Chinese Traditional Medicine Association engages with CMS Saiga MOU

Bonn/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 18 March 2014