How CapeNature is pushing back the tide of syndicates targeting the Cape’s unique biodiversity - Pierre de Villiers

CapeNature, the Western Cape agency tasked with protecting its nature reserves, is confronting two threats: destructive summer wildfires and a surge in wildlife crime as international syndicates target everything from abalone to rare succulents and reptiles. In one case, a 126 kg shipment of succulents was intercepted at OR Tambo International Airport. In an interview with BizNews, Pierre de Villiers, CapeNature's Senior Manager for Marine and Coastal Operations, outlines the scale of the crisis. He says that succulents now fetch prices that rival rhino horn and explains how a coordinated, intelligence-led enforcement model, drawing in the Police, private sector partners and local communities and the navy, is beginning to turn the tide in the Overberg.