Ark of Life - Stopping Extinction of Carnivorous Plants

Ark of Life is a non-profit project that aims to prevent the extinction of the world’s rarest species of carnivorous plants.
Visit www.arkoflife.net for more information.
Unfortunately, many carnivorous plant species occur across very small natural ranges and are extremely sensitive to habitat disturbance.
To make matters worse, many carnivorous plants command high prices amongst horticulturists and are intensively targeted by illegal poaching.
In recent years, these factors have resulted in several carnivorous plant taxa becoming critically endangered, extinct, near-extinct or functionally extinct in the wild.
One of the most dramatic examples of recent years is that of Nepenthes rigidifolia, in which every single known wild specimen has been illegally poached. All known populations of this plant are completely extirpated, and the species is now regarded as extinct in the wild.
But… it is not too late to save the world’s rarest carnivorous plants… even Nepenthes rigidifolia.
The Ark of Life project brings together a network of botanical gardens and horticulturists that are determined to stop the world’s rarest species of carnivorous plants disappearing forever.
We create ‘arks’.
Each ark is an ex-situ conservation collection that permanently preserves critically endangered carnivorous plants, so that, even if wild populations are completely lost, a viable breeding programme can be permanently maintained.
Our goal is to safeguard each critically endangered carnivorous plant taxon against total extinction and to keep alive hope for future reintroduction back into the wild.
We organise each ark very carefully.
We conserve as many genetically distinct strains of each endangered carnivorous plant taxon as possible.
Each genetically distinct strain is recorded and maintained separately, and where possible, propagated and ‘backed up’ in multiple arks.
Crucially, we source plants for Ark of Life collections only from specimens that are already in cultivation. We strictly do not source plants collected from the wild to prevent driving further poaching of wild populations (and contributing to the problem we are trying to solve).
Visit www.arkoflife.net for more information.

[@TJDASHDASH]

What we are doing to the planet is such a shame. The greed and stupidity of these poachers is frustrating.

[@docholl93]

The importance if this work cannot be stressed enough

[@JianYZhong]

Can we teach horticulture the locals? It would be a sustainable income.

[@geronimo67]

You are very correct sir.

[@roulanyu3183]

i guess "money, the root of all evil" can also be applied on this case. very sad indeed.

[@xxpowwowbluexx]

“The love of money,” yes.

[@garycard1456]

If the locals involved in the poaching used their brains, they'd establish a propagation and cultivation nursery, which would negate the drive to continually poach wild plants, which is obviously non-sustainable and will put the poachers out of business once all the wild populations have vanished in their entirety. Set up a nursery and sell cultivated plants. Why poach? It is inconsiderate of our natural world, and it is self-defeatist way of making a quick buck. Propagate plants to sell, and you have a sustainable and long-term way of making money. Makes sense, doesn't it?!

[@toewhite]

Are volunteers serving as mentors for communities to set up conservation/greenhouse cultivation?

[@anainthewild]

Those "locals" are busy surviving an economic collapse. To your surprise I am sure, we do read these comments and do have access to the internet...

[@garycard1456]

@@anainthewild There are solutions to economic hardship: NationalSocialism, which can be adopted by any nation. Recommended reading: "Usury: the Root Cause of All Problems on the Planet"- EntityArt UK. Another article: "NationalSocialism: an Antidote and Solution to the World's Problems"- EntityArt UK

[@garycard1456]

@@anainthewild Learn about the economic solutions formulated by the German economist, Gottfried Feder, who deprived the greedy for-profit 'international financial swindlers' of their ill-gained profits.

[@趙昀騏]

Don't trust humans are great

[@varphotography]

It breaks my heart to see that many plants ripped out like that. It is unfortunate that rather than choosing a way to smartly manage it as a cultivatable resource, they are just ripping it out valuable assets for impatient enthusiasts who do not care about the long term survival of the plants we fell in love with.

[@xxpowwowbluexx]

@21:07, “All poaching of endangered animals and plants should be condoned and needs to stop.” “I think you meant, “condemned,” rather than, “condoned.”

[@redfernexpeditions]

Yes - my apologies! Sorry for this error. Stew

[@twofeetfromhell]

Thanks for clarifying, I was about to go poach some endangered plants.

[@bluebowser3121]

This video is just sad. I had no idea such things were still happening. Thank you for making this video!

[@microwavedcheetos]

I feel ashamed, I'm Malaysian and I'm in the Facebook group Nepenthes of Malaysia. I feel disgusted that there's poacher in there and that I'm part of the problem😰

[@ConstantinBoca]

report all the casses on the website provided in the video. Maybe you can even identify the individuals also if you have local connections of their places

[@RiqueReelz]

Maybe if conservationists were smart enough to outbid the ppl buying the poached animals. And start a population inside a nursery then put them back in the wild

[@emmanuelmartinez9953]

How do you not get so depressed doing this work? I sometimes can’t watch a full video because it’s so devastating

[@lucaschan08]

can't believe that those guys still poach clipiata from the wild....so sad 😞

[@greggypoos135]

It is difficult not to be very angered by the callousness of such extreme poaching. Thank you so much for your work.

[@MrKmoconne]

You have to find some way to change the local culture from seeing plants as means for food on the table to a treasured cultural icon, then the poachers would not find plying their trade so profitable. There also needs to be a mindset change among the people who collect rare plants. Gordon Ramsey in a video you can find on KZbin explored the Asian taste for shark fins. He found that the fins were mostly tasteless. The people who had an appetite for shark fin were eating it more the prestige of being seen to be able to afford to eat it. How do you combat vanity? I think the same mindset is what drives poaching of rare species: to impress someone else.

[@weirdboyrox]

"5 years in prison", that's it? The poacher can be in an organization and use the plant money for bail. Poaching plants should be shot on sight like poaching endangered, protected African animal species. Edit: Owning rare plants to regular person's eyes is the same as owning a non-endanger species. Example: A Ventricosa 'looks' the same as a Gaya or Maxima to a regular person. Honestly a Veitchii of any version looks better than all these rare species.

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

The Trusmadi ones : Macrophylla and lowlii , and the Kinabalu ones : rajah, Villosa* and Edwardsiana are absolutely unique, even in the eye of a regular person... Even the expensive Hamata is strikingly beautifull Buying extremely rare plants is not a problem as long as you verify who you buy from ; all my babies are from Borneo Exotics bought from reputable seller (I have yet to determine if I consider Jeremiah H. a reputable seller tho)

[@weirdboyrox]

@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 I had someone told me a villosa look just like all other nepenthes.

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

@@weirdboyrox damn... Idk what to say 🤦‍♂️

[@weirdboyrox]

@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 Yeah... it wasn't even one time but twice. Anyways, most of mine are from Borneo Exotics as well. The only none Borneo Exotics one is a St. Gaya from Hawaiian Botanicals.

[@omarvela3154]

cant it be cloned from cuttings why not take a cutting if its the last one

[@24kGoldenRocket]

Yes it can be cloned from a cutting. No if it does not have Basal shoots. That's too risky.

[@varphotography]

Hey Stew. Do you think this has to also do with the prices people have been placing on legitimate plants as well? In the past we used to be able to buy TC nepenthes for 10s of dollars vs the unreasonably priced plant culture that has become the norm. It is unfortunate that we seem to be returning to the old Victorian era of ripping plants from the wild to satisfy collectors despite touting the benefits of TC and our prowess at cultivating these rarer species.

[@katalinacastanares4602]

I am so glad it's finally being brought to attention that most cases of poaching are not needy people just trying to provide for their families. My family living in the Philippines are one of those honest people trying to feed their families, by growing and raising their own food out in rural area. It is people coming from big villages and cities who come in, and trespass the waters my family fish just what they can eat from, and net out thousands and thousands to sell at markets. Or digging up the soil and plants my families livestock rely on for food, or cover. They do this to sell, and make money for luxury, not to survive and it actually not only damages the environment, but makes it hard for families truly just trying to survive, live. My family and the families close all care about the environment and know rhe importance of conservation, and sustainability. They don't care about materials, or luxuries, but simply want to live and make sure the life around them don't suffer in order for that to happen. These poachers are truly evil people, and will hurt and kill others that get in their way. So, there hasn't been much that can be done about it.

[@WindowsillNepenthes]

Very painful to watch... so sad...

[@theghostrider430]

These are just the most sought after plants. I feel so sad to see farm lands filled up and sold as housing sites in my town, resulting is so many essential medicinal plants considered as weeds get buried under, including a few turtles that used to bury themselves in the soil. Unitedly we need to grow all these plants before they go completely extinct. It's kinda depressing to hear when you say plants that have evolved millions of years go extinct.

[@es4628]

You won’t attempt to answer that moral question? As you are walking away with purchased plants. How out of touch can you be? People like you, who understand the true scarcity, only perpetuate the problem. By buying these plants, you are promoting the poaching. That offense might be minuscule in comparison to you displaying specific locations of endangered species. I have read several forums that quote your reports as sources for their harvesting trips. Shame on you. It doesn’t make it ok, just because you are blinded by yourself pride.

[@محمداباد-ن2ش]

This is genius! By hoarding these rare plants in collections we can work on restoring the species and then possibly even reintroducing the excess into the wild later on! I am going to try and assist this project!

[@codyaguon6767]

Hobbyists of all kinds constantly hold back species from becoming extinct

[@محمداباد-ن2ش]

@@codyaguon6767 Yep! Because of this video I have started rescuing rare plants from the wild! If we take them from the wild and add them to our private collections we can ensure they are safe from being eaten, killed or poached! This is the only way we can save these beautiful species and then we can trade them throughout the hobby, save the species and even make some money on the side all at once!

[@katalinacastanares4602]

@@محمداباد-ن2ش I am slightly confused. What you wrote sounds like poaching. I am not accusing you of doing such thing, my English is just not very good and what I understand from what I read sounds more like poaching. Do you have a nursery or lab even and have you been doing propagations of several plant species for long? For random people to go out taking plants with the intent to propagate to sell without proper knowledge or experience will be detrimental to the plants. When I was a beginner, I had killed so many plants, even when I thought I was doing right, and put a lot of effort into growing. It took many months, a few years even to get to a point where I feel I am capable of caring for plants, even some that are considered for advanced horticulturalists. However, even then, I couldn't imagine being confident enough to take an endangered plant from the wild to reproduce. I hope I was just misunderstanding your comment and if so, I thank you for being a part of the conservation of these plants.

[@محمداباد-ن2ش]

​@@katalinacastanares4602 I understand your concern, however poaching isn't seen as poaching if the right person collects the samples. Many botanical gardens have "poached" plants. Since writing that first comment I now own a vast collection of highly prized plants. Many are natives to my country. I am with other private collectors (people who tend to be incredibly knowledgeable) we are distributing rare plants amongst ourselves with the sole purpose of mass producing them. Mass producing any endangered plant ensures its future. Not all are used for sale, I also tend to release a lot of the ones I grow back into the wild (usually in protected conservation zones). Also the plants sold are bound to be reintroduced into the wild through these sales eventually. If plants or their seeds are easily accessible they wouldn't be as profitable to collect from the wild. I own my own nursery yes. I have a history in horticulture. I also have a lot of connections within the horticultural field such as friends who own their own labs and can tissue culture plants for me. In the past 6 months I truly believe I have helped a lot of endangered species.

[@andrewst9797]

@@katalinacastanares4602 Unfortunately, you are not confused. You have described some problems of rare species conservation very well!

[@theclerksays]

The rare neps species are always monopolized by a handful of private growers, and only the cronies and friends of the small elite circle have access to these plants and the seeds in the name of "conservation". These "legit" growers also hoard the supply to jack up and maintain the high prices. The release the plants into the market via drip feeding. They are not angels. Don't forget, the origin seeds and some plants that these growers have; were, at one point, poached too. Yes poaching is bad, but these handful of elite private growers never give back to the hobby. It's no surprise people are fed up and tired of waiting and look for poachers instead. The growers also have a responsibility when it comes to conservation. Release more captive bred plants and seeds to the market rather than just hoarding them and showing them off on social media.

[@gabrielreversopereira3093]

The only exciting news is that we can cultivate them and keep the species alive, even if in captivity. To one day reintroduce them to nature.

[@540Abd]

We need nepenthes museums that train new staff to care for them who provide seeds and cuttings of excess stock for sale to stop poaching and keep them from going extinct

[@casvanmarcel]

I feel like shit because I am from the species homo sapiens

[@garycard1456]

If the locals involved in the poaching used their brains, they'd establish a propagation and cultivation nursery, which would negate the drive to continually poach wild plants, which is obviously non-sustainable.

[@aydinmccall9803]

this is a great video and i am very sad that at the time of posting this comment only 8760 people have watched this video.

[@lemoneater6690]

my heart hurts seeing alot of those plants

[@richardland5563]

I am so pleased that you’re doing this work. But I have to ask this question. Do you think that your videos on KZbin although excellent have contributed to the demand of carnivorous plants?

[@redfernexpeditions]

Hi Richard - I have often thought about this (e.g. the books I have written). Ultimately, I don't you can so easily absolve large scale, illegal poachers of blame. As you can see in this video, the really serious poaching (e.g. ripping thousands of N. clipeata from Mount Kelam) is an advanced, international, criminal operation, involving cryptocurrencies, international couriers and smuggling thousands of plants through customs. They do this not because of books or videos on KZbin, but because they want to sell tens of thousands of dollars of plants. While you could say, books, films and field trips promote passion for plants in the first place, I don't think books, films or field trips do so any more than horticultural nurseries. And the answer is not to never film or photo or write about plants in the wild (that is not the problem). The answer is to stop poaching once and for all and stop criminals selling poached plants to make massive money. To do that, I think the issue of poaching needs to be documented and understood, so the public realises is not acceptable to buy illegally poached plants and to report nurseries selling such plants. I'd welcome your thoughts. Stewart McPherson.

[@richardland5563]

Hi this really wasn’t like blame at your feet.. Merely to ask a question... if there was no buyers there would be no poachers . But I see at this point we almost need the legally purchased and post plants.... it does seem such a shortsighted and misplaced belief in short-term profit. In the long term wouldn’t it be a remarkable thing if we could set up tourism to visit the sights and benefit the local economy and people and show that these plants are worth protecting to protect the tourism... surely a guide over his lifetime, benefit more than a few dollars someone day.

[@redfernexpeditions]

@@richardland5563 HI Richard - it is very good to discuss this. I have really thought about this too. The conclusion I come to though, is that these poachers are not just simple village folk trying to feed their families, but organised criminals, dealing internationally. E.g. see the video above concerning N. clipeata and N. ephippiata. I will do everything I can to try and raise aware of this issue and try and shut down poaching as much as possible! Stew

[@topone8159]

@@redfernexpeditions we need to do more Stewart. You need to tell idiots like me that grow a Ventrata on a windowsill what I CAN DO to stop them ripping off these precious gems that my child will never see. I will contribute to the Ark of Life project and I will try to engage in any initiative you will promote to protect these beautiful plants. Thanks for what you do.

[@mumbaiglimpses5761]

The poor locals are just trying to male a living. The onus of these extinctions must be taken by the buyers mostly from the west who keep a demand for these and are ready to pay exorbitant prices to help in the extinction.

[@yulianrmercado-lopez2449]

Luckily N.clipeata strains in cultivation are growing with every year. It’s becoming widely available from multiple sustainable sources and personally I feel reintroduction into the wild isn’t as far away as it is for N.rigidifolia. Sadly other species are continuing to decline due to poaching in the wild and also are slower growing so captive strains are not common yet. As ironic as it sounds, mass production of these plants via tissue culture to satisfy the horticulture demand is the only way to protect these plants in the wild, along with education of the public and harsher punishments for those who poach. As these plants get cheaper and cheaper there soon will be no real merit for poaching as they are essentially worthless. Great video as usual!

[@andrewst9797]

Poaching is easy.. so punishments won't change much. I agree with all you say, good comes with the bad. One thing could throw a spanner in the works though: Hybridisation in cultivation.

[@roneven3420]

Thank you very much for this amazing video. The goal of your project is so important, and I really hope it'll raise the awareness of the society regarding these amazing plants. Has there been any update regarding Nepenthes rigidifolia's situation in nature?

[@StampswithSara1]

Giving knowledge to locals and telling them the importance of conservation would be a difficult task. But someone should do it.

[@jtch6668]

Thank you so so much for your work

[@strayargus9382]

This is such an emotional episode for me.

[@nudy8888]

about 8:30 can't those peple who know ths secret place just reproduce it and let them grow back in wild area?

[@RiqueReelz]

That’s what I thought, they’d maybe just have to find 1 more. They are too passive to conserve that poor nepenthes species.

[@inyourfacetoday]

What's crazy to me is that their is only one plant left, and you go and tell EVERYONE where it is.... I just don't get it. If I wanted to go poach it now I know EXACTLY where to find it. Telling people where it is does the opposite of protecting it.

[@KENTOSI]

Hey thank you for creating this video it's heartbreaking but extremely important.

[@ThomasYng]

In view of the rise of Asian buyers, I am pessimistic about the future of nepenthes. Today for rhino, elephant, tiger and pangolin is tomorrow for nepenthes.

[@omarvela3154]

i thought tissue culture was dropping the prices of poached plants

[@vacciniumaugustifolium1420]

A nepenthes edwardsiana for example can easily reach $500, even xxsmall in size ( I would buy one at this price in a heartbeat) Even if a poacher can only get 10% or $50 of this price for a mature plant (who would worth thousands if It was a legal plant) that's a lot of easy money for someone who have close to no opportunity to make money.

[@omarvela3154]

poachers are the root of all evil

[@andrewst9797]

Where do these poachers sell their loot? Worth following up. Hope not in China or they are really extinct! But the plants must be valuable and thus 'treasured' and propagated and sold on, one would assume - somewhere!

[@lilytoh3580]

Great work

[@theclerksays]

The rare neps species are always monopolized by a handful of private growers, and only the cronies and friends of the small elite circle have access to these plants and the seeds in the name of "conservation". These "legit" growers also hoard the supply to jack up and maintain the high prices. The release the plants into the market via drip feeding. They are not angels. Don't forget, the origin seeds and some plants that these growers have; were, at one point, poached too. Yes poaching is bad, but these handful of elite private growers never give back to the hobby. It's no surprise people are fed up and tired of waiting and look for poachers instead. The growers also have a responsibility when it comes to conservation. Release more captive bred plants and seeds to the market rather than just hoarding them and showing them off on social media.

[@sarahg282]

You say report poaching but didnt explain how to identify if a plant is poached? How to identify good quality sellers of non poached plants?

[@jerryfranco3122]

i think N tenuis is also already extinct in wild. nowadays the natural habitat of it already degradated because of logging and burning forest.

[@geronimo67]

Those people need to learn how to propagate the plants so they don't poach them. They need to be educated. They need to understand that they're shooting themselves in the foot by poaching to extinction their own money source.

[@thombaz]

Can a hobbist take part in something like this? I propagete a lot of carnivorous plants.

[@edneyhelenedossantos1875]

Why dont they put it back on the nature from the ones they have on nurseries?

[@vnnzon]

Love nepenthes.

[@inyourfacetoday]

Is it just me or did he buy one of those poached plants?

[@ana61242]

Who i buy legal plants for price Bette ?

[@gcsyiariel]

Hello, thank you for creating this video. I’m a botanical artist in Indonesia and really saddened by this issue. Is it possible if I use the reference from this video (or if there are high quality pictures) of Nepenthes clipeata and Nepenthes rigidifolia I really hope that the art will not only document the plant, but also raise awareness to at least reduce poaching in Indonesia. Thank you again Grace

[@redfernexpeditions]

Of course! Use the video for any purpose. I can send you high res photos. Just email [e-mail]

[@redfernexpeditions]

I'll gladly send as many photos as you want to use! ;-)

[@gcsyiariel]

@@redfernexpeditions thank you very much!!

[@blackbeauty5717]

is this in thailand or malaysia?

[@viiiderekae]

Oh no And just when a possible new species eas found in my country. (Not disclosing the location now!) But yeah its because of the "rarity" is why they are being poached like crazy. Compared to the common species Like the poaching of N. Clipeata is the target instead of N. albomarginata or N. reinwardtiana which are fast to reproduce and spread :( This pandemic also seems to be driving the poaching as people stay at home and "want" rare species of plants

[@BugmanOfficial]

I wouldn't have imagined that the poaching situation is so dramatic! I have photographed Nepenthes on Borneo in 2018 and wonder if you could help me with their identification.

[@binarintirtoandika4401]

bahtera kehidupan

[@toewhite]

How can you tell if a plant over the internet has been poached or grown in a nursery?

[@ConstantinBoca]

if they cant show you the mother plants or any papers of buying from a trusted nursery, then probably its poached

[@staceytsang1317]

Thank you for introducing these rare carnivorous plants. It is really sad to see those critically dangerous plant species being poached on such a scale!

[@meta.aesthetica]

Thank you for shining more light on this terrible situation that extends to all Flora and Fauna on our planet, I am eager to get involved with the work you're doing. Heading to the website now.

[@nocturnex9339]

Third! ( Can’t wait for my books!)

[@AdrianTazzMan]

I love your videos so much! Keep it up mate you are awesome!

[@omarvela3154]

how can i support ark of life stewart

[@Ketillo17]

Such a sad video, great work, but man, makes me so incredibly sad

[@Ketillo17]

literally just came across a nephentes clipeata seller

[@Cavegeckosol]

Is there ever a possibility to return these species to their homes in the wild? I know that among animals like dart frogs and crested geckos, the risk of introducing diseases and foreign parasites etc. is too high to reintroduce.

[@KENTOSI]

Not while poaching is still a threat.

[@kobaltocr6927]

Que hermoso documental

[@duncanpage1556]

Very sad!

[@Saiyajin47621]

Second!