Cycad Conservation Program

FONCET A.C.

CYCAD CONSERVATION PROGRAM IN MEXICO

Living fossils

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Since 2010, FONCET has been working alongside communities to protect unique ecosystems through the mechanism of payment for environmental services conservation. This involves communities engaging in various protection activities such as firebreaks, species monitoring, and conducting walks to assess the conditions in conservation areas.

Based on this experience, a special program was designed for payment for environmental services to protect the Ceratozamia norstogii and Ceratozamia alvarezii species, safeguard their habitats, and improve the population’s status. Actions include establishing a cycad nursery, monitoring seed production, reintroducing new individuals, and using camera traps to identify species that interact with the cycads and determine their dispersers.

3 strategic objectives

Conservation

Many of the populations of cycads listed on the IUCN Red List have outdated data, so a search and update of the data is made (count of individuals and populations and current status of the distribution area). Once the species is selected within the project, ecological studies are carried out that allow us to learn more about the dynamics of the species, in order to carry out the best conservation practices.

Community development

Conservation must go hand in hand with community development, which is why FONCET A.C. establishes mechanisms for landowners to achieve the necessary development to improve their quality of life and achieve food security. Through courses and training with agroforestry and permaculture experts, the owners of the land maintain the quality of their farmlands while also increasing their production.

Outreach and education

Our biologists from the cycad conservation project work closely with landowners where cycad conservation activities take place. This makes the exchange of knowledge experiential and dynamic, thereby creating an appropriation and a commitment for generating good results.

The project not only involves graduate biology students, but also immerses them in the field, where they discover the profound significance of cycad conservation. By nurturing their passion for these remarkable species and promoting their preservation, FONCET is shaping a new generation of specialists dedicated to safeguarding these invaluable treasures.

In addition to working with the owners of the properties, a link is created with university students, where through their practices and research work they seek to continue communicating the importance of conserving these species.

Our impact in the field

Conservation

49 hectares and two types of protected vegetation

· 3 species of protected cycads, two of them in danger of extinction

· More than 900 of the seeds collected and later transplanted in the conservation areas

· An exchange of experience was carried out with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas to standardize monitoring methods for cycad populations

Community development

· 3 training courses have been given to improve agricultural production techniques

· Agricultural production has been diversified

· 2 houses inhabited by two families with 12 people have been rebuilt

· A piped water system was built that will benefit 11 families

Outreach and education

· An informative exhibition of the cycads has been carried out, creating 8 informative posters, with the participation of 200 students.

· Field practices have been carried out with students from the Institute of Biological Sciences in which part of the biology of cycads was taught

· Participated with a presentation on the cycad conservation project in the 37th week of biology at the Institute of Biological Sciences of the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas.

. Presentation of the project at the Mesoamerican forum of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Antigua – Guatemala.

Guide to cycads of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas

Learn more about this amazing program.

The Cycads Conservation Program on the IUCN Blog

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(ZAMIA CONCEPT)

Want to know more, write: cestrada@fondoeltriunfo.org

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Friends of Mexican Development Foundation
Want to know more, write: cestrada@fondoeltriunfo.org

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FONCET A.C.