Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade is a well-known conservation issue, but there are still large gaps in understanding of how trade chains operate for the majority of over-exploited wildlife products. In particular, the large-scale global plant trade is under-reported and under-researched, which is even more pronounced when the trade takes place within a country’s borders. A clear example is the trade in orchids, all species of which are listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Although countries such as Vietnam are known hotspots for the large-scale collection of wild orchids for the international trade, little is known about how plants move from the wild to the end-consumer, the role played by domestic markets and the sustainability of trade. We use a mixed-methods approach to determine the structure of trade chains for orchids in key trading areas of Northern Vietnam, and use a thematic framework to identify five groups of actors trading wild-harvested orchids. Trade occurs both domestically and internationally, underpinned by demand for rare, wild plants. An important first step to address the illegal and unsustainable plant trade is to recognise it as a major conservation issue, and develop diverse approaches that consider the complexity of the supply chains involved. It is imperative that the scale and process of domestic trade is understood, and its impact on long term conservation of these species assessed to make more informed decisions about effective interventions that take into account the full supply chain.

中文翻译：

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兰花的晦涩感：了解越南野生收获兰花的国内贸易

不可持续和非法的野生动植物贸易是一个众所周知的保护问题，但在了解大多数过度开采的野生动植物产品的贸易链运作方式方面仍然存在很大差距。尤其是，大规模的全球植物贸易没有得到充分报道和研究，当该贸易在一个国家的边界​​内进行时，这一点尤其明显。兰花贸易就是一个明显的例子，兰花的所有物种都被《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）列出。尽管像越南这样的国家是为国际贸易而大量收集野生兰花的热点地区，但人们对植物如何从野生环境转移到最终消费者，国内市场所扮演的角色以及贸易的可持续性知之甚少。我们使用混合方法来确定越南北部主要贸易区中兰花的贸易链结构，并使用主题框架来确定五类交易野生兰花的参与者。在稀有野生植物需求的支撑下，贸易在国内和国际上进行。解决非法和不可持续的植物贸易的重要的第一步是将其视为主要的保护问题，并考虑到所涉及的供应链的复杂性，采取多种方法。必须了解国内贸易的规模和过程，并评估其对这些物种的长期保护的影响，以便在考虑到整个供应链的情况下就有效的干预措施做出更明智的决定。