Orchid Conservation

At Isle of Portland orchids we have seen the threats to orchids across the world and are committed to supporting effective conservation. We donate 10% of all our orchid sales to conservation, sending 5% of our sales directly to each of our conservation partners in Colombia and Sarawak.

In Colombia we support SalvaMontes, a non-profit organization founded in 2016 with the goal of protecting threatened species and conserving their habitats.

SalvaMontes conserves Colombia's natural heritage through projects and conservation plans for various threatened and endemic species, primarily through the establishment of Nature Reserves. They promote documentation and knowledge through research projects, environmental education, and nature tourism, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility for biodiversity within these territories by local communities and encouraging the implementation of environmentally friendly practices.

Working in the forest canopy (Salvamontes.org)

Dracula lemurella in Los Magnolios Nature Reserve (Salvamontes.org)

We are proud to be one of SalvaMontes international supporters and delighted that our small contribution can help even in a small way.

You can find out more about SalvaMontes through their excellent website and maybe donate a little to help them continue their inspiring work.

The story of Dracula lemurella is a good example of how the work of SalvaMontes is making a difference. Dracula lemurella was first discovered in 1974, in the Alto de Ventanas region of Colombia, where its original habitat is degrading and limited to forest fragments amongst pasture and crops. A thorough exploration of the area between 2011 and 2016 could not find any plants of Dracula lemurella suggesting that the species critically endangered. The Los Magnolios Nature Reserve, set up by SalvaMontes in Alto de Ventanas protects 703 hectares of the remnant forest and just recently a small new population of Dracula lemurella has been discovered there. The SalvaMontes team is now carrying out long term population studies to monitor and understand the species as well as facilitating wider research into its conservation.

In Sarawak we have been working since 2017 to help to set up and support orchid conservation and education with our partners the Sarawak Orchid Society (SARORSO). As well as working to support the project as advisors and working on the ground with our partners in Sarawak, we donate 5% of our orchid sales to the schools projects run by SARORSO. You can find out much more about the project in Sarawak and our October 2025 expedition to Sarawak here on our website

You can find out more about our experience of the threats to wild orchid populations and what you can do to make a difference here.