Prickly Trade Trade and Conservation of Chihuahuan Desert Cacti Christopher S. Robbins, Editor Prickly Trade Trade and Conservation of Chihuahuan Desert Cacti Christopher S. Robbins, Editor Part I: Chihuahuan Desert Cacti in the United States: An Assessment of Trade, Management, and Conservation Priorities by Christopher S. Robbins Part II: Chihuahuan Desert Cacti in Mexico: An Assessment of Trade, Management, and Conservation Priorities by Rolando Tenoch Bárcenas Luna January 2003 TRAFFIC North America World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Street NW Washington DC 20037 Visit www.traffic.org for an electronic edition of this report, and for more information about TRAFFIC North America. © 2003 WWF. All rights reserved by World Wildlife Fund, Inc. All material appearing in this publication is copyrighted and may be reproduced with permission. Any reproduction, in full or in part, of this publication must credit TRAFFIC North America. The views of the authors expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the TRAFFIC Network, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), or IUCN-The World Conservation Union. The designation of geographical entities in this publication and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The TRAFFIC symbol copyright and Registered Trademark ownership are held by WWF. TRAFFIC is a joint program of WWF and IUCN. Suggested citation: Robbins, Christopher S., ed. 2003. Prickly Trade: Trade and Conservation of Chihuahuan Desert Cacti, by Christopher S. Robbins and Rolando Tenoch Bárcenas Luna. TRAFFIC North America. Washington D.C.: World Wildlife Fund. Cover photos of (top to bottom) Echinocereus stramineus, Ferocactus pilosus, and Echinocactus horizonthalonius, by J. Atchley PREFACE World Wildlife Fund (WWF) considers the and management in Mexico and in the United Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion (CDE) of States required two different investigators with Mexico and the United States an important knowledge specific to each country. Each ecoregion for conservation because of its investigator contributed a report to this outstanding biological diversity, ecological publication and, to the extent possible, the fragility, and environmental concerns. The reports have been harmonized to minimize ecoregion, rich in natural resources, faces a stylistic differences. range of visible threats stemming from human Commercial trade drives the harvesting of activities such as mining, fossil fuel CDE cactus species in Mexico and the United exploration, livestock grazing, industrial States, but the nature and scale of this trade agriculture, and development. A less differ in both countries. Mexico harbors the publicized, but significant, threat in the U.S. greatest diversity of endemic, endangered, and portion of the ecoregion is the commercial newly discovered cactus species. Those species extraction of wild native succulents, including are highly sought after by foreign collectors cacti, for landscaping in private gardens and continue to appear in the international hundreds of miles away. In the Mexican marketplace in spite of Mexico’s laws Chihuahuan Desert, some of the world’s rarest prohibiting illegal collection. The number of cacti are harvested and exported, often specimens entering trade illegally is believed illegally, by opportunistic foreign collectors, or to be small but may be significant enough to sold to unaware tourists by impoverished destabilize wild populations of some species. villagers supplementing paltry incomes. This practice also undermines the competitive WWF approached TRAFFIC North America, advantage of Mexican growers to propagate the wildlife trade monitoring unit of WWF and and sell endemic cacti in the marketplace. In the World Conservation Union (IUCN), to the United States, the cactus trade involves investigate the implications of harvest and fewer cactus species but considerably more trade on the conservation of affected cactus plant material. The primary markets are taxa and localities in the Chihuahuan Desert. southwestern U.S. cities with an arid climate TRAFFIC divided this study into two parts to where consumers are trying to conserve water reflect the political boundaries of the CDE in by resorting to desert landscaping with plants the United States (Part I) and Mexico (Part II). like cacti instead of water-intensive gardens. TRAFFIC recognizes, however, that the Contrary to their best intentions, gardeners and geographic delineation of the CDE is defined homeowners are addressing one conservation by ecological and biological characteristics issue at the expense of another. shared by both countries, and so it should be TRAFFIC North America hopes the findings treated as one biogeographic region. and conservation priorities detailed in this TRAFFIC’s decision to assess the trade and report will help WWF, in collaboration with management of CDE cacti in Mexico local stakeholders, to improve the sustain- separately from the trade and management of ability of harvest and trade in cacti and other CDE cacti in the United States was determined succulents from the CDE. by practicality and methodology. The disparate issues associated with cactus trade, taxonomy, —Christopher S. Robbins, Editor Part I Chihuahuan Desert Cacti in the United States: An Assessment of Trade, Management, and Conservation Priorities by Christopher S. Robbins PART I CONTENTS Acknowledgments . .iv Executive Summary . .I-1 Introduction and Background . .I-3 Methods and Sources of Information . .I-5 Results and Discussion . .I-7 Legal Commercial Cacti Trade . .I-7 Arizona and Texas: A Case Study of Harvest and Interstate Trade . .I-10 Illegal Collection and Trade . .I-15 Cactus Management, Protection, and Conservation Status . .I-20 International . .I-20 United States . .I-21 Arizona . .I-23 New Mexico . .I-31 Texas . .I-33 Prioritization of CDE Issues, Species, and Sites . .I-35 Arizona . .I-35 New Mexico . .I-36 Texas . .I-36 Conclusions and Recommendations . .I-41 Research Constraints and Caveats . .I-41 General Recommendations . .I-41 Specific Recommendations . .I-42 Engage Private Landowners in West Texas . .I-42 Improve Protection for Species and Habitat on Federal Lands in Arizona and New Mexico .I-43 Arizona . .I-43 New Mexico . .I-43 Texas . .I-44 Improve State and Federal Trade Monitoring Protocols . .I-44 Support Field Research and Possible Regulatory Action . .I-44 Promote Local Propagation and Independent Certification of Native Cacti . .I-46 Promote Public Education and Responsible Purchasing . .I-46 References . .I-47 Appendices . .I-49 i TABLES Table 1. Exports or Reexports of Wild Cacti by Species (1998) . .I-8 Table 2. Imports of Succulents into California from New Mexico and Texas (1999–2002) . .I-9 Table 3. Succulents Harvested from Southeastern Arizona, including Cochise and Graham Counties (1998–1999) . .I-10 Table 4. Number of Succulent Plants by Genus Imported into Arizona from Texas (1998–June 2001) . .I-13 Table 5. Summary of Plants Exported from Texas (by County) to Arizona (1998–June 2001) . .I-14 Table 6. Summary of Plants Imported into Arizona (by City) from Texas (1998–2001) . .I-14 Table 7. Estimated Market (Retail) Value of Plant Taxa Imported into Arizona from Texas (1998–June 2001) . .I-15 Table 8. Cactus Specimen Seizures from Ports of Entry along the U.S.-Mexican Border (1998–1999) . .I-18 Table 9. CDE Cacti Native to the United States Included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants, and Their CITES Status . .I-21 Table 10. Distribution and State Rank of Succulents of the Chihuahuan Desert Identified in Trade from Texas to Arizona (1998–June 2001) . .I-22 Table 11. Distribution and Protection Status of Cacti of the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion within the United States . .I-24 Table 12. Conservation Status and Distribution of Cactus Species Listed as "Rare" by Texas . .I-34 Table 13. Wild-Harvested Succulents Whose Trade from Texas to Arizona Exceeded 1,000 Specimens (1998–June 2001) . .I-38 Table 14. Fouquieria spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-38 Table 15. Echinocereus spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-39 Table 16. Ferocactus spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-39 Table 17. Yucca spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-39 Table 18. Echinocactus spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-40 Table 19. Agave spp. Imports into Arizona from CDE West Texas Counties (1998–June 2001) . .I-40 Table 20. Species Qualifying for Additional Monitoring or Conservation Measures in Texas . .I-45 ii FIGURES Figure 1. Gross Imports of Live Plants into Arizona Originating from the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas (1998–June 2001) . ..