Context
Our Conservation Strategy
Indigenous ayahuasca communities are developing programming to preserve traditional knowledge, develop integrated agricultural models, and conserve land. Adjunct strategies include fair trade and direct benefit models, and encouraging ethical development of non-Amazonian sources of medicine for non-indigenous ceremony.
Risks
Deforestation of limited natural habitat (agriculture, illegal drug trade, oil and wood industry)
Over-harvest, improper harvest, and Black Market trade
Loss of biocultural knowledge through Indigenous urbanization and increased globalization
Dramatic increase in global demand and tourism
Opportunities
Ecological — Regenerative/Integrated agriculture models and protection of wild Ayahuasca
Cultural — language preservation, supporting elder healers, building common spaces for ceremony and community strategy, etc.
Economic — Direct benefit from exchange models for traditional/Indigenous users
Sovereignty — Strengthening alliances between tribes
Legal — Indigenous land rights, importation laws, legal protections for healers, government recognition
