Dr. Mark Plotkin

Renowned Ethnobotanist & Conservationist; President of the Amazon Conservation Team; Author; Host of "Plants of the Gods" Podcast

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Washington, DC, USA
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Dr. Mark Plotkin Biography

Dr. Mark Plotkin is a renowned ethnobotanist who has studied traditional indigenous plant use with elder shamans (traditional healers) of Central and South America for over 30 years. His work primarily involves the Trio Indians of southern Suriname, a small rainforest country in northeastern South America, but his research spans from Mexico to Brazil.

As an ethnobotanist—a scientist who studies how, and why, societies have come to use plants for different purposes—Dr. Plotkin carried out extensive research and has partnered with over 50 South American tribes to map and protect over 80 million acres of ancestral forests. He serves as President of the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), a non-profit organization he co-founded with his fellow conservationist and wife, Liliana Madrigal in 1996. ACT has been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 Roll of Honour since 2002 and was acknowledged for using "Best Practices Using Indigenous Knowledge" by UNESCO.

Dr. Plotkin has authored several influential books, including "The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know", "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice", and "The Killers Within: The Deadly Rise of Drug-Resistant Bacteria". His work has also been featured in the Academy Award-nominated IMAX film "Amazon". He has contributed to various media outlets and his insights have been featured in numerous publications like Life, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Additionally, Dr. Plotkin hosts the podcast "Plants of the Gods", exploring ethnobotanical topics and their implications on society.

Dr. Plotkin's career is decorated with numerous accolades, including being named a "Hero for the Planet" by Time Magazine in 1999, receiving the Skoll Foundation’s prestigious Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2008, and the honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lewis and Clark College. His dedication to integrating traditional shamanic wisdom with Western medical practices addresses both longstanding and emerging health challenges, emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental, health, and cultural issues.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 11/25/2023.

Dr. Mark Plotkin Speaking Topics

  • The Power of Social Entrepreneurs to Change the World

    Dr. Plotkin understands some of the unprecedented economic, environmental, social and cultural challenges that we are facing in the world today, and that the most efficient and effective way to turn these challenges into opportunities is to open the door to innovative thinkers with a social cause. In this speech, Dr. Plotkin outlines his inspiring journey and addresses the key goals that every social entrepreneur should follow in order to create a successful path for change. Audiences leave his presentations with renewed focus and energy to become true change agents in societies around the world.

  • Mitigating Climate Change: A Proven Approach

    In the age of killer hurricanes like Katrina and Sandy, melting polar ice caps, and increasingly weird weather patterns • it may seem as if the scope and scale of the climate change issue is so daunting that nothing can be done. However, when rainforests are burned, the carbon released into the atmosphere is the world’s second largest source of greenhouse gases. If we wish to mitigate global warming, the most efficient and effective way to do so is protecting tropical rainforests than the more intractable problem of reducing global fossil fuel consumption. In other words, if you are in a boat which is leaking, you should plug the leak in addition to bailing water. Mark Plotkin, Ph.D. has been working in the Amazon for over 30 years and has developed a uniquely effective and efficient method of protecting rainforests and mitigating global warming. This enthralling lecture documents the trails and travails of this extraordinary adventure.

  • Living Longer & Better: 30 Years of Lessons from the Rainforest

    Western medicine represents the most successful and sophisticated system of healing ever devised. Antibiotics, surgery, CAT scans – the list of medicines and technologies that treat and cure conditions and diseases once considered incurable is long and impressive.

    That being said, western medicine does not have all the answers. On the one hand, we are threatened by “old” diseases – like increasingly drug-resistant bacteria that are killing tens of thousands of Americans each year. At the same time, we are menaced by “new” diseases -like AIDS or bird flu – that continue to arise. Meanwhile, we continue to suffer from what have been called “the diseases of industrial society” – like acid reflux, insomnia, and other forms of stress – that western medicine has never been able to cure.

    Mark Plotkin, Ph.D. has spent much of the past three decades studying some of the most ancient and powerful shamans (medicine men and women) of the Amazon rainforest. This experience has given him unique insights into the healing powers and plants of these tribal healers – and why they don’t suffer many of the chronic diseases that plague our industrialized society. On the one hand, these cultures rely on plants and animals and the powerful chemicals they contain – pharmaceutical classes like beta blockers, statins, and ACE inhibitors are based on products of natural origin. At the same time, there are lessons to be learned from both practices and lifestyle from these so-called “primitive” peoples that can be of direct benefit to us here at home.

    In this lecture, Dr. Plotkin – a spellbinding speaker and intrepid explorer – shares many of those lessons learned – from which we can all benefit.

Dr. Mark Plotkin Videos

  • It's All The Same Thing: Mark Plotkin | Amazon Conservation Team
  • Mark Plotkin: What the people of the Amazon know that you don't

Dr. Mark Plotkin Books

  • Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest
    Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest

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  • What topics does Dr. Mark Plotkin speak about?

    Dr. Mark Plotkin is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Adventure, Biology, Business Leadership, Conservation, Earth Day, Entrepreneurship, Ethics & Integrity, Faith & Religion.
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    Dr. Mark Plotkin generally travels from Washington, DC, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Dr. Mark Plotkin is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Power of Social Entrepreneurs to Change the World, Mitigating Climate Change: A Proven Approach and Living Longer & Better: 30 Years of Lessons from the Rainforest. The estimated speaking fee range to book Dr. Mark Plotkin for your event is available upon request. Dr. Mark Plotkin generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rick Ridgeway, Alexandra Cousteau, Sebastian Copeland, Sylvia Earle and Natalie Kyriacou OAM. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Dr. Mark Plotkin for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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