Chinese Traditional Medicine Association Engages with CMS Saiga MOU

© ENBBonn/Bangkok,
5 March 2013
- at a joint CMS-CITES side event
at the CITES COP, representatives from China and the Chinese
Traditional Medicine Association (CTMA) stressed their interest
to engage in and contribute more strongly in the conservation
efforts under the CMS Saiga MOU, to enforce existing legislation
and increase cooperation between in CTMA and range states
of saiga antelopes (Saiga spp).

Both China and CTMA participated in a side
event on Saiga conservation, which was jointly organized
by the CMS and CITES Secretariats at the CITES COP16 in
Bangkok, Thailand. The representative from the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation
as well as information from Kazakhstan illustrated the overall
increasing trends of saiga populations especially in Central
Kazakhstan since 2004. It however also became clear that
some populations, especially the Kazakh-Uzbek transboundary
Ustiurd population and the Russian North-West Pre-Caspian
region population continue to decline. The main reasons
were seen to be poaching and illegal trade in the species
horns, which are only carried by the males and used in the
Chinese Traditional Medicine.

The event also highlighted the good cooperation
and the complementary roles of CMS and CITES in implementing
the CMS MOU concerning the Restoration, Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Saiga antelopes, which came into force
in 2006 and has since been signed by all Range States. The
event stimulated dialogue between representatives from saiga
range States and from States that trade in and consume Saiga
products regarding their activities and perspectives on
saiga conservation and sustainable use.

 

Last updated on 16 June 2014