The poaching of white rhinos for their horns and sharks for their fins has long generated outrage around the world. But even more people – often unsuspectingly – are funding the illicit trade of another imperiled group of plants: Dudleya. 

Dudleya, commonly known as liveforevers, is a genus of succulent plants found in southwestern North America. It includes 47 species and 21 subspecies. More than half of California’s Dudleya species are classified as rare. When these native plants are poached from wildlands, it creates a disruption in the ecosystem that impacts countless other species. 

“Dudleya poaching sparked from the increased interest and market of succulents over the last decade,” explained Native Plants Manager Kevin Alison. “The limited supply and rarity caused incentive for people to freely harvest plants from the wild to provide plants to this growing market.” 

Succulents have a fan following, with a whole network of influencers sharing images of the rare plant. They are in high demand and the increasing interest in Dudleya has led to collectors and commercial businesses buying up large volumes to supply overseas markets. Succulents like Dudleya, orchids, cacti and carnivorous plants are regularly stolen from wildlands and sold on the black market. In some cases, 100-year-old Dudleya have been uprooted from California cliffs and sold for thousands of dollars only to die within a year, according to the California National Park Service. 

In 2023, Catalina Island Conservancy rangers intercepted the theft of numerous mature liveforever plants, including one that was several decades old. Thanks to Conservancy volunteers, many of those plants were nurtured back to health and replanted.  

“This loss diminishes the resilience of these rare plants to survive into the future, especially at the local population level,” said Alison of the theft.” 

The problem of plant poaching had been increasing throughout coastal California until passage of a critical state law, Assembly Bill 223, outlined penalties. Offenders caught poaching dudleya in California have been convicted.  

“Plants deserve respect,” said Alison, who recently discussed this issue at a community talk in San Diego. “When you remove plants from the wild, you’re removing not just the plant, but also the food for the birds and pollinators, and leaving a hole in the fabric of the local ecology.” 

Learn more about the native flora of Catalina Island and the Conservancy’s efforts to protect endemic species.