Read the Collective Statement

Collective Statement from the Curanderos and Curanderas of North Peru on the State of Conservation of the San Pedro Cactus, their Traditional Knowledge, and the Use of Wild San Pedro by Foreigners

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PROTECTING THE MOTHERPLANTS

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Huachuma Collective is a Peru-based nonprofit organization that cares for the bio-cultural sustainability of the San Pedro Cactus.

We are led by an alliance of Indigenous leaders, traditional healers, and Andean community members. Together, we empower communities to plant Huachuma and explore sustainable practices for growing and working with traditional medicine in Peru.

Wild Huachuma is in Decline

Declining populations of wild Huachuma were first reported 50 years ago, and today the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment recognizes that all species of San Pedro are endangered. Peruvian botanists have recommended that Huachuma be placed on the international endangered species list (CITES). Illegal harvesting is the most significant cause of this decline.

Today, few young people are learning the art of Huachuma from their elders and traditional knowledge is being forgotten.