Microdose 12. Psychedelic secrets: Acacia conservation
Registrations for the Microdose Webcasts are free, but donations are encouraged to support EGA's important work (booking fees apply).
Episode Twelve – Psychedelic secrets: Acacia conservation
Episode Synopsis
This episode will explore the complexities of the intersection of Acacia conservation and DMT consumption through discussion of the Conseracacian project. There will also be an introduction to strategies for identifying some common Australian Acacia, with a focus on Acacia acuminata and Acacia obtusifolia.
Conseracacian is a participatory action research project responding to a harm reduction issue minimally addressed within policy, media and research, botanical conservation. The project responds to a threat posed by manufacturers of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) to a rare species of Australian Acacia.
Conseracacian began in 2018 with a discussion thread on The Corroboree (SAB) forum, moving to a group private message on the platform and personal communications between key forum participants. The participants struggled to reach consensus on an approach, deliberating with key stakeholders to create a public messaging strategy with a clear aim – to reduce demand for DMT produced from wild-harvesting of this rare Acacia species by encouraging consumers to preference DMT produced from cultivated sources.
Producing a messaging output that met the needs of Traditional Custodians, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, botanical experts and the peer community was complex. The negotiated output portrays a public message that conservation relies on prohibition of wild-sourced DMT consumption. However, there is a private message amongst stakeholders that DMT sourced from the wild can be consumed in ways that reduce and even subvert environmental harms. The output also avoids identifying the Acacia species in question and encourages cultivation of endangered Acacia under licence. Strangely, stakeholders also understand that unlicensed cultivation of this endangered Acacia may be crucial to its long-term survival.
Bio: Liam Engel
Dr Liam Engel is a drug science researcher and communicator. He is a research fellow at Edith Cowan University's School of Medical and Health Sciences.
Liam's passion is illicit drugs, particularly the areas of harm reduction, psychedelics, ecology, internet and reform. His unique perspective draws on skills in health and medicine, communications and social sciences, as well as botany and horticulture.
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About Garden States Microdose Webcasts
The EGA Garden States Microdose Webcasts are designed to cover various topics from the field of ethnobotany and psychedelic culture, sustainability, and related areas of interest to the community. The forums are part of the program leading up to the highly anticipated Garden States 2022 Botanical Conference. Registration for the Microdose Webcasts are free, but donations are encouraged to support EGA's important work.
About EGA
Entheogenesis Australis is a charitable, educational organisation established in 2004. We provide critical thinking and knowledge sharing opportunities on ethnobotanical plants, fungi, nature, and sustainability. Through our conferences and workshops, we aim to celebrate the culture, art, politics and community around medicine plants in the hope of better wellbeing for humankind and the planet.
To find out more about what we do, head over to our organisational website. If you like what you see, take a look at our upcoming Garden States 2022 Botanical Conference program.
Warm Regards,
The Entheogenesis Australis Team
Planting seeds for the earth, body and mind
www.entheogenesis.org
www.gardenstates.org
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