Harnessing technology to end the illegal trade in succulent plants

A rampant illegal trade in Southern African succulent plants is resulting in species extinctions. Arid regions under threat include the Succulent Karoo, which supports more than 6,000 succulent species, of which 40% are found nowhere else on earth. Since 2019, more than 700,000 illegally harvested succulents, representing 450 different species have been seized by authorities as wildlife traffickers attempt to ship them out of Africa to illegal overseas markets, with many destined to be sold online. Their loss degrades ecosystems, deprives Africa of unique natural resources, and criminalises those drawn into illegal harvesting for financial gain.

Within South Africa, trafficked succulents are intercepted by enforcement agencies at a rate of 3,000 plants a week. These plants, which cannot be returned to the wild, require potting and processing for criminal cases, placing significant strain on conservation agencies within South Africa. As a direct result of poaching on an unprecedented scale, several species are already thought to be extinct in the wild – in some cases with the entire population removed in single poaching incidents.  

In 2022, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and TRAFFIC were awarded funding from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund (IWTCF) for the Harnessing technology to end the illegal trade in succulent plants project.

Supported by a team of multidisciplinary project partners based in both the UK and South Africa, the project will harness multidisciplinary tools and approaches, from use of Artificial Intelligence to personal interviews, to inform strategies to improve the regulation of online markets and law enforcement actions. Development of chemical fingerprinting and marking techniques will enable traceability and transparency in trade, while aiding the reintroduction of confiscated plants to their original locality in the wild.

By combatting poaching on the ground and improving the regulation of online markets which facilitate the sale of illegally harvested plants, the project supports South Africa’s National Response Strategy and Action Plan to Address the Illegal Trade in South African Succulent Flora, to help combat an illegal trade which threatens the future of Southern Africa’s unique succulent flora.

“The succulent poaching crisis is leading to species extinctions. While the Internet can facilitate the illegal trade in plants, technology can also be part of the solution in helping to detect and counter this fast moving threat to South Africa’s biodiversity”

David Whitehead, RBG Kew
Principal Investigator

 

“It is urgent that we obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of succulent plant crime, enhance tools for detection and enforcement and change online trading policies to combat this illegal trade”

Dominque Prinsloo
TRAFFIC Project Manager

 

The project consists of four outputs which help to inform one another.

Output 1: Greater understanding of trade dynamics informs law enforcement strategy and action.

Kew and TRAFFIC will identify prominent succulent plant taxa and quantify trade using data captured from the internet using artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Using TRAFFIC’s 1998 Southern Africa succulent trade report as a baseline, TRAFFIC will analyse trade information and interview stakeholders, which will inform a comprehensive understanding of the trade in Southern African succulents.

Output 2: Technical skills of law enforcement officers in identifying and intercepting illegally traded succulent plants are improved.

Findings from the trade study will inform the design and production of training materials to assist enforcement staff working to counter plant crime in South Africa. Further training will be delivered to enforcement personnel on AI online search technology, to strengthen their ability to detect and monitor online trade activity.

Output 3: Internet companies are aware of their responsibility to police and deter illegal trade in succulent flora and adopt and implement effective monitoring frameworks.

TRAFFIC and Kew will engage with online platforms as part of the ‘Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online’ to encourage the adoption of trading policies and standards in the online sale of succulent plants

Output 4: Development and testing of innovative tools to establish the provenance of succulent plants.

Kew will develop a provenance testing tool for succulent plants, based on the analysis of stable isotopes and trace elements within plant tissues. Development of these chemical fingerprinting and marking techniques may enable traceability and transparency in trade, while aiding the reintroduction of confiscated plants to their original locality in the wild.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund (IWTCF) and implemented in partnership with TRAFFIC.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund (IWTCF) is a UK government competitive grants scheme aimed at eradicating the illegal trade in wildlife.

TRAFFIC is a leading NGO working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.