The popularity of ‘healing’ through psychedelics is fueling exploitation of Indigenous peoples and threatening biodiversity in Ecuador
In the world of the Ecuadorian Amazon, humans, plants and animals are relatives, and ancient stories reflect real ecological relationships and Indigenous knowledge rooted in profound connections to the land. But one of those connections – ceremonial medicine known as hayakwaska – is now marketed as a mystical shortcut to healing and enlightenment. Behind the scenes of these “healing retreats” lies a deeper story of cultural erasure, linguistic distortion and ongoing colonisation masked as wellness.
The global popularity of “ayahuasca” has given rise to a new form of spiritual tourism that romanticises and distorts Indigenous cultures. This growing industry fuels the exoticisation of Indigenous peoples, turning our languages, practices and identities into consumable fantasies for outsiders. Sacred rituals are stripped of context, spiritual roles are commercialised, and even the names of the plants are misused, reducing complex cultural systems into simplified, marketable experiences.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/17/2025 - 08:02
06/17/2025 - 07:51
The plant medicine hayakwaska (ayahuasca), marketed as a mystical shortcut to healing and enlightenment, is an example of what the Indigenous storyteller Nina Gualinga, sees as commodification and extractivism in the Amazon. Nina is from the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, Ecuador, and she speaks with the memory of her shaman grandfather about the ongoing cultural appropriation, environmental destruction and marginalisation of her people, questioning our very relationship to the Earth and the quest for healing
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06/17/2025 - 07:48
Fariba Vancor, former boss of Think Pink waste management company, convicted of 19 serious environmental crimes
A Swedish entrepreneur who once called herself the “queen of trash” has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally dumping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic waste in the country’s biggest environmental crime case.
Fariba Vancor, previously known as Bella Nilsson and the former chief executive of waste management company Think Pink, was convicted on Tuesday of 19 counts of serious environmental crimes. Her ex-husband Thomas Nilsson was found guilty of 12 counts of serious environmental crimes and sentences to three years and six months in prison.
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06/17/2025 - 02:00
From turning out the lights to letting leaves rot, these small steps can create big changes at home or in the wild
‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
Insects are in trouble. Around the world, scientists are reporting catastrophic declines in their numbers, even in nature reserves that are largely protected from human touch. We are also beginning to see huge drops in the populations of other animals – such as birds – that depend on insects as food.
Many of the drivers of those declines are structural, and require strong action by governments to turn around. But there are clear, easy steps that anyone can take to support the insect world. For species under such pressure, any respite is important, and we can create refuges for insects in a world increasingly hostile to their survival. In creating better habitats for insects, you can also reap the benefits: thriving gardens, more songbirds, and a healthier web of life.
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06/17/2025 - 01:00
Datacentres, which do not have to report amount of water used to cool servers, leave Environment Agency with no idea of shortfalls
The artificial intelligence boom means the Environment Agency has no idea how much water England will be short of in future decades, as datacentres do not have to report how much they are using to cool their servers.
England’s public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to future-proof resources, the government environment regulator has warned, with a shortfall of a further 1bn litres a day for farming, energy generation and powering emerging technologies.
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06/17/2025 - 01:00
From peat bogs to ancient trees via abandoned mining towns, these prize-winning images deliver both a stark warning and a message of hope for the future of our planet
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06/17/2025 - 00:00
Extreme events such as floods and droughts are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, study says
New data from Nasa has revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of weather events such as droughts and floods over the past five years.
The study shows that such extreme events are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, with last year’s figures reaching twice that of the 2003-2020 average.
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06/16/2025 - 23:33
Board expresses support for offer but deal depends on regulatory approvals and treasurer’s tick-off
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Jim Chalmers may need to make a “captain’s call” on whether to approve the takeover of the Australian oil and gas giant Santos by the investment arm of an Abu Dhabi state-owned entity, according to analysts, amid questions about whether the proposal will boost domestic supplies.
The board of the Adelaide-headquartered oil and gas company has expressed support for the $30bn bid that, if successful, would place a series of strategic assets into foreign-owned hands.
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06/16/2025 - 23:00
Exclusive: Wensum and Tone found to have high concentrations of chemicals that are toxic to aquatic life
Dangerous modern pesticides used in agriculture and pet flea treatment have been detected for the first time in English rivers, research has found.
Scientists have called for stricter regulation around high-risk farming pesticides and flea treatments for pets because of the deadly effects they have on fish and other aquatic life when they make their way into rivers.
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06/16/2025 - 18:01
US agency had pledged almost $30m over five years to Hope Through Action initiative, which was launched in 2023
The US government funding cuts will hit a chimpanzee conservation project nurtured by the primatologist Jane Goodall.
USAID has been subjected to swingeing cuts under Donald Trump, with global effects that are still unfolding. Now it has emerged that the agency will withdraw from the Hope Through Action project managed by the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). USAID had pledged $29.5m (£22m) over five years to the project, which was designed to protect endangered chimpanzees and their habitats in western Tanzania.
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