Illegal succulent trade pushes SA’s rare plants towards extinction
More than 1.6 million illegally harvested succulent plants — representing more than 650 different species — were seized by law-enforcement authorities in South Africa from 2019 to May 2024, as the plants transit Southern Africa to overseas markets.
The illegal trade, which occurs through online platforms such as social media, has severely affected biodiversity in the Succulent Karoo Biome, according to a new report by Traffic — an NGO working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable.
“It is thought that single episodes of illegal harvesting have resulted in whole species extinctions,” said the report, which delves into the complexities of the illicit succulent trade.
“Their loss degrades ecosystems, deprives South Africa of unique natural resources and criminalises those drawn into illegal harvesting for financial gain.”
The rampant illegal trade of the region’s endangered succulent plants is pushing some of the world’s rarest botanical treasures toward extinction. These iconic plants, some of which have survived for thousands of years in harsh desert climates, are now under threat from the surging global demand for exotic houseplants.
The shadowy trade has boomed since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the rise of social media and online marketplaces further worsening the crisis by enabling traffickers to target plant enthusiasts in the UK, Europe, Asia, and the US.
In one high-profile case, a South Korean, Byungsu Kim, dubbed the “world’s most notorious succulent thief”, was arrested in Cape Town with 60 000 rare Conophytum succulents, some of which were centuries old.
“These plants are part of the soul and heritage of South Africa,” said Dominique Prinsloo, Traffic’s project manager in South Africa.
“We urgently need a better understanding of succulent plant crime, enhanced tools for detection and enforcement and new online trading policies to combat this crime and protect these plants for the people and ecosystems that rely on them.”
Thriving trade
In 1998, Traffic published a study reporting that South Africa had a thriving international trade in succulent plants, based largely on artificially propagated plants produced by the country’s well-established nursery community, with exports forming the bulk of this trade.
That study noted that South Africa became known as an exporter of illegal wild-collected succulents during the Seventies when commercial collectors documented the destruction of specific Lithops populations.
“It was a concern at the time of the study’s publication that some plants offered for export as ‘artificially propagated’ were wild-collected, and this concern is still relevant today,” the report said.
About 3 500 species and infraspecific taxa (for example, subspecies, variety, cultivar or form) of succulent plants occur throughout South Africa and Namibia.
These plants reach their greatest abundance and diversity in the semiarid, winter-rainfall climate of the southern and western parts of South Africa, where they are often the dominant life form.
“Given that many of these succulent species are endemic to South Africa and Namibia and occur in small populations, illegal harvesting (picking indigenous/protected/specially protected flora that is listed in the provincial and national legislation without a permit) is a severe threat to the survival of these plants in the wild,” the report said.
In South Africa, the illegal harvesting of succulent flora is “now rife” in both private reserves and in state-protected areas in the Succulent Karoo Biome, which spans Namaqualand, the Hantam, Tanqua and Roggeveld regions as well as the Little Karoo in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape.
About 16% (1 589 species) of the world’s estimated 10 000 succulent species occur in the Succulent Karoo Biome.
Illegal supply chain
Interviewees described the demographics of roleplayers in the illegal succulent supply chain as illicit harvesters, intermediaries, exporters, organisers, syndicate leaders and financiers.
“The interviewees believed that consumers range from naive online purchasers who lack awareness of the consequences of their purchasing behaviours to specialist collectors who knowingly seek rare, novel or ‘authentic’ wild specimens.”
Most of the demand is believed to be coming from the US, Europe and Asia. However, some interviewees believe that there are consumers within South Africa, “but to a far lesser extent”.
Dwarf succulents were mentioned most often as being traded illegally.
“It was suggested that caudex plants, variegated/crested species, specific bulb species and other ornamental plants have become more popular in recent years.”
On how the prices of the plants are determined, nursery owners said that it was based on numerous factors, including size, age, cultivar, variety, special mutations, colour morphs, scarcity and market prices.
For the illegal trade, most illegally harvested succulents are sourced from outside protected areas in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape and Namibia and Madagascar.
Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi have been implicated as transit countries in the illegal trade from South Africa and Namibia.
Illegally harvested succulents are believed to be destined for Asia, specifically China, South Korea and Japan, as well as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Czechia, Hungary, the UK, the US and Saudi Arabia.
For legal trade, based on trade data between 1995 and 2021 from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), most commodities reported by number were wild-sourced (55%) or artificially propagated (44%).
Three importers — Belgium, Germany, and the US — accounted for more than 85% of all legal direct imports of live specimens from listed succulents from South Africa between 1995 and 2021.
“Rare succulents are seen as a status symbol. Additionally, consumers living in small apartment buildings with limited space demand portable, durable, long-lived, low-maintenance ‘natural elements’ to add beauty to their apartments.”
Largely opportunistic
Financial reasons were cited as the biggest motivator for taking part in the illegal succulent trade. Many succulents are “easily accessible”, while collection trips can occur quickly and are very profitable.
Some interviewees viewed illegal succulent harvesting among locals in South Africa as largely opportunistic because of economic circumstances, the report said.
“Based on the information gathered from interviewees, it is evident that the modus operandi of illegal harvesting is very systematic. Illegal harvesters had prior knowledge of the area and targeted specific sites. Coastal roads are being used more often, as opposed to major routes.”
Plants were transported to designated depots or warehouses for sorting, organising, packing and exporting.
“The poached succulents are neatly wrapped in cotton or toilet/tissue paper for protection and packed into boxes. In the past, plants were concealed as or within toys, dried fruit, ornaments or household goods.”
The packaged plants are exported via a postal service or private courier companies. Payments across the value chain are made using cash, electronic bank transfers, gift vouchers or drugs.
“Interviewees mentioned the convergence between the illegal trade in succulents and other commodities, including abalone, rhino horn, ivory and reptiles.”
Drought, Covid-19
While the demand for South African succulent plants has existed since the Nineties, the interviewees mentioned two key events or periods that might have increased demand.
“The 2015-2016 El Niño-induced drought increased domestic demand for succulents as these plants require minimal water for domestic gardens.
“The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 saw a major shift in the role of players involved in the succulent trade,” the report said.
Before the pandemic, people from China, South Korea, Japan and the Czech Republic would visit South Africa to remove plants and smuggle them back to their countries.
“During the pandemic, it has been suggested that foreign nationals opted to recruit locals to poach succulents on their behalf due to lockdown restrictions and have continued to do it this way ever since,” the report said, noting that the number of succulent seizures in South Africa drastically increased in the years following the pandemic.
Recommendations
The past five years have seen significant developments in protection mechanisms for the country’s succulent flora through the implementation of provincial and national legislation; precedents set by court cases; the development and implementation of the National Response Strategy and Action Plan to Address the Illegal Trade in South African Succulent Flora and international treaties.
This includes the listing of 17 species and the entire Conophytum genus on Cites Appendix III. This is a list of species included at the request of a party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation.
However, several challenges hamper enforcement efforts to combat succulent plant trafficking and prevent a legal, sustainable trade in these plants from which South Africans could benefit, Traffic’s research found.
Some enforcement agencies lack awareness of the dynamics and severity of the illegal succulent trade stemming from South Africa and other African countries such as Namibia and Madagascar.
Research into illegal succulent trade dynamics, especially the consequences, such as heritage loss, habitat destruction and the irreplaceable nature of succulents, should be disseminated through information-sharing sessions or awareness interventions with these officials.
The influx of confiscated plants is unmanageable, the report said.
“The sheer volume of plants that require potting and care is resource-intensive, and most agencies do not have the capacity and funds to care for these plants in the short and long term,” it said.
The government needs to allocate a budget to support the implementation of the national strategy, including the care of confiscated plants.
The public is generally unaware of the illegal trade in succulent plants and campaigns should be run to raise awareness of the ecological consequences of these biodiversity crimes, especially for local communities and young people.
Many local nurseries cannot legally trade in indigenous flora. Interviewees explained the difficulties in obtaining permits.
“To create livelihood opportunities and support local businesses, many challenges must be addressed regarding acquiring permits to sell and export protected and specially protected flora,” the authors said.