By Carina Bruwer
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
Key points • Cooperation between State and non-State stakeholders has been integral to the response’s successes. • Despite the illegal succulent market’s transnational nature, the response is concentrated in South Africa. • Seized plants have become unmanageable. • Resource and staff shortages have overwhelmed those responding to the illegal market. • Limited law enforcement capacity and allegations of corruption in the Northern Cape Province have caused the response to be driven primarily by the Western Cape. • Limited government departments are engaged in implementing the National Response Strategy, despite its multiple dimensions
