With leaders in the field of TCM advocating an end of the use of threatened species in TCM formulas, it would appear that the wheels of change have started turning within the community
Exacerbated by the commercialisation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the 1950s, the demand for pangolin meat and scales drove the decline of an estimated 94 per cent of pangolins in China between the 1960s and 2000s
To change consumer behaviour, we need to change attitudes, to let people see things differently and recognise for themselves the need for change
Pangolins have been the focus of growing attention in recent years due to the massive quantities of their scales illegally traded for traditional medicine produced in China
The legal market in pangolin ‘medicines’ is a key driver of the persistent demand and it is vital that the Chinese Government bans the use of pangolin scales as well as the products of other threatened species
We have seen some significant changes in China’s wildlife trade policy - what major concerns remain and what might happen next?