Rafflesia: New Hope For Saving The World's Biggest And Weirdest Flower

The Independent:

Deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia blooms the world's biggest flower -- a massive fleshy orb designed by nature to attract insects by mimicking the colour and stench of rotting meat [...] But under an innovative Malaysian scheme, indigenous tribes who once gathered Rafflesia buds by the sackload are being trained as custodians of the rare flowers, and to act as guides for ecotourists.

Read the whole story: The Independent

Comments

[TazoWolf]

It's good to see this type of conservation. I know Costa Rica has been doing this sort of thing for a while, preserving their rainforests for the tourist industry, and even adjusting their exports to match (like exporting butterflies for weddings... which they raise in butterfly gardens, which are essentially rainforest gardens they've covered with a screen to keep the butterflies in... which also attract tourism). During my time in Costa Rica, I loved the rainforests, canopy tours, butterfly gardens, etc.

[choada777]

I hate that too. Especially pictures in the fashion and entertainment sections with half-naked models that are just begging to be ogled at 1280 resolution or better.

[Geoffrey Gardner]

Good story- I just hate it when you click Enlarge on a small website picture and the new image is the exact same size. Especially great accompanying an article about the world's biggest flower!

[MJinCanada]

I love it. A great way to preserve a species and help the locals financially.