21 Nov 2023

Flora / Growing, growing, gone: safeguarding South Africa’s illegally traded succulents

This paper explores the illegal market for succulent flora from the country's Succulent Karoo and the national strategy to address the crisis.

South Africa’s Succulent Karoo is home to succulent flora that occur nowhere else on earth. But many species are disappearing due to a rapidly escalating onslaught by criminal networks orchestrating the harvesting and trade of rare and threatened species to satisfy international demand for ornamental plants. This report explores the illegal market for South African succulent flora from the Succulent Karoo region, the impact of this market on people and ecosystems, and the implementation of the National Response Strategy to address the crisis.

 

About the author

Dr Carina Bruwer is an ENACT senior researcher for southern Africa. Her research focus includes transnational organised crime, environmental crime, maritime

security and international law.

 

Image: © Mike Keeling/Flickr

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