In a unique undertaking blending cultural and environmental protection, Colombia has created a new national park to preserve the hallucinogenic and medicinal plants important to the culture of five Indian tribes. Colombian officials say creation of the 25,000-acre (10,000-ha) Orito Ingi-Ande Medicinal Plants Sanctuary in the southwestern departments of Nariño and Putumayo will protect tropical rainforests providing habitat to more than 400 species of birds. But they say the prime goal is to safeguard some 100 medicinal plants, including the hallucinogenic yagé (Banisteriopsis spp) and the yoco (Paullinia yoco), which lie at the core of the religious and spiritual practices of Indian tribes in southwestern Colombia`s Andean-Amazon Piedmont region. "This marks the first time a national park has been created... [Log in to read more]