Frontera NorteSur February 2003

West Texas Cactuses in Danger 

Poaching takes a toll on desert

The demand for wild cactuses to create native desert landscaping in the Southwest may come at the expense of some Chihuahuan Desert species, and El Paso may be at the center of a lucrative legal and illegal industry for the plants, a study of the ecosystem's trade and conservation uses has concluded. 

The study report, released Monday by TRAFFIC North America and the World Wildlife Fund, suggests that unregulated harvesting on private lands in West Texas and poaching from Mexico has created a multimillion-dollar-a-year industry that is taking a long-term toll on the Chihuahuan Desert, which runs through El Paso and Juárez. 

In addition, the study said random collection of cactuses from parks and roadsides in urban areas like El Paso are creating stress on the desert's ecosystem. El Paso cactus species that are rated imperiled by the state are the El Paso prickly pear, night-blooming cereus and Big Bend foxtail cactus. 

"(The El Paso) area is at the epicenter of where things are happening as far as cactus trade," Tom Lalley of the World Wildlife Fund said from Washington, D.C. 

The study said that unless local, state and federal officials enhance their oversight of the desert -- two-thirds the size of Texas and much of it in private hands -- it  could lose a number of its native cactus species. 

One of the problems, Lalley said, is illegal cactuses smuggled over the border, given falsified papers in Texas and shipped to Arizona. Another -- though not illegal -- is the selling of cactuses from private lands, including El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson counties and southern New Mexico, without monitoring plant movement
from seller to buyer. 

"Cacti are a very important part of the desert ecosystem," Lalley said. "The Chihuahuan Desert is by far the most diverse, biologically rich desert in America. It may be the most biologically rich desert in the world." 

Sarah Guerra of the Desertland Nursery and Pottery Center in El Paso agreed. 

"(Nevada and Arizona) are regulating their habitats more than ours, and ours are being over-harvested," Guerra said. Though many ranchers might disagree, Guerra said she believes Texas is losing money and habitat because it doesn't monitor the private cactus trade. A tax or fee, she said, would make collectors "more responsible" to the land. 

Botanist Christopher Robbins, co-author of the study, said there is a critical need for community, state, federal and international groups to make a unified plan for the commercial use of cactuses throughout the Southwest. 

The goal, he said, is not to halt the cactus trade but to create a "sustainable" income for large landowners and those in remote areas. 

The study looked at cactus traffic from 1998 to June 2001. In that time, it found, Texas sent 96,836 plants to Arizona. (Arizona records were the basis for the trafficking report because it issues a permit for each plant brought into the state.) 

Hudspeth (37,335 plants), Presidio (27,671) and Culberson (16,364) counties were the biggest exporters, according to the study. El Paso County exported 1,185 plants during that time. 

Tucson (40,903) and Phoenix (39,226) were the largest Arizona importers. 

Wild, mature barrel cactus, prickly pear cactus and saguaro cactus are among the favorites landscapers seek, the study said. The study urged greater use of seed-grown plants from nurseries to limit ecosystem damage. 

"There's a tremendous market for full-size plants, whether field grown or nursery" said Mark Dimmitt, director of natural history for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson. 

Dimmitt, in a telephone interview, said there is a need to track the trade in cactuses, including ocotillo, yuccas and agave. 

"It's important to monitor the trade," he said. "We need to know where (plants) come from. There are a lot of people (in Arizona) that say their plants come from Texas, but they don't occur in Texas. They're from Mexico." 

In Arizona, Dimmitt said, the state uses a salvage program that requires diggers to get tags for every plant they take. In turn, he said, that "theoretically" cuts down on illegal trade and helps the state watch local habitats. 

The study said more than 24,000 ocotillo and more than 8,000 cactuses (making up more than 16 species) were illegally imported through Presidio County in 2001. The market value of the illegal trade, the study found, was $1 million. At El Paso ports of entry, 214 plant seizures were made in 1998, while 160 were made in 1999. No market value was available for the El Paso seizures. 

The overall market value of plants sent from Texas to Arizona from 1998 to June 2001 was placed at $3.3 million. Of that, $2.7 million of the shipments were ocotillo plants. Yucca shipments were valued at $330,150, and Fishhook Texas barrel exports were worth $146,000. 

Closer to home, Franklin Mountains State Park -- also a part of the Chihuahuan Desert -- was cited in a section on the vulnerability of Texas state parks to illegal cactus removal. The park is the only place in Texas where the Southwest barrel cactus is found. 

Texas Parks and Wildlife Ranger Danny Contreras said the rangers at Franklin Mountains work to educate the public that none of the plants or wildlife in the park can be removed from the park. 

He said the most common loss at the park are yucca stalks taken for walking sticks. Though most people may not see little things as harmful to the park, they are, Contreras said. 

"It doesn't seem like (the loss of) one plant is going to make a difference," Contreras said. "But in any kind of desert ecosystem, the loss of plants can make a big difference. (The desert) is a very delicate, highly specialized ecosystem. It doesn't take much to upset it." 

Charles K. Wilson may be reached at cwilson@elpasotimes.com