THE INDIGENOUS PROPAGATION PROJECT - CONSERVATION, DEVELOPMENT AND THE WILD BULB TRADE

International trade in wild collected bulbs exceeds 50 million specimens annually. Effects on wild populations have been severe. Genetic bases for crop improvements of some species have been damaged and at least one bulb species is now extinct in the wild as a result of over-exploitation. The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society's Indigenous Propagation Project seeks to remove pressure from wild populations, provide alternative incomes for those involved in collecting and produce good quality plants for trade. The first field project began in Turkey in December 1991 and with the co-operation of existing trade organisations in Turkey and the Netherlands is promoting the transition to artificial propagation on a local basis. The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society is investigating the need for similar field projects involving bulbs in other countries.