31 Percent of the World's Cactus Species Face Extinction Due to Gardening and Trade

A staggering 31 percent of the world's cactus species are threatened with extinction. Scientists have taken a closer look at cacti, and have found that this group is among the most threatened taxonomic groups assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Cacti are under increasing pressure from human activity, with more than half of the world's 1,480 cactus species used by people. In fact, the illegal trade of live plants and seeds for the horticultural industry and private collections are the main threats to cacti. These practices impact about 47 percent of the threatened species.

"These findings are disturbing," said Inger Anderson, the Director General of the IUCN, in a news release. "They confirm that the scale of the illegal wildlife trade-including trade in plants-is much greater than we had previously thought, and that wildlife trafficking concerns many more species than the charismatic rhinos and elephants which tend to receive global attention. We must urgently step up international efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and strengthen the implementation of the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, if we want to prevent the further decline of these species."

Cacti are critical in New World arid ecosystems. They allow many animal species to survive the harsh, dry environment. Not only do they provide a source of food, but they also provide a source of water for species that range from deer to woodrats to coyotes to lizards. Cactus flowers also provide nectar to hummingbirds and bats as well as bees and moths. Without cacti, these species wouldn't be able to survive.

"The results of this assessment come as a shock to us," said Barbara Goettsch, lead author of the new study. "We did not expect cacti to be so highly threatened and for illegal trade to be such an important driver of their decline. Their loss could have far-reaching consequences for the diversity and ecology of arid lands and for local communities dependent on wild-harvested fruit and stems. This study highlights the need for better and more sustainable management of cactus populations within range countries. With the current human population growth, these plants cannot sustain such high levels of collection and habitat loss."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Plants.

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