What is supposed to be cherished and protected as a rarity in the region is now being poached and sold illegally owing to high global demand.
South Africa and Namibia houses most of the rare species of plants called succulents. These plants are found in the Succulent Karoo desert, which spans both countries.
Succulents
The plants being paoched are aptly named succulents for their ability to retain water despite scorching temperatures.
As a result, they are in great demand in the global market, which is contributing to an increase in poaching in the region.
“They’ve not just stolen our land or our plants, they’ve stolen our heritage as well,” one angry cattle farmer tells the BBC, expressing her dismay at the social and ecological problems caused by poaching.
The size, shape, and color of succulent species vary; some resemble tiny, multicolored buttons, while others resemble cacti and produce vibrant flowers at specific seasons of the year.
These types can be grown in nurseries, but the demand for them worldwide is also driving poaching of wild plants, which are smuggled and sold online to customers in the US, Europe, and East Asia, as per a report by the BBC.
A small amount of poaching can wipe out some species since they are highly concentrated.
“In South Africa, we know already of seven species that have been wiped out completely and there are certainly more species that will go extinct very soon,” says Pieter van Wyk, a nursery curator at the /Ai /Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park.
Whilst it can be hard to estimate the precise amount of plants being stolen, according to the non-governmental organization Traffic, between 2019 and 2024, South African law enforcement officials captured 1.6 million unlawfully harvested succulents.
The actual quantity could be much greater considering that this only includes the illicit merchandise that was found.
