Watch out! The Thailand-Yunnan Line Whitewashed the Wild Conophytum into Horticultural Conophytum Species

An enthusiastic netizen commented on the Clean Internet for Conophytum Initiative “Without the Clean Internet for Conophytum Initiative, the entire genus Conophytum would have been wiped out by mid-century.”  

The Clean Internet for Conophytum (CIC) initiative is a conservation endeavor initiated by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), a leading Chinese conservation group and a IUCN member founded in 1985. The initiative aims to combat illegal wildlife trade, particularly the transnational plundering and illicit trade of succulent plants, by purifying online trading platforms. Launched on March 9, 2023, the CIC action has garnered widespread support and engagement from the public, conservationists, horticulturists, and businesses.

 

With the support of the majority of enthusiastic netizens, a number of online platforms have taken down the Conophytum Species, the phenomenon of openly calling for the sale of the Conophytum Species in the network live broadcasting room has basically disappeared, the illegal trade in the Conophytum Species has been effectively curbed, and there are still a lot of netizens who come forward to openly report on illegal sale of the Conophytum Species. ......

However, the illegal trade in the Conophytum Species has not been completely eliminated, but the channels have become more hidden, for example, some illegal traders hire South African locals to carry out poaching and digging; and the smuggling route is from Thailand, and the “Thailand-Yunnan Line” has become an important illegal entry route for smuggling wild Conophytum Species into China. Unlawful businessmen “whitewash” wild Conophytum Specie under the name of “horticultural Conophytum Specie”, and send them to Yunnan Customs from Thailand, and fill in the place of origin as Thailand when declaring at Customs. Unlawful businessmen through this misrepresentation of origin information and concealment of wild plants, through the customs examination and enter the China’s market.

A netizen once lamented: “Wild Conophytum Specie used to be the masters of this land (South Africa), living on this land for hundreds of years, and they were all destroyed by these unscrupulous people with a shovel. ......” 

Wild Conophytum Specie play an important role in the local ecosystem of South Africa, especially in arid and semi-arid desert areas, where they store water through their succulent foliage, keeping the water cycle and water resources stable, while protects the soil from erosion and water run-off.

From the perspective of globalization and systematization, the endangered and extinct South African Conophytum Specie in the wild will ultimately affect the global ecosystem.

Original Chinese link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JqS8ctv3Noud3TzO1hUOvw

Edited by: YJ
Checked By: Maggie
Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776 

Contribution

Do you know? We rely on crowd-funding and donations. You have the opportunity to help an international movement to advance biodiversity conservation. Donate TODAY to power up the movement to make it a better world for all life.

Donation(501C3)Paypal: intl@wbag.org

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=2EYYJJZ8CGPLE