A leading orchids expert at London’s Kew Gardens is hoping its latest festival will help boost much-needed conservation efforts for India’s flora. Bala Kompalli, botanical horticulturist at Kew Gardens, has been cultivating a diverse range of orchids for the annual Orchids Festival, which this year has transformed the Princess of Wales Conservatory into a vibrant Indian market. The festival is taking place amid the ongoing degradation of much of India’s forests, as roads, settlements and agricultural developments encroach on the fragile ecosystems. Rapid development has been particularly devastating in the Himalayan foothills, home to a number of ecosystems in which…
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