CapeNature has seized more than 2-million illegally harvested succulent plants over the past three financial years in the Western Cape, with 57 guilty findings secured by prosecutors in court.
“Succulent poaching, often driven by demand from collectors in markets such as China, the US and the EU, has become increasingly prevalent. With poachers exploiting the scarce arid regions of the Western and Northern Cape, many endangered species such as the iconic ‘elephant’s foot’ are now at risk of extinction,” Dave Bryant, DA provincial spokesperson on local government, environmental affairs and development planning said on Tuesday.
“Criminal syndicates, some previously involved in smuggling abalone and rhino horns, are now trafficking these vulnerable plants. Economic hardship in rural areas, worsened by limited opportunities, has also contributed to this illegal activity.”
CapeNature and the National Prosecuting Authority had successfully advanced 109 cases of succulent poaching in the past three financial years, leading to 57 guilty findings, 10 acquittals and 42 active cases.
Penalties ranged from fines of R500 to R1m, with prison sentences spanning from 150 days to two years.
Succulent poaching is the illegal harvesting of wild succulents (plants that store water in their leaves, stems or roots which helps them survive) for trade.
“Over this period, CapeNature has seized 2,076,310 illegally harvested succulent plants, averaging 18,875 plants per case,” said Bryant.
Some of the seized plants are placed in the South African National Biodiversity Institute while it is often not possible to replant in natural habitats due to poaching-related damage or finding their original locations.
“The extent of succulent poaching in the Western Cape is troubling, as it not only endangers our unique biodiversity but also fuels a destructive illegal trade network,” said Bryant.
TimesLIVE
Kim Swartz
www.timeslive.co.za