Mexico: They denounce the looting of sage in Baja California

Published 2021년 9월 9일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the significant surge in demand for Apiana sage, also known as white sage, due to its use in herbal medicine and spiritual practices, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This demand has led to a troubling trend of mass looting of this native plant from Baja California, causing environmental damage and affecting indigenous communities. The plant, which is currently unwilded and only found in the wild, is sold irregularly on various e-commerce platforms and social media sites, with disregard for its cultural and spiritual significance to indigenous groups like the Yuman ethno-linguistic family. The unregulated harvesting has resulted in severe damage, with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection struggling to curb the illegal activities. Local communities have reported illegal extraction activities, with some instances involving tonnage on a weekly basis, which are not yet reflected in the seizure statistics. The issue is further complicated by the usurpation of indigenous knowledge and the plant's overexploitation for profit, leading to concerns about sustainability and the need for regulation to protect the plant and respect its cultural significance.

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Original content

Members of the Kumiay and Pai Pai indigenous communities, as well as ejidatarios of the Trinidad Valley, considered that the demand doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic, for spiritual or medicinal reasons. ENSENADA, Baja California. With the "boom" of herbal medicine and the search for spirituality, some followers of the movement called "new age" or yoga, known as "yogis", cause the looting of tons of sage apiana in Baja California, indigenous people denounced and ejidatarios in rural areas. Given the growth in demand, the plant - considered sacred - is offered without regulation on Asian websites such as Aliexpress, Alibaba, or Latin ones, such as Mercado Libre; but there are also ads from countries like Venezuela or Colombia on Facebook, Tik Tok or Instagram. The prices are as varied as the places that offer it. Because the native plant is located northwest of Baja California, in indigenous and communal areas, illegal extraction is causing serious damage to vulnerable groups, ...

Source: Inforural