Cycads are of cultural and religious significance to many different peoples around the world. Cycads have considerable economic importance in horticulture. Cycads contain unique and potent toxic compounds that have caused problems to people and livestock in contact with them, and are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The cycads are the sister group to all other extant seed plants. An understanding of the evolution of the cycads is important in understanding the evolution of all modern plants.
Cycads fix atmospheric nitrogen, important in maintaining health and fertility of soils.
The fixation mechanism is through a cyanobacterial symbiosis that is unique to the cycads. This interest in cycads places pressure on the species in the wild, and creates threats to their continued survival. Threats are different in different parts of the world, and the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group is at the moment preparing a cycad action plan defining the different threats and proposing actions to counter them and ensure the continued survival of the cycads.