Deep in the forests of northwestern Colombia, an orchid enthusiast has assembled a colorful collection of nearly 25,000 specimens, some of which he is cloning to protect them from extinction.
Colombia, which will host the COP16 UN biodiversity summit later this year, has the largest number of orchid species in the world and new varieties are discovered regularly.
Around the world, plants with unique flowers are increasingly threatened by the clearing of forests, where most orchids are found.
Agricultural technologist Daniel Piedrahita, 62, has made it his life’s mission to preserve the flowers of his sanctuary nicknamed “The Soul of the Forest” in La Ceja, a city in the department of Antioquia.
“An orchid? I’ll define it in one word: perfection,” Piedrahita told AFP.
He describes his collection of more than 5,000 species as a “gene bank that I am responsible for… to ensure that each one reproduces perfectly.”
The reserve is home to around twenty species that are threatened with extinction around the world and that Piedrahita dreams of returning to their original habitats.
It is also a laboratory for propagating orchids exclusive to Colombia, such as Anguloa Brevilabris or Dracula Nosferatu.
– A ‘pure clone’ –
In nature, most orchids depend on a specific species of insect, bee, or bird for pollination.
In the laboratory, Piedrahita pollinates them to obtain what she calls a “pure clone”, a seed capsule, the fruit of the orchid flower that can contain millions of seeds. Getting an orchid to bloom from seeds can take years.
He describes his mission to return the orchards to nature as his “moral and personal duty.”
The first Piedrahita orchard cloned two years ago was Guatemala’s national flower, Lycaste Skinneri, known as the “white nun.”
The orchid is considered extinct in the wild in Guatemala and barely survives in southern Mexico.
“The seeds are already developing in the laboratory so that in a few years we can reintroduce this species so that it is not lost again,” said Piedrahita.
His next goal is to clone endangered Colombian varieties of orchids.
– ‘A backup’ –
At “Alma da Floresta”, Piedrahita also teaches cultivation classes, has an educational YouTube channel and an online school, which help finance operations.
“This is my Zen center,” he said of the sanctuary where foreign and local tourists alike gawk at the array of orchids.
In his collection is a flower especially dear to Piedrahita, the Sobralia Piedrahita, which received its name after the presentation of the previously unknown species at an orchid exhibition.
In a place in Antioquia that he keeps secret, he remembers seeing the small white flower for the first time on a rock in a river, more than seven years ago.
Piedrahita said he gave about seven people “a little piece” of his discovery. It is “the guarantee that this plant will never go extinct”.
Every year, new species appear on Colombia’s radar, including nine this year so far.
Garrett Chung, an 18-year-old American tourist visiting the city with his family, said the sanctuary is important for preserving nature.
“Some species are going extinct, so it’s good to have a backup in case that happens.”
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