Characterizing Illegal Harvest of the Venus’ fly trap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) at Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, South Carolina, USA

Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT: The Venus’ fly trap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) is a unique carnivorous plant listed as a Species of Concern within the native range of southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. Although several large nature preserves support Venus’ fly trap populations, illegal harvest is considered a factor in long-term population declines. Few data exist on the impacts of illegal harvest. While monitoring Venus’ fly trap populations at Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve (LOBHP), South Carolina, an illegal harvest occurred during summer, 2003. This allowed an assessment of harvest impacts. Most documented populations of Venus fly traps at LOBHP had less than 50 plants. I estimated that harvesters removed 136 plants from two populations. This harvest was roughly half of the plants in both populations and represented 5.5% of the documented adult Venus’ fly traps at LOBHP. Harvesters preferentially took plants with relatively larger petioles and/or relatively larger traps and overlooked smaller plants. The shift in size class distribution to smaller plants may affect future mortality and seed production. Because most human interactions with Venus’ fly traps growing in nature preserves are negative, the dual goals of conservation and public access may be difficult to achieve with a single management approach. Future management for Venus’ fly traps and other unique species might include high-use areas where human impacts (i.e., trampling, collecting, harvesting) are concentrated and remote low-use areas where populations are managed for long-term viability.