Abstract:
Illegal trade in wild plants receives less scientific and policy attention than illegal trade
in wild animals and animal-derived products. One exception to this generalizable trend
is the recent emergence of an illegal trade in the California succulent species Dudleya
farinosa. US officials and mainstream media reporting on these incidents suggest the
final destination of these plants is succulent consumer markets in South Korea and other
East Asian countries. It is believed that this illegal trade emerged in response to sudden
and widespread consumer demand for succulents due to: (1) the increasing popularity of
succulent plants in mainstream South Korean and East Asian cultures writ large; and (2)
the preferential valuing of ‘wild’ versus cultivated plants by succulent consumers. Based
on findings from content analysis of media reports and in-depth qualitative interviews
in California and South Korea, I argue instead for a more nuanced perspective of the
drivers of this emergent trade, with the primary motivational desire for these plants
coming from a selective and highly skilled community of succulent enthusiasts, rather
than mainstream plant consumer groups. In presenting these findings I demonstrate
the importance of in-depth, critical qualitative research for exploring the emergence of
particular trades in wildlife in order to inform more sustainable and legal trades. I clarify
the primary drivers of this new trade in Dudleya farinosa as an illegal but logical response
to the economics and temporalities of plant trade. I offer suggestions on how these
findings can inform more sustainable solutions to the illicit extraction of wild plants in
meeting consumer demand.
