Endangered Beauties: Challenges in Conserving Malaysia’s Wild Orchids

To most of us, the word ‘orchid’ evokes the picture of beautiful potted plants with stunning blooms of diverse colors, one which usually comes at a steep price tag. While this might be true of the hybrid orchids we encounter in our urban environments, it’s just a small part of a much bigger picture, as orchids are one of the most familiar faces of life on earth. Often referred to as the ‘Tigers of the Plant World,’ there are a staggering 28,000 species spread throughout the world[i], except in Antarctica. This diversity, rivaled only by the Daisy family, is especially pronounced in the humid tropics where Southeast Asia is located. 

Malaysia, located within this orchid-rich region, boasts about 3,000 species of orchids[ii], with the majority of this diversity coming from Sabah and Sarawak (the Bornean part of Malaysia), while Peninsular Malaysia is home to about 1,000 species. With such a large number of species comes an amazing range of diversity in forms, colors and habitats where they are found in. 

They can grow on the ground (terrestrial), on rocks (lithophytic), on trees (epiphytic) and some species are even semi-aquatic (both in land and water). The vast majority of orchids are autotrophic, meaning they can produce their own food through photosynthesis; however, a small number are mycoheterotrophic, or those obtaining food from decaying matter via mycorrhizal fungi. 

Malaysia’s diversity of wild orchids

Malaysia is home to the Tiger Orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum), known to be the heaviest orchid in the world, weighing more than one tonne, blooming with dozens of spikes carrying flowers in the hundreds or even thousands. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the tiny Ribbon Root Orchid (Taeniophyllum hasseltii), which grows on twigs, has flowers which measure less than a centimeter across[i], and the plants themselves are barely noticeable to an untrained eye. The entire plant of a Ribbon Root Orchid could easily fit within the width of a single Tiger Orchid flower.

The diversity of shapes, colors and sizes of the orchid flowers serves a very functional purpose: attracting specific type of pollinators to facilitate pollination. While some orchids provide a reward to pollinators that facilitate this task, many use deception, either through sexual mimicry, simulating a food reward, or even acting as a trap. 

One example is the Slipper Orchid, known for its attractive pouch-shaped lip (a highly modified petal on an orchid flower). Though beautiful, the lip is part of an elaborate trap mechanism; insects that perch on specific parts of the flower, unsuspectingly slip and tumble into the pouch and get trapped. However, unlike carnivorous plants that capture insects for food, the Slipper Orchid only traps them briefly, as these insects are the pollinators. The trapped insect finds a narrow escape route beneath an aperture which passes below the anthers, where as it passes through[ii], pollinia is transferred onto it, which it then carries to the next flower, facilitating pollination. 

Challenges in conserving Malaysia’s wild orchids

Unfortunately, the dawn of the modern age marked the alarming decline of our wild orchids. Deforestation, climate change and poaching have resulted in the depleting of many species of wild orchids, which till very recently were common in our jungles. Orchid poaching (or Orchid hunting) is the illegal harvesting of wild orchids from their natural habitats. This is usually done for the purpose of transferring them to private collections, gardens or being sold on the market.

Dr. Edward Entalai Besi, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC), states that overharvesting of wild orchids are driving species to extinction, some even before they are discovered and properly described. 

Usually, the target of these collections are orchids which are horticulturally valuable, ones with exotic looking flowers, like the Slipper Orchid. There are more than a dozen species of Slipper Orchids in Malaysia and all are endangered or critically endangered, primarily due to collection from the wild.

The fate of the Penang Slipper Orchid (Paphiopedilum barbatum) is one that embodies this sad tale of perilous decline.

Once abundant on Penang Hill, a popular tourist destination in northern Malaysia, decades of over collection resulted in the eventual collapse of the species’ wild population there by the early 2000s.

Social media is also a factor fueling the illegal trade in wild orchids, as it provides access to a global market where poachers can easily sell illegally collected plants, often through private groups, making detection difficult. “Some of the newest (recently described) and rarest wild orchid species are now being sold through social media and online trading platforms”, Dr. Edward explains. 

Habitat loss is another significant threat. Logging and construction in previously forested areas pose a serious risk to orchid populations, especially the terrestrial ones, which are more susceptible to land use change as they get uprooted or drowned out in the process. Gastrodia tembatensis, a rather recently described, cryptic, terrestrial orchid from the Malaysian state of Terengganu, had its type locality (the location where it was first discovered) flooded after a dam was constructed there[i]. Fortunately, this species was subsequently discovered in a few other places in Malaysia.

Growing awareness on orchids’ crucial role in their ecosystems 

Climate change also poses a threat to the existence of orchids, as it disrupts the balance of moisture and temperature in natural habitats, even in protected areas. Helmet Orchids, (Corybas sp.) which are usually found restricted to mossy areas near mountain tops throughout Malaysia, are particularly vulnerable to climate change because they rely on highly specific environmental conditions, Dr. Edward explains.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for these endangered beauties of the Malaysian forest. Driven by the love for these enigmatic plants and a desire to see them thrive in their natural habitats, botanists, conservationists and orchid enthusiasts have come together to address the looming threats. One notable effort is the orchid rescue missions led by Dr. Edward and Professor Dr. Rusea Go’s team. 

This program aims to rescue wild orchids from logged and deforested areas for ex-situ conservation – plants that would otherwise perish due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Despite the risks and criticism faced, Dr. Edward and Professor Dr. Rusea Go’s team have successfully established a sustainable ex-situ conservation program together with timber companies in the Malaysian part of Borneo. Through this collaboration, conservatories were established to house orchids from logged areas, serving as a germplasm for orchid propagation and research.

There is also a growing interest in restoring iconic species which have become rare in their original habitats, such as reintroducing the Penang Slipper Orchid (Paphiopedilum barbatum) to Penang Hill. While the species is found throughout Peninsular Malaysia and cultivated plants are readily available in nurseries, ensuring the genetic makeup of the plants to be reintroduced matches that of those originally found on Penang Hill presents a challenge. 

Dr. Brian Yap, a Senior Lecturer at the Center of Research for Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, is currently working on addressing this. His research involves generating DNA barcodes for Paphiopedilum barbatum plants from Penang which can then be used to determine whether plants from private collections are indeed originally from Penang and therefore suitable for reintroduction on the Hill.

Among orchid enthusiasts, the growing awareness of the consequences of buying plants collected from the wild, are driving many to make more informed decisions. For instance, they may insist that plant sellers only sell them artificially propagated orchids. Orchid enthusiasts can use a few tips to tell if a plant they are about to purchase is collected from the wild, and hence, best avoided. Indicators which suggest that an orchid was wildly collected include the presence of lichens on the leaves, irregularly sized plants, signs of stress, and messy roots spreading in all directions[i].

While the threats to Malaysia’s wild orchids persist, through concerted and collaborative effort from scientists, commercial growers and orchid enthusiasts, we can address these challenges and ensure that our wild orchids – the crowning jewels of the nation’s biodiversity – can bloom in pride, free from threats, in their natural habitat.

Orchids play a crucial role in their ecosystems, forming relationships with fungi and insects (most often pollinators). When an orchid species goes extinct, these relationships are disrupted. For example, the extinction of orchids that rely on specific pollinators results in the loss of a food source for the pollinators which may then detrimentally affect the pollinator populations. In the larger picture, the extinction of orchid species can disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems, leading to a decrease in overall biodiversity and the health of the environment.
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Rexy Prakash Chacko is an Electronic Engineer by profession and a nature lover by passion. He played a pivotal role in co-founding the Penang Hills Watch (PHW) Initiative in 2016, and most recently has devoted his time to botanical research focused on orchids.

Disclaimer: This published work was prepared with the support of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung. The views and analysis contained in the work are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the foundation. The author is responsible for any liability claims against copyright breaches of graphics, photograph, images, audio, and text used. 
 

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