Some crazy-huge rafflesianas...

[marcellocatalano]

Ooooh, great, now I'm hearing wise words from everybody!
Of course, each one does what he can, each one sees the solution in a different spot, but the thing is: you want to help.
For example, of course Rob, you're not a poacher, you're a conservationist, but the trap where we don't have to fall is "let's poach, let's buy from poachers, who cares, we're just helping conservation". People must be responsible, keep informed and do the right thing, and not give up. Then everybody can have different solutions.

So, let me go back with you, Rob, to what for me now is the important point (that's why I put some fire down here, to get some attention ):
I can travel around, I've much time (not money, but...), I have knowledge and enthusiasm to act in many ways, but of course this is not what I was demanding from you guys. Here in Italy, like in almost every country, we have a cp society. Workers, with families, not much time and not much money. Of course, I'm basically the only one (no job, no family, no money) who can travel around to see cp. But the others still are in a cp society, we are about 500 (when we started in '97 we were 15), there's a small group of people who makes a magazine, there's a forum, facebook, every year there's a general meeting and during spring many smaller meetings and open days (when a group of people visits someone's collection), with more or less people. We have a seeds bank, a bank for materials (peat, perlite, pots etc), a gemmae bank, a conservation project for the italian species... Like all cp societies, people are volunteeres that do what they can when they can, no more no less than what you have done for me in those couple of days, allowing me to describe a new species and to find important locations for others. I'm just saying: keep in touch with each other, make initiatives, get organized, meet when you can, form a group, be enthusiast, if everybody does a little, great things will come, it happened naturally all around the world, it happened in thailand in the last few years with the local cp society, it can happen there, just be enthusiastic!

When there will be an organized group taking decisions, then no problem, I will run there to go in the jungle, if you need someone for a conservation project