Are your houseplants fuelling extinction? South Africa’s rare succulents face silent crisis

Over 1.6 million illegally harvested succulents, representing more than 650 species, were seized in South Africa between 2019 and May 2024.  

These iconic plants, some of which have survived for millennia in harsh desert climates, are now under threat from the surging global demand for exotic houseplants. 

The shadowy trade boomed since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rise of social media and online marketplaces further exacerbating the crisis by enabling traffickers to target plant enthusiasts in the UK, Europe, Asia, and the US.  Unknowingly, many buyers in these regions are providing economic incentives for illegal harvesting, devastating ecosystems and impacting local communities that rely on these plants. 

One high-profile case saw a South Korean national, dubbed the "world's most notorious succulent thief", arrested in Cape Town with 60,000 rare Conophytum succulents, some hundreds of years old. 

Dominique Prinsloo, TRAFFIC’s Project Manager in South Africa, said: 

These plants are part of the soul and heritage of South Africa. We urgently need a better understanding of succulent plant crime, enhanced tools for detection and enforcement, and new online trading policies to combat this crime and protect these plants for the people and ecosystems that rely on them.” 

In response to the crisis, TRAFFIC is working with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, supported by the UK’s Defra Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, to better understand succulent plant trafficking, strengthen enforcement, and develop innovative detection tools. TRAFFIC is also forming innovative partnerships with platforms including eBay  helping to remove illegal listings and make it harder for traffickers to profit. 

TRAFFIC is also one of many NGOs working with government agencies in South Africa as part of the National Response Strategy and Action Plan to Address the Illegal Trade in South African Succulent Flora. The purpose of the national response strategy is to develop a list of actions to address and manage the current challenges posed by illegal harvesting pressures, and to identify key actors that can undertake these actions through national collaborative efforts thereby ensuring the conservation of South Africa's rich succulent flora.  

But the solution doesn’t stop there. Consumers have a crucial role to play. By choosing plants from certified, sustainable sources, they can help combat this crisis and support conservation efforts.