Anya Ermakova: Conservation of Psychedelics - shrub, vine, cactus and toad

Anya Ermakova: Of shrub, cactus, vine and toad: psychedelic species of conservation concern

Psychedelics can play a powerful role in personal growth and are deeply connected to many Indigenous cultures. However, several natural sources of these substances—like peyote, the ayahuasca vine, iboga, and the Sonoran Desert toad—are increasingly at risk due to climate change, habitat loss, and overharvesting. In this talk I'll examine the conservation status of these species, how sustainably they are currently being sourced, and what can be done to protect them. I'll also highlight the important work Indigenous communities are doing to preserve these medicines. Overall, despite their differences, all four species face similar challenges—especially a lack of research to guide conservation. Key priorities include better long-term monitoring, studying their genetic and chemical diversity, improving sustainable harvesting practices, and incorporating Indigenous knowledge into conservation efforts.

Anya has a motley background and broad research interests combining nature conservation, ethnobotany, neuroscience and psychiatry, interweaving and connecting these diverse paths through psychedelic science. Deep love for nature and wildlife has motivated Anya to study biology at the University of Edinburgh, while a quest to understand altered states of consciousness has prompted her to specialise in neuroscience and later continued during her PhD in psychiatry at Cambridge, where she investigated the origins of psychosis. She then worked for the NHS, as a senior researcher in psychiatry. After a brief stint as a clinical trial manager, she had decided to pursue her passion for nature, by studying Conservation Science at Imperial College London. Currently she is back in psychiatry research, working as a research consultant, in the clinical trials of 5-MeO-DMT for depression and addiction. Anya conducted fieldwork in South and West Texas, Colombia, Borneo, Costa Rica and the lake Baikal in Russia.

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