On 23 October 2024, ENACT, a project funded by the European Union through the Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP), hosted a critical discussion on how Southern Africa is addressing the illegal trade in ornamental plants and reptiles. The event brought together experts to shed light on the alarming rise of this illicit market, particularly in South Africa’s Succulent Karoo region and beyond. Authorities in the region have already seized more than 1.2 million of illegally harvested plants across 650 species, highlighting the urgency of this issue.
Dominique Prinsloo, Project Manager at TRAFFIC, revealed that the illicit trade in wild plants, including succulents, bulbs, and cycads, is driven by the general public, specialised collectors, and commercial traders, with demand spanning domestic and international markets, particularly in China and Japan. Virtual platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, WeChat, and e-commerce sites like eBay and Etsy facilitate this trade, making it harder to regulate.
The Head of the INTERPOL Criminal Analytical Unit in Malawi discussed how the country’s location within a regional wildlife poaching hotspot has made it a critical source, distribution, and transit hub for trafficking. They highlighted the importance of legal reform, community engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and regional intelligence-sharing as key strategies for combatting wildlife crime.
Carina Bruwer from the Institute for Security Studies stressed that corruption and the exploitation of legitimate supply chains are significant enablers of this market. Melissa Castlemaine from ECO-SOLVE revealed that in South Africa and globally, 78% of illegal wildlife trade occurs through social media platforms, which offer a far greater diversity of species compared to e-commerce sites. The event underscored the need for collaborative, technology-driven approaches to protect biodiversity and curb the environmental impact of trafficking in Southern Africa as well as in the rest of the world.
