Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

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ChrisR
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Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by ChrisR »

The rare & iconic "Burger's Onion", Conophytum burgeri, has been hit by poachers a few days ago. This image has been posted on the Chinese WeChat social media platform in order to attract a buyer. The security at the Vedanta Black Mountain mine at Aggenys was always considered enough to deter even genuine visitors without prior permission but it obviously hasn't stopped whoever dug up these plants. The whole population must have been just about wiped out. The plants are still in South Africa as far as I know. The crime is still not considered serious enough for severe punishments as Conophytum are not yet CITES listed. This is currently being proposed but the wheels move slowly and it really should have happened years ago. Meantime, the poaching continues but the South African Police tell me the courts would take a far more serious view were they CITES and would pass sentences that are actually a deterrent. Unlike the heavy punishment handed out to foreigners, local people are given just a small fine and they are the ones now being paid to dig up plants by Chinese buyers.
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Chris Rodgerson- Sheffield UK BCSS 27098

See www.conophytum.com for ca.4000 photos and growing info on Conophytum, Crassula & Adromischus.
Christian
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Re: Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by Christian »

This is terrible. I am dreading to think what the chances might be that such populations recover eventually.
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KarlR
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Re: Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by KarlR »

Just sad. You just feel deflated, don't you. Hopefully there are still plants left and seeds in the ground to keep the population alive. And hopefully there are further, undiscovered populations.
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Kees
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Re: Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by Kees »

Very sad.
This underlines once more every collector's responsibility to only buy from reputable sources and never pay high prices for a specimen of a rare species. High prices paid are perverse incentives for illegal collectors.
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Stuart
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Re: Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by Stuart »

This reminds me of when Lau used to get his unfortunate boys to strip Mexican habitats. Locals stripping a habitat don't draw much attention as would a group of Chinese in hired vehicles, all that's needed is one visit to set the wheels in motion and one more visit to collect the plants and pay a small sum to the locals involved. If there are countries where these stolen plants can openly be sold, and one country seems to be at the centre of this, it's hard to see what can be done. Sadly, there's very few of us that seem to worry about what's happening. If they were cute animals instead of inanimate green blobs it would make a difference.

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iann
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Re: Poaching......Conophytum burgeri

Post by iann »

Unbelievable :(
Cheshire, UK
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