IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group

Group website

Group leadership

Dr Amy HINSLEY

Co-Chair

Dr Martha CHARITONIDOU

Co-Chair

Born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece. I am a Geographer (BSc. hons), with a MSc. (hons) on Applied Geoinformatics in Environmental Risk Management, and a MSc. (hons) on Biodiversity Conservation. I hold a PhD in orchid Population & Spatial Ecology (excellent with distinction), and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biological Applications & Technology, University of Ioannina, Greece, and an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Greece. My research focuses on orchid population dynamics, spatial ecology & extinction debt in space and time, plant-pollinator interactions and the evolutionary dynamics of floral structure, as well as cultural ecology of salep orchids and their trade in Greece and the Mediterranean. From July 2021 until October 2025 I served as the co-chair of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group - Global Trade sub-group, and since October 2025 I serve as the co-chair of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group. Among others, I'm highly interested in biogeography, ethnobotany, and the effects of climate change on orchid species/populations.

More about the Specialist Group

The OSG was first established in 1984 and now has approximately 200 members from around the world, including many leading scientists, with expertise in the various disciplines that are vital in implementing effective orchid conservation strategies.

The Orchid Specialist Group mission is to assist in international efforts to conserve plant diversity, by providing technical support and encouragement for the development and execution of programmes to study, document, save, restore and manage orchids and their habitats wisely.

Specialist Group work

ORCHID SPECIALIST GROUP GOALS

Assess the conservation status of orchid species throughout the world;
Identify conservation priorities for orchid species and their habitats and develop strategies for their conservation;
Provide expert assistance for the conservation of orchid species diversity