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Tibetan Plateau Facts

Endangered Mammal Products
Documented in Tibetan Medicine


 

Tibetan Antelope
  Species Name: Pantholops hodgsonii
  Range: China, India (Ladakh)
  Status: IUCN/VU
CITES/I
ESA/Ø
China/Class I
India/Sch. I
  Threats: Hunting, primarily for wool ("shahtoosh") and horns
  Materia Medica: Horn, blood


 

Saiga Antelope
  Species Name: Saiga tatarica spp
  Range: China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia,
Turkemenistan, Uzebkistan
  Status: IUCN/VU
CITES/II
ESA/E
China/Class I (Ex)
India/Ø
  Threats: Hunting
  Materia Medica: Horn, blood


 

Wild Yak
  Species Name: Bos grunniens
  Range: China, India, Nepal
  Status: IUCN/VU
CITES/I
ESA/E
China/Class I (Ex)
India/Sch. I
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction
  Materia Medica: Horn, blood


 

Rhinoceros
  Species Name: Rhinoceros unicornis
  Range: Bangladesh (Ex), Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan (Ex)
  Status: IUCN/EN
CITES/I
ESA/E
China/Ø
India/Sch. I
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction, environmental factors
  Materia Medica: Horn, skin


 

Argali Sheep
  Species Name: Ovis ammon spp
  Range: Bhutan, China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan,
Tibet, Afghanistan & former Soviet republics
  Status: IUCN/VU
CITES: I/II1
ESA: E / T
China/Class I
India/Ø
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction, environmental factors
  Materia Medica: Horn


 

Asiatic (Himalayan) Black Bear
  Species Name: Ursus thibetanus
  Range: Bhutan, China, India,
Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan
  Status: IUCN/VU
CITES/I
ESA/Ø
China/Class II
India/Sch. I/II
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction
  Materia Medica: Bile (gall bladder)


 

Brown Bear
  Species Name: Ursus arctos
  Range: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan
  Status: IUCN/Ø
CITES/I/II
ESA/E
China/Class II
India/Sch. I/II
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction
  Materia Medica: Bile (gall bladder)


 

Tiger
  Species Name: Panthera tigris
  Range: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan (Ex)
  Status: IUCN/EN
CITES/I
ESA/E
China/Class I
India/Sch. I
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction
  Materia Medica: Bones, organs


 

Musk Deer
  Species Name: Moschus spp
  Range: Bhutan, China, India,
Nepal, Pakistan
  Status: IUCN/LR/nt
CITES: I/II
ESA/E
China/Class II
India/Sch.I
  Threats: Hunting, habitat destruction
  Materia Medica: Musk (musk pod)


 

Key:

IUCN=International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources:

EN=Endangered (very high, near-term risk of extinction), LR/nt=Lower Risk/Near Threatened, VU=Vulnerable (high, medium-term risk of extinction), Ø=Not Listed

CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna

I=Appendix I (Endangered), II=Appendix II (Threatened), Ø=Not Listed

ESA = Endangered Species Act

E=Endangered, T=Threatened, Ø=Not Listed

China: Class I=Equivalent to Endangered, Class II=Equivalent to Threatened, Ex=Extinct, Ø=Not Listed

India: Schedule I=Equivalent to Endangered, Schedule II=Equivalent to Threatened, Ø=Not Listed

1: Multiple threat categories refer to different subspecies or to species' ranges.


Sources:

  • IUCN, Red List of Threatened Animals, 1996
  • CITES-listed Species Database -- Fauna:
  • USFWS, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants," 1997 50 CFR 17.11 and 17.12, US Department of Interior, US Fish & Wildlife Service
  • Anon., Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife, 1989
  • Anon., Wildlife (Protection ) Act of 1972, The. (India)
  • Kunzang, Ven. Rechung Rinpoche Jampal, Tibetan Medicine, 1973
  • People and Plants Initiative and World Wildlife Fund/Nepal Program: "Conservation of Plant Resources, Community Development and Training in Applied Ethnobotany at Shey-Poksundo National Park and its Buffer Zone, Dolpa," 1998.
  • Tsarong, T.J., Handbook of Traditional Tibetan Drugs, 1986, Tibetan Medical Publications, Kalimpong, India.


About the Tibetan Plateau Project

The purpose of the Tibetan Plateau Project (TPP) is to promote the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable development of local communities in the Tibetan Plateau region. Through its grassroots advocacy, public education and research programs, TPP assists activists, researchers and NGOs with obtaining information and mobilizing public support for the sustainable management of biodiversity.

In particular, TPP's campaigns address the conservation of endangered species of animals and plants indigenous to the Tibetan Plateau region. To address issues of medicinal endangered species conservation, TPP is:

  • Collecting information on endangered species used in Tibetan medicine
  • Compiling reference materials on experts and programs focusing on endangered species conservation in the Tibetan Plateau region
  • Facilitating the exchange of information on the links between endangered species conservation and Tibetan medicine

TPP also sponsors a newsletter on the topic of medicinal plant conservation and the practice of Tibetan medicine, as well as an Internet email discussion list. Subscription to the newsletter and the email list -- called "tpp-tibmed-plants" -- is offered as a benefit of regular membership with the Tibetan Plateau Project.

Request subscription information for "tpp-tibmed-plants" by sending an email message to TPP at: tppei@earthisland.org with the phrase "subscribe tpp-tibmed-plants" in the body of the message. TPP will send you membership information and a subscription form to enroll you in the email list.

You can help support TPP's programs to protect endangered species used in Tibetan medicine and identify substitute products by joining the Tibetan Plateau Project. As a TPP member, you'll receive the tpp-tibmed-plants newsletter and a year's subscription to the award winning Earth Island Journal quarterly magazine, as well as regular updates on TPP activities.

Go to the Join page for more information on TPP membership. For aditional information on program activities, email TPP at: tppei@earthisland.org .

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Unauthorized Publication Prohibited.


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