READ TEXT I AND ANSWER QUESTIONS 15 TO 18: TEXT I

Illegal trade threatens African orchids

Many species of wild African orchids are threatened because of an increased international demand for their roots as a culinary delicacy, according to research from the Wildlife Conservative Society (WCS). The report, released this week, documents for the first time the growing body of illegal trade between Tanzania and neighboring Zambia. “Millions of orchids are being virtually strip-mined from Tanzania’s Southern Highlands,” says co-author Tim Davenport, a WCS conservation biologist. “At current rates, many species will be wiped out in a matter of a few years”...

The WCS is currently backing an effort to turn a section of the Southern Highlands, the Kitulo Plateau, into a national park. The scientists note that although the monetary value of the illegal trade is significant, it pales in comparison to potential tourism revenue. Unfortunately, the Southern Highlands area is losing portions of its natural resources at an alarming rate, which hampers tourism development. “The current trade in orchid tubers for consumption in Zambia is neither environmentally nor economically in the best interest of Tanzania,” Davenport notes.

(http://sciam.com/news/August 2, 2001)