Post by ozzy on Nov 16, 2012 21:31:01 GMT
The North Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy is doing a project to catalog the VFT's in the Green Swamp. They are raising funds to do this. I believe that its vital to the survival of VFT's. Please donate to this very worthy project.
www.rockethub.com/projects/11868-venus-flytrap-a-charismatic-plant
TNC, in their effort to protect this unique fly-eating plant, wants to make sure they are effectively protecting the unique ecosystem it grows in. Are these plants being poached away? Is fire occurring frequently enough and in the right places to maintain their viability?
To answer these questions TNC proposes to survey the Venus flytrap population in the Green Swamp to provide a starting point from which to monitor these species in the future. If we know where the Venus flytraps are located in the preserve we can better direct where we need to do our controlled burning. Also, knowing specific Venus flytrap locations can help us to abate poaching. We will be able to keep a closer watch out in areas that have significantly larger numbers of Venus flytrap plants.
But here's the thing, there are densely vegetated habitats throughout the Green Swamp interspersed with the savannas called pocosin. Pocosins make it extraordinarily difficult to access many areas in the Green Swamp. This is why we are lacking information about the numbers and locations of Venus flytraps. We just haven't had the time to survey ourselves or the resources to contract the survey out. This is what led us here. We have a Green Swamp-area native botanist that has done other field work for us armed and ready to brave the pocosin. Our botanist will establish baseline monitoring plots as well as sample. This will allow us to monitor and track populations of Venus flytraps through time. It will be no easy task for the botanist as the conditions in the Green Swamp can be very hot and buggy. Trudging through pocosin would test even the very best field scientist! The baseline survey will take several months so long story short our botanist will need to be well compensated for their work, plus there will be other expenses like fuel and monitoring supplies.
We cannot possibly effectively conserve these species if we do not know how many we have and where they are located. This data will ensure we are managing Venus flytrap habitat properly and will complement the policy work TNC is pursuing to provide for tougher penalties on those caught poaching.
www.rockethub.com/projects/11868-venus-flytrap-a-charismatic-plant
TNC, in their effort to protect this unique fly-eating plant, wants to make sure they are effectively protecting the unique ecosystem it grows in. Are these plants being poached away? Is fire occurring frequently enough and in the right places to maintain their viability?
To answer these questions TNC proposes to survey the Venus flytrap population in the Green Swamp to provide a starting point from which to monitor these species in the future. If we know where the Venus flytraps are located in the preserve we can better direct where we need to do our controlled burning. Also, knowing specific Venus flytrap locations can help us to abate poaching. We will be able to keep a closer watch out in areas that have significantly larger numbers of Venus flytrap plants.
But here's the thing, there are densely vegetated habitats throughout the Green Swamp interspersed with the savannas called pocosin. Pocosins make it extraordinarily difficult to access many areas in the Green Swamp. This is why we are lacking information about the numbers and locations of Venus flytraps. We just haven't had the time to survey ourselves or the resources to contract the survey out. This is what led us here. We have a Green Swamp-area native botanist that has done other field work for us armed and ready to brave the pocosin. Our botanist will establish baseline monitoring plots as well as sample. This will allow us to monitor and track populations of Venus flytraps through time. It will be no easy task for the botanist as the conditions in the Green Swamp can be very hot and buggy. Trudging through pocosin would test even the very best field scientist! The baseline survey will take several months so long story short our botanist will need to be well compensated for their work, plus there will be other expenses like fuel and monitoring supplies.
We cannot possibly effectively conserve these species if we do not know how many we have and where they are located. This data will ensure we are managing Venus flytrap habitat properly and will complement the policy work TNC is pursuing to provide for tougher penalties on those caught poaching.
