As one of the world’s largest consumers of pangolin products, primarily in traditional medicine, China’s domestic market plays a critical role in the survival of these gentle creatures. However, questions persist about the legality and status of the country’s stockpile of pangolin parts, especially with the recent announcement of a new annual quota of 1 metric ton of pangolin scales for medicinal use — something conservationists warn could perpetuate illegal trafficking. Earlier this month, China submitted a document to CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, outlining its conservation measures, including using 1 metric ton of pangolin scales annually, equivalent to about 2,000 pangolins. It described this as a “reasonable reduction of consumption.” The submission comes ahead of the 78th meeting of CITES’s standing committee (SC78) in Geneva in February. China first announced this policy in a November 2024 notice directing relevant government agencies to comply. This move contrasts with the international ban on the pangolin scale trade, and continues a recent trend in which China has presented an unclear stance on pangolin conservation. While the country elevated its three native pangolin species to the highest level of national protection, and in 2020 removed pangolin scales from the official list of “raw ingredients” for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), pangolins are still listed as an ingredient in patent medicine formulas in the official TCM reference book. Some experts say the new quota represents some progress, as it’s a smaller and more restricted amount than the 25-metric-ton annual quota prescribed from 2008 to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
Source link
