A tragedy is unfolding in South Africa's Karoo region as succulents find themselves entangled in a web of greed and destruction.
The resilient plants have seen a major surge in popularity over the last few years, captivating people with their unique shapes and ability to thrive in harsh conditions. These rare and endangered species with their ability to store water and eye-catching looks have made them extremely desirable in the world of gardening and horticulture. Some succulent species possess medicinal properties and are used in traditional remedies. The combination of their aesthetic appeal, adaptability, and potential medicinal benefits makes succulents a lucrative target for poachers, endangering their survival in the wild.
However, a shadow looms over their existence.
The increasing demand for these plants has put a strain on their availability, resulting in extensive illegal harvesting and trafficking of succulents that are intricately linked to the illicit global market. Unknown to many, syndicates lurk in the shadows, orchestrating a trade that stretches across borders, as these plants gain popularity in various markets, including the U.S., E.U., and China, where there is a high demand. The same criminal organisations that smuggle illegal abalone or rhino horn are also trafficking succulents in South Africa. This illicit act poses a serious threat to the survival of many succulent species in their natural habitats, disrupting fragile ecosystems and undermining conservation efforts.
South Africa is the home to three out of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots, according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), a research and conservation organisation that is dedicated to the study and preservation of the country's biodiversity.
It reports that one of these hotspots is the Succulent Karoo, which stretches over 116,000 square kilometres across the Western and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa and even extends into Namibia. The Succulent Karoo stands out as the most biodiverse arid region globally, harboring numerous species that are found exclusively in this area. It boasts the highest abundance of succulent plants on the planet, each uniquely adapted to flourish in extremely dry conditions.
SANBI plays a vital role in addressing the illegal trade in succulent plants.
The plants are also facing a grave challenge in the form of the climate emergency. The Succulent Karoo biome, in particular, endured an unprecedented drought over the past decade, exceeding historical records. Climate models predict a continuous trend of aridification and escalating maximum temperatures, which will inevitably result in the decline of various plant species. The drought also contributed to poaching and threatens the survival of these plants. Conservation efforts focus on off-site conservation to reintroduce them to suitable habitats, reports Sheree Bega for the Mail & Guardian.
A Institute for Security Studies report reveals that these plants are also facing significant challenges, such as the destruction of their natural habitat from farming and mining. These activities could have devastating consequences for this fragile environment if left unchecked.
allAfrica's Melody Chironda explores the truth behind this succulent trade through an in-depth conversation with Emily Norma Kudze, a Senior Scientific Coordinator for the illegal succulent trade at SANBI. Kudze has a strong background in conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity. Her role involves implementing the National Response Strategy and Action Plan, coordinating stakeholders, and ensuring progress toward addressing succulent poaching in South Africa. Kudze's expertise and dedication make her a valuable asset in addressing this critical issue.
Kudze dives into the reasons behind this illicit trade. "Many plants are prized for their rarity and aesthetic value, leading to a high risk of illegal collection and trade," she said. However, she could not share some examples of rare succulent species that are especially targeted by poachers as doing so might attract attention to them.
Succulents are water-storing plants with thick, fleshy parts. Some store water in stems or leaves, while others have underground organs like bulbs, corms, and tubers. She said that "certain species of succulent plants, including mesembs, caudiciform, and geophytes (such as bulb species), are being heavily targeted to supply a growing demand within specialist horticultural markets. There may be a myriad of reasons why these plants are being targeted, but very limited qualitative research in consumer countries has been undertaken to sufficiently understand the drivers of this demand."
Kudze said it is believed that the rise of social media and online trading platforms have contributed to the demand for rare and unique species.
"Mostly these plants are valued for their aesthetic value. Many plants are also prized for their rarity and in the case of cycads, for example, another highly sought-after group of plants, high values are placed on wild specimens, resulting in many species remaining at a high risk of illegal collection and trade."
She also called on journalists to tackle the issue of illegal collection and trade of succulent plants in South Africa by reporting responsibly - and avoid publishing speculative information as facts.
Paving the Way for Progress
The National Response Strategy and Action Plan is designed to safeguard the long-term existence of South Africa's diverse succulent flora and foster sustainable socio-economic growth within the country. It considers the various challenges and opportunities associated with the issue and establishes several overarching objectives specifically aimed at addressing the problems in the Succulent Karoo region.
It outlines several key objectives to effectively combat the illegal trade, namely, ensuring the long-term survival of representative species populations through monitoring systems, establishing off site collections to preserve plants outside their natural environment, strengthening compliance and enforcement capacities, streamlining policy and regulatory frameworks to support better compliance and enforcement, engaging impoverished communities in biodiversity awareness and empowerment to deter poaching, developing effective communication strategies to raise awareness about the impact of the illegal trade, and exploring the development of a formal economy around succulents that contributes to socio-economic development and conservation.
Kudze says that SANBI, along with Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW), plays a crucial role in combatting the illegal trade in succulent plants. SANBI's Threatened Species Programme, together with CREW monitors the status of in situ (on-site) populations of succulent plant species and undertakes national conservation assessments (Red List assessments) of all South Africa's species. CREW is also collecting baseline data to establish population estimates for many of the most targeted species, as well as setting up a field monitoring protocol to revisit and assess species regularly.
Engaging Impoverished Communities Key to Addressing Poaching Crisis
In order to tackle the intricate challenge of poaching, Kudze says the fight against poaching is not merely an issue of conservation; it is a complex tapestry intricately woven with social and economic factors.
She said that "the current situation involving illegal wildlife trade is complex, influenced by both social and economic factors, which complicates finding definite solutions. The diverse roles, motivations, and operations of the actors involved, along with technological investments, funding sources, and knowledge of regulations, add to the challenge."
"Prior to 2020, low levels of the sustained illegal collection were carried out by local and international private collectors and nurserymen visiting the region, however, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant travel restrictions, international buyers (including middlemen) have used social media platforms to establish contacts with local South Africans who have limited opportunities for economic income," she added. "Limited economic opportunities, coupled with a range of socio-economic complexities, have driven the involvement of local communities in illegal activities such as diamond mining and illegal plant harvest."
"The short-term financial incentives for illegal plant harvest may be high, particularly amongst the youth, but the overarching socio-economic complexities that exist within the region make it challenging to tackle this 'wicked' problem, specifically from a conservation point of view alone."
"To make progress in conservation efforts," Kudze said, "it is important to engage meaningfully with local communities and relevant social development agencies." "The fight against poaching requires us to build bridges of trust and collaboration with impoverished communities, ensuring their active participation and benefiting from their local knowledge."
The illegal trade in succulents poses a significant threat to biodiversity and the sustainability of succulent populations.
"The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all rely on biodiversity. There are also many people that rely directly on biodiversity for their day-to-day lives globally, and healthy biodiversity can provide many opportunities for development and socio-economic upliftment".
South Africa has a key responsibility internationally to look after this spectacular biodiversity, a large proportion of which is found nowhere else in the world. The country is a signatory to several international biodiversity agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the Ngoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). Through relevant national legislation, the commitments to these various agreements are supported so that South Africa actively contributes towards successful and sustainable biodiversity conservation for the benefit of present and future generations.
Streamlining Policies to Combat Illegal Plant Trade
The illegal harvesting and trading of unique plants in the biodiversity sector present a significant challenge that requires improved compliance and enforcement. Kudze says "that local enforcement operations have had limited success in curbing this issue, as the demand for these plants continues to grow, fueled by expanding economies in the global north."
"To address this, there is a need for streamlined policy and regulatory frameworks that can disrupt the coordinated trade networks involved in the illegal plant trade. This requires concerted efforts from local, regional, and international enforcement agencies."
She added that "membership in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides South Africa with access to international standards and guidelines for conservation. By using the IUCN Red List and collaborating with global conservation efforts, South Africa can identify at-risk species and prioritise conservation actions."
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a widely recognised conservation status listing and ranking system and assesses a species' risk of extinction by considering various aspects such as the extent of the species distribution, the number of individuals remaining, the overall increase or decrease in the population size over time, as well as an indication of known threats.
Kudze added that "the Threatened Species Programme at SANBI oversees the assessment of South Africa's fauna and flora, which amounts to over 87,000 species. Currently, approximately 24,000 to 25,000 species have been assessed so far. The outcomes of these Red List Assessments are extremely important as they contribute to conservation planning and prioritisation. Therefore, we make every effort to prioritise key species groups for assessment and conduct repeated assessments whenever possible. By 2022, a total of 210 plant species from southern Africa, impacted by illegal trade and/or climate change, have been included in the global IUCN Red List. SANBI is actively engaged in assessing additional species that are under pressure for inclusion in the Red List," she said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Climate Change - The Growing Threat to Succulents
Climate change poses a serious threat to succulent species that rely on unique arid habitats with winter rainfall. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has conducted climate change modeling for a popular group of succulent plants and predicts that by 2080, all species in this genus may lose over 50% of their current suitable habitats due to climate change.
"Deforestation, the widespread removal of plants, has a huge impact on climate change. It releases carbon into the atmosphere and reduces carbon stored in the soil. Tree planting alone won't solve the problem. We need to focus on reducing fossil fuel emissions to address climate change effectively," said Kudze.
"To the specific question of whether removing succulents from the wild is contributing to climate change," she said, "the simple answer is probably yes, but only in tiny amounts. Driving a car to collect the succulent very possibly emits more carbon. It is also very much dependent on if you are removing a single plant or destroying all the plants in an area."
"A succulent plant has relatively small amounts of carbon stored for its size. To calculate how much, you need to oven-dry the plant until there is no water left, then weigh it. The carbon is approximately 50% of the weight."
Challenges
Kudze said that the current challenges in implementing the strategy and action plan revolve around limited funding and capacity, particularly in terms of numbers and skills. This has resulted in an imbalance of focus between animals and plants, with more resources allocated to the former, leaving less time, effort, and resources for addressing plant-related issues.
"We need dedicated capacity, skilled personnel, and adequate resources to tackle all the different objectives. The problem is relatively new but it is happening in an already underfunded arid landscape for government departments to deal with."
"However, we have made significant progress in our response strategy and action plan for combating succulent poaching. With funding support from WWF and the IUCN's SOS programme, we are able to implement and coordinate our efforts effectively. The appointment of the Senior Scientific Coordinator and Scientific Coordinator, along with the establishment of the Succulent Poaching Working Group, showcases our commitment to addressing this issue and protecting our precious biodiversity."
She said that SANBI has also established an internal inter-divisional Succulent Poaching Working Group which is required to address various SANBI responsibilities as outlined in the national strategy.
Kudze encouraged individuals to report any suspicious activities related to plants. Members of the public can contact the country's environmental crime hotline at 0800 205 005 or the SAPS (South African Police Service) at 10111.
