An assessment conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and published in the Nature Plants journal found that nearly one-third of cactus species are under the threat of extinction due to over-harvesting and illegal trade, according to BBC News. Conservationists are saying the level of threat posed to cacti is much higher than previously thought.
The assessment found that illegal trade was the main reason for the decline, with this factor affecting 47 percent of threatened species.
"The results of this assessment come as a shock to us," said Barbara Goettsch, lead author of the assessment. "We did not expect cacti to be so highly threatened and for illegal trade to be such an important driver of their decline."
Cacti play an important part in the ecosystems they belong to due to their ability to provide food and water to a wide variety of desert wildlife such as coyotes, deer, lizards and bats, according to the Guardian.
The loss of cacti would have far-reaching consequences to the ecosystems they benefit as well as the local farms that rely on wild-harvested fruits and stems, according to Al Jazeera America.
Goettch believes that what would help these plants is "to raise awareness of the importance of harvesting sustainably because in many cases the plants are not destined for international markets. They are just traded in local markets so many local communities need to be aware of how they should harvest them or if they should harvest them at all."
