Taichung to host 23rd World Orchid Conference (WOC)

TAICHUNG, Chinese Taipei: The World Orchid Conference is one of the significant orchid events that is held every three years around the world. Widely supported by various countries, Chinese Taipei is honoured to host the 23rd World Orchid Conference, which will be held from March 9-12, 2020 in Taichung City.

The focal point of this conference is the “Five Highlights”, which are elaborately planned by Taiwan Orchid Growers Association (TOGA). One of the highlights, Project Rooting, aims to highlight ex situ conservation through the collection of data on rare orchids collections and the building of a comprehensive database of orchid species with the participation of botanic gardens around the world.

​Project Rooting is led by Taiwan Orchid Growers Association (TOGA) and Dr. Cecilia Koo of the Botanic Conservation Center (KBCC) and is fully supported by Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), World Orchid Conference Trust and Taichung City Government. It is expected that all data collected from each botanic garden will be systematically organised and published as a book. The book will be categorized into 31 chapters with a detailed description from each organization that provides information on their orchid collection. Photos showcasing the orchids conserved by the respective organizations will also be included.

Through Project Rooting, we can understand the growing environment and evaluate the conservation situation of orchids in non-native environments around the world. Furthermore, keynote presentations will be arranged at the 23rd World Orchid Conference, providing an opportunity for the participants of this project to share with the world their efforts and the outcomes of their conservation work.

Since 2017, with the effort of Taichung City Government, TOGA, KBCC and The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), 31 botanic gardens around the world have been invited to take part in this grand project. Taiwan Orchid Growers Association (TOGA) expects to cooperate with more botanic gardens around the world to contribute to the new future of digital sharing of orchid conservation data.