The Masungi Georeserve, the largest biodiversity conservation site located in the Southern Sierra Madre range, has long been home to numerous endemic plant and animal species. Recently, they have spotted a plant with lineage that could be traced back to the Jurassic era. The species found in the georeserve is found to be a female Cycas riuminiana.
“They flourished in the age of the dinosaurs and emerged even before them,” Masungi wrote on their social media accounts. “Some scientists refer to Cycads as the ‘Rosetta Stone’ of plant biology, holding the keys to our knowledge of the past.”
According to them, cycad plants are becoming more and more endangered as they lose their habitats. Scientists are continuing their search for more species of cycads that are usually found in undisturbed areas around the globe.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has an ongoing study for the famed but threatened cycad plant, addressing its conservation issues as well. The volunteer group of researchers are aiming to coordinate extinction risk assessments for the threatened species and further promote and understand sustainability practices for the cycads.
For plant enthusiasts out there, you can download more information on this endemic plant here.
Masungi Georeserve asks their followers if they too have seen this special plant in the country: “Have you seen some cycads where you are? What do you call them?”
Header photo courtesy of Masungi Georeserve
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