The Blue Ridge Parkway, located in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, is an area of the world that contains exceptional plant biodiversity. Some 50 plants species are actively harvested in support of the $200 billion global natural products industry. The three most commonly poached species are galax, black cohosh, and ginseng. Most of the plants poached are consumed in the pharmaceutical or flora industries. Individual takes of resources are often in the volume of tens of thousands of plants.

Criminal incident reports from the National Park Service and other law enforcement agencies have documented these activities for decades. Recent monitoring by Blue Ridge Parkway and Southeast Region Inventory & Monitoring teams has shown increases in exploitation and decreases in plant populations. Joint investigations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service have determined that current violators are organized and are “employed” as part of criminal conspiracies to supply legal markets.

Traditional use of these plants by area residents for personal consumption and supplemental income has all but disappeared.