Cycad Conservation in Colombia
Blueprint
ASSESS
An extinction risk assessment of cycads, including most Zamia species, has been carried out three times for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species at a global level. National-level Red List assessments for Colombia were also conducted in 2005 and 2015. Colombia boasts 26 Zamia species described so far, and it is believed there are new species yet to be discovered. For the most recently published national Red List (2015), experts made a great effort to institute the fundamentals for conservation planning. Planning included the participation of key stakeholders, mostly national and regional environmental authorities, as well as personnel from public and private protected areas.
PLAN
In 2015, using the extensive background of information and collaborator network developed during the national Red List assessment process, a conservation action plan for the Zamia of Colombia was proposed (2015–2025). Several workshops were conducted where representatives from environmental authorities, local communities, botanic gardens, protected areas, and academic institutions made crucial contributions for advancing cycad conservation at the national level. Within this process, key stakeholders took on specific commitments for action steps related to research, monitoring, communication, and education, with an overall goal to advance habitat protection, restoration, and sustainable use of prioritized species. During the conservation planning phase, a new conservation NGO was proposed to implement the cycad plan, and the "Colombian cycad Society" was created in 2016. The society’s main mission is to expand Zamia conservation within the country. It is important to note that the cycad conservation plan was one of several created for strategic plant groups and each plan aligns with the framework of the National Strategy for Plant Conservation. Therefore the cycad plan is contributing to conservation targets at the national level in Colombia.
ACT
The Colombian Cycad Society has been collaborating with various institutions to implement the conservation action plan for Zamia in Colombia. During the first years, research and population monitoring programmes were established for 13 threatened species (of 17 total). Many of the monitoring sites’ environmental education activities are carried out with local stakeholders. The National Cycad Collection was established as an ex situ conservation programme, comprising five major botanic gardens in Colombia. A programme to build capacity for restoration of Critically Endangered species was established with botanic garden personnel as well as local community nurseries. Extensive work with both public and private protected areas, where priority cycad populations are distributed, has resulted in several areas being declared as conservation targets and cycads have been included in their outreach activities.
The Colombian Cycad Society is also focused on creating new privately-owned reserves for threatened species lacking habitat protection. The society already has one private reserve declared and several more are in the process of declaration. Finally, in consultation with botanists and private stakeholders, some cycad species have been identified as possible candidate species to be included in sustainable use programmes in horticulture (and possibly ecotourism in the future). These programmes can serve as incentives for local communities to preserve habitats, enrich livelihoods, and contribute to the growing horticulture sector in the country.
Results
The main achievement of the first five years of the conservation plan has been the enthusiastic and inspired engagement of key stakeholders in plant conservation, especially in population and habitat protection and restoration. More interest in cycad conservation has resulted in an impressive advance in knowledge of many species, for example, new populations discovered and more ecological studies conducted. From the educational effort, a large number of people in public and private protected areas, botanic gardens, and local communities have embraced cycad conservation targets. Local efforts have secured viable wild populations of these plants, benefiting biodiversity within their habitats. In particular, several private landowners in Colombia interested in plant conservation have gained traction in developing reserves as their work gets more visibility and they participate in conservation efforts for the National Strategy for Plant Conservation. Upcoming years will focus on implementing strategies to achieve long-term viability, and more research, monitoring, communication, and education. Emphasis will also continue to be placed on habitat protection and restoration programmes for threatened species. This work will improve networking and build collaborations among stakeholders as they gain knowledge from one another to better contribute to plant conservation.
Visual & Audio References
© Cristina Lopez-Gallego
Collaborations
Major
Partners
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia
Medellin Botanical Garden (Colombia)
Montgomery Botanical Center (USA)
University of Antioquia (Colombia)
Humboldt Institute (Colombia)
Sinchi Institute (Colombia)
Additional
Contributors
Quindio Botanical Garden (Colombia); Bogota Botanical Garden (Colombia); Cali Botanical Garden (Colombia); GreenDreams Nursery (Colombia); CES University (Colombia); University of Tolima (Colombia)
Donors
IUCN SOS; Fondo Accion (Colombia); The Cycad Society (USA); Rainforest Trust (USA); Nong Nooch Botanical Collection (Thailand); Pacific Cycad Nursery (USA)
Additional Resources
Content Updated as of 8/19/2021