DO acquaint yourself with CITES and national and state controls,
and find out which species are protected.
DO obtain all necessary permits, both for collecting and for export
and import to other countries.
DO notify interested local organizations of your intentions.
Then:
DO strictly observe restrictions on what may be collected (which
species, how many specimens, what kind of material). -Where possible, collect
seed, offsets or cuttings, not the whole plant.
DO leave mature plants for seed production. They are needed to perpetuate
the wild population, and are unlikely to transplant successfully.
DO collect discreetly; Don't lead local people to believe the plants
are valuable, or encourage or pay them (or their children) to collect for
you.
DO make careful field-notes, including precise locality, altitude,
type of vegetation and soil, date of collection and your own field number.
Try to assess the number of individuals and extent of the population, the
amount of seed-setting and the frequency of seedlings.
DO note possible threats to the habitat, e.g. through grazing, drainage
or cultivation, urban spread or road-widening.
DO take photographs and/or preserve representative herbarium material.
Submit this material, with a copy of your notes, to an appropriate institution
or organization.
DON'T underrate the value of your field observations: carefully
recorded they will be a useful contribution to science and to conservation.
IF... you plan to collect in commercial quantities, don't.
IF... you plan to sell any of the plants you collect to defray the
cost of your trip, don't
IF... you plan to collect for research or study obtain the agreement
(and preferably the collaboration) of competent scientific authorities,
such as a government agency or university department, in the host country.
IF... you think "two or three plants won't be missed", remember
someone else may be thinking the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the
next...
To the Importer, Private or Commercial
Don't import wild plants, even if legally permitted, except as a
nucleus for propagation and seed-production. And then:
Do check the credentials of suppliers offering wild plants and satisfy
yourself they are "legal".
Do observe international and national export/import regulations.
To the Nurseryman
Do sell nursery-raised or propagated material only; don't advertise
or sell un-propagated wild plants under any circumstances, even when legally
permitted to do so.
Do try to propagate all rare or documented material and distribute
it to recognized IOS Reference Collections.
Do keep more than one clone of rare species, even self-fertile ones,
for seed production.
Do keep careful records of the origin of all stock, especially any
with collectors' numbers or locality data, and pass on the information
to interested purchasers.
To the Grower/Collector at Home
Do make successful cultivation your prime objective, not the size
of your collection or rarity of the plants.
Don't buy any plant unless you are sure it was nursery-grown;
remember that your choice will influence the seller's market.
Don't buy wild-collected plants even if with the aim of saving the
"individual". We want to save the species, not the specimen. Only when
importers see their wild-collected plants rotting because nobody buys them
they will stop the import of wild-collected plants.
Do enjoy the satisfaction of raising from seed. Some of the rare
or "difficult" species will test your skill and patience, but reward your
success accordingly!
Do record when and from whom you got your plant/seeds, and ask your
source for any data: collector's numbers, locality, and so on: all just
as vital, to the serious enthusiast, as the name on the label.
Do try to propagate rare and documented material and distribute
it to other enthusiasts. It's the old proverb: To keep- a plant, give it
away!
Do notify the IOS secretary if you suspect a supplier is infringing
legal controls.
To the Society and Club
DO endorse the precepts of this Code of Conduct, as a guide for
responsible and conscientious behaviour.
DON'T permit wild plants to be advertised for sale in your publications,
either openly or by hints.
DO publicize national and international regulations on the export,
import and sale of wild plants.
DO sponsor or support national and international measures to protect
the habitats of rare and threatened species.
DO inform the competent authorities of any suspect sale of collected
plants. If you know of people travelling to countries where succulents
grow wild, with the intention to collecting, inform the competent authorities;
the best way to stop habitat exploitation by collectors is to catch them
at the port of entry with the plants in hand.
To the Show Committee and Judges
DO include in the schedule some classes for plants raised from seed
by the exhibitor.
DON'T permit species protected by CITES Appendix I to be shown in
competitive classes, except as seedlings or other propagations raised artificially.
DO make a policy of giving preference to well-grown seedlings over
field-collected plants. Check that obvious or suspected "imports" are properly
rooted and established.
