When you think of “wildlife trafficking,” you probably think of exotic animal products — ivory, rhino horns, shark fins. You probably don’t think of succulents. Yet these unique plant species have been at the center of a growing poaching problem. An arid region along South Africa’s western coast — the aptly named Succulent Karoo — is home to a veritable endlessness of small succulent species found nowhere else on Earth. Heightened interest in the area and its remarkable flora is now threatening the very existence of these tiny, humble plants, Adam Welz reports in YaleEnvironment360: From a car window, the Succulent Karoo can appear drab and barren. But get down on your hands and knees, and it transforms into a wonderland of living treasures — a wonderland that has in the last six years become the target of transnational smuggling networks focused on its unique flora.…