The first ever nationwide orchid survey, sponsored by the Darwin-Hamied Centre for Biodiversity, took place in Colombia on 22 and 23 August 2026.
‘Orchid Big Day Colombia’ was organised by Dr Edicson Parra-Sánchez, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre.
Dr Parra-Sánchez said:
“This project is important because we lack basic knowledge. Some orchids may only grow in only single forest. You cannot conserve an individual species if you do not know where it lives. Mapping - which this survey makes possible - is a vital step towards conservation.”
The survey involved almost 300 people from over 35 territories who collected 1323 records of orchids, one of the most diverse plant families in the world.
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The ‘citizen science’ participants included farmers, community leaders, rural schools, and academics.
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Over the preceding three months Dr Parra-Sánchez recruited and trained participants across the country in the identification of orchids and how to use the iNaturalist app to capture images.
During the two days in August, participants went into the field to upload photographs of the orchids found in their territories.
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Specialist taxonomists then verified and curated the data in the platform iNaturalist. This included making private or obscuring the location of some species to protect them from illegal collectors.
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The survey will take place annually and will expand to places where records are scarce including territories where indigenous peoples and communities of African descent are custodians of biodiversity.
Dr Parra-Sánchez said:
“The organising team is excited to see that network of allies has already started to grow which will mean more training and more localities integrated into the initiative.”
The project partners are Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, Jardin Botánico de Cali, and Jardin Botánico Medellin.
Booklets curated by local participant groups: