Many development projects across the world have, over the years, put the habitats of plants and wildlife at risk. But when researchers in Kerala were faced with the possibility of thousands of orchids losing the trees they called home to road-widening projects, they began asking a rather unusual question: could these plants be relocated to a new habitat? Would they continue to grow, flower and reproduce even after being moved somewhere new? In an effort to give the orchids another chance at survival, scientists set out to find them a new home, with plenty of questions about whether they would adapt to their unfamiliar surroundings.A study published in the Plants journal on October 15, 2026, looked at whether thousands of orchid plants could be saved from destruction through a rescue relocation effort. The research was carried out by Mithun Venugopal, Pradeep N. Sukumaran and Viswambharan Sarasan, with researchers from the KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences in Kozhikode and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK.Why were the orchids at risk?Orchids are often associated with colourful flowers and ornamental gardens, but there is much more to this plant family than meets the eye. Some species grow on other plants, particularly trees, and are known as epiphytic orchids.
Road construction in Kerala threatened thousands of rare orchids growing on trees
In an inspiring conservation effort, researchers successfully relocated more than 27,000 orchids from the threatened areas of Kerala's Western Ghats due to road expansion. This project aimed to assess the adaptation of these exquisite plants in new habitats, achieving a remarkable 71.4% survival rate. Notably, varying success rates were observed across locations, with urban wetlands proving to be the most beneficial.
In brief
Many development projects across the world have, over the years, put the habitats of plants and wildlife at risk. But when researchers in Kerala were faced with the possibility of thousands of orchids losing the trees they called home to road-widening projects, they began asking a rather unusual question: could these plants be relocated to a new habitat? Some species grow on other plants, particularly trees, and are known as epiphytic orchids.
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