by a demand from East Asian succulent collectors paying lucrative prices for certain Dudleya species.The population of Verity's liveforever (Dudleya verityi), which was nearly wiped out during the 2013 Springs Fire, was targeted by poachers. The Cedros Island liveforever (Dudleya pachyphytum) is a rare and extremely specialized Dudleya endemic to Cedros Island. In 2016, Korean nationals began moving to Bahia Tortugas, a locality in Baja California Sur, to facilitate the poaching and shipping of the plants. The species was seriously threatened after Mexican soldiers discovered poachers taking nearly 5,000 rosettes in a tractor-trailer. It was suspected the poachers rappelled onto the succulent's location via helicopter, as D. pachyphytum occupies a nearly inaccessible habitat. In 2019, the deaths and injuries of several fishermen from Bahía Tortugas who were on Cedros Island was allegedly the result of Dudleya trafficking, a conflict with the Sinaloa Cartel, or both. In 2020, the Mexican Navy in the Second Naval Region revealed that two fishermen were killed after a dispute emerged over the trafficking of the rare plant. Bluff lettuce (Dudleya farinosa) was also targeted by poachers in numerous large-scale operations. Although not particularly rare, the size of the poaching operation pose a serious ecological threat. Starting in 2017, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, discovered large amounts of D. farinosa being shipped out of the country. South Korean and Chinese nationals have both been arrested in the smuggling of D. farinosa. According to nursery owners responsible for legally exporting Dudleya, buyers in Asia desired plants directly from the wild, owing to the aesthetic quality of their long caudices and weathered leaves. The candleholder dudleya (Dudleya candelabrum), native to the northern Channel Islands, was reported to have been poached, with the thieves shipping plants to South Korea. In response to the poaching of Dudleya, California State Assembly member Chris Ward proposed Bill AB-223, sponsored by the California Native Plant Society, which would make it illegal to poach Dudleya from state or private lands without a permit. The California Native Plant Society and conservationists have also initiated propagation programs to oversaturate the market as a means to deter poachers. On September 28, 2021, governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-223 into law. See also Sedum, a genus related to Dudleya. Echeveria, a genus similar to Dudleya. Reid Moran, who contributed greatly to the taxonomy of the genus. Nathaniel Lord Britton