Population reinforcement of European terrestrial orchids

Orchids are currently among the most threatened plants, with many species facing unprecedented levels of decline in the wild. Like many other plant groups, terrestrial orchids are indeed impacted by increasing anthropogenic threats, but they also feature inherent rarity and specific conservation needs, including high dependence on mutualistic interactions with mycorrhizal fungi and pollinators. As a consequence, orchids may often be the first plants to suffer and decline when habitats are degraded. Translocation, either in the form of reinforcement (the addition of individuals into an existing population with the aim of enhancing its viability) or reintroduction (the attempt to re-establish a population in a site where it formerly occurred, but where it is now locally extinct), is recognised as a valuable tool in conservation biology, in conjunction with in situ habitat protection and ex situ conservation, to restore populations that have lost numbers or range. Does such approach account for the high degree of ecological specialisation which is a key attribute for orchid survival? In the framework of its networking activities, the LIFEorchids project, devoted to the protection of 9 orchid species and their habitat 6210(*), invites two leading experts in orchid conservation to share their longstanding experience in terrestrial orchid propagation and outplanting in the field.