Can the live reef fish trade in Southeast Asia be managed? by Chen Hin Keong, Director, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia

Asia be Managed? presents thefindings of a study conducted in 1997which set out to describe the trends,patterns and diversity of the live reeffish industry in the Southeast Asia. Thefour major countries involved in theindustry, Indonesia, the Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore were studiedin detail.

For the study details of the capture,trade and transportation of live foodreef fish were obtained primarily byinterviewing members of the industryand from the international trade data.Also nine separate case studies wereconducted to provide details onexploitation and trade at the local level.As a result of the extensive researchcarried out it became apparent that thecatch rates of live reef fish throughoutthe region are declining and the size offish caught in the region are becomingsmaller due to overexploitation.

Consuming freshly killed seafoodhas been the tradition amongCantonese people for centuries. Todaylive groupers and wrasses are sold at apremium in Cantonese restaurants; forexample coral groupers can fetch up toUSD20/kg in Hong Kong. The mostexpensive species targeted for the livefood fish market is Humphead wrasseCheilinus undulatus. Also in muchdemand are the groupers Serranidaespp. and the stonefish Synanceia spp.Due to the high market prices thefishers in the live food reef fish tradecan expect to earn up to five times thatof an average fisher.

Juvenile fish are usually found inseagrass beds and tidal pools, andadults live among coral reefs whichgives rise to the term ‘live coral reeffish trade’. The destruction of this reeffish habitat through degradation ofcoral reefs, especially by cyanide

poisoning, blasting, removal of coralfor construction and aquarium tradecan cause immense damage to thespecies.

As well as the use of hook and line,traps are common fishing methods.Cyanide is used in large amounts in theregion to catch fish. For example by atleast 15-20%, and according to somerecent estimations even 50%, of thefishers in the Calamian Islands usecyanide. The fish is normally stunnedand survives the long journey to themarket. This means that it has time toexcrete the cyanide, so that anyremaining amounts of the poison arewell below those safe for humanconsumption when the fish reaches therestaurant.

Catches are either sold to middlemenor directly to exporters - foreign orlocal. Large self-contained foreignvessels have dominated the fishery butalso local operations are found in manyareas today. Exporters and larger fish

continued on page 3

DISPATCHESSeptember 1999

TRAFFIC

INSIDE:

• TRAFFIC Network news

• Farmed groupers are themain source of live reef fishfor food in Taiwan

• Woodcarving trade inMalawi

• Update on Elephant TradeInformation System ETIS

• An overview of medicinalplant activities inTRAFFIC

• On the scent of musk tradein Europe

• A sniffer dog purchaseunder way in South Korea

The expansion of trade in livereef fish for food has itsbeginnings in Southeast Asia.

As the waters around Hong Kong andChina became depleted of wild stocks,fishing vessels targeted the coral reefsof the Philippines, Malaysia andIndonesia. At the same time Singaporeestablished itself as the main consumerof the reef fish in the region. Today, thereef fish stocks of the Southeast Asiaregion face drastic overexploitationunless some endurable management offisheries can be implemented.

A TRAFFIC study titled Fishing forSolutions: Can the Live Trade in WildGroupers and Wrasses from Southeast

A grouper being sold at a fish marketin Medan, Indonesia.

Bear trade meeting totake place in October

The Third International Symposiumon the Trade in Bear Parts organizedby TRAFFIC East Asia, the IUCN/SSCBear Specialist Group and theMinistry of Environment, the Republicof Korea will take place 26-28 October1999 in Seoul, South Korea.

The organizers are grateful for thefinancial support given by Association ofKorean Oriental Medicine, Cho SeonPharm. & Trading Co., LTD., Johnson &Johnson, Miljø- og EnergieministerietDenmark, National Fish and WildlifeFoundation, UK-Department of Environ-ment, Transport and the Regions, WorldWildlife Fund-US, and WWF Netherlands.

2 TRAFFIC Dispatches Number 12 September 1999

TRAFFIC Dispatches219c Huntingdon Road

Cambridge UK, CB3 0DLTel. +44 (0)1223 277427Fax. +44 (0)1223 277237

E-mail: traffic@trafficint.orgWeb site: www.traffic.org

Editor: Maija Sirola

© TRAFFIC International 1999

TRAFFIC is a joint programmeof IUCN–The World ConservationUnion and WWF*-World Wide Fundfor Nature. It aims to contribute tothe conservation of nature by helpingto ensure trade in wild plants and animals is ecologically sustainable.

The TRAFFIC Network works in co-operation with the Secretariatof the Convention on InternationalTrade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES).

TRAFFIC Dispatches is publishedby TRAFFIC International to keepthe Network’s partners and supportersinformed about our activities and accomplishments.

* WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund inCanada and the USA.

Printed on recycled paper.

TRAFFIC Internationalbecomes a charity

TRAFFIC International, the UK-based headquarters of the TRAFFICNetwork, became a UK RegisteredCharity (No. 1076722) when itscharitable status was conferred by theCharity Commission in July 1999.

This is a significant milestone in theNetwork’s development and willprovide a strong legal base and allowTRAFFIC International to seek fundsfrom a range of new sources.

A critical gap in the TRAFFICNetwork’s geographic coverage willbe filled in October 1999 with the re-opening of a regional TRAFFIC officefor South America. TRAFFIC SouthAmerica will be based in Quito,Ecuador, and co-located with theRegional Office for South America ofIUCN - the World ConservationUnion. TRAFFIC’s work in the regionis already in full swing with projectson mahogany, medicinal plants and thesea cucumber trade from Galapagoseither completed or under way.

The establishment of a full regionaloffice will allow more extensiveattention to the wildlife trade issues.Applications for the position ofDirector for the regional office arecurrently being sought.

TRAFFIC re-opens itsSouth America office

TRAFFIC staff newsWelcome

Sabri Zain commences his work asthe new Communications Manager atTRAFFIC International in mid-October 1999. Sabri moves toTRAFFIC from WWF-Malaysiawhere he has worked as Director ofSpecial Tasks giving senior levelsupport within the Directorate. Prior tothat he worked at WWF-Malaysia asDirector of Communications for fiveyears and Communications Manager fortwo years.

Celia Denton has started as the newFunding Development Officer atTRAFFIC International in May 1999.Most recently she worked as a majorgifts fundraiser at the University ofCambridge and prior to that asfundraising manager for a children'scharity.

Nguyen Tri Man joined TRAFFICSoutheast Asia-Vietnam in August1999 as a Project Assistant. Beforecoming to TRAFFIC he worked in thefields of journalism and economicresearch.

Appointment

Director of TRAFFIC OceaniaGlenn Sant has been appointed to thenewly established Environment Committeethat will provide high level advice tothe Australian Fisheries ManagementAssociation (AFMA) Board on issuesrelating to the environment andfisheries management.

Moving

Deputy Director of TRAFFICEast/Southern Africa Nina Marshallmoved her working base from Kenyato South Africa in August 1999.

Goodbye

Communications Manager BobbieJo Kelso left TRAFFIC Internationalin June 1999 to take up the post ofInternational Manager of CampaignCommunications at WWF International.

Senior Programme Officer JaneHolden left TRAFFIC Oceania inAugust 1999 to pursue her legalcareer.

Programme Officer David Mulolanifrom the East/Southern Africa officeleft TRAFFIC in June 1999 to join aGTZ project in Malawi.

Dr. Ing. Pier Lorenzo Florio

TRAFFIC staff were extremely sadto hear of the recent death of Dr. Ing.Pier Lorenzo Florio, the Director ofTRAFFIC Italy for six years after itsestablishment in 1986. Pier Lorenzo, afounder member of WWF Italy, willbe warmly remembered for his greatcontribution to TRAFFIC’s work andhis tireless dedication to a wide rangeof conservation causes.

TRAFFIC Dispatches 3Number 12 September 1999

continued from page 1buyers usually have holding facilitiesnear fishing areas where the reef fishare kept until they reach a suitable'table' size before shipping them to thebuyers. Many exporters also haveholding facilities at internationalairports to facilitate transport to HongKong and other large markets. Suchmajor centres in the region are Manilain the Philippines, Kota Kinabalu inMalaysia and Jakarta, Ujung Pandang,Medan and Denpasar in Indonesia.

Between 1991 and 1995, Indonesiaprovided about 60% of the live foodreef fish harvested from SoutheastAsia while the Philippines was the firstSoutheast Asian nation recorded asbeing fished for live food reef fish.However, the supply in the Philippineswas reduced by almost 50% after 1996 compared to 1100t in the preceding

three years. In Malaysia, the mostextensive coral reef areas are in Sabah.Today the state of Sabah exports onlyabout 350t per year compared to apeak of 500-600t in 1993. Singapore,the main consumer in the region, hasan annual consumption of around500t.

The study shows that the fishery forlive food reef fish needs to bemanaged to make it sustainable. Stockdepletion, habitat destruction as wellas fishers' income need all be takeninto account when decisions are beingmade. According to the study the bestapproach is the management of theindustry that maintains the fishers'livelihood and at the same timestresses the conservation needs of thecoral reef ecosystems in SoutheastAsia.

The report recommends that

national governments of SoutheastAsia should set separate quotas as wellas minimum and maximum exportingsizes for each live food reef fishspecies to prevent overexploitation.Also the national governments need toimplement a system of monitoring andenforcement of export quotas. Amongother recommendations the report alsostresses the role that government andnon-government agencies should takein training the fishers to use non-destructive fishing techniques.

Fishing for Solutions: Can the LiveTrade in Wild Groupers and Wrassesfrom Southeast Asia be Managed? 1999.TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, M19B, 2ndFloor, Jalan Pasar (1/21), 46000 PJ OldTown, Petaling Jaya, Selangor,Malaysia. Tel: +60 3 7917284, Fax: +603 7947220, E-mail: tsea@po.jaring.my.

Farmed groupers are the main source oflive reef fish for food in Taiwanby Marcus Phipps, Deputy Director, TRAFFIC East Asia

TRAFFIC East Asia-Taipei hascompleted a study on Taiwan’sgrouper fisheries, aquaculture

and trade. The study provides insightsto the grouper resources and the futureprospects of grouper fisheries inTaiwan.

Groupers are popular in Taiwan’sseafood markets because of theirtexture and taste. As Taiwan’s seafoodconsumers show a marked preferencefor freshness as opposed to the sourceof groupers, farmed groupers remainthe main source of live specimens inTaiwan’s fish markets. Live wild-caught specimens appeal only to alimited number of discerningconsumers.

Taiwan’s government hasencouraged grouper breeding, farmingand export by streamlining regulationsand procedures for grouper andfingerling imports and exports.Techniques are well developed for thebreeding and rearing of a number ofgrouper species and these play asignificant role in Taiwan’s live fishexports. There appears to have been acorresponding decrease in imports oflarge wild groupers and fingerlings.However, whether the trend towardsreduced imports is a result of increased

domestic supply or other factors suchas reduced supply in the wild orstricter export restrictions bytraditional supplying countries has yetto be determined.

Grouper farming could enhance theconservation of wild groupers in themedium-term by providing analternate source of supply. However,farming cannot be assumed to have acompletely benign impact on wildgrouper populations. During theresearch and development of farmingtechniques for specific species,collection of wild specimens forbreeding stock is unavoidable. Onceself-sufficiency in production isobtained, farming faces a number ofother obstacles including the need forsubstantial resource input, the threat ofdisease, and possible negativeenvironmental impacts.

The report contains a number ofrecommendations aimed at fisheriesauthorities and industry. These includethe need for species-specificfeasibility studies which wouldinclude collection of information onconservation status, regulatorymeasures in range states, andconsumer preference; technicalassistance to range states; and

improved data collection for wildgrouper populations and fisheries inTaiwan’s own coastal and offshoreareas.

For more information, contact TRAFFICEast Asia, Room 2001, Double Building,22 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong.Tel: +852 2530 0587; Fax: +852 25300864; E-mail: tea@asiaonline.net orTRAFFIC East Asia-Taipei, PO Box 7-476, Taipei, Taiwan. Tel: +886 2 23629787; Fax: +886 2 2362 9799; E-mail:treatai@ms1.hinet.netAlso available from TRAFFIC East Asia:The Hong Kong Trade In Live Reef FishFor Food. 1999.

Top: High-finned GrouperCromileptes altivelis;

Humphead Wrasse Cheilinus undulatus.

4 TRAFFIC Dispatches Number 12 September 1999

Malawi plays a major role inthe woodcarving tradewithin southern Africa. The

trade is regional and beyond, yet verylittle is known about it. The onlystudies that pertain to Malawi'swoodcarving industry wereundertaken in 1981 and 1984 to surveycraft production and export in thenorthern, central and southern regionsof the country. Other recent surveys inneighbouring countries indicate thatMalawi's trade is inter-linked and thatthe country functions as both animporter of raw material, and anexporter of finished products.

Prompted by the information gapand the uncontrolled rate ofexploitation of indigenous forestresources, TRAFFIC East/SouthernAfrica initiated a project in late 1998 toassess the trade in woodcarvingproducts in Malawi. Financial supportfor this project was provided byUSAID through support from theRegional Centre for Southern Africa(IUCN NETCAB Grant), USAIDSHARED Project and Flora and FaunaInternational. Efforts during this

survey focused on examining thestatus of tree species used forwoodcarving, and documenting the

trade and utilization patterns forhardwoods occurring in the central andsouthern region. The aim of thisproject was to identify species ofconcern through examination of theindustry and trade, and to developrecommendations that would result inconservation and sustainableutilization of these valuable resources.

Fieldwork for this project wascarried out in ten districts at 32 studysites within the central and southernregions. The northern region wasomitted from the study, as there hasnever been a tradition or culture ofwoodcarving in this part of thecountry. Information was collectedthrough questionnaires as well asinterviews with woodcarving producers,traders, and exporters.

The study is now nearingcompletion and project researchers arein the process of compiling andanalysing their information. The studyhas revealed that 14 tree species areused for carving, the three mostpopular species in order of preferencebeing Combretum imberbe , Dalbergiamelanoxylon and Pericopsis

angolensis. Based on the dataobtained from various players in thewoodcarving industry, a decline in the

supply of these three most popularspecies used in carving is evident.Surprisingly, survey results alsorevealed that this problem tends to belocalized in certain districts. However,the scope of the problem is still underexamination.

The most popular species are favouredfor making specific products such aschessboards, ornaments, furniture,which include the famous chief chairs,and utensils mainly because of thehardness and finishing quality,accessibility, and customer preference ofthe wood. Albizia gummifera ,Colophospermum mopane, Kirkiaacuminata and Pterocarpus angolensisare the species least exploited. Otherspecies include Khaya nyasica,Newtonia buchanaii, Burkea africana,Swartizia madagascariensis, Gmelinaarborea and two other unknowntaxonomic species.

Fieldwork showed that while muchof the wood used by woodcarvers inMalawi is harvested within thecountry, some is imported fromMozambique and other neighbouringcountries. Often the wood is harvested

TRAFFIC examines the trade in woodcarvings in Malawiby Louisa Sangalakula, Programme Officer, TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa

Malawi's forest resources have come under immense pressure in recent years due to the uncontrolled rate of exploitation of indigenous forest resources. Uncontrolled harvest outside protected areas for fuelwood,furniture, construction, and in particular woodcarving, has caused great concern about the sustainability ofcurrent harvesting practices. It is evident that forest resources in Malawi are over-exploited, and thatsolutions must be found soon to address declines in natural resources, as well as the needs of an importantsource of livelihood to many people in Malawi.

Dalbergia melanoxylon

TRAFFIC Dispatches 5Number 12 September 1999

illegally, for example, from withinprotected areas. Importation is oftenunregulated or illegal, and whendiscovered, forestry officials usuallyconfiscate shipments lacking therequired documentation.

Most traders and producers areunaware of forestry regulationsgoverning the harvesting, transportingand trade in forest resources within thecountry. The only form of regulationthat is commonly known is that ofroyalties, which range from USD16-USD35 per tree. As this fee isregarded as being rather high, it is notsurprising that illegal felling of trees isprevalent throughout Malawi.

The woodcarving industry isdependent upon tourists, as well aslocal and foreign businesspersons whoexport the products for resale inforeign markets, notably Italy, SouthAfrica, United Kingdom and theUnited States. There has been asignificant upward trend in the valueof the domestic exports of carvings,with the figure growing from anestimated six thousand USD in 1994to eleven thousand USD in 1996.With this level of exports, significantforeign exchange is generated for thecountry.

The woodcarving industry isextremely important for ruralwoodcarvers, urban traders andexporters, and the government. Asnatural resources dwindle, the futureof this industry is precarious. Abalance must be found betweenemployment and resource exploita-tion, in order to ensure the health andwellbeing of both the resource and thepeople of Malawi. As TRAFFICenters the final stage of this project, itis this challenge that will be addressed.

In 1997, at the tenth Meeting of theConference of the Parties to CITES,

TRAFFIC's Bad Ivory DatabaseSystem (BIDS) was recognized as"the appropriate instrument formonitoring the pattern and measuringthe scale" of trade in ivory and otherelephant products.

The further refinement of BIDScommenced in November 1997, whenTRAFFIC commissioned a statisticianfrom the Statistical Services Centre ofthe University of Reading in the UK toundertake a thorough evaluation of thesystem. The results and recommen-dations of the technical evaluationwere presented at an ElephantMonitoring Workshop organized byIUCN/SSC and TRAFFIC, in co-operation with the CITES Secretariatin December 1997.

At the workshop, it was agreed thatBIDS would be expanded to includeseizures of all elephant products andwould develop into an integratedinformation system comprisingseveral components. This systemwould be renamed ETIS - or theElephant Trade Information System -and work in parallel to MIKE, (thesystem for Monitoring the IllegalKilling of Elephants) to be managedby IUCN/SSC.

Specific objectives of the system areto enable an appropriate statisticalanalysis for the purpose of monitoringcurrent levels and trends of trade inivory and non-ivory elephant products.Further, the outputs of the system willbe linked with those from MIKE tofacilitate an assessment of whether ornot "observed trends are a result ofchanges in the listing of elephant

populations in the CITES Appendicesand/or the resumption of legalinternational trade in ivory".

In March 1998, the Ivory andElephant Product Seizure DataCollection Form (SDCF) wasproduced and circulated to all CITESParties requesting them to use the formto submit information on seizures ofivory and elephant products.Completed forms are submitted bygovernments to the CITES Secretariatwhich provides relevant informationto TRAFFIC for entry into ETIS. Theresponse from Parties has beencommendable, with more than 100SDCF received to date.

A detailed functional specificationof ETIS was produced and approvedfor the 41st CITES StandingCommittee Meeting in February 1999.At the same time detailed explanatorynotes for the SDCF were produced andcirculated to all CITES Parties in April1999. Funding for implementationduring 1999 was secured from the UKGovernment.

A beta test version of ETIS wasinstalled in April 1999, furtherdevelopment to the structure of thesystem continued, and in July 1999 arefined version was installed. It isanticipated that the final structure ofthe system will be completed by theend of 1999 to facilitate preliminarydata analysis prior to the eleventhmeeting of the Conference of theParties to CITES in Nairobi in April2000.

-- Louisa Sangalakula, TRAFFICEast/Southern Africa

Update on the Elephant TradeInformation System - ETIS

An overview of medicinal plant activities in TRAFFICby Teresa Mulliken, Network Research and Programme Development Manager, TRAFFIC International

TRAFFIC is working around the globe to document the medicinal plant trade and identify threats to wild speciesand, in turn, the people and healthcare systems that depend upon them. Last September the work undertakenby TRAFFIC in East Asia, India and South America through a grant from Germany’s Federal Ministry for EconomicCooperation and Development (BMZ*) was featured in Dispatches. This time we provide an overview of the work implemented by TRAFFIC offices including an update on some of the activities supported by BMZ.

6 TRAFFIC Dispatches Number 12 September 1999

TRAFFIC East/Southern AfricaWork in East and Southern African

countries centres on follow-up to thefindings of the TRAFFIC Species inDanger report Searching for a Cure:Conservation of Medicinal WildlifeResources in East and Southern Africaand recommendations resulting fromthe workshop that followed -Sustainable Utilisation of WildlifeMedicinals in East and SouthernAfrica: A Challenge for the Healthand Natural Resource Sectors. Theproceedings of the workshop weredistributed earlier this year, andseveral projects are being initiated toimplement specific recommendations.

Through a grant from The RuffordFoundation, TRAFFIC East/SouthernAfrica is producing public awarenessmaterials targeted at traditionalmedicine practitioners throughout theregion in order to increase knowledgeabout conservation concerns and tostimulate action to address declines inwildlife medicinals.

Work in South Africa is currentlyfocused on a study of the use and tradeof medicinal plants from the fynbosregion, a unique habitat in the southernCape that supports a great variety ofwild plants.

TRAFFIC EuropeAs in Africa, TRAFFIC's work in

Europe is guided in large part by theresults of a region-wide study of themedicinal plant trade followed by astakeholders workshop. Theproceedings of the workshop,Medicinal Plant Trade in Europe:Conservation and Supply, have beenpublished and distributed and follow-up actions are underway.

At the country level, TRAFFICEurope is completing trade studies inRussia and Italy, and has published theresults of a study of the trade between

India and Germany. 'Species' work includes an in-depth

study of the trade in Asian GinsengPanax ginseng focusing on theRussian Far East, home to the lastknown wild stands of this species. Areport on the trade in Asian Ginseng,which has been proposed for inclusionin CITES Appendix II by the RussianFederation, is in preparation. Thestudy is funded by the German Agencyfor Nature Conservation (BnF**) andWWF Germany.

Thanks to a grant from The RuffordFoundation, TRAFFIC Europe willsoon be better able to facilitate theregion-wide exchange of informationrelated to medicinal plants and relatedconservation concerns. A strategy andbusiness plan for the establishment ofa European Medicinal and AromaticPlant Resources Secretariat is beingdeveloped. The Secretariat willundertake activities to increase theavailability of information onmedicinal and aromatic plants tradedin Europe, especially those ofconservation concern, to monitor thesocio-economic aspects of the trade, toevaluate existing regulatory tools andto provide advice for improvementswhere appropriate, and to developpractical guidelines for sustainableexploitation of selected Europeanmedicinal and aromatic plant species.

TRAFFIC North AmericaWork continues to focus on the trade

in American Ginseng Panaxquinquefolius and GoldensealHydrastis canadensis , CITESAppendix II species traded interna-tionally in large quantities for theirmedicinal properties (see TRAFFICBulletin Vol. 18(1)). TRAFFIC NorthAmerica has been working directlywith dealers of wild ginseng in theAppalachian Mountains to identifypotential ways to reduce overharvest.Working with those involved in thetrade is crucial to ensure conservationof wild ginseng populations andtherefore the availability of futuresupplies.

The experience gained in NorthAmerica has also been used to helpmedicinal plant conservation effortsinitiated in East Asia and Oceania.Chris Robbins, Programme Officer forTRAFFIC North America, recentlygave papers at workshops convened byTRAFFIC Oceania, and with JudyMills of TRAFFIC East Asia, co-wrote a paper Conservation Measuresand International Trade Controls forWild and Cultivated Ginseng,presented to the International GinsengConference in Hong Kong in July1999.

The first two phases of a jointproject with The Nature Conservancy

American Ginseng Panax quinquefolius

TRAFFIC Dispatches 7Number 12 September 1999

to identify other North Americanmedicinal plant species at risk fromoverharvest for trade have beencompleted. TRAFFIC North Americainventoried the US market for nativemedicinal plants and, with informationon the status of wild species providedby The Nature Conservancy and inputfrom industry experts, identified 80species of native herbs, shrubs andtrees considered a priority for furtherresearch.

Harvest permits issued by the USBureau of Land Management and USForest Service have also beenanalysed. Next steps include moredetailed species analyses andcomparative case studies of medicinalplant harvest, monitoring andmanagement in selected NationalForests in the Klamath-Siskiyou andBlue Ridge Mountain areas of theUSA.

TRAFFIC OceaniaApproximately 100 delegates

participated in Medicinal Plants forthe Future: Sustainability and EthicalIssues, a two-day conference organ-ized 19-20 August 1999 by theNational Herbalists Association ofAustralia and TRAFFIC Oceania. Theconference attracted a variety ofstakeholders concerned with Australia'suse and trade of medicinal plants,including herbalists, industry members,growers, Aboriginal communitymembers and conservationists.

Presentations reflected the broadrange and complexity of medicinalplant issues in Australia. Topicsaddressed included sustainability,preservation and use of traditionalknowledge, intellectual propertyrights, national and international tradecontrols, industry procurementpolicies and genetic modification.

Delegates explored the issues inmore depth during workshops held thesecond day of the conference andproduced recommendations subse-quently adopted during the closingplenary session. The need to developa code of ethics, to establishmechanisms to monitor wildharvesting and to raise awareness ofconservation issues within the herbalproducts industry was recognized.

Furthermore, the conference recom-mended that a model policy bedeveloped with respect to addressingintellectual property rights, and thatrecognition of and appreciation fortraditional knowledge held byindigenous communities be increased.

The conference concluded with acall for the establishment of a workinggroup consisting of and funded bystakeholders, which would be devotedto addressing issues related to theconservation, sustainability and ethicalproduction of medicinal plants withinAustralia.

The conference demonstrated theimportance of medicinal plants toAustralia's people and biodiversity,and the importance of stakeholdercooperation in addressing issues suchas sustainability and intellectualproperty rights. Jonathan Vea,TRAFFIC Oceania Research Officernoted: ‘Especially encouraging wasthe pro-active approach being taken bythe medicinal plant industry, and theirinterest in working with indigenousand conservation communities in atransparent and participatory manner.This is good for the industry, for otherstakeholders, and for Australia'smedicinal plant species.'

Elsewhere in the region, TRAFFICOceania is completing a preliminaryassessment of the medicinal planttrade in and from the South Pacific(funded by the Rufford Foundation).Specific emphasis is being placed onestablishing contacts with local and

national NGOs, particularly women'straditional healer groups, reflecting theimportant role of women in healingand the use of medicinal plants in thisregion.

TRAFFIC Southeast AsiaOver 200 million people of Malay

descent use or are influenced bytraditional medicine systems, which inturn rely largely on native plants.However, little research has beenundertaken to identify whether currentharvest and trade rates are sustainable.

TRAFFIC Southeast Asia thereforeundertook preliminary reviews of theuse of wild plant species for traditionalmedicine in Indonesia and Malaysia.Completed in August 1999, thesereviews document the importance ofnative wild plants both to 'jamu' -traditional medicine produced locallyfrom raw plant materials - and tomanufactured herbal remedies basedon medicinal plants.

Over 100 species were found to beused in both Indonesia and Malaysia,with most of these collected from thewild rather than cultivated. Funds arebeing sought to undertake more in-depth studies of the trade in species forwhich initial research has indicatedthere may be a conservation problem.

Meanwhile, work continues onagarwood Aquilaria spp., a group oftrees whose fungally infected wood isused medicinally as well as for incenseand perfumes.

Trading medicinal plants at a market place in Quito, Ecuador

8 TRAFFIC Dispatches Number 12 September 1999

Medicinal plant work made possiblethrough a grant from BMZ through aframework agreement with WWFInternational (see DispatchesSeptember 1998) continued to gainmomentum, especially with regard tomarket research and building linkswith stakeholders.

Detailed market research is nowwell under way in China, India,Colombia and Brazil and preliminaryresearch initiated in Peru and Bolivia.

The report, Ecuador - Uso yComercio de Plantas Medicinales -Situación Actual y AspectosImportantes para su Conservación(Use and Trade of Medicinal Plants -Current Status and Important Aspectsfor their Conservation) was publishedand formed the backbone of aSeptember 1999 workshop onmedicinal plants in Ecuador. Theworkshop determined actions to betaken to improve the trade legislationsand to strengthen the co-operationbetween government and NGOs. Atthe request of the Ministry ofEnvironment Affairs, TRAFFIC alsohelped produce a pamphlet on thetrade in medicinal plants targeted atthe national congress and the media.

The proceedings of anotherTRAFFIC workshop on the Conservation

to the second Indo-Nepal Trans-borderMeeting in February 1999. As aresult, the final resolution of thatmeeting called for bringing the bi-lateral treaty regulating cross-bordertrade into line with CITESrequirements.

As a contribution to a project of andwith funding from the German Agencyfo Nature Conservation(BfN**),TRAFFIC East Asia was able to take acloser look at the use and trade oforchids for traditional medicine,further highlighting the need for moreeffective trade controls for plantmedicinals in the country.

The upcoming CITES meeting inNairobi in April 2000 will provide animportant focus for further TRAFFICefforts to address unsustainable andillegal international trade in medicinalplants. Implementation problems doc-umented by TRAFFIC and others willbe on the agenda, and it is likely thatseveral new medicinal plant specieswill be put forward for listing inCITES Appendix II.

*Bundesministerium für wirtschaftlicheZusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, morecommonly known as BMZ.

**Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN.

For more information on projects,workshop proceedings or papersmentioned in this article, contactTRAFFIC Regional Office in questionor TRAFFIC International. See page12 for contact information.

of Medicinal Plants, held in Seoul,Republic of Korea have beenpublished in a combined Korean/English volume.

Following on from a stakeholdersmeeting held in December 1998,TRAFFIC India convened a meetingon the role of practitioners oftraditional systems of medicine insustainable utilization andconservation of medicinal plants inJuly, with participants includingpractitioners of Ayurveda, Siddha,Unani and Tibetan traditionalmedicine systems. A similar meetingfor commercial growers, traders andthe plant medicinals industry isplanned for December.

Emphasis on CITESThe TRAFFIC Network continues

to maintain a specific focus on the useof CITES as a tool to bring theinternational trade in medicinal plantswithin sustainable levels. Twobriefing documents were prepared inconjunction with a CITES Secretariatfunded project to examine CITESimplementation for three medicinalplants; two Himalayan speciesrecently included in the Appendices(Jatamansi Nardostachys grandifloraand Kutki Picrorhiza kurrooa), and theSoutheast Asian tree speciesAgarwood Aquilaria malaccensis (seebox). These documents were presentedby TRAFFIC to the ninth meeting ofthe CITES Plants Committee (Darwin,Australia, June 1999), wheremedicinal plants figured prominentlyon the agenda.

TRAFFIC's research documentedpoor levels of CITES implementationfor all three species, and identified anumber of possible actions to improvetrade controls.

TRAFFIC India also presentedinitial research results on these species

Top left: Cover of the reporton medicinal plants in Ecuador by TRAFFIC South America;top right: medicinal and aromatic plants products in Germany;Aloe ferox harvest in South Africa.

D. Lange / TRAFFIC

Hajo Schmitz-Kretschmar / TRAFFIC

BMZ funded projects under way

TRAFFIC Dispatches 9Number 12 September 1999

Musk is one of the mostexpensive natural productsin the world, with a retail

value three to five times higher thangold. It has been used in medicinesand perfumes for thousands of years.In traditional East Asian medicine(TEAM), musk has been used to treata variety of ailments and as a stimulantof the heart, nerves and breathing.

Today, musk remains popular intrade, however nearly all populationsof musk deer, the source of naturalmusk, are declining throughout muchof their range. There are at least fourand possibly six or more species ofmusk deer, of which the SiberianMusk Deer Moschus moschiferus inparticular has declined rapidly due toloss of habitat and, more recently, anincrease in both legal and illegalhunting. In addition, all musk deer andtheir products are regulated ininternational trade under CITES.

A new report, On the Scent:Conserving Musk Deer - The Uses ofMusk and Europe's Role in its Tradeby Volker Homes of TRAFFICEurope-Germany, documents theinternational trade in musk, with afocus upon Europe's role in the tradeand use, particularly in the perfumeindustry. The study, released in July1999, is part of a comprehensive effortby TRAFFIC to document the trade inand uses of natural musk.

Europe's role in the trade

The findings indicate that at least 52countries participate in theinternational trade in musk specimens.In Europe, Russia acts as a majorsupplier of raw musk to theinternational market as it is home tothe Siberian Musk Deer, while France,Germany and Switzerland all play asignificant role as importers. France isEurope's main raw musk consumer.

The changes brought by the 1992dissolution of the Soviet Union led toa rapid increase in hunting andpoaching of musk deer. Whileinformation on musk deer populationsin Russia varies widely, specialistsestimate that the population numberedno more than 60 000 in the mid-1990scompared to more than 160 000 in thelate 1980s. No population informationwas available for other republicswhere musk deer may occur in thisregion, now known as the Common-wealth of Independent States (CIS).

The Soviet Union and then later, theCIS republics of Russia, Uzbekistanand Kyrgyzstan have served as themain European exporters of raw muskto the international market since 1978.In the period from 1992-96, the threeCIS suppliers exported at least 360kilos of raw musk, an amount requiringthe killing of 40 000 to 75 000 muskdeer. This number is so high as onlymale deer produce musk and during a

hunt, three to five musk deer areusually killed to obtain one male witha sufficiently large gland.

Germany and Switzerland actmainly as intermediaries in the rawmusk trade and re-export to otherdestinations, such as Hong Kong,Singapore, South Korea and evenFrance. In the four years following thebreak-up of the Soviet Union,Germany developed an important rolein the global trade.

France has also exported musk butmore than 90% of all imports of rawmusk from 1978-96 were consumed inFrance itself or re-exported asproducts containing musk. It is highlylikely that a large proportion enteredthe French perfume industry.

The study found that historicallymusk has been used as an ingredient inclassic and expensive perfumesproduced in Europe. It has also beenestimated that in the French industrythe use of natural musk still amountsto some kilograms per year.

Today much of the natural muskused in the perfume industry has beenreplaced by synthetic musk inEurope's leading perfume industrycountries, including France. Syntheticmusk is also commonly used in manycosmetics, shampoos, detergents andother perfumed products. Thesuspected toxicity of some syntheticmusk compounds on the environment

On the scent of musk trade in Europe

Only the male Musk Deer Moschus moschiferus produces musk. During the hunt, three to five musk deer are killed to obtain one male with a sufficiently large musk-secreting gland.

A gland of a male musk deer producesan average of 25 grams

of musk per year.

10 TRAFFIC Dispatches Number 12 September 1999

has not, to date, been adequatelyverified and requires furtherinvestigation.

Industry representatives interviewedduring the study reported that use ofnatural musk perfumes has declinedfor a variety of reasons, including thehigh price, increased difficulty inobtaining natural musk andconservation concerns.

Illegal trade in musk and muskproducts in Europe was found in some

countries. For example, the reportindicates that a significant percentageof musk traded in Russia is likely tooriginate from illegal sources.Smuggled musk glands can be hiddenwith ease and carried across the borderinto neighbouring countries or shippedto other foreign destinations.

The countries of the EuropeanUnion are now in the process ofsuspending imports of wild musk deerproducts from Russia until strongersafeguards are introduced.

In western parts of Europe, most ofthe illegal trade in musk has been inmedicinal products manufactured inAsia, although illegal raw musk hasbeen seized in France. In recent years,thousands of traditional medicinesmanufactured in Asia and claiming tocontain musk have been seized inEuropean countries such as Belgium,the Netherlands, Germany and the UKbecause they lacked necessary CITESpermits.

Recommendations

The report includes a variety ofrecommendations to ensure the long-term conservation of musk deer. Themost important action would be toreduce the use of natural musk byincreasing public awareness about the

status of musk deer and through theuse of alternatives such as musk takenfrom live deer without harming theanimal.

Further studies of the harvest, tradeand demand in countries where muskdeer occur and in countriesparticipating in the trade are needed.Improved legal protection, wherenecessary, and assessments ofpopulation and status should also beundertaken.

In Russia, export quotas for muskshould be based on solid scientific dataand kept at the lowest possible levelsuntil wild populations have had achance to recover and reliable fieldassessments have been conducted. Thereport also recommends continuedmonitoring of the use of musk in theEuropean perfume industry.

-- MS

On the Scent: Conserving Musk Deer -The Uses of Musk and Europe's Role inits Trade. Available from TRAFFICEurope, Waterloosteenweg 608, 1050Brussels, Belgium or TRAFFIC Europe-Germany c/o Umweltstiftung WWFDeutschland, Rebstöcker Str. 55, D-60326 Frankfurt, Germany.

www.traffic.org newsThe design of the traffic.org web

site will be renewed in the near futureto give the site a fresher look. At thesame time changes to the structure ofthe site will be introduced to assureeasy access to information whilst theamount of information displayedincreases steadily.

In October a special section of thetraffic.org site will be launched tocover the 11th meeting of theConference of the Parties to CITES.Regular updates, TRAFFIC reportsand recommendations will beprovided in the six months leading tothe Conference. During the meetingitself, a daily news update will bemaintained.

The young musk deer grow rapidly and become independent of

their mother by the age of six months, and reach sexual

maturity at 18 months of age.Female musk deer

are capable of breeding after their first year.

Illegal musk tradeBetween 19 November 1998 and 17

March 1999, Felixstowe Customs andExcise authorities seized commercialimports of traditional Chinesemedicines from China amongst whichwere 76 080 pills and 492 aerosolscontaining, among others, Musk DeerMoschus.

From 1 January to July 1998, 8 dozenboxes of traditional Chinese medicinescontaining Musk Deer Moschus, fromChina to Belgium, were seized atZaventem Airport.

On March 1998, Zhi Lin Dong and hiscompany, Chinese Medical Centre, inUtrecht, were found guilty of tradingpackages claiming to containingredients of CITES-species. Dong wassentenced to gaol for three months andfined HFL10 000 ($US 5000); thecompany was fined HFL80 000. Eightlorry-loads of traditional Chinesemedicines were seized. Some packagesclaimed to contain, among others, MuskDeer Moschus.

On March 1997, HampshireMagistrate's Court, Bang Hue Thupleaded guilty to four charges under theControl of Trade in Endangered Species(Enforcement) Regulation 1985(COTES) of illegal sale of traditionalChinese medicines. She was fined£2000 (US$ 3336) and £150 costs.Among the items seized were packagesthat listed also derivatives from MuskDeer Moschus.

TRAFFIC Dispatches 11Number 12 September 1999

AGF Management LimitedAnsett AirlinesAgriculture & Fisheries Department., Hong

KongAssociation of Korean Oriental MedicineAustralian Fisheries Management AuthorityAustralia Forestry and Fishery AgencyBelgian Government Biodiversity Support ProgramBundesamt für Naturschutz, GermanyBundesministerium für wirtschaftliche

Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ), Germany

CITES SecretariatThe Commemorative Association for the

Japan World ExpositionDepartment. of National Parks & Wildlife,

MalawiDieckmann & Hansen Caviar, HamburgDiscovery Channel-AsiaEndangered Wildlife TrustEuropean Commission, Directorates General

VIII & XIExxon CorporationMr James FairfaxGeraldine R. Dodge FoundationGreen TrustIon FundIUCN Eastern Africa Regional OfficeIUCN-The World Conservation UnionIUCN/SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist GroupJohnson & JohnsonLiang Yi Cultural Undertakings Co. Ltd.

Margaret Cullinan Wray and Charitable LeadAnnuity Trust

Marine Leadership CouncilMazda Wildlife FundMinisterium für Umwelt und Forsten, Rheinland-PfalzMinistry of Environment & Forests, IndiaNational Fish & Wildlife Foundation, USANational Geographic Channel AsiaNatural Heritage TrustNautilus TV, MunichNetherlands GovernmentNew Horizons Computer Learning CentreNorwegian Agency for International

Cooperation (NORAD)OCS Group Ltd.Pacific Development & Conservation TrustPetrossian ParisRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewThe Rufford FoundationSADC Wildlife Technical Coordinating UnitSave the Tiger Fund, USASociety for Wildlife and NatureStevens SharkeyTaiwan Council of AgricultureTony & Lisette Lewis FoundationTiger's Eye RetailUK Department of Environment, Transport

and the RegionsUnited World Chinese Commercial BankUS Agency for International DevelopmentUS Fish & Wildlife ServiceUS Information Service Programme

Development Office, South AfricaUS National Marine Fisheries ServiceUS State DepartmentThe Walt Disney Company FoundationWildlife and Environment Society of

South AfricaWWF AustraliaWWF BelgiumWWF CanadaWWF Coordination Office-ZambiaWWF East Africa Regional Programme

OfficeWWF Endangered Seas CampaignWWF FranceWWF Gabon ProgrammeWWF GermanyWWF Hong KongWWF InternationalWWF ItalyWWF JapanWWF Large Herbivore Initiative for EuropeWWF Latin America-Caribbean ProgrammeWWF NetherlandsWWF New ZealandWWF South AfricaWWF SwedenWWF SwitzerlandWWF Tanzania Programme OfficeWWF Tiger Conservation ProgrammeWWF-UKWWF-US

TRAFFIC staff thank the following supporters for their contributions during May - September 1999:

Animals Asia Foundation (AAF)*,in close co-operation with the

Korea Customs Service, is planning tofund a sniffer dog to work in SouthKorea detecting illegal trade in wildanimal parts. Based on therecommendations of the 1998TRAFFIC East Asia report TheFeasibility of Using Canines to DetectWildlife Contraband this importantdevelopment marks a new stage in theefforts to intercept illicit trade inwildlife. Selection of the appropriatedog and a twelve-week training coursefor the dog and the handler shouldbegin soon.

The TRAFFIC East Asia report,produced with support from the UK-based Rufford Foundation, found thatcanines used in existing wildlifedetection programmes in the USA,South Africa, and Canada can detectproducts ranging from bear gallbladders, bear bile, ivory andrhinoceros horn to live parrots,abalone, and crayfish. Quarantinedetector dogs have also shown that

A sniffer dog to detect illegal wildlife trade in South Korea reptiles, birds, eggs, meat, and plantmaterial can also be detected by theirscent. Which scents the AAF"Detective Dog" will be trained todetect has yet to be finalized but willlikely include animal parts rangingfrom bear gall bladders to tiger bone.

Although implementing a project ofthis nature will not be cheap, the costimplications are minimal whencompared to the enhanced efficiencyof detection and increased publicawareness brought about by a dog andits handler. At the same time, thesafety of law enforcement officers isincreased since an alert from a dogwill indicate that the officer shouldproceed with caution in case, forexample, live venomous snakes arefound. Increased interaction betweenthe dog handler and customs officialsas well as the general public enhancesawareness about which species arebanned or regulated in trade. Of equalimportance, the presence of a wildlifescent detection dog should act as adeterrent to potential wildlife smugglers.

* Animals Asia Foundation, a charitablefoundation based in Asia, is developingand expanding regional animal welfareprojects, including the creation ofassistance programmes, such as"Detective Dog", to encourage agrowing awareness of the plight ofanimals in trade, and to foster respect forwild, domestic and endangered species.

-- Rob Parry-Jones, ProgrammeOfficer, TRAFFIC East Asia

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