Welcome to Cooperative Orchid Conservation

Australia is richly endowed in terms of its biodiversity. However, its largely endemic flora is increasingly under threat from human activities ranging from land clearing and agriculture, to urbanisation and the spread of weeds. No plant group represents the problems we face better than the orchids.

There are approximately 1200 orchid species in Australia. About 80 per cent of these are terrestrial and found predominantly in Australia's south-east and south-west. Epiphytic orchids grow mostly in the forests along the eastern coast.

Currently 15 per cent of Australia's orchid species are officially listed as extinct, critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable and the numbers are increasing as we learn more about their diversity and their distribution.

The Cooperative Orchid Conservation website has been developed to link people and organisations that are concerned about the plight of Australia's orchids and are working to reverse their decline. Please explore our site and discover some of these orchid conservation groups and their activities.