THE GREAT CACTUS HEIST

Why we’re on a mission to protect these prickly plants from poaching

The desolate expanse of the Chilean Atacama Desert may not seem like a habitat teeming with plant life, but hidden among the cracks are thousands of endangered Copiapoa cacti, sought after by collectors around the world. With over $1million worth of wild cacti recently seized in one raid, the illegal trade of these prized plants is a threat that we’re working hard to tackle.

Cacti are known for their ruggedness in arid, dry environments and their arrays of forbiddingly sharp spines, so on paper they don’t sound too fragile. However, more than two-thirds of Copiapoa species are classified as critically endangered or endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Cacti are at threat from poachers and corrupt collectors situated around the world who knowingly trade critically endangered and endangered species of cacti due to their rarity. This demand drives the black-market trade, sadly pushing the prickly plants closer to extinction. However, it’s not just active criminals that threaten the species. Copiapoa cacti are also at threat from those who are unaware that the cactus they have purchased or uprooted could be a critically endangered species.

Paul Bamford, Regional Field Programme Manager for Chester Zoo, visited Chile in 2023 to find out more about the Copiapoa situation.

There’s a species of Copiapoa which is known as the ‘underground cactus’. These cacti are tiny. Some of them are roughly the size of a 5p coin when they’re mature, they’re grey-beige in colour and they grow at ground level. The Atacama Desert is almost unbroken brown from horizon to horizon, so you can imagine how hard these are to find. Yet, when I was taken to a colony, there were places where they had been removed, leaving holes. That tells you just how precise poachers can be. They know exactly what they’re looking for.

So, that’s happening in a protected area, where rangers can monitor extractions and take action to catch or deter poachers. It gives you an idea of how much worse it is in areas that are unprotected.”

Cacti heists are not an entirely new problem, but better roads have made the once-remote desert regions more accessible. Cactus poachers have also recently turned to social media to advertise their ill-gotten wares, tempting enthusiasts to part with the equivalent of thousands of pounds for just one plant.

Spotting the rare Copiapoa cactus

Copiapoa grow an average of just one centimetre a year by absorbing the desert’s fog, known as camanchaca.

Flowers of white, yellow, and orange bloom from the cacti once a year.

Copiapoa can live more than 50 years and take decades to start producing seeds.

Sadly, even a slight change to weather patterns can spell disaster for these long-lived and slow-growing plants, with global warming also impacting their survival. They not only serve as shelter and a food source for various species, but also contribute to healthy soil and the carbon cycle in one of the driest environments on the planet.

Operation Atacama

In March this year, the BBC wrote about Operation Atacama, a bid to take down cactus smugglers who were targeting slow-growing plants in Chile. They were put on trial and, in January, found guilty of stealing hundreds of plants valued at more than $1million.

Thankfully, the Chilean and Italian authorities and a group of cactus experts, helped have the plants returned to Chile. It may be the first-time plant species illegally torn from their habitat and carried to a different continent have been brought home in such large numbers.

Paul Bamford has watched the case unfold with interest, because, over the last few years, Chester Zoo has been spearheading an international effort to push for greater protections for these ecologically important plants. He’s working with experts like Pablo Guerrero and Barbara Goettsch from the IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group. Barbara and Pablo actually helped repatriate some of the cacti recovered during Operation Atacama.

We also hold the UK National Collection of Copiapoa – all obtained legally – at the zoo.

The level of risk that cacti face underlines the significance of the collection. It’s great we can look after them ex-situ (outside their natural habitat), keeping them as a living bank of genetic material, propagating them and growing seedlings, and playing a conservation role in the wild.

Philip Esseen, Head of Plants, Chester Zoo

The goal of the action plan is to give wild Copiapoa the best possible chance of survival. Plants might not command as much conservation attention as animals, but the extinction of a plant is no less disastrous than the loss of a mammal or bird.

The plan calls for legal habitat protection in Chile to be extended to cover at least 50% of endangered Copiapoa populations and establishes priority areas for research. We’re also pushing for legislation to be improved to make sure habitat protections are put in place during development projects, and more.

PLAY YOUR PART

You can get involved too, by making sure you aren’t unwittingly fuelling cactus kidnappings.

To tell the difference between a wild-grown Copiapoa and one propagated in a nursery or botanical garden, look out for lush, green and healthy cacti – these are Hothouse Copiapoa. Meanwhile, wild plants look more wild, often dusty, scarred and show asymmetrical growth.

Buy your plants from reputable plant nurseries who can provide information on the source of their stock. Look out for wear and tear which might indicate you’re being sold a wild-grown plant.

Avoid picking wildflowers and plants where you live. This helps to protect native species like the British ladies’ slipper orchid which has been on the decline because of illegal picking in Britain.

You can see the Copiapoa collection and a host of other plants in our Plant Project.