resources Article Poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa Tshianeo M. Ndou 1, * , Eduard M. Stam 1 , Milingoni P. Tshisikhawe 2 , Mercy A. Alabi 3 and Adeyemi O. Adeeyo 4, *   Citation: Ndou, T.M.; Stam, E.M.; Tshisikhawe, M.P.; Alabi, M.A.; Adeeyo, A.O. Poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Resources 2021, 10, 119. https:// doi.org/10.3390/resources10120119 Academic Editors: Demetrio Antonio Zema and Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja Received: 4 August 2021 Accepted: 19 October 2021 Published: 23 November 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 1 Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa; Eduard.Stam@univen.ac.za 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa; peter.tshisikhawe@univen.ac.za 3 Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure 340252, Nigeria; alabimercy14@gmail.com 4 Ecology and Resource Management Unit, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa * Correspondence: tshianeomellda@gmail.com (T.M.N.); firstrebby@gmail.com (A.O.A.) Abstract: There is an established link between deforestation and negative hydrological effects which may affect watersheds. The number of the cycads Encephalartos transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy in South Africa is drastically reducing, and they are nearly extinct. Additionally, poaching and reduction in the population of cycads in reserves may impact negatively on watersheds in protected and buffer areas since the regeneration of this plant occurs over a long period. This research aimed to study the distributions of poached cycads, evaluate the factors responsible for poaching activity and suggest possible solutions towards conservation of E. transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy in some of the nature reserves in Limpopo province. Field observation was used to ascertain and collect locations of poached cycads. Data was obtained through the use of a questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered to rangers for the collection of data on causes of poaching, parts poached, measures taken and challenges of rangers in the nature reserves. Processing of the collected data was done by simple statistical analysis. The total population of rangers available in the reserves was used for the determination of the sample size of rangers by Slovin’s formula. Unemployment (46%) is the leading cause for poaching in Mphaphuli Nature Reserve, while trade is a leading factor in Modjadji and Lekgalameetse (37% and 60%) respectively. Debarked cycads amount to 14 (54%) while 12 of the total (26 poached cycads) were completely removed (46%). The most effective way of stopping the poaching of cycads as perceived by the rangers is by patrolling the nature reserves. The observed poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus is alarming since this plant has a low population size which is currently confined to the Limpopo Province in South Africa only. If poaching continues in the nature reserves, all cycads have the tendency of being removed. Therefore, there is a need to continually develop strategies for the conservation of cycads. The peculiar nature and challenges of each reserve have been established and unique solutions for these nature reserves in Limpopo Province have been proposed. Better conservation of cycad species can positively impact the hydrological process of the concerned area and better help the watersheds. Keywords: watershed; hydrological processes; cycads; endangered plants; mitigation strategy; nature reserves 1. Introduction The impact of forests on the regulation of water cycles and prevention of adverse hydrological events in watersheds has been reported while improper management of forest reserves has been reported for significant inter-seasonal water imbalance [1]. Africa holds a rich assemblage of cycads in forest reserves and South Africa is a major hotspot of cycads Resources 2021, 10, 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10120119 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/resources