Overcoming “plant blindness” in illegal wildlife trade

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a key driver of species extinction and fundamentally disrupts the landscapes in which species live. This dynamic is widely recognised for fauna, and tackling IWT is now central to landscape management. However, illegal trade in plants is regularly overlooked. The targeted exploitation of species of flora--for food, medicines and ornaments--is a growing challenge to sustainable landscapes. The problem is aggravated by “plant blindness” that often leads us to overlook plants in our policies, research and action. This session will highlight emerging opportunities--including for “animal people”--to engage in protecting flora from illegal trade that can bring the transformational change needed to make plants visible. The panel of plant IWT experts will highlight opportunities to ensure efforts to combat IWT are mindful of plants as essential to sustainable landscapes.