Then (1979), Plants of the Gods
Ethnobotany as Urgency: Schultes's Warning
In the search for new hallucinogens, 'we have much to do and little time in which to do it.' The aspirin pill was destroying millennia of accumulated plant knowledge faster than any political force.
Still Open
Schultes's fear has proven prescient. Mark Plotkin, one of Schultes's students, established the Amazon Conservation Team in 1996 specifically to accelerate documentation. As of 2025, an estimated 45,000 plant species are at risk globally. The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the world's population relies primarily on traditional plant medicine, demonstrating the continued relevance of the knowledge Schultes feared losing. The 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework committed signatories to protect 30% of land by 2030, with specific provisions for indigenous-managed territories.
Sources
- Schultes, NIMH Symposium (1967)
- Plotkin, Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice (1993)
- CBD Kunming-Montreal Framework (2022)