Photo Courtesy of

Craig Kasnoff Media Center

(CKMC)

  email:   rebeccaxie@actcm.edu

 
SAVING ENDANGERED SPECIES
BY

PROMOTING ALTERNATIVE
REMEDIES

It is estimated

that at the

 turn of the

 century there

were

100,000 tigers

 in the wild.

 Currently it is

estimated

that there are

only

6,000 wild

tigers

remaining.

In the 1960s,

there were

approximately

100,000 black

rhinos in Africa.

Today there are only about 2,700.

Fewer than

75 wild rhinos

remain in Java.

International trade in all bear species is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Photo Courtesy of Howard Buffet

The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have formed a dynamic partnership to build public support for the conservation of tigers, rhinos, and other endangered species by reducing reliance on endangered species parts. 

These organizations will implement outreach and educational strategies to curb marketplace demand for medicines containing endangered species as well as promote awareness of affected species.

Key Issues and Concerns
A major cause contributing to the ongoing depletion of tigers, rhinos, and bears is the use of their parts for traditional medicinal purposes.  Although this practice has been largely dismissed by most TCM practitioners, poaching persists as the use of these animals' parts and products is deeply rooted in East Asian local traditional cultures.  Unfortunately, the illegal trade and poaching of these endangered species has increased to dangerous levels in the last two decades due to degradation of animal habitats, expanding East Asian economies, and political instability in the species' range countries.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Community Responds
As a leader in the advancement of TCM, ACTCM is utilizing its national and international associations in TCM to implement a far-reaching public education campaign. Having the endorsement of the TCM community, it will provide the structure and mechanism to disseminate information on a global scale. TCM practitioners, teachers, administrators, and students from throughout the U.S. and abroad will act as representatives of this campaign, helping to disseminate information to patients and their family members as well as their communities. Fueled by ACTCM contacts and WWF support, an international network will be created which will effectively address the issue of saving endangered species by promoting alternative remedies and implementing broad-based programs that ACTCM will manage.