News published: 8 August 2025

Over the last 18 months, BGCI and partners have been working on the setup of a new Coalition. The Illegal Plant Trade Coalition (IPTC) is a collaborative group working to raise awareness, share knowledge, and shift behaviour to stop plant poaching. As we prepare to formally launch resources created through the Coalition on our socials, we will be looking at why such a Coalition is urgently needed!

The illegal trade in wild-collected plants is an escalating threat to global biodiversity, yet it remains significantly under-addressed within conservation, enforcement, and policy circles. From targeted thefts of rare succulents in South Africa and Mexico to the smuggling of cacti and orchids for online collectors, and even direct theft from botanic gardens themselves, the trade in illegally sourced plants is growing in scale, sophistication, and impact.

A call to action, by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, BGCI’s International Advisory Council (IAC), came in July 2023 to set up an initiative to tackle the growing concern for the illegal trade in plants. This now takes the form of the Illegal Plant Trade Coalition, which is currently managed by a Steering Committee that includes The Huntington, Toronto Zoo, United States Botanic Garden, South Africa National Biodiversity Institute, San Diego Botanic Garden, IUCN CEC, IUCN SSC, and Reverse the Red. We also have our keystone partners, action partners and our supporters who are active through our mailing list.

Some of the key aims of the IPTC are to make existing efforts more visible and connected, while also equipping key stakeholders with the tools and communications strategies needed to deter and disrupt illegal plant trade.

Together with the Steering Committee and our partners we are working on developing toolkits and communication strategies aimed at various audiences including, garden staff, visitors, and online audiences. The tools and strategies will primarily be used to raise awareness and expanding to knowledge sharing and skills training aimed at illegal plant trade mitigation – plant identification training for enforcement agents, risk assessment, plant sourcing by horticulturalists, plant conservation skills and community outreach, to name a few.

The Coalition Toolkits will be formally introduced at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi in October this year. In the lead up to the launch, we will be sharing more information about the Coalition and why BGCI is undertaking this important work. To find out more, follow along follow BGCI Socials.

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The Coalition aims to remain an ever-green effort that supports long-term, collaborative solutions to illegal plant trafficking. Organisations and individuals interested in sharing their experiences, learning more or contributing to this vital initiative are encouraged to visit the IPTC webpage for further details, including how to become a partner.

If we have piqued your interest, the Illegal Plant Trade Coalition also offers a tiered partnership model to support a range of contributors, from botanic gardens, enforcement agencies, horticultural industry to academics, community organisations, and interested individuals. Each tier provides varying levels of access and flexibility in using the Coalition’s resources. To discuss partnership options, upcoming events, or if you will be attending the congress and would like more information on our attendance and events, please contact the IPTC team