Abstract Wildlife trade is a threat to species survival and wild collected orchids are a notable component of it. In the first systematic patent review of any wild species, we find many innovative and industrial uses of orchids, using the example of traditional product salep made with wild harvested Mediterranean and Central Asian terrestrial orchids. Despite considerable interest in the conservation of these orchids, no systematic analysis of innovation and technology transfer had been conducted for natural products using them. Our systematic review on salep found 244 patent applications, of which 89 were granted, spanning 163 years from 1855 to 2018. Uses included industrial materials and contemporary medicine formulations. This recalibration of the value of salep using patent analysis shows that, rather than being restricted to two specific products of limited regional circulation, these orchids are a rich source of unique materials with myriad applications around the world. In order to conserve wild terrestrial orchids collected for salep, conservation science must engage with the full extent of the utility of and commercial interest in these particular orchids. Additionally we demonstrate how conservationists can use patents as a source of information on incipient commercial interest in wild species.

中文翻译：

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专利分析作为探索野生收获物种商业利益的新方法

摘要 野生动物贸易对物种生存构成威胁，野生采集的兰花是其中的重要组成部分。在对任何野生物种的第一次系统专利审查中，我们发现了兰花的许多创新和工业用途，以使用野生收获的地中海和中亚陆生兰花制成的传统产品 salep 为例。尽管人们对保护这些兰花有相当大的兴趣，但尚未对使用它们的天然产品进行创新和技术转让的系统分析。我们对 salep 的系统审查发现了 244 项专利申请，其中 89 项获得了授权，时间跨度从 1855 年到 2018 年的 163 年。用途包括工业材料和现代药物配方。使用专利分析重新校准 salep 的价值表明，这些兰花不仅限于有限区域流通的两种特定产品，而且是独特材料的丰富来源，在世界各地有着无数的应用。为了保护为出售而收集的野生陆生兰花，保护科学必须充分利用这些特定兰花的用途和商业利益。此外，我们还展示了保护主义者如何将专利用作有关野生物种初期商业利益的信息来源。