The Cycad Homepage of Mornè Ferreira :
Personal Information
Hallo there,
I'm Mornè Ferreira,
a Afrikaans speaking South African. At the moment I'm a temporary
resident in the Kingdom of Eswatini (or Swaziland as most would
know it) with my permanent residence in Pretoria, R.S.A.
My father, Marius, has always
been a cycad enthusiast and his interest and enthusiasm has rubbed
off on me over the passing years. In return, I have introduced
my parents to Birdwatching and, together with an ever-increasing
interest in flora, we have had wonderful and exciting experiences
together, travelling widely throughout Southern Africa.
While visiting our game parks
I enjoy watching big game but always find myself looking either
to the skies at our feathered friends or, as is the case most
of the time, down at our flora. Many a time have other visitors
to reserves stopped next to me excitedly calling out : "What
do you see? Is it one of the Big Five?". Imagine their disbelief
if I point at a little sugarbird or an aloe next to the road.
I believe that conservation is of the utmost importance although
I cannot always see the purpose behind certain cycad-conservation
branded actions and autocratic red tape.
My good friend, Rudo Lötter,
shares my interest in cycads and flora and together we have travelled
many miles to see cycads in their natural habitat. We have invented
a new word for our unique hobby : 'Cycading'. Nothing can be
more rewarding than finding a magnificent cycad in the wild.
To find yourself in the presence of a plant that may have been
growing on that exact spot for hundreds of years maybe even before
our forefathers set foot on South African soil, is a humbling
but exhilarating experience.
In South Africa the authorities
have luckily had the foresight to protect many species in the
confines of reserves. For some reason I find it much more satisfying
to witness these plants outside the reserves. I guess it gives
me a sense of freedom that cycads can still be found as genuinely
"wild plants". This site includes some photos taken
during our travels. More will be added in future. I must stress
that we DO NOT and have no intention of removing any plants from
their natural habitat. We also do not give out information on
locality specifics as many of the plants may be at risk of poaching.
My father and I have been
propagating cycads from our own garden plants for many years.
We believe that propagation does assist in combatting the poaching
of wild plants. Many collectors are only interested in mature
or very large specimens, but even so seedlings produced today
will satisfy this demand in 50-400 years from now. Others state
that by making money out of cycad propagation one is not part
of any conservation effort. If money is made to the detriment
of wild plants (wild seed/seedling collection) it would be true.
I find it completely unacceptable that garden plants or even
isolated wild plants are left with unpollinated cones. Much has
been said on cycad conservation and much will still be said.
I pray that all concerned will keep focus on the real issue at
hand : Saving our cycads.
Happy Cycading,
Mornè Ferreira
