During the Covid-19 lockdown, plant nursery owners have noticed a surge in houseplant purchases. Collecting houseplant as a hobby is not something new, and it is a movement that is growing rapidly, especially amongst millennials.
It is said that plants bring about poetic peace to urban folks after a day of stress and grit. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see that this hobby mainly attracts young urbaners who are stressed out and being far removed from nature. Houseplant collection is now one of the most popular hashtags trending on social media, which allows plant enthusiasts to exchange knowledge, skills and even plants within the community. This seems like harmless leisure until it gets exploited, like everything else that is popular.
One of the biggest concerns accompanying this trend is an increase in illegal plant trade, which is less tightly regulated compared to wild animals. This is mostly a result of a phenomenon known as ‘plant blindness’ — an irrational bias that views plants as inferior to animals. As of today, more than 300 protected plant species are being openly traded on Amazon and Ebay. This is detrimental to the environment as an increase in rare plant harvesting accelerates their extinction, impacting the entire local ecosystem. Houseplant hobbyists should now turn their community into a force for good. I…