Rare plants and endangered species at risk from traditional medicine in Cambodia and Vietnam

Rare plants and endangered species at risk from traditional medicine
in Cambodia and Vietnam

Washington, July 2 : Two new reports from TRAFFIC, the world's largest
wildlife trade monitoring network, have suggested that rare plants and
endangered species such as tigers are at risk from traditional
medicine in Cambodia and Vietnam.


The reports determine that illegal wildlife trade, including entire
tiger skeletons, and unsustainable harvesting is depleting the
region's rich and varied biodiversity and putting the primary
healthcare resource of millions at risk.

The results of field studies carried out between 2005 and 2007 found
that a significant number of Cambodians and Vietnamese rely on
traditional medicine.

Relaxation of international trade barriers, the impact of free market
economies and complex national government policies have led to an
increase in the demand and supply for flora and fauna used in
traditional medicine.

The growing illegal wildlife trade in the region is fuelled by the
difficulty of sourcing prescribed ingredients, including parts, from
globally threatened species.

"The supply of many wild animals and plants for medicine in Cambodia
and Vietnam is becoming scarce due to overexploitation," said Crawford
Allan, TRAFFIC's director in North America. "Some of the trade is
illegal and threatening endangered species," he added.

According to Allan, "In Vietnam, we estimate between 5-10 tiger
skeletons are sold annually to be used in traditional medicine. With
each skeleton fetching approximately 20,000 dollars, there is a strong
incentive to poach and trade tigers that we must address from the
grassroots up."

A report titled "An overview of the use and trade of plants and
animals in traditional medicine systems in Cambodia" examined the use
of wildlife products in Traditional Khmer Medicine and its possible
impacts.

Over 800 types of plants, approximately 35 percent of the country's
native species, are used in Traditional Khmer Medicine.

Eight of those plants species are considered high priority for
national conservation.

The report presents the findings of traditional medicine market
surveys conducted in north and south Vietnam, where more than 3,900
species of flora and 400 species of fauna are used in traditional
remedies.

Seventy-one of the animals traded and used for medicinal purposes in
Vietnam are listed on the IUCN Red List of globally threatened
species.

"Traditional medicine systems in Cambodia and Vietnam are important
components of both national healthcare systems, and are often the only
means of healthcare for rural communities," said Dekila Chungyalpa,
manager of the Mekong Ecoregion Program at WWF-US.

"Understanding which animal and plant species and products are used
and traded, and their underlying trade mechanisms, can provide a
useful tool to assess the sustainability of such trade, and provide an
'early warning' for species that are threatened," he added.
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