ACTCM Statement of Support for Protecting Endangered Species

Statement of Support for the Conservation of Endangered Medicinal Species

As members of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), we express our unequivocal and strong support of global efforts to protect endangered medicinal plant and animal species.  Our organization consists of diverse representatives from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) academia in the US, with influence in China and around the world. Collectively, this group influences the training and practice of TCM in the US and beyond.

Herbal medicine is a fundamental pillar of TCM. The TCM Pharmacopoeia includes species that were once abundant enough to meet user demands, such as tigers, rhinos, bears, tropical hardwoods and orchids, among others.  However, in our contemporary world of dramatic population increases, destruction of natural habitats and increase in demand for Chinese herbal medicine, some of these species are endangered or in severe threat of extinction.  Although there are global bans on the collection and trade of many these species, consumer demand still exists.  We have witnessed the growth of a lucrative black market of endangered species, an increase illegal poaching, and the rise of inhumane farms for the cultivation of medicinal animal products. These factors, along with large-scale environmental pressures, threaten the future of Chinese herbal medicine and the integrity of our planet.

One of the most tragic examples of destruction of a medicinal species is the tiger. The total population of wild tigers across the globe has plummeted from 100,000 a century ago to around 3,200 today. It is estimated that China has fewer than 25 tigers left in the wild. To curb the destruction of tigers and other wild medicinal species, the TCM industry makes the following commitments:

• Refuse the use of tiger parts from any sources, including farmed tigers and uphold the current trade ban of tiger parts.

·         Collaborate with the international conservation community in order to receive the most current research and potential threats to medicinal species and their environments.

·         Maintain academic curricula that educate students about the status of endangered medicinal species and measures to conserve such species.

·         Research and promote sustainable cultivation of and/or alternatives to endangered species in TCM.

·         Support strategies for the reduction of consumer demand for endangered wild medicinal species.

In the long-term, we expect that our unified voice in support of endangered species conservation will guide the global TCM industry towards a more sustainable future- one that ensures the abundance of safe, environmentally friendly herbal medicine.

Please join us in our commitment to protect endangered medicinal species and the greater health of our planet.