Cactus 'under threat'

The iconic cactus plant is veering into trouble say researchers.

The most serious problem is illegal smuggling.

Despite the international ban on uncontrolled trade in cacti, policing the smuggling faces many problems and semi-professional hunters continue to uproot plants to order, stealing from National Parks, Indian Reservations, but more significantly from the wild.

In southern Spain, the plants are being devastated by the cochineal beetle. But the picture there is mirrored across other regions of the world.

As Anton Brugger strides purposefully around his plantation set on the side of a steep hill in Almeria, southern Spain, he casts his gaze over the more than 10,000 cacti artfully arranged in terraces over two hectares.

"When visitors come here and see the really huge cacti such as Madagascar's Alluaudia procera, which grows to about 10m (33 feet), they are inspired to buy small versions in the nursery," explains the Austrian cactus afficionado.

"We tell them about the plight of the cactus in many parts of the world and they are astonished."

Their astonishment stems from the perceived hardy nature of the cactus able to withstand heat, drought and poor soil. But the Iberian peninsula's emblematic prickly pear is absent from Brugger's nursery, reports BBC.