South Africa’s rare plants are being poached to extinction, and the ecological nightmare is only getting worse
It has taken suspected succulent smugglers just a few years to yank out of the ground more than 1.5 million rare plants with a cumulative age of more than 44,000 years. And illegal trade in wild flora and fauna continues to rocket, authorities say.
Plant poachers, including fugitives, repeat offenders and crooks who operate internationally, are damaging critical ecosystems in South Africa and are probably behind the near extinction of some rare succulent species as they continue stealing hundreds of thousands of them.
To try to get a grip on the problem, police say they are trying to take down syndicates on many fronts, including from within. In the Western Cape they are recruiting and training more informers.
Farmers are also being told about what to look out for, to try to stop poaching.
SUCCULENT SMUGGLERS: South Africa’s rare plants are being poached to extinction, and the ecological nightmare is only getting worse
It has taken suspected succulent smugglers just a few years to yank out of the ground more than 1.5 million rare plants with a cumulative age of more than 44,000 years. And illegal trade in wild flora and fauna continues to rocket, authorities say.
Plant poachers, including fugitives, repeat offenders and crooks who operate internationally, are damaging critical ecosystems in South Africa and are probably behind the near extinction of some rare succulent species as they continue stealing hundreds of thousands of them.
To try to get a grip on the problem, police say they are trying to take down syndicates on many fronts, including from within. In the Western Cape they are recruiting and training more informers.
Farmers are also being told about what to look out for, to try to stop poaching.
SUCCULENT SMUGGLERS: South Africa’s rare plants are being poached to extinction, and the ecological nightmare is only getting worse