Photo: Signing of historic pledge by representatives from the Viet Nam Oriental TM Association, the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and leading research institutes.
Vietnam and China, the two largest markets for traditional medicine (TM) that uses wild plants and animals, announced a new landmark partnership in January to adopt practices that protect wildlife while preserving the countries’ cultural heritage.
- Viet Nam and China launch landmark partnership to adopt sustainable traditional medicine (TM) practices that protect wildlife while preserving cultural heritage.
- TM, rooted in centuries of shared knowledge, increasingly threatens wild species as global demand rises.
- Leading TM associations signed first-of-its kind agreement to eliminate illegal wildlife products and promote sustainable sourcing.
- The new partnership sets a global model for responsible TM that could help to safeguard some of the world’s most endangered species.
The partnership will focus on developing sustainable sourcing guidelines, advancing plant-based alternatives, and fostering ongoing cross-border collaboration. Future initiatives may include joint research, practitioner training programs, and industry standards to ensure TM’s responsible growth.
The first-of-its-kind agreement involved leading TM associations from Vietnam and China — the Vietnam Oriental Traditional Medicine Association (VOTMA) and the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM) — along with researchers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders. TRAFFIC, an international NGO monitoring illegal wildlife trade, facilitated it.
The partnership aims to explore “several sustainable practices to make traditional medicine more conservation-friendly,” said TRAFFIC Vietnam director Trinh Nguyen in a statement to Mongabay. She said these include encouraging practitioners to switch to legal, sustainable and cultivated plant-based alternatives, and eliminating illegal wildlife ingredients in prescriptions.
Sources:
China Environment News 