Vietnamese slipper orchids are in danger of extinction due to over-exploitation and have been listed as endangered species, said ecologist Phan Ke Loc from the Vietnam Science and Technology Institute.

Vietnam has 20 species of slipper orchids, many of which are shrinking in numbers.

Recently, scientists have identified three globally threatened species of slipper orchids, scientifically named Paphiopedilum spp. in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in central Quang Binh province.

The Paphiopedilum species, which has been listed in the World Conservation Union’s Red List of threatened species, are found in primitive forests at an altitude of 1,000m above sea level.

The slipper orchids were first found in central coastal Khanh Hoa province in 1922 but their populations were quickly decimated by over-exploitation. They were discovered again in 1996 in Khanh Hoa province and northern mountainous Cao Bang province. Since then, they have been exploited to near extinction.