The cycad genus Encephalartos is endemic to the Africa Continent and 38 of these species have been recorded as belonging to South Africa.
Dating back 280 million years these beautiful and unique plants are being poached for the illegal trade at frightening levels.
Although private and state nurseries have implemented extensive ex situ cultivation programs in the effort to alleviate pressure on wild populations, cycads are still harvested from the wild to be traded on international and local level, incorporated into collections as parental stock and used for traditional medicinal purposes.
New legislation (issued in terms of the Threatened or Protected Specie’s Regulations and/or provincial legislation) regarding permits and the registration of plants were put into place and with that permits that was obtained prior to February 2007 are no longer valid.
Regulations state that all cycads indigenous to South Africa must be re-registered and having cycads in your possession, breeding cycads, moving cycads (locally, nationally or as part of a share part move), buying or selling cycads or picking parts of a cycad will all need the necessary permission as required by law.
In order to transport cycads during a removal we will need the following from our clients:
1. A signed letter from the registered owner requesting the move of the cycad from the full loading and offloading address.
2. A legal permit obtained prior to the move confirming that the cycad may be translocated to the new address.
3. To move cycads between Provinces in South Africa a valid possession permit must first be in place. An application for the export may then be applied for: An import permit is also required from the province to which the plant is to be exported
Help protect our beautiful fauna and flora by obtaining the necessary documents and by doing your part to help regulate our heritage.