In 2002, a succulent project was initiated at the National Botanic Garden of Namibia under the auspices of the National Botanical Research Institute with financial support from the Southern African Botanical Gardens Network's (SABONET) Threatened Plants Programme, as a response to the rapidly increasing interest in Hoodia, especially Hoodia gordonii, but also to a much lesser extent H. currorii and H. officinalis ssp. officinalis, to meet the growing international demand for plant material.