Dudleya poaching

[Astro]

Plant poaching is not restricted to Mexico or South Africa...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ing-crisis

[Stuart]

Quite amazing, Dudleyas are freely available in the Dutch wholesale trade, quite inexpensive and all clean nursery-grown plants but I suppose the California plants are 'free'. Hopefully this won't spread to the more collectable island species off the California and Baja coast. I don't sell the more common species as they take up too much room in relation to their value and they mark too easily. It's good to see that the authorities are taking this seriously.
Stuart

[Terry S.]

The worrying thing about this is that it might just be the tip of the iceberg. The high prices being paid in China and Korea for various slow-growing Mexican cacti and South African succulents including adromischus and conophytums will only serve to encourage such illegal activity. I know that conservation officials are aware of the problem but how does one police the remote areas in which many such plants grow? I fear that the situation might also make local people more suspicious of genuine succulent plants researchers.