Photo Courtesy of

Craig Kasnoff Media Center

(CKMC)

  email: rebeccaxie@actcm.edu

Reducing the Trade Threat to Tigers

 A New Partnership May Turn the Tide

World Wildlife Fund and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco formed a unique partnership to build support for tiger conservation and reduce demand for tiger bone medicines in 1998 (the Chinese year of the tiger). WWF pledged bold new commitments to protect tiger habitat, improve trade laws and enforcement, increase public awareness, and ensure sustained funding for tiger conservation. The Year of the Tiger was an auspicious opportunity to begin bringing East and West together to help save the tiger. ACTCM continues to utilize its national and international associations in TCM, implementing a far-reaching public education campaigns with the intent of celebrating the next Year of the Tiger, 2010 in victory for the majestic animal.

China is the geographical center of the cultural evolution of the tiger, and the species has long been a symbol of power and invincibility in Chinese culture. Yet today there are probably fewer than 40 tigers left in China, and no more than 6,000 across the tiger's entire range. Aside from habitat loss and prey depletion, the most urgent threat to tigers today is the continuing demand for traditional Chinese medicine containing tiger bone, which is used to treat debilitating conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism. Although the use of tiger bone dates back at least a thousand years, the trade -- and the poaching -- of tigers increased significantly in the past decade. Most tiger conservation experts agree that the trade in tiger bone for traditional Chinese medicines has been a major factor underpinning the tiger crisis today.

Because of the aforementioned factors, curbing this trade requires an innovative approach. Economic incentives for poaching strongly outweigh any knowledge that the poacher may have about the folly of his trade. Sadly, the income generated from the slaughter of one tiger can bring in up to ten years’ income in some S.E. Asian countries. While strengthening enforcement of wildlife trade controls remains crucial, the marketplace demand for tiger products must be addresed simultaneously if efforts to save the tiger to have lasting results. Without the combined forces of watchdogs like TRAFFIC and a strong community presence such as the ACTCM and WWF collaboration, there will be little or no tigers remaining to celebrate the next Year of the Tiger, 2010. This means working in partnership with the community of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, retailers, educators and consumers to spread information about tiger conservation and promote alternative treatments for the ailments traditionally treated with tiger bone. Effectively advocating promising tiger bone substitutes requires support from TCM practitioners, who have the credibility to persuade their patients that other products are effective.

Surprisingly, much of the residual trade in medicinal products containing or purporting to contain tiger bone occurs outside of Asia, including the United States and Canada. By combining the expertise of WWF and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and reaching audiences through community-based channels --such as national practitioners' associations, colleges of oriental medicine, and Chinese language schools across the country -- the tiger conservation message will reach thousands of users or potential users of traditional medicine.

As part of this partnership, supported by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Save the Tiger Fund and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, WWF and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine also held a successful one-day event in San Francisco in June 1998 entitled "Saving the Tiger, for our Children, for the Future: A Chinese-American and Wildlife Conservation Working Conference." This event brought together the primary "stakeholders" in the issue -- TCM practitioners, educators, students and retailers; conservationists; state and federal government representatives; Chinese language school administrators; and influential members of the Bay Area's Chinese-American community. Participants worked together to devise strategies for promoting tiger conservation, reducing demand for tiger bone medicines, and promoting tiger bone-free alternative treatments.

Efforts to reduce demand for tiger bone can be expected to resonate far beyond San Francisco itself. These conferences and related tiger conservation activities in the Bay Area constitute a pilot project that is being adapted for use in other key North American cities, such as New York and Vancouver. Moreover, because Chinese communities worldwide often maintain close ties, this partnership presents an unprecedented opportunity to reach out to broader audiences both in the United States and around the world.