Poaching is the unlawful or illegal taking of wild plants or animals, such as through hunting, harvesting, fishing, or trapping. The law concerned may be a law of property, of regulation, or of local or international conservation and wildlife management. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching. By contrast, stealing or killing domestic animals (such as "cattle rustling") or crops is considered to be theft, not poaching.

Plant poaching is also a public issue due to a decrease in plant wildlife. A prominent example, from the United States, is the removal of ginseng growing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is estimated that wild ginseng plants are worth more than $260–365 per pound (dried) on the black market.