Orchids, butterflies target of bio-smugglers

Turkey, a primary source for bio-smugglers because of its rich, diverse flora and fauna, has stepped up efforts against the smuggling of precious species out of the country. In the past five years, TL 2.6 million ($889,619) in fines were handed down to smugglers caught in the act, and 99 people were detained, according to official figures. Nurettin Taş, director of the National Parks Service, said orchids were the favorite plant for bio-smugglers, while butterflies were among the most smuggled animals.

Taş said Turkey was a habitat for many species with high value as a genetic source such as endemic plants, plants sought for pharmaceutical purposes and various rare insect species. Apart from orchids, tuber plants and bulbous plants are popular for plant smugglers, while venomous snakes, subspecies of salamanders and vipers are the most sought after for animal smugglers.

Taş said that in the past month there had been six cases of attempted bio-smuggling with 13 suspects detained, while 99 suspects were detained in 52 cases in the past five years, and they were slapped with fines of more than TL 2 million. The minimum fine for endangering biodiversity, a charge that includes bio-smuggling, is TL 38,000 under Turkish laws. The director said the majority of smugglers were from European countries and Japan, while Syrians made up the majority of smugglers caught while smuggling birds of prey, such as hawks and falcons. Most smugglers are academics in pursuit of genetic material, and bio-smuggling is particularly common in northeastern Turkey, the Mediterranean region in south, eastern and southeastern Turkey, regions renowned for their rich fauna and flora. According to Taş, smuggled plants and animals are used for research in the medical, cosmetics and defense industries in which enzymes and poisons obtained from insects and plants are valuable.