The electronic trade in endemic plants of Cyprus through the Internet

Abstract

This study assesses the current situation regarding the electronic trade of the Cypriot endemic plants. We examine the plant material sold over the Internet, prices and vendors, and we explore to what extent this activity complies with national laws and international treaties. Overall, 48 taxa (34% of the Cypriot endemic flora) are traded by 21 nurseries of Europe and North America, belonging mostly to Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Iridaceae, Asparagaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Seeds are the commonest form of sale; prices range from €0.12 to 0.79 per seed and from €0.31 to 2.56 per gram. The price range for live plants is €5.67–30.22 (highest for Quercus alnifolia). Among the traded taxa, two are designated critically endangered, another two endangered, four vulnerable, 12 are globally rare and threatened and 12 are protected at the international level. None of the nurseries surveyed seem to have been granted a permit by the authorities of Cyprus to harvest and sell its wild flora, at least during the last decade. State authorities should extend the current legislative framework so as to cover all endemic and nationally threatened taxa, monitor their wild populations, engage in routine surveillance of their e-trade and regulate access to the country’s genetic resources.

Keywords:

• conservation
• e-commerce
• illegal trade
• Mediterranean
• Nagoya protocol
• threatened species

Acknowledgement

The authors express their gratitude to M. Hadjistylli (Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus), M. Papadopoulos (Department of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus) and A. Kyratzis (Agriculture Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus) for offering valuable information on the current legislative framework regarding plant protection in Cyprus and on the processes followed regarding collections in the wild.