Can World Cycad Conservation Become A Reality?
by Tom Broome As I think about all the tasks involved to insure world cycad conservation, it seems to be an impossible job for one person to handle. Our society has many members from every walk of life, with a multitude of talents. Whether you own a nursery, have a talent for writing, or just like to keep your yard looking nice, you can, in some way, help with cycad conservation. Let’s at least look at some of the problems at hand. All over the world, cycad habitats are being destroyed. In some countries, the forests are being clear cut for timber, with no regard for the other plants in the area. In many countries, small populations of cycads will get wiped out to plant crops. In Mexico, I have heard of five hundred-year-old specimens of Dioon edule being destroyed to plant twenty dollars worth of corn in their place. In probably all countries where cycads are native, plants are being destroyed for housing of one kind or another. We are not immune to this here in the United States. In
