Meet a scientist tracking cactus poaching in the Atacama Desert
Pablo Guerrero has been visiting cacti in the Atacama Desert his whole life, first on family trips to the Chilean coast and later as a researcher studying the impacts of climate change and illegal poaching on the fragile flora.
The desert, which is the driest spot on Earth beyond the planet’s poles, can be so desolate that NASA uses it to test Mars rovers. But from a young age, Guerrero learned to spot pockets of life hidden within the arid landscape.Cacti, a smorgasbord of funky shapes and showy flowers, easily became his favorite.
Guerrero began visiting the Atacama as a researcher in the early 2000s and observed the plants of his childhood with a botanist’s eye. Their ability to flourish in such extreme conditions impressed him, and he grew concerned about their ability to continue surviving as humans infiltrated the desert.
“Encountering these plants, especially those facing conservation challenges, was almost an epiphany for me,” says Guerrero, now a botanist at the Universidad de Concepción in Chile.Cacti in the Atacama are particularly vulnerable to disturbances. Many species live in only a few square kilometers. And in the driest reaches of the desert, cacti depend on fog alone for water. But the desert is getting hotter and drier, and in some places, the fog is disappearing.
Humans’ impact on the desert is increasing too. In Guerrero’s youth and earlier in his research career, the only way to access remote hotspots of biodiversity was to trek through the desert on foot. As the mining and energy industries began to grow, more roads were built, turning hours-long treks into quick drives.
Litter now pools along the roadside, Guerrero says. Once-bursting spots feel lifeless, haunted by the desiccated husks of cacti. Because the desert is so dry, remains are slow to decompose and linger for years. And many remaining cacti populations are sparse.
“Comparing today’s populations with historical photos that a botanist took, it’s easy to see the change in the presence of plants,” he says. “They’re much less abundant now.”In recent years, Guerrero began hearing from colleagues about more cacti being seized at the Chilean border. Interest in having cacti as houseplants grew around the world — and so did cactus theft. From the American Southwest to South Africa, desert plants have been targets of plant poaching. Even the remote Atacama wasn’t safe.
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