XVI International Botanical Congess

The concept of conservation through sustainable utilization has been highlighted by many conservationists and plays a major role in the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It has been postulated (and questioned by others) that putting an economic value on populations can create an incentive for their conservation by local people. Despite being an elegant concept, there have been no successful examples, especially in the field of over-utilized plant resources. A cycad nursery project in Veracruz and Chiapas provides an encouraging case study in which conservation through utilization has taken place. Key to its success were several years of previous study of the cycad species in the botanic garden where the necessary infrastructure and expertise to study and develop propagation methods for these endangered species exists.