Letters: as friend of time: CYCAS WADEI endangered & threatened habitat

Cycads, which look like palms or tree ferns, are a group of plants whose ancestors date back more than 300 million years. They are considered to be the dinosaurs of the plant kingdom. There are ten distinct Cycas species in the Philippines and one of them is geographically restricted to one particular island. The observed natural range of the Cycas wadei is only within the island of Culion making it a true endemic species that the municipality can be proud of. In nearby Busuanga, most of the cycads in cultivation are Cycas circinalis and a sprinkling of transplanted specimens that are purported to have been dug from the wild populations of Culion. Some cycad species all over the planet are endangered or threatened in the wild from habitat loss and over-collection.

This at least has not yet happened in Culion where the new local government has recently initiated a preliminary study of its natural history and addressed its conservation by first, urgently resolving claims over the land by private individuals and secondly, by declaring the locale as an irreplaceable sanctuary for wild Cycas wadei. Also, the local government has increased appreciation of this great but little known prehistoric species by allowing the transplant of some specimens to a small park within the municipality as initial showpieces to visitors to the island municipality. This welcome move is a must before they fall under real threat of destruction or extinction. Any where in the world, protection is heavily dependent on habitat conservation in a way that other flora and fauna may also benefit from it. If the natural habitat is protected, so are the insect pollinators associated with its flourishing population.

Today there is a steady encroachment of the land where they are found. A teak nursery and plantation is threatening to alter the usage of land left and right of the pitogo area right after the bridge in Quezon. We don’t know yet the effects of farmed teak in the island but the clear cutting of the land of endemic trees to make way for the newcomer species is highly obvious. In some countries like Panama where teak farms abound, the local biodiversity has declined and threatened other species to extinction by its monoculture. In Culion, there is little known ethno-botanical usage for this plant aside from its use as a horticultural specimen in landscapes.

There are some claims that the endocarp is beaten to a pulp then washed and cooked by some enterprising native settlers. But such folkloric claims are still unfounded as most cycads belong to a list of highly toxic plants. Thus, the only threat to the continuing existence of this endemic plant is the sweeping agricultural use of the area. In some countries like Costa Rica, Peru and South Africa some entrepreneurs have spearheaded to make the sites of their endemic cycads as venues for guided tours and has managed to make the area’s self-sustained preservation through the income generated by ecotourism. Such conservation measures and other environmental protection plans can also be done for the magnificent Cycas wadei.

The Proposed Studies and Conservation Measures:
* Raise the level of awareness of the importance of CYCAS wadei among students and ultimately the populace. Lecture rounds must be tailor made for the elementary, high school and college levels on the importance of the pitogo as part of the local biodiversity and BIODIVERSITY in general. Make slide shows and mini lectures on the topic.

The Proposed Studies and Conservation Measures:

* An in-situ and ex-situ nursery of wild-collected seeds can be established for trading or exchange with environmentally concerned individuals, hobbyists, educational institutions and botanical gardens around the world. The movement of the seeds to various institutions must be carefully documented in order to tap this ex-situ gene pool for future use. (Years from then on, a cycad collection craze can be an offshoot of this activity and contribute to the horticultural awareness of the local people leading them to explore avenues of income generation from the pitogo that they always see and regard as unimportant and useless. Cycas wadei in Culion has no natural biological pests and can become very attractive to visitors who might get an interest to buy some young plants for their collection.)