Atacama Desert's Rare Copiapoa Cacti Threatened by Climate Change and Illegal Trade

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is a harsh, arid landscape where rain is scarce for decades. Yet, in the early morning, a unique weather phenomenon known as the camanchaca brings life-giving fog that rolls over rocks and scree slopes at daybreak. This fog sustains rare biodiversity, including some of the world’s rarest cacti, the Copiapoa, which grow along the steep coastal hills near the town of Paposo.

These cacti have adapted to survive in one of Earth’s driest environments, drawing nearly all their water from the maritime fog. However, their survival is now under threat from two major pressures: climate change and illegal trade.

The Desert Walkers: Guardians of the Atacama

Few people understand the Atacama Desert as intimately as Mauricio González, a volunteer with the Caminantes del Desierto (Desert Walkers). His group regularly patrols the desert, documenting cactus populations and tracking changes with notebooks, cameras, and water supplies.

In recent years, González and his team have observed alarming trends. “We have witnessed the death of entire cactus populations — hundreds of plants simply disappearing,” he says. When the fog’s moisture becomes insufficient, the cacti overheat. Despite efforts to water them, volunteers often arrive too late. “Then we find only remnants — literally charred by the sun.”

Many Copiapoa cacti are over a century old, having adapted to the desert’s extreme conditions. Yet climate change — marked by hotter temperatures, drier winds, and reduced fog — is pushing them beyond their limits.

Illegal Trade: A Growing Threat to Endangered Cacti

A second, equally devastating pressure is the illegal extraction of these rare species for the global black market. Local poachers dig up Copiapoa plants to meet the demand of collectors worldwide. “A loss that cannot be repaired without the help of experts and the public,” González warns.

The Copiapoa genus is among the most endangered cactus groups in the world. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 39 taxa, with 29 listed as threatened. Six are classified as critically endangered. International trade in these species is restricted or prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a global treaty aimed at preventing overexploitation.

Botanist Pablo Guerrero Warns of Rising Threats

Botanist Pablo Guerrero of the Universidad de Concepción highlights the sharp increase in illegal extraction, linking it directly to international buyers. “The demand comes from enthusiasts who want to own a piece of the desert — ideally with all the marks of the wild,” he explains.

For many collectors, Copiapoa cacti have become status symbols, particularly when sourced directly from their natural habitat. The rise of smartphones and social media has further fueled this trade. “A lot happens via Facebook and Instagram,” Guerrero says. “Buyers can choose the plants themselves. Some sellers even stream live videos from the desert and ask which plants they should dig up.”

Guerrero emphasizes that these threats do not act in isolation. “Climate change does not act in isolation. It interacts with other pressures like illegal trade, creating a perfect storm for these ancient plants.”

The latest IUCN assessment for Copiapoa species “is significantly worse than the one we conducted 10 years ago,” he adds, underscoring the urgent need for conservation action.