Succulent Plant Conservation (5-minute Video)

South Africa has an extraordinary diversity of succulent plants, around 40% of the world's total, with incredible endemism rates.

The Succulent Karoo, spanning from the Western Cape into Namibia, represents one of only two arid biodiversity hotspots worldwide. This semi-desert receives minimal winter rainfall (50-200mm annually) but hosts over 5,000 plant species, with succulents dominating the landscape.

But these botanical treasures are vanishing at an alarming rate through poaching.

The silent theft of these ancient, slow-growing plants is pushing entire species to the brink of extinction, transforming ecological systems that have evolved over millions of years.

Since 1949, the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association has grown into Africa's largest member-based hunting and conservation organization.

Its sound principles centered around community respect, cooperation, ethics, education, and responsible use provide clear guidance to the members.

Conservation has been a key objective of SA Hunters since its inception, and the Association has evolved into a locally and internationally respected organization that supports an integrated and rational approach to conservation.

It is recognized within the wildlife sector for its thought leadership in responsible wildlife management and the scientific community for contributing to applied research, innovation and knowledge transfer.

The various branches of SA Hunters are encouraged to participate in conservation initiatives within their regions. The Namakwa branch, formed in 2018, is deeply involved in succulent conservation.