Conservation and Theft of Endangered Plants in South African Rural Communities: A Review of Literature

Nyiko Faith Shibambu1 & Witness Maluleke2

Abstract
Human destruction and neglect of biodiversity simultaneously destroy lifegiving resource bases. The aim of this study was to explore the conservation and
theft of endangered plants in South African rural communities. From a qualitative
standpoint, this study adopted the exploratory research design. Various academic
databases were visited for data collections. The reviewed literature studies on this
subject were purposefully selected, restricted from 1990 to 2023 [Not in order of
importance and sequence]. The study used inductive Textual Content Analysis
(TCA) to analyse it data. The findings of this study discovered that the indigenous
plants from selected rural communities are endangered by human activities. These
human activities are, among others, theft, limited to ‘illegal harvesting and theft of
endangered indigenous plants, invading the boundaries and limited knowledge
about conservation.’ Therefore, rural communities are taking intervention measures
to ensure that these plants are protected and do not become extinct due to theft and
illegal harvesting. It is concluded that conservation of endangered plants should be
highly prioritised by the local municipalities of rural South African communities.
The study recommended the Provincial and National spheres of government should
support this initiative by communities to avoid extinction resulting from the
mentioned practices. Importantly, the conservation of these plants becomes
mandatory.

Keywords: Conservation, Endangered plants, illegal harvesting, South African rural communities, Theft