The newly opened Richtersveld Desert Botanical Garden in Sendelingsdrif, South Africa, serves as a crucial sanctuary for the country's endangered succulent plants. This garden, inaugurated in August 2023, is the first of its kind in a desert biome and represents a significant effort to combat the rapid decline of these unique species.
Located within the Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, the garden is a collaboration between the South African National Parks (SANParks) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). It was established in response to alarming extinction rates driven by poaching, climate change, and overgrazing.
Pieter van Wyk, the garden's curator, highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that over 400 species were at risk of extinction as of 2021. The garden aims to create a living bank of these threatened plants, with facilities to house species saved from poaching and mining.
Despite the harsh desert conditions, the garden is home to thousands of endemic species, some of which have already disappeared from the wild due to human impact. The facility also serves as an educational center for the local community, emphasizing the importance of conservation.
Since the onset of the poaching crisis in 2019, SANBI has intercepted over a million plants, although this represents only a fraction of those taken from their natural habitats. Recent collaborative efforts have led to improvements in the poaching situation, with a significant reduction in confiscated plants this year.
Looking ahead, the goal is to reintroduce some of these plants back into their natural ecosystems, which are vital for maintaining ecological balance. However, challenges remain, particularly in areas where habitats have been irreversibly damaged, such as mining sites.