Vallarta Botanical Gardens Warns About Buying Wild Orchids off the Street Vallarta Botanical Gardens
April 13, 2013

Mexico, one of the world's most biodiverse countries, boasts well over 1,200 different native orchid species.

More than 200 have been recorded in the state of Jalisco alone, and of those many are found in the jungles and highlands around Puerto Vallarta. Sadly, many of these natives are under near-constant attack and are being plundered — to the point of extinction — and brazenly sold in a thriving black market for illegally collected wildlife.

Fueling this totally preventable and catastrophic orchid extinction are both the native Mexican and expat communities here, who provide a customer base for unscrupulous poachers of endangered plants and wildlife.

Although it may be tempting to buy orchids cheaply from street vendors, please bear in mind that such purchases are not only illegal but highly unethical, as they diminish our local biodiversity and natural splendor.

Also be aware that the majority of orchids taken from the wild are doomed to slowly languish and die in dark, airless corners of homes, shops, bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, dead and dying wild-collected orchids are readily seen today all around Puerto Vallarta.

Recently we learned that at least two organized groups of orchid poachers were working Old Town, selling from car trunks and backs of pickup trucks in the area of Basilio Badillo and Olas Altas; others were sighted in the Marina area.

These people collect wild orchids by the hundreds by trespassing on private property and by robbing natural areas, stripping and gathering for sale entire populations. An environmental tipping point is now rapidly approaching, when native orchids that have been severely depleted will not remain self-sustaining.

Preserving our area's biodiversity — its plants and animals — here in our beloved Mexico is everyone's responsibility. No environmentally responsible person should ever buy illegally collected wildlife such as wild parrots or native orchids.

Please do not play a role in the extinction of Puerto Vallarta's native orchids. Never buy them from street vendors; instead, become an ambassador for Mexico's native wildlife by telling others not to buy them. Cultivated orchids can be found for sale in many places around town. If you wish to collect orchids, please do so responsibly.

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