Mark Plotkin: Maps, Magic and Medicine in the Rainforest

Mark Plotkin, groundbreaking ethnobotanist and author of seminal books including “Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice”, works closely with Indigenous peoples and uncontacted tribes in the northwest Amazon. As co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) in 1995, he depicts ACT’s work partnering with over 30 South American tribes, including the Kogi, to map, manage and protect over 70 million acres of ancestral forests. He describes collaboration with elder healers to develop and implement successful “Shamans and Apprentices” programs to transmit sacred healing information down through generations within the tribes themselves.

Introduction by Laurie Benenson, film producer and environmental changemaker.

This speech was given at the 2016 National Bioneers Conference. To learn more about Mark Plotkin and his work, visit the Amazon Conservation Team.