Endangered species: The Halfmens is a tree-like succulent plant species devoid of branches, which is the most iconic of the Richtersveld
Four succulent poachers have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for trying to steal 14 endangered Halfmens (Pachypodium namaquanum) succulent plants within the |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape.
According to SANParks, members of the Ranger Corp, assisted by the park’s botanical team and the South African Police Service, were involved in the arrest of the poachers in August 2020.
“They were intercepted by the police close to Port Nolloth,” the park’s botanist, Pieter van Wyk, told the Mail & Guardian. “They were going to sell them to a lady in China.”
The poaching incident, he said, had a “very negative” effect on the park, not only for visitors, but also on the relationship of the park with the community. “The removal can have a devastating impact on the specific population, which is now in danger of population collapse.”
The Halfmens is a tree-like succulent plant species devoid of branches, which is the most iconic of the Richtersveld. The poached plants, Van Wyk said, were likely more than 100 years old.
The Richtersveld National Park, which is part of the |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, is a contractual park, managed jointly by the local community board and SANParks. It is the only national park in which the community is allowed to live and farm.
Lucius Moolman, SANParks regional general manager, said the removal and permanent damage of the Halfmens is one of the “worst cases” in the history of the Richtersveld National Park, because of the significant cultural, tourism and natural value of the plants. “Due to the sensitivity of the species, they will not be able to be rehabilitated into their natural habitat and this will have a negative impact on the specific population.”
The species are of great value, and a valuable asset to the park, which is the only national park in South Africa in which Halfmens are being conserved, SANParks said. All plants in the Northern Cape are protected and a permit is needed to remove, transport or possess these plants.
The perpetrators were sentenced and convicted on Thursday on charges relating to the poaching of succulent plants, which are protected by the National Environmental Management Act and trespassing in a national park regulations.
The sentence is precedent-setting, said Van Wyk. “Some cases that will be handled over the following months will have longer sentences or large fines, depending on the severity of the specific case, especially in case of species which have been poached to extinction.”
It is impossible, he said, to place a financial value on the poached plants, “as these plants are very old and one does not know how high a price would reach as there has never been fully grown ones available on the market”.
There has not been an increase in succulent poaching in the park itself, he said. “It is mostly outside the park. It is driven by opportunistic syndicates who want to make quick money, because plants are easily accessible outside the park.
“They market samples on social media and the internet, and when an interest [is] sparked, they arrange for the plants to be poached. The end destination is mostly China, Korea and Japan, but some plants are sent from there to European countries.”
Moolman welcomed the conviction. “SANParks considers the poaching of succulents a serious offence and will not tolerate this type of poaching from members of the public. We will not rest until each and every suspect is convicted and the poaching is stopped.”
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