Consumer demand and traditional medicine prescription of bear products in Vietnam. (July 2019)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Consumer demand and traditional medicine prescription of bear products in Vietnam. (July 2019)
- Main Title:
- Consumer demand and traditional medicine prescription of bear products in Vietnam
- Authors:
- Davis, Elizabeth Oneita
Glikman, Jenny Anne
Crudge, Brian
Dang, Vinh
Willemsen, Madelon
Nguyen, Trang
O'Connor, David
Bendixsen, Tuan - Abstract:
- Abstract: The illegal trade in wildlife products is a major driver of the global biodiversity crisis. Trade in wildlife products is driven by consumer demand; however, consumer's motivations are often poorly understood. In this study, we use mixed social science approaches to understand the motivations driving consumers of bear products for medicine in Vietnam, and of traditional medicine practitioners who may be influencing consumers. In addition, we provide current information about the ways bear products are used in the two largest cities of Vietnam: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We found that bear products are still used widely in Vietnam, despite their use being prohibited since 2006. We directly estimated use at 45% of the sample of consumers for Hanoi, and 18% for consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. However, bear products are used differently between the two cities, with Hanoians more likely to take bear medicine products to treat an ailment, versus Ho Chi Minh City, where it is taken as a daily tonic. We also found that some traditional medicine practitioners in Vietnam are continuing to prescribe bear products, despite medicinal prescription of bear bile being made illegal, and availability of traditional medicine herbal alternatives. Generally, use of bear products appears to still be widely acceptable in the country, indicating a need for changing the social norms of bear product consumption. The insights gathered here will be beneficial to conservation managers workingAbstract: The illegal trade in wildlife products is a major driver of the global biodiversity crisis. Trade in wildlife products is driven by consumer demand; however, consumer's motivations are often poorly understood. In this study, we use mixed social science approaches to understand the motivations driving consumers of bear products for medicine in Vietnam, and of traditional medicine practitioners who may be influencing consumers. In addition, we provide current information about the ways bear products are used in the two largest cities of Vietnam: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We found that bear products are still used widely in Vietnam, despite their use being prohibited since 2006. We directly estimated use at 45% of the sample of consumers for Hanoi, and 18% for consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. However, bear products are used differently between the two cities, with Hanoians more likely to take bear medicine products to treat an ailment, versus Ho Chi Minh City, where it is taken as a daily tonic. We also found that some traditional medicine practitioners in Vietnam are continuing to prescribe bear products, despite medicinal prescription of bear bile being made illegal, and availability of traditional medicine herbal alternatives. Generally, use of bear products appears to still be widely acceptable in the country, indicating a need for changing the social norms of bear product consumption. The insights gathered here will be beneficial to conservation managers working in Vietnam and throughout the Southeast Asia region, and will be particularly informative for developing and implementing demand reduction campaigns. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Biological conservation. Volume 235(2019)
- Journal:
- Biological conservation
- Issue:
- Volume 235(2019)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 235, Issue 2019 (2019)
- Year:
- 2019
- Volume:
- 235
- Issue:
- 2019
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2019-0235-2019-0000
- Page Start:
- 119
- Page End:
- 127
- Publication Date:
- 2019-07
- Subjects:
- Animal products -- Asiatic black bears -- Bear bile -- Illegal wildlife trade -- Southeast Asia
Conservation of natural resources -- Periodicals
Nature conservation -- Periodicals
Ecology -- Periodicals
Environment -- Periodicals
Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals
Electronic journals
333.9516 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00063207 ↗
http://www.elsevier.com/journals ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.04.003 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0006-3207
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 2075.100000
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