The Beijing-backed expansion of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in many African countries risks fuelling the illegal wildlife trade and threatens the future of some of the world’s most endangered species, a new report has warned, Reports Aljazeera.
The growth of the TCM market, coupled with the perception of Africa as a potential source of TCM ingredients, is a “prescription for disaster for some endangered animal species, such as leopards, pangolins and rhinos”, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which investigates wildlife and environmental crime, said in the report published on Wednesday.
China has been promoting traditional medicine, which dates back more than 2,500 years, alongside its flagship Belt and Road Initiative, which is developing road, rail and other major infrastructure projects across Africa.
While most treatments are plant-based, demand from the industry has been blamed for pushing animals, including pangolins and rhinos, to the brink of extinction.
“Ultimately, the unfettered growth of TCM poses a serious threat to the biodiversity found in many African countries, all in the name of short-term profit,” EIA Wildlife Campaigner Ceres Kam said in a statement.
“Any utilisation of threatened species in TCM could potentially stimulate further demand, incentivise wildlife crime and ultimately lead to overexploitation.”
The report, Lethal Remedy: How the promotion of some traditional Chinese medicine in Africa poses a major threat to endangered wildlife, said TCM products had never been more accessible in Africa, with TCM companies and clinics established in countries across the continent and Beijing stepping up promotional activities in line with the COVID-19 pandemic.
