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.
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Edited transcript of the interview
Linda van Tilburg (00:05.624)
CapeNature is a provincial government entity in South Africa that manages the region's nature reserves, protects ecosystems and promotes conservation-driven tourism.
At the moment it is also battling summer wildfires in the Western Cape. But it is confronting a surge in biodiversity crime, driven by organised syndicates that treat the province's unique species as export commodities. To unpack the scale of this threat – and the glimmers of progress – we're joined by Pierre de Villiers, Senior Manager: Marine and Coastal Operations at CapeNature.
Linda van Tilburg (00:47.635)
Let's start with the basics. What is being targeted at the moment, and why are these species so valuable to poachers and international collectors?
Pierre de Villiers (00:57.794)
If you look at the seaside, the main targets are abalone – a massive delicacy in the East, where serving it demonstrates a certain status in life. Then there's West Coast rock lobster. While some is exported legally, many syndicates target local markets, especially undersized lobster, which is devastating for the sustainability of the fishery. They tail them – break off the head – and sell the tails locally. It's become quite a lucrative market.
Shark fins are another big one; the fins are sent east for various dishes. Poachers catch a lot of sharks using longlines. Some of the meat is used locally, but the fins are exported. That's mainly an offshore issue, whereas abalone and lobster are inshore, generally up to about 30 metres deep, while sharks can be taken much deeper.
On land, believe it or not, cut flowers are a major illegal commodity right now. There's a huge export trade in beautiful flowers you see in international markets, floral arrangements and weddings. Legal permits exist, but illegal harvesting is rampant.
Then there are succulents – those little plants from the West Coast and Karoo. You can walk right past them without noticing, but they're extremely valuable in the ornamental plant trade. Some species now fetch more money than abalone or rhino horn.
Pierre de Villiers (03:03.061)
We don't have many rhinos or elephants in the Western Cape, but that's a massive trade elsewhere. A lot of the parts from animals poached inland are exported via Cape Town harbour or airport.
Believe it or not, the pet trade is another big one. The Western Cape has many endemic species – small, pretty creatures like tortoises and chameleons – which are captured and exported.
Then there's the bushmeat trade. Many immigrants coming into South Africa are accustomed to bushmeat, and demand has exploded. In the Western Cape, especially over the holidays, we've seen a lot of hunters with packs of dogs. It's a massive issue that needs to be tackled in a structured way.
Linda van Tilburg (04:15.244)
It sounds as though you have an enormous amount to contend with. The one that particularly interests me is when you said succulents can now be more valuable than rhino horn. How have succulents gone from petty theft to being linked to the international crime economy?
Pierre de Villiers (04:33.260)
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly, but as a manager running operations, you have to put everything in context – socio-economic context (global, national, provincial and local) and environmental context (ecosystems, climate change, weather). For example, no one dives in five-metre waves.
Politically and internationally, there are many wars at the moment. The USA and others are making statements, and in those conflicts huge amounts of money are being made. Technology is advancing rapidly, countries are setting up factories, and wealth is accumulating quickly. Once people become wealthy, they want to display it. Abalone on the table shows you've arrived. Succulent plants have become the latest vogue, especially in built-up cities where people live in apartments and want rare little pot plants to boast about.
That's the tragedy of poaching worldwide: the rarer something becomes, the more valuable it and its parts are.
Linda van Tilburg (07:33.332)
Is there a danger that some of the Cape's biodiversity could become extinct because of poaching?
Pierre de Villiers (07:40.269)
Yes, definitely – the danger is always there. But it comes down to enforcement and managers predicting and identifying hotspots. We know where succulents grow, just as we know the specific aspects – aspect of a mountain, temperature, humidity – that plants need. The same applies to marine species. Poachers target those same areas, so we need to be there waiting, take it seriously and step up our efforts.
I've seen many recent articles explaining why enforcement in South Africa – whether SAPS, fisheries, CapeNature or others – finds things difficult. I agree it's hard, but that's no excuse. If we want South Africa to be in a better place in 10, 20 or 30 years, we must accept the problems and find solutions. Enforcement is one; education, awareness and empowering communities are others. Increasing the live value of these plants and animals to local people is essential.
If people have no income – given the rand's value and the country's situation – it's hard to convince them of a tortoise's worth in the veld when they see it as food. The informal economy in South Africa is huge, and poaching forms part of it. We need to change mindsets, grow alternative economies and evaluate quickly rather than writing endless reports. Enforcement must step up. Money is tight and capacity limited, but global donors exist. We need to source that funding and get on with it. We're doing it, and as a country we have to.
Linda van Tilburg (10:43.430)
The Western Cape is enormous. How do you cover such a vast area? What kind of partnerships exist between CapeNature, the police and perhaps the private sector?
Pierre de Villiers (10:55.468)
Yes, it's huge, but not all targeted species are spread across the entire province. The first mindset shift is to stop thinking “the Western Cape is too big – we can't be everywhere”. We don't need to be. The poached species are concentrated in specific locations, so that's where we focus. That already narrows things down considerably.
In the Overberg, for example, we run Operation Phakisa – a highly integrated model that we believe can apply province-wide. We coordinate under one commander, bringing in the full range of SAPS units: visible policing, station commanders from across the area, investigators, intelligence, specialist teams like the task team, anti-gang unit, Public Order Policing, and others. Not everyone attends every planning session, but we draw on them as needed.
If we're heading into a hotspot with potential resistance from large crowds, we call in the bigger units. For smaller, quick operations, smaller teams suffice.
We also work closely with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (formerly DAFF). They have bases along the coast – in the Overberg at Arniston, Gansbaai, Hermanus and Kleinmond. Their team leaders join planning sessions and share intelligence, as does SAPS.
We target based on solid homework: we know exactly where abalone, rock lobster, sharks and overexploited fish species are found. Abalone won't be on sandy beaches, so we eliminate those areas entirely. Focus on the reefs where thousands congregate, not the odd one on sand. Intelligence comes from fisheries, scientists and enforcement teams.
Overstrand Municipality – the main municipal area in the Overberg – has a strong law enforcement team, including traffic officers, a dedicated task team and even a vessel. We integrate them fully into operations.
CapeNature itself has nature reserves, bases and a special operations team with vessels and various technologies across the region.
All these partners come together in weekly planning sessions – roughly 60 people contributing daily when we activate. No single agency could provide that alone. We deploy to hotspots, especially on good-weather days (no one dives in five-metre swells – I dive myself, so I know). Operations run day and night, as much poaching happens after dark.
Our stats show it's working. The model relies on good, transparent leadership that includes everyone in decision-making. Professional jealousy is absent here – we just get on with it. It can be replicated elsewhere in the country under the right conditions.
We also use volunteers and honorary fisheries control officers for intelligence gathering. We don't put private individuals into high-risk arrest situations – we can't take responsibility for their safety. Instead, they provide valuable information.
Looking ahead, we're building stronger private-sector partnerships, particularly for funding. CapeNature can receive donations and grants (unlike some provincial or national departments). We set up structured, audited agreements, provide implementation reports to funders, and monitor everything transparently. We have excellent partners already, and I'd like to thank them. There's real opportunity for more collaboration.
Linda van Tilburg (17:13.317)
So, are you turning the tide on poaching in the Western Cape?
Pierre de Villiers (17:22.184)
Not province-wide yet, but definitely in the Overberg. Our model is having a clear, positive impact – the seizure and arrest statistics prove it: vessels, vehicles and product confiscated.
The challenge is that seizures often mean dead animals or plants. We're pushing harder on prevention. Right now, we're involving the military for extended periods – Navy and land-based units – which creates a strong deterrent by locking down areas.
Similar operations are happening elsewhere, like on the Southern Cape Peninsula and West Coast, but not yet with the same intensity. Over time, we'll roll out the model along the entire coast. It just needs funding – and we'll get there.
Linda van Tilburg (18:40.375)
How do poachers get these products out of the country? I recall a recent huge seizure of succulents at Cape Town Airport.
Pierre de Villiers (19:33.165)
There's no single route – they adapt constantly.
Generally: poached items (succulents, abalone, whatever) move from the site by road to a nearby local storage facility – especially important for night poaching, as goods need hiding before daylight. From there, by road to Cape Town.
They exit via Cape Town Airport (often in containers or luggage – as in the recent succulent bust), Cape Town harbour, or sometimes Johannesburg. A lot is processed in Cape Town facilities first.
Products also cross into neighbouring countries by road – in trucks, bakkies or smaller vehicles. Many neighbours lack protective legislation for our species (some have no abalone laws at all). Once over the border, it's often re-exported – there's evidence of South African abalone leaving from Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and others.
Routes change the moment we intercept a consignment or they sense surveillance. It's endless chess.
Ideally, we'd maintain a strong presence at source hotspots to keep plants and animals alive – that's the goal. Many units are judged on arrests (often dead product), but CapeNature is also evaluated on biodiversity status reports. We can claim successes, but if abalone disappears from the water, something's wrong. Prevention and keeping species in situ matter most.
Linda van Tilburg (22:33.685)
Succulents are alive when seized. Can they be replanted?
Pierre de Villiers (22:39.094)
Yes, to an extent. CapeNature works with SANBI and botanical gardens to propagate and rehabilitate where possible. They're easy to keep alive in pots with watering.
But reintroducing them to the wild is tricky. Once harvested, the plants are often damaged – roots, micro-habitat disturbed. The Karoo gets maybe 100 mm of rain a year; a stressed succulent won't survive relocation easily.
Options under investigation include nurturing them in nurseries and selling legally to recoup value while reducing illegal demand. No perfect solution yet.