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• 14 March, 2013 - Poaching SA's Plant Fossils - Linda Daniels - EWN
  
An insatiable horticultural fetish for Cycads has pushed these endemic plant species to the brink of extinction as sophisticated syndicates plunder the natural South African landscape for the ancient plants that fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.


• 24 January, 2013 - Cycad species face extinction at hands of public - John Yeld - IOL
  SOUTH Africans are pillaging cycads at such a rate that some species have been driven to extinction and others reduced to just a handful of plants left in the wild.
  
• 1 June, 2012 - Priceless images stolen - Kamcilla Pillay - IOL
  An American and South African researcher – who spent R70 000 travelling around the country to research endangered cycads – are distraught after all their work was stolen while flying from King Shaka International to OR Tambo International
  
• 14 June, 2011 - Three suspected cycad thieves arrested - Alex Matlala - Sowetan
  THREE people suspected of stealing cycad plants have been arrested, while a fourth is on the run after the vehicle in which they were travelling overturned
  
• 29 May, 2011 - 9 gevang oor broodbome - Janice Keogh - Beeld
  Nege mans wat die naweek vermoedelik broodbome by ’n wildplaas buite Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) probeer steel het, is deur die eienaar van die plaas en sy buurman vasgetrek.
  
• 27 February, 2011 - South African measures to restrict cycad trade inadequate- Scoop (New-Zealand)
  A proposal published for public comment could result in trade in eleven species of native cycad trees being brought to a halt by authorities in South Africa, and trade in others restricted. But TRAFFIC says the measures don’t go far enough and is calling on the South African authorities to introduce a blanket trade ban on cycads.
   - South African measures to restrict cycad trade inadequate - TRAFFIC
  
  
• 27 October, 2010 - South African cycads face extinction crisis - SANBI
  Cycads are now the most threatened group of organisms. This was revealed in the latest global conservation assessment for cycads by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Cycads are the oldest living seed plants and have survived three mass extinction events...
   - IUCN October update - Cycad Facts - IUCN
   - Nagoya report reveals South African cycads face extinction crisis - Africa Geographic
   - Extinction looms for cycads - Times Live
   - Cycads face extinction - News24
   
• 11 January, 2009 - Barcode bars cycad smugglers - SAPA - News24
  Scientists at the University of Johannesburg have started a DNA bar-coding project to stop the smuggling of endangered cycad species in the country.
   - Barcodes to fight cycad smuggling - IOL
   - TreeBOL: The African campaign - UJ
   - Using DNA for detection of illegal cycad trading - UJ
   - Assistance required - UJ
   
• 7 August, 2009 - R500 000-boete omdat hy R1 m. se broodbome het - Cobus Coetzee - Beeld.
  ’n Johannesburgse man is gister tot ’n boete van R500 000 of vier jaar tronkstraf gevonnis nadat broodbome ter waarde van meer as R1 miljoen op sy kleinhoewe gevind is.
   - Cycad thief to be jailed, thanks to microchips - Pretoria News
   - Plant thief's sentence - Mercury
   
• 5 August, 2009 - BCM workers accused of cutting down cycad Msindisi Fengu Dispatch Online
  A CYCAD plant estimated to be more than 200 years old was cut down last week near Frere Hospital – and angry East London residents have blamed municipal workers.
   
• 30 July, 2009 - Time to repot Eastern Cape cycad, aged 234. Ntando Makhubu. Dispatch online.
  A 234-YEAR-OLD cycad from the Eastern Cape, believed to be the world’s oldest pot plant, has been re-potted in the United Kingdom’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
    - Delicate operation at Kew Gardens to move world’s oldest pot plant - Times Online
    - The delicate operation to move the world's oldest pot plant to its new Kew Gardens home - Mail Online
    - 'Oldest' pot plant to get new pot - BBC News
   
• 2 June, 2009 - Cycad thieves strike at Van Stadens Reserve. Guy Rogers. Weekend Post Online.
  CONSERVATION authorities are hoping that sharp-eyed members of the public might be able to help with a weekend incident in which seven rare, protected cycads were seized from the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve.
   
• 11 March, 2009 - Cycad bust nets bigger fish. Lee-Anne Butler. Herald Reporter. Weekend Post Online.
  UITENHAGE police made two major breakthroughs yesterday when they seized cycads with a street value of R250000 and then perlemoen valued at up to R200000.
   
• 13 August, 2008 - Pretoria man nabbed for garden cycad. IOL
  A 29-year-old man was found guilty in the Pretoria magistrate's court for possessing a prohibited cycad plant in his garden, Pretoria police said on Wednesday.
   
• 15 March, 2008 - Ancient cycads under threat from black market. Telegraph.co.uk
  The ancient and slow-growing plants are some of the longest-lived and most exotically beautiful in the world. They are also among the rarest.
   
• 8 March, 2008 - Cycad thieves threaten species. Sheree Baga. IOL.
  Andrew Hankey calls it the cycad orphanage: a cluster of over 300 of the ancient plants, many confiscated from the clutches of illegal cycad traffickers by the police.
   
• 2 March, 2008 - Police and Primedia proving to be a formidable partnership. SAPS.
  ...reacting to a Primedia web site tip-off and accompanied by officials from Gauteng Nature Conservation – raided premises in De Vries Street, Libradene in Boksburg. There they found a man in possession of 210 cycads for which he could not produce permits.
   
• 24 January, 2008 - Broodbome verdwyn spoorloos uit florareservaat. Marietie Louw-Carstens. Beeld.
  ’n Slagting van ’n nasionale erfenis. Só het mnr. Arnold Pistorius, eienaar van die Lilly-florareservaat, hier gesê ná die diefstal van sowat 100 uiters skaars broodbome. Die bome is van ’n hoë koppie op die plaas, wat binne die Selati-natuurreservaat val, gesteel.
   
• 23 January, 2008 - Cycads stolen in Limpopo nature reserve. SABCNews.
  An ecological disaster has taken place in Limpopo where 103 very rare cycads, totaling more than R10 million, have been stolen.
   
• 26 December, 2007 - 'Broodbome is nié uitgekap' Beeld. Neels Jackson.
  Limpopo se departement van ekonomiese ontwikkeling, omgewing en toerisme het ontken dat broodbome uitgekap word om voetpaadjies deur die broodboomwoud by Modjadji te bou.
   
• 14 December, 2007 - Minister van Schalkwyk announces amendments to Threatened and Protected Species (TOPS) Regulations. DEAT.
  The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has announced amendments to the TOPS regulations, gazetted in February 2007. These amended regulations have been gazetted today in the Government Gazette (Gazette number 30568). The implementation of these regulations was delayed due to the implementation concerns that were raised by the provincial authorities.
   
• 4 December, 2007 - 3 van sindikaat wat broodbome steel, moet elk ses jaar tronk toe. Beeld. Buks Viljoen.
   Drie lede van ’n sindikaat wat in die diefstal van broodbome spesialiseer is gister elk ses jaar tronkstraf opgelê.
   
• 9 September, 2007 - Plant strippers threaten traditional healing. Business Report. Margie Inggs
  The R3.1 billion African traditional medicine market is in danger of collapsing because the 20 000 tons of plants sold annually are mostly sourced from the wild, and resources are dwindling rapidly.
   
• 7 May, 2007 - Invitation To Information Sessions On The Implementation Of Threatened Or Protected Species Regulations. DEAT.
  The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism published the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations, developed in terms of National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004), on 23 February 2007. The regulations will come into effect on 01 February 2008.
   
• 22 April, 2007 - Broodboomeienaars sleep minister hof toe oor nuwe streng regulasies. Beeld. Eugene Gunning.
  Omgekrapte broodboom-eienaars gaan mnr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, minister van omgewingsake en toerisme, hof toe sleep oor nuwe streng regulasies wat op 1 Junie vir die bedryf in werking tree.
   
• 20 Feb, 2007 - Minister Starts Cleaning Up Hunting Industry, Bans Canned Hunting. DEAT.
  Extracts from a speech by Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, at the launch of the threatened or protected species regulations on Tuesday 20th February 2007.
  - Threatened or protected species regulations
  - Publication of lists of critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable and protected species
  - Commencement of threatened or protected species regulations, 2007
   
• 1 Feb, 2007 - Tribe of ancients - From prehistoric predators to modern poachers, the UC Botanical Garden's cycad species have seen it all - Cathy Cockrell. UC Berkeley News.
  Kiss off Survivor: Borneo. Forget the last man standing from tribes of strangers marooned in Palau, Panama, Guatemala, or Thailand. Here among us, just up Centennial Drive, is the real deal, a troupe of survivors with genuine gravitas: the cycads.
   
• 15 January, 2007 - Trade in cycads, perlemoen sees R70 000 forfeit - Jimmy Matyu. The Herald.
  THE Port Elizabeth High Court has declared forfeit to the State assets worth more than R70 000 belonging to individuals found in illegal possession of cycads and perlemoen – both protected species.
   
• 10 January, 2007 - Smokkelaars los drie skaars broodbome langs die pad - Nicolize Mulder. Beeld.
  Drie broodbome, waaronder ’n skaars bedreigde spesie ter waarde van tienduisende rand, is deur plantsmokkelaars langs die pad buite Pretoria gelos.
   
• 18 November, 2006 - Three nabbed for illegally producing cycads - SABCNews.com
  The Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism has confiscated more than 200 cycads which were being illegally kept at a farm called in the Ha-Sekororo area. This follows a tip-off.
   
• 11 October, 2006 - Alleged cycad thief to apply for bail - Karen Breytenbach. IOL
  The alleged frilled and frocked flora thief of Brackenfell has exchanged his drag for more conservative gear and will appear on Thursday in Kuils River magistrate's court on his second set of charges for stealing rare plants.
   
• 10 October, 2006 - 'Cycad raider in drag' nabbed again - Zara Nicholson. IOL
  The alleged cross-dressing garden raider has been arrested again and accused of stealing rare and expensive cycads - only hours after he appeared in court on similar charges.
   
• 27 September, 2006 - Dief se ware kle(u)re wys - Esme Erasmus & Cecilia Hume. Tyger Burger.
  ’n MAN in ’n rooi rok, G-string, opgestopte bra en blonde pruik wat betrap is toe hy na bewering in die middernagtelike ure broodbome in Kraaifontein gesteel het, het vir groot vermaak gesorg.
   
• 14 September, 2006 - Swift result - Margaret de Villiers. Hermanus Times.
  A cycad has mysteriously appeared in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve garden. We suspect that this is the same cycad that was reported stolen from the Joy Diemont Memorial Garden in my letter last week.
   
• 25 August, 2006 - 'Broodboomdiewe' in hof op Naboom - deur Ena Boshoff. Bushveld Online (Die Pos)
  Vier mans het op Donderdag, 17 Augustus, in die landdroshof op Naboomspruit verskyn in verband met die diefstal van broodbome op die plaas Ubumanzi in die omgewing.
   
• 22 August, 2006 - ‘Kundige’ diewe steel R1,5 m. se broodbome - deur Buks Viljoen. Beeld.
  Broodbome ter waarde van R1,5 miljoen is die afgelope vier weke uit die Laeveld Botaniese Tuin gesteel.
   
• 18 August, 2006 - Four in dock for theft of rare cycads - SABC
  Four men have appeared in the Mookgopong magistrates court in Limpopo in connection with the theft of rare cycads - worth a total of about R40 000. They are accused of stealing seven cycads named after Eugene Marais, the Afrikaans author.
   
• 18 August, 2006 - 'Groot vis' aangekeer - deur Ena Boshoff. Bushveld Online (Die Pos)
  Die vermeende meesterbrein van diefstal van die skaars Eugene Marais-broodbome, is hopelik nou uiteindelik gevang.
   
• 15 August, 2006 - 5 in court for stealing cycads - SAPA. News 24
  Five men - three Zimbabweans and two South Africans - have appeared in court for illegally dealing in cycads, said police on Tuesday.
   
• 18 May, 2006 - 2 skaars plante langs Pta-pad gelos - deur Nicolize Mulder. Beeld.
  Twee reuse-broodbome waarvoor ’n plantsmokkelaar maklik R250 000 sou betaal, is verlate langs die N1-hoofweg buite Pretoria gevind.
   
• 24 April, 2006 - Gap in legislation aids wildlife traffickers - by Wendell Roelf. Mail & Guardian
  24 April, 2006 - Gap in biodiversity legislation helps traffickers - by Wendell Roelf. Citizen
  A hiatus in South Africa's biodiversity legislation, dealing with a proposed national electronic permit system, is inadvertently aiding a run by traffickers on the country's endangered wildlife.
   
• 23 March, 2006 - Poor pay price for rich crooks - by Sakhile Mokoena. News24
  Wealthy people are running cycad-dealing syndicates in Mpumalanga, but only the poor, who do the dirty work, are being arrested.
   
• 17 March, 2006 - 13 arrested for illegal cycad dealing - SABC News.
  Thirteen people, including a member of the Lowveld police, have been arrested in Mpumalanga for the illegal possession of, and dealing in, endangered cycads.
   
• 4 March, 2006 - Warrant out for Jozini man in cycad possession case - by Craig Bishop. The Witness.
  A WARRANT of arrest has been issued for a Jozini man who failed to appear in court on charges of illegally possessing rare cycads.
   
• 24 February, 2006 - Durban prosecutor wins green award - by Craig Bishop. The Witness.
  A Durban specialist prosecutor has won the first-ever annual Environmental Crimes prosecution award for a perfect prosecutorial track record.
   
• 18 January, 2006 - Nights in the Rain Queen's realm - by Neville Maakana. SouthAfrica.info
  Tourists visiting the palace of South Africa's famous royal mystic, Rain Queen Modjadji, will soon be able to stay overnight.
   
• 17 January, 2006 - Cycad accused faces jail time - by Tania Broughton. The Mercury.
  A Jozini man, caught at the weekend with 62 cycads that he allegedly intended to sell to a collector, could face a long time in jail in terms of the environmental laws of KwaZulu-Natal.
   
• 14 December, 2005 - Walnut man indicted on cycad import scheme - CBS.
  A Walnut man was indicted in federal court for allegedly conspiring to import endangered plants, federal officials announced Wednesday.
   
• 18 October, 2005 - Plants 'in protective custody' - by Derek Alberts. News24.
  The National Botanical Garden in Pietermaritzburg has been forced to place its endangered cycads in protective custody.
   
• 27 September, 2005 - Kowie duo in court after cycad crackdown - by Andre Prince. Dispatch.
  Two prominent Port Alfred residents have been arrested in a crackdown by police and environmental officials on the illegal trade in endangered cycads.
   
• 27 September, 2005 - Tourism head in court on cycad permit charge by Derrick Spies. The Herald Online.
  The head of tourism for the Port Alfred-based Ndlambe region, and her landscaper son, appeared in court yesterday on charges of illegal possession of cycads.
   
• 3 September, 2005 - Rich Gautengers blamed for cycad near extinction by Zinke Sithole. City Press.
  Greedy rich Gautengers have been blamed for killing Mpumalanga's wild cycad population.
   
• 28 August, 2005 - The cult of the cycads by Lauren Kessler. The New York Times.
  A man who calls himself Marty Sterns is taking care of business in the faux French Provincial dining room of a top-floor suite in the Las Vegas Mirage. Sterns is a small, trim man in his late 40's with a close-cropped graying beard, sandy hair and the quick, carefully controlled moves of a man on the make who doesn't want to look like one.
   
• 22 August, 2005 - Two held after being caught with cycads by Hanti Otto. Pretoria News.
  Endangered indigenous cycads valued at R560 000 were confiscated in Montana Park at the weekend after Sinoville police and Gauteng Nature Conservation officials acted on a tip-off.
   
• 15 July, 2005 - Limpopo police pursue cycad thieves. IOL/Cape Times.
  Limpopo conservationists have appealed for help in finding cycad thieves who have brought a species of the plant to the brink of extinction.
   
• 14 July, 2005 - Hot on cycad thieves' heels by Sapa.  News 24.
  Limpopo conservationists have appealed for help in finding cycad thieves who have brought a species of the plant to the brink of extinction.
   
• 14 July, 2005 - Police track cycad thieves by Sapa. Sunday Times.
  Limpopo conservationists have appealed for help in finding cycad thieves who have brought a species of the plant to the brink of extinction.
   
• 14 July, 2005 - Cops hunt SA cycad thieves by Sapa. MWeb News.
  Limpopo conservationists have appealed for help in finding cycad thieves who have brought a species of the plant to the brink of extinction.
   
• 13 July, 2005 - You can add to our conservation footprint by Craig Bishop. The Witness.
  Rare or endangered flora and fauna on your land could, if properly recorded, help add to the KwaZulu-Natal conservation footprint.
   
• 23 June, 2005 - Accused cycad dealers in court by Sapa. Citizen.
  The case against eleven men accused of dealing in cycads has been postponed in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate's Court till...
   
• 18 April, 2005 - Machinery of big business digs deep to help move rare cycads. by Guy Rogers. The Herald online.
  THE machinery of big business has come to the aid of conservation in the Addo Elephant National Park with an unusual cycad transfer project.
   
• March, 2005 - The kidnapping of living fossils by Kotie Geldenhuys. Servamus.
  "Crimes against the environment don't always receive the necessary attention as criminology, as a science, mostly focuses on crimes that humans commit against one another or crimes against property."
  Scanned pages with kind permission from Servamus Editor Annalise Kempen
  PDF files - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
   
• 15 September, 2004 - Plant 'dinosaurs' dying out in South Africa by Sally Archibald. Mail & Guardian Online.
  "Two more cycad species have become extinct in the past two years, data from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) showed on Wednesday..."
   
• 31 August, 2004 - Poachers are targeting rare cycads by Richard Davies. Sunday Times.
  "Rare and endangered cycad plants, often referred to as living fossils, are being stolen in South Africa at an alarming rate, with at least two species from Limpopo province having disappeared completely."
   
• 2 August, 2004 - Modjadji cycad threatened by extinction. SABCnews.com.
  "The cycad species is steadily diminishing in the Limpopo province. This is the result of rife poaching. Earlier today, a Limpopo farmer was arrested for allegedly..."
   
• 11 Julie, 2004 - Broodbome kry voete selfs uit tuine deur Niel Saayman. Rapport - Gauteng Nuus.
  "'n Spesiale polisietaakspan is byeengeroep om broodboomdiefstalle in die Montana-omgewing in die noorde van Pretoria te ondersoek..."
   
• 4 April, 2004 - It's game up for cycad thieves - DNA tests on plants will help foil smugglers by Gill Moodie. Sunday Times.
  "Hi-tech forensics has been employed in the battle to save South Africa's rare cycads. Conservationists have turned to DNA fingerprinting technology that would be more at home in the crime lab of TV series CSI to track the illegal trade in the plants..."
  (Original link at: http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2004/04/04/news/news27.asp)
   
• 27 March, 2004 - WC cycad owners in the clear. Sunday Times
  "Cape Nature Conservation authorities say they want to allay the fears of cycad owners, who have inundated the organisation with calls following media broadcasts that those without a permit for the plants by the end of the month face prosecution..."
  (Original link at: http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/newsst/newsst1080370000.asp)
   
• 14 January, 2004 - Police nets cycads worth R100 000. SABCnews.com
  "Police at Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, have confiscated endangered cycads with a black market value of more than R100 000."
   
• 30 October, 2003 - Six men arrested for removing cycads in ECape. SABCnews.com
  "Six men were arrested for allegedly removing cycads worth about R169 000 from a dense forest in the Silverdale rural area outside East London, in the Eastern Cape."
   
• 16 January, 2003 - Cycad smuggler caught with rare E Cape plants fined. by Guy Rogers. The Herald online.
  A GAUTENG cycad smuggler has been sentenced to a R5 000 fine or five years’ imprisonment by a Queenstown court.
   
• 15 January, 2003 - Gauteng cycad smuggler gets stiff sentence. SABCnews.com
  "An unemployed man from Gauteng, convicted of cycad smuggling in the Eastern Cape, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment or a fine of R5 000."
   
• 28 May, 2002 - Police confiscate illegal cycad trees. SABCnews.com
  "More than 100 cycads have been confiscated by Eastern Cape conservation officials, following a tip-off from the public."
   
• 24 July, 2001 - Three South Africans nabbed in the US for smuggling cycads. SABCnews.com
  "Three South Africans have been arrested in California, USA, for their part in the illegal smuggling of cycads."
   
• 19 November, 2000 - Cycad poachers busted. SABCnews.com
  "Three Gauteng men have been arrested in the Eastern Cape after police and nature conservation authorities stopped a truck containing highly endangered cycads with a black market value of R350 000."