Gabon places iboga at the center of cultural sovereignty, linking Bwiti tradition, conservation, and control over how a sacred plant enters global psychedelic markets

Iboga stands at the center of Gabonese cultural sovereignty as the country seeks greater control over a sacred plant long tied to Bwiti initiation, healing, and national identity. Gabon is positioning iboga not only as a spiritual and medicinal resource, but also as a matter of heritage, conservation, and economic self-determination as international psychedelic demand grows. Bwiti knowledge holders, policymakers, and conservation concerns intersect around questions of who can cultivate, export, study, and profit from iboga and its alkaloids, especially ibogaine. These tensions reflect broader debates over biocultural appropriation, Indigenous authority, and whether global commercialization can proceed without stripping ritual context from the plant. Gabonese sovereignty therefore extends beyond trade policy into stewardship of ecosystems, protection of ceremonial lineages, and the terms under which outside researchers, companies, and retreat operators engage with iboga. The wider implication is that psychedelic globalization increasingly depends on consent, benefit-sharing, and recognition of source communities as rights holders rather than raw material suppliers.