This may be especially useful for high-risk groups such as slipper
orchids as, although our results highlighted rarity as key to
hobbyist preferences, it is clear from real examples that all rare
species are not equal. The high demand for and subsequent rapid
over-collection to extinction of Paphiopedilum vietnamense
(Averyanov et al., 2003) was not suffered by Paphiopedilum parnatanum,
a species also discovered in 1999 that remains the focus
of little demand from the international market to this day.
Although closely related and described at the same time, these species
do differ in attributes such as flower shape, colour and size.
This suggests that further research focussing only on slipper orchid
buyers may reveal further preferences in additions to rarity, information
that could be used to predict which newly discovered species
will become most threatened by trade, allowing protection to
be put in place before overharvesting begins. This could include
increased protection of wild sites, collection of seed by registered
nurseries to begin artificial propagation, or alerts and specific identification
guidance for CITES enforcers checking exports of orchids
from countries of origin. This is particularly useful for species rich
groups such as orchids, in which an estimated 200–500 new species
are described each year (RBG Kew, 2014). In addition, an index
could be used to track changes in consumer preferences, allowing