Gabon moves to tighten controls on iboga exports
The story at a glance
On 18 September 2026, Gabon’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree to prohibit exports of iboga and its derivatives. The government said the measure is intended to protect the plant and associated cultural knowledge, but the sources do not establish that the draft is in force.21
Iboga is a slow-growing rainforest shrub whose root bark is used in several Gabonese ritual traditions. Recent reporting describes locally severe harvesting, while the last IUCN assessment found the species stable and of Least Concern based on evidence assessed in 2018.15
The story in brief
What you need to know
- The September proposal is a draft, not a confirmed export ban already in force. It would prohibit exports of iboga and its derivatives in any form, according to the government communiqué.2
- The draft follows a presidential decree dated 22 May 2026 that regulates access, use, exploitation, research, transformation and commercialisation of iboga, its derivatives and associated traditional knowledge.3
- Gabon had already suspended iboga exports on a precautionary basis in 2019. The latest proposal therefore follows an earlier export-control measure, although how the measures relate in practice is not clear from the sources.42
- The conservation evidence is incomplete. The IUCN assessment, published in 2019 and based on a 2018 assessment, listed iboga as Least Concern with a stable trend and reported no major threats at that time. More recent reporting describes severe overharvesting in some local areas and notes that removing the whole root system can kill the shrub.51
- Rules on access and commercialisation also touch on community rights and income. Mongabay reported that a community association earned about US$50,000 from three legal shipments between 2023 and early 2025, but that a share of value generated further along the commercial chain had not yet reached it.36
Conservation context
Why this matters
Iboga is both a plant harvested from the rainforest and part of Gabonese cultural traditions. The new rules address conservation and control of traditional knowledge alongside growing commercial interest, raising questions about how communities will share in value generated from the plant.1236
The developing story
What happens next
The sources do not establish whether the September draft has since been promulgated or when any prohibition would take effect. Its implementing rules, its relationship to the 2019 suspension and the consequences for authorised community trade remain unresolved.246
Established evidence
What we know
- Iboga is a slow-growing Central African rainforest shrub; its root bark is used in several Gabonese ritual traditions.1
- A May 2026 presidential decree regulates access to and commercial activity involving iboga and associated traditional knowledge.3
- The Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree on 18 September 2026 proposing a prohibition on exports of iboga and its derivatives.2
- Mongabay reported that community-based exports stopped after the government tightened controls in September 2026.6
Open questions
What we don't know
- The available sources do not establish whether the September draft has become law, its commencement date or its implementing rules.2
- Current population levels and trends in Gabon are unclear, including in areas where recent reporting describes heavy harvesting.15
- It is not clear how the new controls will affect community cultivation, permitted trade or existing community export arrangements.26
- The sources do not show how commercial benefits will be distributed under the new framework or what role communities and knowledge-holders will have in decisions.136
Source coverage
