The coronavirus pandemic has created a "new normal crime" in the Philippines: plant thieves.
Authorities in the Southeast Asian country said they had received reports of "plant-poachers" digging up endangered varieties in isolated barrio woodlands and mountains.
The thieves also don't spare homes in the cities. Reports of backyard and garden breaches have been on the rise. For instance, garden store owner Amor Alcantara of Rizal said thieves carted away around 9,000 Philippine pesos ($185) of dwarf anthuriums from her garage, she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "It was like having a plant-demic," she said.
Nature seems to have captured the hearts of Filipinos - especially after the government imposed a rigid lockdown in April that has since seen the online sale of plants, pots and other gardening products grow. As the online business grew, so did the number of plant thefts.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Rogelio Demallete, an ecosystem specialist at the Philippines' Biodiversity Management Bureau, said that black market traders were "having a fiesta" because the market had so many buyers and prices were more attractive.
Sale of plants on the internet are on the rise as a result of the boredom most people feel during lockdowns, Demallete said. Adding greenery - a natural ambiance - in the home provides some relief from the stress brought about by the pandemic, authorities said.
But selling on the black market is not so much the main problem - but the theft. For example, in the Philippines' summer capital Baguio, the City Environment and Parks Management Office reported Sept. 10 that plant poachers had ransacked the city's parks and taken away several plant species.
According to Rhenan Diwas, CEPMO assistant department director, plant thieves have almost flattened the monstera plant varieties that for many years have been the main attraction in a portion of the popular Burnham Park and Mines View Park. A fully-grown monstera deliciosa, or Swiss cheese, is currently pegged at around PHP3,000 ($62) offline. The plant fetched just less than PHP800 pesos before the pandemic.
Other plants that have seen a rise in popularity are the bantigue trees used to produce bonsai and the carnivorous pitcher plant variety. But even common plants like ferns, snake and caladiums are in demand. In fact, these were enjoying brisk sales even before the pandemic.
Authorities have promised to deploy more personnel to patrol forests and warned those caught stealing plants classified as endangered would face hefty fines and even sent to jail for up to 12 years.
