Guidelines for Risk Assessment
in the Utilisation of Medicinal Fauna and Flora

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used animal and plant ingredients for millennia, however, ever-growing international trade has increased the risk of unsustainable practices. To ensure sustainable sourcing is at the heart of the industry, TRAFFIC, with the China Traditional Chinese Medicine Association (CATCM) and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) has developed Guidelines for Risk Assessment in the Utilization of Medicinal Fauna and Flora.

The Guidelines present a risk assessment workflow that includes a clear and sequential set of questions for assessing risk in obtaining, purchasing, importing, and exporting raw materials of medicinal fauna and flora used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Ling XU, Head of TRAFFIC China explained how the TCM industry and related pharmaceutical enterprises can play an important role in preventing and controlling the excessive harvest and illegal trade of medicinal species.

TRAFFIC hopes that enterprises will use the Guidelines to develop sustainable management practices related to medicinal species resources. It will also help TCM enterprises to strengthen and adjust existing supply chain management and traceability methods to ensure the legality, sustainability, and safety of their production and operation processes and eliminate unnecessary risks.”

 

 

Ling XU, Director of TRAFFIC China The Guidelines, the result of over 20 months of expert deliberations, further outlines and consolidates all relevant laws, regulations, certification lists, operational standards, and material lists for users’ information needs.

They were created to enable enterprises to proactively carry out independent risk assessments on the legitimacy of the medicinal fauna or flora in question—addressing concerns on legal compliance and sustainability of usage trends of the industry.

Mr ZHAO Runhuai, Deputy Secretary General of the CATCM, said, “The Guidelines have strong practicality and wide applicability. We believe that they will promote legal compliance and social responsibility of relevant enterprises and organisations, and have a positive impact on promoting the protection of wild animal and plant resources, disease prevention and control, maintaining ecological balance, and promoting sustainable utilisation.”

The information and guidance is intended to strengthen the foundations for the long-term sustainability of the TCM industry and contribute to achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Chinese government has established the basic national policy of "priority protection, standardised utilisation, and strict supervision" for the use of animal and plant medicinal materials that rely on wild resources. A series of regulations and policies are in place, including the Wild Animal Protection Law, the Wildlife Protection Regulations, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Law, the Drug Administration Law, the Biosecurity Law, and the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine Law.

Dr YIN Feng, Chief Engineer of CWCA, said, “The TCM industry must strictly abide by these laws and regulations and actively fulfill China’s commitments to international conventions such as CITES and CBD. While ensuring the protection of human health and well-being, it also contributes to the sustainable utilisation of natural resources."

The key contents of the Guidelines have already been introduced to more than 500 participants from universities and academies at the 5th National Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources last week.