Dr. Mark Plotkin Speaks to WWLTV on Indigenous Plant Medicine and Psychedelic Research

Dr. Plotkin alongside Surinamese healers

As a new executive order fast-tracks psychedelic research for veteran mental health treatment, WWLTV turned to Dr. Mark Plotkin, co-founder and president of the Amazon Conservation Team, for perspective. Drawing on nearly four decades of fieldwork with Amazonian community leaders, Dr. Plotkin speaks to the deep traditional roots of these plant-based medicines and the importance…

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Award-Winning Map Advocates for the Protection of Isolated Indigenous Peoples of South America

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is proud to announce that A Fight for Survival: Isolated Indigenous Peoples of South America, created in partnership with the International Working Group on Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI), has been named the Winner in the Environment category of the 2025 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition, hosted by Esri.…

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The Amazon Conservation Team joins call for academia to support Indigenous science and equitable conservation 

In a recent letter published in Earth Stewardship Journal, the Amazon Conservation Team, along with Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues from research institutions and nongovernmental organizations, called on academia to meaningfully support biocultural conservation.  “Too often, relationships between academia and Indigenous peoples and nations remain extractive and asymmetrical, and without meaningful recognition or restitution of harm done…

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Colombian Court Upholds Landmark Ruling for Indigenous Rights  

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) welcomes the Constitutional Court’s decision last week to uphold Decree 1275 of 2024, a national framework that strengthens and legitimizes the role of Indigenous authorities in leading environmental management across their territories.  For nearly 30 years, ACT has worked alongside Indigenous peoples to protect the Amazon through community-led, culturally grounded conservation. The Court’s decision validates the…

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Musician Cimafunk Teams Up With the Amazon Conservation Team

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is proud to announce Afro-Cuban musician Cimafunk has joined the organization as an official ambassador. In this role, the internationally acclaimed artist will help spotlight the work ACT is doing to protect the Amazon rainforest and support Indigenous and local communities across South America. Cimafunk, a Grammy-nominated musician whose genre-defying…

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Christian Science Monitor Highlights Landmark Protection of Isolated Indigenous Territory in Colombia

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was recently highlighted in The Christian Science Monitor’s Points of Progress column for its role in a landmark conservation and human rights victory in Colombia. The article celebrates the official recognition of 2.7 million acres as off-limits to development and human contact, safeguarding the isolated Yuri-Passé people. ACT was recognized…

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The Jaguar: Guardian of the Amazon 

Jaguar

In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, one elusive and powerful creature reigns supreme—the jaguar. Known as el tigre in much of South America, the jaguar is more than just an apex predator. Jaguar conservation in the Amazon is essential for the health and resilience of Amazonian ecosystems. The jaguar is also a sacred being…

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Colombia Makes History: Legal Protection for Indigenous Peoples in Isolation

Isolated indigenous peoples long house aerial view in the Colombian Amazon

Colombia Makes History: Legal Protection for Isolated Indigenous peoples in Colombia In a groundbreaking move, the Colombian government has taken an unprecedented step to protect Indigenous Peoples Living in Isolation by defining their territory—with Indigenous allies, the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), and a coalition of partner organizations playing central roles in fostering this historic resolution.  Indigenous…

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