Priority Species : Encephalartos - The real extinction crisis that South Africa faces

Cycads are the oldest seed plants on earth, and fossils that have been collected indicate that they have survived since before the time of the dinosaurs. During the Jurassic era, these plants flourished in large numbers and varied habitats across the globe, but their modern day counterparts are not faring as well. Due to widespread harvesting and poaching, some cycad species are represented by just a few remaining plants in the wild, and South Africa faces the very real danger of their imminent extinction, despite being one of the world centres for cycad diversity.

In South Africa, the cycad is also known as a broodboom (bread tree) because settlers noticed that the local tribes used the pith of the stem to make bread. The scientific name Encephalartos, echoes this as it is derived from the Greek words 'en' meaning within, 'cephali' meaning head, and 'artos' which means bread.

During the 2010 assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, cycads were declared the most threatened group of organisms, despite having survived at least three mass extinction events in the earth's history. South Africa is home to three of the four cycad species classified as extinct in the wild, two of which became extinct between 2003 and 2010.

The theft of these plants in South Africa has escalated to alarming levels, with poachers breaking into botanical gardens, restricted areas and nature reserves to secure specimens for local and international buyers. A large specimen of a rare species can sell for up to US$10 000.

Many botanical gardens and reserves have put extreme security measures in place to protect these "living fossils" of the plant world, but it seems that not even fences, locked gates or patrolling guards can deter determined thieves.

The Encephalartos genus of this plant is endemic to Africa. Despite some of the strictest regulations in the world when it comes to cycad trade, South Africa has a disproportionately large amount of species classified as endangered and critically endangered. To own or transport a cycad within the country, one needs a permit per plant. International trade in wild specimens and large artificially propagated cycads from South Africa is prohibited, as all of the South African cycads fall under CITES Appendix 1, and local trade in cycad plant material from the wild is banned, while the trade in cultivated plants is very strictly regulated.

The cycad was selected as one of the priority species for the Barcode of Wildlife Project in South Africa as illegal trade by collectors and the harvesting for traditional medicinal uses are two of the biggest problems faced in the fight to protect theses plants. For traditional medicines, only parts and derivatives are traded, which makes the identification almost impossible without the use of DNA analysis. When entire plants are removed from the wild, they are often stripped of their leaves which also results in obstacles when speedy identification is needed. Poachers and traders, when caught, often attempt to pass off endangered cycad species as less endangered ones.

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), who are active role-players in BoWP-SA, have been involved in various projects to protect the cycads.

In 2010, UJ launched a DNA barcoding project that aimed to create a DNA database of cycad species to aid law enforcement and customs officials to identify species being poached and smuggled across the country's borders. SANBI, working with the Department of Environmental Affairs, has developed a management plan for the Albany cycad, one of the species with fewer than 100 plants left in the wild.

DNA from a confiscated cycad is being collected by scientists from the University of Johannesburg.