CPPCC Member Lei Jufang: Step up efforts to establish a Tibetan medicine resource conservation zone.

　　As a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for two consecutive terms, Lei Jufang has submitted more than 50 proposals to the CPPCC over the past nine years—90% of which have focused on issues related to ethnic medicine. She believes that a key feature of ethnic medicine is its use of plant-based medicinal materials. However, in recent years, resource challenges have consistently been viewed as a “bottleneck” in the development of the ethnic medicine industry. Consequently, the proposal Lei Jufang is bringing to this year’s Two Sessions has attracted considerable attention.

　　Lei Jufang said that the “Plan for the Protection and Development of Chinese Medicinal Materials (2015-2020)” issued by the State Council points out that Chinese medicinal materials are the material foundation for the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese medicine, and they represent a strategic resource vital to both national economic development and people’s livelihoods. Protecting and developing Chinese medicinal materials is of great significance for deepening reform of the medical and healthcare system, improving the health of the population, fostering the development of strategic emerging industries, increasing farmers’ incomes, and promoting ecological civilization. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a Tibetan medicinal resource conservation area in Tibet.

　　—The need to protect medicinal resources. With the rapid development of the Tibetan medicine industry, there has been a surge in the exploitative extraction of certain Tibetan medicinal resources, leading to a gradual shortage—and even the imminent extinction—of some of these resources. Currently, both domestically and internationally, efforts to protect Tibetan medicinal resources remain extremely weak; there is still no dedicated institution for the protection of Tibetan medicines nor any designated protected areas for Tibetan medicinal resources.

　　—The need to protect the natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. By establishing Tibetan medicine resource conservation areas, enhancing the capacity for research and development of Tibetan medicinal resources, promoting the cultivation and protection of wild and semi-wild Tibetan medicinal herbs, and simultaneously advancing large-scale, standardized cultivation practices, we can ensure the effective and rational use of Tibetan medicinal resources, reduce the overexploitation of precious wild resources, minimize human-induced environmental damage, and create conditions for both the environment’s self-recovery and human-assisted restoration.

　　—The need to protect the distinctive cultural heritage of Tibetan medicine. Today, traditional ethnic medicine is facing tremendous pressure from modern Western medicine, encountering significant challenges in areas such as the refinement of medical and pharmaceutical theories, the transmission of knowledge and skills, and the selection and cultivation of successors. Relying on Tibetan medicinal resource conservation zones to initiate cultural heritage education for Tibetan medicine right from the source is of great significance.

　　—The need to promote economic development in the Tibet region. Wild medicinal flora and fauna, as well as minerals, constitute an important part of the biological resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, due to factors such as technological limitations and market conditions, the advantages of these resources have yet to be fully realized. Currently, the Tibetan medicine industry faces numerous challenges, including insufficient efforts in resource conservation, which pose difficulties for sustainable development; a lack of innovation in Tibetan medicine products, leading to serious obsolescence; and non-standardized preparation and usage practices, making it difficult to ensure product quality. By establishing Tibetan medicine resource protection zones, we can facilitate the development and utilization of Tibetan medicine products, promote the sustainable development of the Tibetan medicine industry, and thereby achieve regional economic prosperity.

　　—The need to enhance the international standing of Tibetan medicine. As traditional medicine gains increasing attention worldwide, Tibetan medicine is steadily attracting growing interest from the international medical community. Establishing Tibetan medicinal resource conservation areas is one important way to enable people around the world to learn about, accept, and use Tibetan medicine, thereby enhancing its international standing.

　　Lei Jufang suggests establishing a Tibetan medicinal resource conservation zone centered on Tibet and including it in the national “13th Five-Year Plan” major project database for the protection and development of Chinese medicinal materials. Specifically, this includes: the Wild Tibetan Medicinal Herb Conservation Project, which focuses on the protection of Tibetan medicinal resources by collecting, safeguarding, and propagating these resources, thereby laying a solid foundation for their sustainable utilization; the High-Quality Tibetan Medicinal Herb Production Base Project, which leverages modern science, technology, and methods to achieve large-scale cultivation, standardized production, branded products, and industrialized management, thus creating a model base for Tibetan medicinal herb cultivation; and the Tibetan Medical Culture Preservation Project, which involves setting up exhibition centers and restoring and recreating aspects of Tibetan medical teaching and research from the era of Yutok Yundan Gombu. Additionally, there is the Tibetan Medicine Innovation (Center) Project, comprising a Tibetan medicinal herb seedling propagation research lab, a Tibetan medicinal herb cultivation research lab, and a Tibetan medicinal product development research lab.

　　Reporting media: Tibet Daily