How illegal harvesting of vulnerable plants and animals strips the Cape’s ecology

Many times a week, CapeNature compliance officers and SAPS units chase down plant poachers – some driven by economic hardship, others by profit – supplying a market for ornamental conversation pieces in homes around the world. Whether buyers realise it or not, the trade has cascading ecological impacts and undermines tourism livelihoods.

Between April and June 2025, CapeNature – the public institution responsible for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape – registered 12 biodiversity crime cases. Eight involved flora (plant life), while four related to fauna (animal life). Sixteen people were arrested.

Alongside these investigations, officials issued 23 fines: four for contraventions of the Marine Living Resources Act (such as fishing without a licence or catching undersized fish) and 19 for offences under the Nature Conservation Ordinance, including the possession of wild animals or indigenous plants, and illegal snaring.

Read more: Conviction reveals criminal syndicates’ shifting focus in illegal plant trade

“These statistics reflect the seriousness of biodiversity crime in the province and our ongoing efforts to strengthen compliance and enforcement along with our partners,” said Anton Bredell, the MEC for local government, environmental affairs and development planning.

Plants under siege

Carl Brown, a compliance specialist in wildlife trade at CapeNature, says the main offences involve the possession of wild animals (mostly reptiles) and indigenous plants, including succulents. Three species are under particular pressure: Clivia mirabilis, elephant’s foot (Dioscorea) and the succulent genus Conophytum.

The hardest hit is Clivia mirabilis, or the “miracle clivia”, which grows naturally in the remote mountains between Vanrhynsdorp and Nieuwoudtville, on the boundary of the Western and Northern Cape. 

“What’s unique about this one is that the closest relative is in the Eastern Cape around the Alexandria area… which is way out of distribution, that’s why they call it the miracle clivia,” said Brown.

Listed as vulnerable on Sanbi’s Red List of South African Plants, it is targeted for ornamental horticulture, particularly by lucrative markets overseas. “It’s being targeted by illegal collectors and being sent out by the hundreds – and the species is at risk.”

Brown explained that these plants are targeted to satisfy demand for ornamental displays. “It’s used to have an interesting plant, like a conversation piece or as a display piece,” he said.

Collectors prefer large, wild specimens that flower and set seed faster than cultivated plants. “Those that are collecting want a plant that looks wild… they don’t want a nice nursery plant that’s fat and pretty,” Brown said.

Other recent cases involved about 100 illegally harvested elephant’s foot plants and large-scale poaching of Conophytum succulents.

“Eleven of the Conophytum species are now considered to be functionally extinct in the wild,” said Brown, meaning they are so depleted that natural reproduction is unlikely.

In a recent Red List update many Conophytum species have been moved from “least concern” to “critically endangered” or “endangered” due to illegal harvesting.

Organised crime 

Believe it or not, while it might not make it onto Narcos, the illegal harvesting and trade of plants in South Africa is highly organised, driven largely by international demand for ornamental species.

“The market for those plants is not really in South Africa… the primary market for Clivia mirabilis is actually the Far East,” Brown said.

Brown said overseas traffickers often use social media platforms such as Facebook or TikTok to identify species and locations. They then contact local harvesters, sometimes supplying GPS coordinates or detailed descriptions of target areas. The plants are then smuggled out, often via courier companies.

Read more: How an algorithm is fighting the illegal sale of succulents blooming online

Enforcement involves CapeNature working with the South African Police Service (including the Hawks and Endangered Species Unit), landowners, tourism operators, freight companies and other partners. “They are responding sometimes twice, three times a week… but they’re not always catching people,” Brown said.

One of the biggest challenges in tackling succulent poaching is the vast and remote terrain, which makes it difficult to spot and report illegal activity. “They’re quite isolated and remote, so actually seeing people doing the illegal activities and reporting them is difficult because… they will use back roads,” Brown said.

Observation posts are sometimes set up in targeted areas, similar to anti-rhino-poaching operations, with landowners playing a key role. “People are watching those areas… especially the landowners, because they want to protect the plants that they have on their properties,” he said.

People and places behind the trade

“In a lot of the towns, especially in the Northern Cape, the old mining areas are no longer functional, so a lot of those people who were employed in the mines are now sitting without jobs,” Brown said.

He noted that while some individuals exploit the trade for extra income, many harvest plants out of necessity.

“There are those people that are legitimately doing it because they don’t have any other choice – there’s no other functional economy where they can actually go and get jobs. So there’s a socioeconomic challenge that needs to be addressed.”

Legal alternatives, such as community-run nurseries selling indigenous plants, offered livelihoods without threatening wild populations.

“Tourists come from all over the world to see these plants. The key message we promote is ‘take only photographs, leave only footprints’. There are managed nurseries that sell these plants legally and support local livelihoods.”

Why it matters

Biodiversity crime might not be as high-profile as violent crime, but its impacts go far beyond a few missing indigenous plants. It affects ecosystems, climate adaptation and local, ethical ecotourism.

The Western Cape is home to the Cape Floristic Region, one of the world’s six floral kingdoms and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Yet nearly 16% of the province’s species and more than half of its ecosystems are considered threatened.

Illegal harvesting damages more than just the targeted plants. Poachers often uproot hundreds of specimens at a time, disturbing soil and destroying habitats. “Because rainfall in those areas is episodic… that can have impacts on soil erosion and other plants,” Brown explained. Some plants act as “incubators” for other species, providing shade and shelter for germinating seeds. Removing them disrupts regeneration and the broader ecosystem.

The region’s biodiversity also plays a crucial role in water retention, particularly in mountain catchments. “Healthy vegetation means water is retained and released slowly,” Brown said. When mountainsides are bare, water runs off quickly, eroding soils and degrading habitats.

At a constitutional level, protecting biodiversity supports the right to a healthy environment. The South African Constitution guarantees this right, ensuring an environment that maintains ecosystem services, supports water security and sustains local economies.

“The framework of the Constitution actually thought that it’s quite important to have an environment that works for us, that’s healthy for us, that benefits us,” noted Brown, adding that this is especially true in the Western Cape, given the catchment areas that helped the region through the Day Zero drought period.

What you should know

While much of the problem is driven by organised crime, Brown said some illegal activity stems from ignorance – people simply don’t know that they can’t pick certain plants or take protected species. Of the 19 fines issued under the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 15 involved wild animals, mainly the possession of tortoises and the snaring, or attempted snaring, of bushbuck along the Garden Route.

Some cases appear opportunistic, such as picking up a tortoise found on the roadside, while others are deliberate.

Brown’s advice or the average protected area visitor

1. Respect the land: All land belongs to someone – the government, companies or private owners. Always get permission before picking plants or interacting with wildlife;
2. Follow the law: All indigenous wild animals and plants are protected. Legal permits or licences are required to pick, hunt or collect them; and
3. Understand the consequences: “Just like there are consequences for taking other people’s stuff, there are consequences for picking plants or catching wild animals without permission or without permits,” says Brown.

Common plants often taken unknowingly

• Arum lilies;
• Proteas (various species);
• Pincushions (Leucospermum); and
• Other flowering indigenous species.

“So, remember, don’t pick the flower if it belongs to someone else, and don’t take the lonely tortoise crossing the road home with you,” said Brown. “It’s just trying to get to the other side.” DM