High proportion of cactus species threatened with extinction

[keith]

http://www.nature.com/articles/nplants2015142" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So many S american species in danger .

[DaveW]

We are currently having the debate as to their accuracy here:-

http://www.bcss.org.uk/foruma/viewtopic ... 1&start=50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cortez753]

Lol. So many North American species in danger.

[keith]

There are many field collected Ariocarpus fissuratus for sale on Ebay, mounds of them in the pictures offered for sale. I hope CITES doesn't over react and ban all cacti sales because of the few who plunder the desert.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ariocarpus-Fiss ... 3d053666fc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ghost-towncactus (0 ) OK I see the seller has a very recent name change, pretty sure it was terlinga rock shop a few days ago. Must be trying to obfuscate.

[graffiti]

Does CITES really have the authority to ban trade in cacti that aren't field collected?

[DaveW]

CITES does not ban anything, it works by restriction just making it difficult to get the appropriate licences and paperwork to either import or export legally so it is virtually impossible for many species to legally cross borders. Certainly almost impossible for amateurs, or uneconomic for small nurserymen in such cases to get the paperwork. That's usually how bureaucracies work, even if they don't have the powers to ban they can be so restrictive on trade it is a virtual ban.

https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/how.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's not just a permit from your own country to import either, you need an export permit from the country they are coming from, so two sets of public sector bureaucracies are involved as well as plant health phytosanitory certificates also being required. Also for small orders for a nurseryman the cost of obtaining the paperwork can exceed the value of the plants.

http://www.kew.org/sites/default/files/ ... ck.pdf.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are the CITES Appendices for our hobby:-

http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dic ... _cites.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also I believe that nurseries that propagate endangered species and wish to export have to be registered and frequently inspected and I think there are only a handful of cactus nurseries around the world so approved and probably no amatures so approved to export these plants.

https://www.cites.org/eng/res/09/09-19R15.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is why you see in most nurserymen's lists they will only sell plants to addresses within their own country, or in the European Unions case to countries within the EU. Cactus seed however if not on Appendix I is not subject to such controls and can be sent around the world. However very little seed comes out of Mexico legally since it alone I think has a ban on the export of cactus seed also, so if you visit Mexico and collect a few seed and bring them back to the USA you are committing an offence, certainly any cacti brought over the border will be illegal!

[A. Dean Stock]

I live just north of the "Arizona Strip" where several Pediocactus and Sclerocactus species occur that are in danger of being collected to extinction. There are few other factors other than collecting that threaten these species and they appear to have declined in numbers within the last 10 years. Yes, habitat destruction is also important, but for some species that are in demand for collectors, such as small species of Pediocactus, illegal collecting can have a very negative impact. This is especially important in species that are not long lived even in natural habitat.