HONG KONG (Reuters)-
As a key pillar of the national "Belt and Road" initiative, traditional Chinese medicine is expanding rapidly around the world, but conservation groups say demand for treatment with animal products is driving a surge in illegal wildlife trafficking.
Since the beginning of this year, Hong Kong authorities have seized a record number of threatened species, including eight.
Extracted from nearly 14,000 pangolins, 3 tons of pangolins are the largest number of rhino horns ever worth more than $1 million.
The former British colony is one of the world's major wildlife trafficking hubs, offering a range of products in Asia and mainland China, including shark fin, tiger parts and rhino horn.
"One of the most shocking features of wildlife trafficking is the increasing use of threatened species in traditional drugs," said the conservation organization ADM Capital Foundation in a recent report . ".
It determines that the proportion of traditional Chinese medicine industry is more than three-
In the past five years, Hong Kong has seen nearly five quarters of trade in endangered wildlife products.
China's State Council has put forward more than one
Ten-year plans to promote traditional medicine include the establishment of hospitals, museums, medical zoos and botanical gardens in countries participating in the Belt and Road infrastructure construction.
The industry is booming.
According to the World Health Organization, it is worth about $60 billion a year. WHO)
According to IBIS World, the announcement is growing at a rate of about 11% per year, and practices such as acupuncture and herbal supplements are being recognized globally.
Who said that it will formally recognize traditional medicine in the compendium of May, which means more mainstream recognition of practice more than 2,500 years ago.
While many practitioners avoid using endangered species, environmental groups say traditional therapies, including rare animals, are still popular in Vietnam and China, it is used to treat a series of diseases such as cancer, skin defects and hangover.
Species such as pangolin, rhino, saiga, hippocampus, Moon Bear and Tiger are seriously endangered in the industry, according to wildlife organizations.
Secretary Zhou Jinfeng-
The director-general of the China Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development said who should make sustainability and science a prerequisite for incorporating traditional Chinese medicine into its compendium.
"All drug treatments should follow the principle of 'no harm 'to people who use or manufacture drugs and the species on which they depend;
In most cases, Chinese medicine practitioners should not use chiropractic animals, "Zhou said.
WHO spokesman Tariq jalevich said the inclusion of the compendium does not mean that who recognizes the scientific effectiveness of traditional medicine, nor does it mean that WHO recommends or forgives the use of animals
"WHO recommends the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to protect rhinos, tigers and other species," he said . ".
Although Hong Kong generally does not produce Chinese medicine products, there are many kinds of Chinese medicine products imported from the mainland, including pangolin, saiga horn and shark fin, which are easy to buy in the western part of the city.
Elizabeth Kindu, a Hong Kong Legislative Council member, said the mainland must prevent the use of traditional Chinese medicine for endangered animals.
"What should the Chinese government do.
Manufacturing is mainly in China.
"The government needs to stop production," she said . ".
On the online forum in China, customers can buy horn powder from African rhino horn to young pangolin (also known as scaly ant beast) and saiga, an endangered antelope found in Europe and Asia.
Although rhino horn is officially banned in China, pangolin and saiga products are legally used in traditional Chinese medicine, which are produced by large traditional pharmaceutical companies.
According to the company's filing documents, companies such as Kangmei Pharmaceutical and Tongrentang have obtained permission from local government agencies to produce medicines for pangolin scales and Saiga corners.
According to its website, guizentang, which owns the largest moon bear breeding center in southern China, has a license to extract bear gall.
Chinese traditional medicine holding company acquired Beijing Huamao last year, which said it holds licenses for "processing products of some endangered and protected wildlife.
No details.
None of the companies responded to multiple requests for comment.
The State Forestry Administration and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine did not respond to requests for comment.
The Hong Kong Health Department said that the city's Board of traditional Chinese medicine "has been concerned about the balance between conservation of endangered species and use of traditional Chinese medicine," and that it will continue to observe international regulatory trends and monitor the problems of endangered species.
The China Forestry Administration and some breeders have been advocating the breeding of animals used in traditional medicine as a sustainable way for Chinese medicine to use endangered animals.
However, activists say the use of farming supplies for animals such as tigers and rhinos could lead to the cleaning of parts of the wild.
Many treatments have replaced the animal part with herbal products, and doctors say herbal alternatives are equally effective, if not more effective.
Li xinglao, director of the faculty of Chinese Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said there was no need to use endangered species.
"Chinese medicine is part of the world . "
"We care about human health and animal health.
If we use endangered species, it will damage our reputation.
