrictions have eased, the craze for gardening has continued, and officials say sellers are digging up endangered species in the mountains and forests.
Illegal traders were “having a fiesta because the market is bigger and prices are more attractive”, Rogelio Demallete, an ecosystem specialist at the country’s Biodiversity Management Bureau, told Bloomberg.
Carnivorous pitcher plants and bantigue trees, used to cultivate bonsai, had become especially popular, he said.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/14/coronavirus-pandemic-fuelling-plant-poaching-philippines