UK conservationists and eBay team up against plant poaching [Video]

UK conservationists on Wednesday announced a collaboration with e-commerce giant eBay to combat the illegal plant trade, which is threatening the existence of some species.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Traffic, an NGO dedicated to protecting wild species, said they are teaming up with eBay because most sales now occur via online marketplaces and social media.

The joint initiative will “develop a blueprint” for eBay to strengthen its trading policies for the sale of plants and to prevent illegal sales, with work underway to engage other platforms.

It follows what the conservationists said has been a sharp rise in illegal harvesting of wild plants, such as succulents, for global sales.

Announcing the new partnership, Kew and Traffic said the issue was growing “at such a rate that, in many cases, their existence is now under threat”.

It has been fuelled by growing global demand for certain wild plant species …