Photo Courtesy of CKMC

  email: rebeccaxie@actcm.edu

Healthy People, Healthy Planet:

An International Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Endangered Wildlife Conservation

Beijing, October 30-November 1, 1999

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

China’s relationship with conservationists entered into a new phase during the Healthy People, Healthy Planet conference on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and wildlife conservation. Recognizing a common vision to ensure a sustainable future for endangered wildlife, the conference marked the first of its kind to be co-organized by the government of China. WWF and its wildlife trade-monitoring program, TRAFFIC, have long been at the forefront of encouraging TCM specialists and conservationists to work together in mutual benefit and played a central role in the conference.

Sponsored by WWF’s Living Planet Campaign, the conference brought together over 100 TCM practitioners and researchers, wildlife experts, and government officials to address the complex issues between TCM and wildlife conservation. The program provided an overview of both endangered wildlife conservation and the development of traditional Chinese medicine, and underscored the role of alternatives to endangered species in traditional medicines. With an emphasis on communications and the open exchange of ideas and experiences, the conference explored environmental, social, and political aspects of these issues, including related government, private sector, and NGO initiatives worldwide.

The conference was a direct outgrowth of a successful outreach effort initiated within the TCM community in San Francisco during the 1998 Year for the Tiger. This ongoing awareness campaign is the result of an innovative partnership between WWF and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and together with WWF’s efforts in Canada, represents the first systematic effort to educate TCM users in North America about endangered species issues using TCM channels and culturally sensitive approaches. This partnership captured the attention of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM) of the People’s Republic of China and helped lay the  groundwork for the Beijing conference.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

The key objectives of the Healthy People, Healthy Planet conference were to:

• integrate the efforts of TCM and conservation communities toward expanding public understanding of conservation issues and acceptance of viable alternatives to endangered species derivatives in traditional Chinese medicine;

• promote greater commercial availability of alternatives that do not threaten the survival of wild species;

• raise awareness in the conservation community of the history and significance of TCM in healthcare worldwide;

• work toward establishing a sustainable healthcare system within mainland China that does not threaten the survival of endangered wildlife; and

• bring together diverse constituencies from China’s TCM community to raise awareness of their integral role in wildlife conservation.

CONFERENCE OUTCOMES

The conference included a range of compelling presentations and interactive working sessions. Reports to the conference covered topics such as the development of traditional Chinese medicine in China and the use and conservation of raw materials in traditional medicines, the role of cultivation and sustainable use of medicinal materials, the implementation CITES regulations in China, the symbiotic relationship between TCM and wildlife conservation, the status of international conservation efforts of endangered wildlife, WWF’s Living Planet Campaign, TCM outreach and education in the United States, and securing a future for species such as wild tigers and bears. Panel discussions on trade controls, sustainable use and substitutes, and how the TCM community is working with the wildlife conservation community provided additional international perspectives. Special small group discussions addressed the future development of traditional Chinese medicine, with an emphasis on higher education, trade controls, and research efforts on endangered species substitutes.

To open the conference two videos produced prior to the event itself, were presented-- one on wildlife conservation and one exploring the world of TCM and its historical and cultural significance. These video segments are now being edited with footage from the Healthy People, Healthy Planet proceedings. The final product will be a thirty-minute Television Trust for the Environment (TVE) Earth Report (in both Chinese and English) to be broadcast on Central China Television (CCTV) to over 600 million viewers in China and throughout the BBC 30-country viewing network.

All conference participants agreed that traditional Chinese medicine is a Chinese national treasure and has made a great contribution to the health of people. They acknowledged a need for traditional medicine and a need for biodiversity. In order to address these needs, and recognizing that some species are critically endangered, delegates recommended improvements in the conservation of natural resources and endangered wildlife, as well as increased research, development and the use of alternative treatments and ingredients. Noting these factors and recognizing a common vision for a sustainable future, participants called upon producing and consuming countries to:

1. Encourage ongoing and regular liaison between traditional medicine and wildlife conservation communities, whether governmental or non-governmental.

2. Ensure the dissemination of accurate information on the traditional Chinese medicine healthcare system, including scientific research, education, patient care, formulation principles of herbal medicines, and the careful regulation of trade and use of herbal products.

3. Promote the use of substitutes to those of animals and plants that are endangered in the wild.

4. Ensure that trade in medicine containing animal and plant ingredients is conducted sustainably and legally.

5. Further encourage regulatory systems for traditional medicines that prohibit the use of any ingredients derived from endangered animals and plants that are protected by Chinese and international laws and regulations.

6. Ensure that local communities benefit from any harvest of their natural resources, whether they are animals or plants.

Overall, the delegates agreed to actively strengthen the international communication and cooperation between communities of traditional Chinese medicine and wildlife conservation for healthy people and a healthy planet.

In the coming decade, the international market for traditional medicines is expected to soar to US$12 billion. China is modernizing its traditional medicine industry in the hope of cornering the fast-growing world market for natural medicines. TCM uses an array of plants and animal species, making a balance between TCM and conservation efforts critical. Chinese government officials have pledged to work with WWF to ensure a sustainable trade in wild plants and animals used in TCM. The officials vowed to help WWF stop the use of endangered species, such as tigers and rhinos, in medicines. WWF has called for “green standards” in TCM and hope China will lead the way in ensuring “green” standards in the global TCM market. If adopted, such a move could have far-reaching benefits for conservation.

NEXT STEPS

Making lasting, conservation-oriented change to the TCM infrastructure in China will demand long-term conservation support. WWF and TRAFFIC are committed to building the capacity to address these issues comprehensively in China. A number of follow-up proposals have been submitted and are currently being considered, including:

1. Training Courses for TCM professionals (practitioners, researchers, government officials, manufacturers and retailers) on wildlife conservation issues, 

2. Ongoing research on substitutes for endangered species used in TCM, 

3. Continued outreach and education through the designation of a permanent endangered species month to raise awareness of endangered species issues to a broader audience in China; and,

4. Cooperative research project between national and state government agencies and China’s pharmaceutical companies aimed at measuring the extent to which endangered species are still used in TCM and assessing the availability of alternative products.

WWF and TRAFFIC will continue to work with the Chinese government and the TCM community to ensure that the important groundwork laid at the Healthy People, Healthy Planet conference turns into conservation action that benefits both the people of China and the species at risk.

ACTCM will

work with

herbal retailers,

schools,

community

groups,

and the

general

public

to provide

information

about saving

endangered

species and

using

substitute

medicines.

All of our

educational

materials

are available

online

for free

public use.

Publicity

events will

be

held,

educating

the

public

on how to

curb

marketplace

demand

at home.