Mind, Body, Spirit
Aya Conference 2016 – Environment and Sustainability
Intro
The Aya Conference 2016 brought together researchers, indigenous leaders, healers, and activists to explore ayahuasca in the broader context of environmental protection and social responsibility. This gathering looked beyond individual experiences with the medicine and asked a bigger question: How can ayahuasca support a more sustainable, respectful relationship with the Earth and with indigenous cultures?
In this session, hosted in collaboration with Aya Healing Retreats, speakers share their perspectives on environmental sustainability, cultural reciprocity, and the future of global ayahuasca practice.
Watch the full video above and read the summary below to explore the main topics and insights from the conference.
What Is the Aya Conference?
The Aya Conference is an international gathering dedicated to the study and discussion of ayahuasca, bringing together voices from science, traditional medicine, law, human rights, and spirituality. Across its different editions, the conference has created a space where indigenous knowledge, academic research, and contemporary practices can meet and learn from each other.
The 2016 edition focused strongly on how the growing global interest in ayahuasca intersects with environmental issues, cultural diversity, and social justice. Rather than treating ayahuasca only as a substance or therapy, the conference highlighted relationships: our relationship with the forest, with indigenous peoples, and with the communities that have protected this medicine for generations.
Why Focus on Environment and Sustainability?
Ayahuasca is born from the Amazon rainforest. As interest grows worldwide, questions naturally arise:
How can we protect the ecosystems where these plants grow?
How do we ensure that indigenous communities benefit from the global expansion of ayahuasca?
What does it mean to drink a “medicine of the forest” in a world facing climate crisis?
During Aya Conference 2016, speakers reflected on environmental sustainability as an ethical foundation of ayahuasca work. This means:
Respecting the plants and their natural habitats
Supporting regenerative projects in the Amazon
Encouraging retreat centers and practitioners to adopt sustainable harvesting and fair-trade practices
Promoting conscious, less extractive forms of ayahuasca tourism
For Aya Healing Retreats, this is directly connected to our mission: working in partnership with Shipibo healers and communities while caring for the land and plants that make this medicine possible.
Highlights From the Aya Conference 2016 Video
In the video session featured on this page, you will find:
Opening reflections on the importance of sustainability in ayahuasca work
Testimonies from people working directly with indigenous communities and forest protection
Discussions about how retreat centers can adopt ethical guidelines and community-based projects
Questions from participants, exploring how to integrate ayahuasca experiences into daily life in a responsible and grounded way
We invite you to watch closely and notice how the conversation moves from personal healing to collective responsibility. Ayahuasca is not only about inner transformation; it is also about how we choose to live and act in the world after ceremony.