The Wild Cycad Conservancy

Cristina is a Professor at University of Antioquia in Colombia. Her main research interests are in evolutionary ecology and species conservation biology, and she has been studying Zamia ecology for more than 25 years. She is the President of the Colombian Cycad Society, a conservation NGO dedicated to implement the Conservation Action Plan for the Cycads of Colombia.

Patrick has led Montgomery Botanical Center in Florida since 2005, developing the team, focusing resources and setting priorities to meet the mission. Patrick has worked in leadership, living collections management, herbarium curation, rare plant surveys, floristic inventory, laboratory research and land management, and for botanic gardens, universities, governments, and private interests. His research is in plant systematics and plant conservation and is focused on living botanical collections. As Executive Director, Patrick works to define, strengthen and promote the important contribution that Montgomery makes to this field – living collections-based conservation and research. Strategic planning for collections, capital improvements, development and collaboration is carefully aligned with the Montgomery mission: to grow outcomes in botany and horticulture. 

Tim retired in 2007 after 24 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. His primary area of research was vaccine development for the prevention of HIV infection and AIDS, and he has more than 75 peer reviewed publications to his name. He was progressively promoted to positions of increased responsibility, to Staff Scientist and Senior Director of Process Sciences at one of America’s leading biotechnology companies, Genentech, Inc. Since 2007, Tim has been an entrepreneur in the biopharmaceutical industry and was an initial investor and active advisor in StemCentrx, Inc., focusing on development of oncology drugs designed to eliminate cancer stem cells.

Tim has two true passions in life: chelonians and plants. He has botanical expertise in multiple plant groups with special emphasis in the cycads, having described five species from Mexico. He is an advisor on cycad taxonomy and horticulture to the UC Botanical Garden (UCBG) and is a founding member of the Directors Advisory Board for UCBG and was Chair from 2011 to 2015. He is a principal Scientific Advisor on botanical research at The Huntington Library and Botanical Garden, San Marino, CA. He has been a member of the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group since 2000, is Co-Chair of the Conservation Committee, and a founding member of the Global Cycad Conservation Consortium. Tim currently serves on the board of directors of the Turtle Survival Alliance and is actively involved with freshwater turtle and tortoise conservation projects in Belize, Mexico, Colombia and Madagascar.

Tommie has been involved in cycad conservation for the last 37 years and has an extensive knowledge base of their distribution, taxonomy and the ecological processes that drive the systems they survive in. Tommie holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from the University of the Free State and his thesis was on the Lebombo cycad, Encephalartos lebomboensis. He has surveyed the distribution of all eight Mpumalanga and four Limpopo cycad species and has extensive experience in long-term monitoring and propagation of cycads in habitat. One of his cycad projects was a runner-up of the Nedbank Green Trust Award. Tommie participated with the micro chipping of more than 2,000 cycad stems and was instrumental in pioneering the micro-chipping process in South Africa. He is currently involved in recovery programmes to save three of Mpumalanga’s cycad species. 

Vanessa is a conservation biologist with active field and research projects around the globe. Her overarching objective is to advance regional conservation efforts via collaborative, community-based approaches. To this end, Vanessa deploys tools that range from practical horticulture to next generation sequencing. In addition to her role as Director of Conservation Science at The Red List Project (a plant conservation nonprofit), Vanessa is Chairperson of the Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads (Montgomery Botanical Center), and a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and UC Berkeley. Her current research centres on cycad genetics and tropical montane floristics. Vanessa’s conservation activities extend to service as a Specialist within the IUCN Species Survival Commission, participation in various scientific advisory boards and conservation consortia, and mentorship of underrepresented and non-traditional students in the conservation field. Vanessa holds a PhD in Plant Biology from UC Berkeley and previously served as Director of Collections & Research at the UC Botanical Garden. Prior to this, Vanessa enjoyed a decade as a biology professor. 

Hugo is a keen conservationist. He started his career as a Plant Ecologist working for the National Department of Agricultural Development (now ARC), after obtaining his MSc degree at North-West University, Potchefstroom. A lifelong dream to work for South African National Parks came true and he served SANParks as a Botanist and Manager of the Species and Communities programme. He became a Specialist Plant Ecologist and his retirement in 2025 will be the end of a 35-year career at SANParks. He worked in most of the national parks in South Africa, gaining experience not only in botany, but also in fields like impact assessments, compiling management plans, wildlife translocations and carrying-capacity estimations. He believes that a thorough understanding of the geology, terrain and soil form the basis of good research planning. His knowledge as a soil scientist, and part-time geologist, helps to understand these aspects that play a major role in conserving and preserving vegetation, specifically cycad species and wildlife in general. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers on a variety of subjects and contributed to book chapters. He was co-supervisor for several MSc and PhD students as well as an external examiner for several universities. He believes that passion cannot be acquired, but that you are born with a GOD given talent to fulfill your purpose on Earth.

Johan has worked in the formal conservation industry for more than 30 years. He is a registered ecologist and holds a Masters degree in wildlife management from the University of Pretoria. He has served on the South African Scientific Authority for two terms, advising the Minister on aspects related to the regulation of threatened and protected, as well as CITES-listed species. He is currently working as the scientific manager for the Scientific Services Division of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The monitoring of threatened species and ecosystems is one of his responsibilities. His background as an experienced terrestrial ecologist and his intimate knowledge of the Limpopo Province and its natural attributes, makes him a valuable ally in the conservation effort for cycads in this diverse and important region.