Encephalartos macrostrobilus

Over 90% of the population of Encephalartos macrostrobilus occurs on land communally owned by the local communities. The main socio-economic activity is subsistence agriculture. Tree felling for timber, charcoal burning and cutting of poles for construction are carried out and indiscriminate burning is done every year to generate new pastures. There is also widespread stone quarrying because of the many granitic rock outcrops. These activities continue to pose the greatest threat to habitat quality and survival of the cycad. These activities are not about to cease but rather intensify in the foreseeable future. Only a small percentage (<5%) of the cycad population is covered within the Era Central Forest Reserve. Unfortunately, this does not provide it any better protection as there is no effective management and protection of the reserve (Ojelel et al. 2022). There is also some demand for specimens of this species from plant collectors, and its seeds are used by immigrants from South Sudan as ‘beads’ they tie round the waist and neck of their children to dispel ‘bad omens’. This reduces the regeneration potential of the cycad. Occasionally, there is cutting of the cycad leaves off the trees for no known purpose. There is also a dense network of foot paths further degrading the habitat.

This species is listed in Appendix I of the CITES Appendices. Approximately 5% of the known population occurs in the Era Central Forest Reserve. Other conservation actions that would enhance conservation include: enhancing awareness among the local populace on cycad conservation; developing nature-based solutions such as bee-keeping and eco-tourism (based on this rare species) to provide alternative livelihoods that would reduce the impact on the species; buying the community land with the cycads and annexing it to the adjacent Era Central Forest Reserve; and improving management of Era Central Forest Reserve.