ENVIRONMENT NEWS - The Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape is alarmed by the continued rise in organised plant poaching, which has now become one of the most prevalent forms of biodiversity crime in the province.
Revealed in a parliamentary reply, more than half of all biodiversity crime cases recorded in 2024/25 related to indigenous flora, showing a clear and accelerating threat to our environmental assets.
What began in 2020 as a targeted assault on Conophytum in the Knersvlakte has evolved into a broader and more sophisticated criminal trade. Syndicates have shifted to other high-value species such as Euphorbia, Clivia mirabilis, Dioscorea (Elephant’s Foot), and selected fynbos species as earlier hotspots became depleted.
In the Knersvlakte alone, enforcement operations have intercepted the equivalent of 9 500 poached plants per month over five years, while in 2022 Conophytum seizures exceeded 239 000 specimens.
Plant seizures in 2024/25 stand at just over 33 000 specimens, though this drop must be measured against the change in focus species.
The reply further reveals that plant poaching is no longer confined to remote reserves. Northern corridor municipalities such as Matzikamma and Cederberg remain high-risk zones, while Cape Town has emerged as a logistics hub for export using airport freight and private courier services. The illegal trade now mirrors routes previously used for abalone and narcotics, with material flowing to East Asia, Europe and North America.
Despite this escalation, the Western Cape has mounted a structured enforcement response. CapeNature now leads an interprovincial task team with representatives from the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape.
In addition, CapeNature collaborates with SAPS, Customs, SANParks, the NPA, NGOs and the Financial Intelligence Centre to trace both physical supply chains and financial beneficiaries.
Prosecutor training, rural surveillance and the expansion of License Plate Recognition cameras in poaching corridors are disrupting movement between pick-sites and exit points.
Dave Bryant MPP, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, said: “Protecting the Cape Floristic Region and the Succulent Karoo from industrial-scale biological theft is an economic and environmental imperative. Our biodiversity functions as living infrastructure that supports agriculture, tourism, livelihoods and long-term resilience. The DA will continue to back evidence-driven enforcement, coordinated intelligence-sharing and stronger prosecution so that this province’s natural heritage and the economic value it sustains are not stripped by organised criminal syndicates.”
Article: Dave Bryant, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
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