Jared D. Margulies

Join Jared Margulies, an assistant professor of political ecology and author of The Cactus Hunters, as he unveils the hidden world of illegal cactus and succulent trade. He discusses tense heists in Mexico and the shocking rise of poaching in California, driven by skyrocketing demand in South Korea. Margulies navigates the blurry lines between conservation and crime, revealing that sometimes, the smuggler and conservationist are one and the same. Dive into a complex tale where nature and greed clash in the most unexpected ways.

Jared D. Margulies, author of The Cactus Hunters: Desire and Extinction in the Illicit Succulent Trade, delves into the motivations and methods of cactus collectors, explores the connection between botanists and collectors in the succulent trade, and discusses the use of psychoanalytic frameworks in understanding the trade. He also shares his personal involvement in the illicit plant trade and his work in conservation science policy.