Viet Nam and China Forge Historic Partnership to Advance Sustainable Traditional Medicine Industry and Protect Endangered Species
January 22, 2025 | Source: TRAFFIC
In a groundbreaking move, Viet Nam and China have launched an unprecedented partnership to transform their traditional medicine (TM) industries into global models of sustainability, safeguarding biodiversity while preserving centuries of cultural heritage.
TM in these countries reflects centuries and millenniums of shared insights rooted in cultural application practices.
However, with the global popularity of TM rising, concerns are mounting over the industry’s reliance on wild-sourced plants and animal ingredients, which puts immense pressure on ecosystems and endangered species, such as pangolins, tigers, and rhinos.
In Viet Nam alone, an estimated 50,000 tons of herbal materials, valued at $440 million annually, are consumed for medicinal purposes.