PLANT enthusiasts in Shenzhen are now calling for the authority to launch an effort to protect wild orchids, as some residents were spotted picking wild orchids near the Luomaling Reservoir in Yantian District recently, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

According to the tip-offs provided by witnesses, someone had picked wild yellow cascading orchids, a type of rare orchids growing alongside creeks in the mountains.

It was the second time in two months that someone had been spotted picking wild orchids. The Daily reported that someone had picked wild orchids at Mount Qiniang in Dapeng New Area on March 28.

Plant enthusiasts called for the government’s attention and suggested that the authority legislate to protect wild plants.

According to the Shenzhen Wild Fauna and Flora Protection Center, although the yellow cascading orchid has not been listed as China’s most protected wild plant, the orchid species is a second-class protected plant, which means that no individual or unit is allowed to collect or destroy it.

“Picking wild orchids will cause damage to the environment and the roots of the plants, but since the yellow cascading orchid is not listed as a first-class protected plant, the authority can only stop someone from picking the orchid, but no legal enforcement can be carried out,” said a staffer from the wild fauna and flora protection center.

Some plant enthusiasts think that since the penalty is so small, many people attempt to collect the wild plants.

A resident named Wang Xiaoyun suggested that Shenzhen legislate on protecting local plants and called for the society to pay closer attention to behaviors that can harm wild plants.

(Zhang Qian)