'Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Guardian UK - Yanked from the ground': Hipster tastes have fueled a spike in succulent poaching.
Now conservationists are finding creative ways to rescue them
Now conservationists are finding creative ways to rescue themSaturday February 23, 2019
The national park is not alone. Across the south-west, cacti are being stolen from public lands in increasing numbers. From soaring saguaros to tiny, rare species favored as indoor house plants, the booming global demand for cacti is driving a shadowy, underground trade that’s difficult to police. Moreover, experts say, such trends risk destroying sensitive species forever.
In Saguaro, the situation became so grave it prompted a bold solution. In a scheme that made headlines, park workers began inserting microchips the size of pencil tips into cactus trunks, which could be scanned with an electronic reader. While the effort has so far proven effective in thwarting thieves, it has been a rare bright spot in a problem that remains pervasive yet intractable.
More than a dozen cactus experts interviewed for this story – government botanists, presidents of regional cactus clubs and respected south-west nursery operators – shared tales of crimes that go largely unprosecuted, fueled by unregulated international trade on the internet.
Read the full story in the Guardian
Photo (c) Emily B. Roberson
