![]() However, the survival of thousands of species, including iconic wildlife-like rhinos and elephants, is threatened by unsustainable levels of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) ( ‘t Sas-Rolfes et al., 2019 Tittensor et al., 2020). For many taxa, trade is legal and sustainable. People and communities around the world consume wildlife products for diverse reasons ( Thomas-Walters et al., 2020), making wildlife trade a tremendously lucrative industry. This research contributes empirical insight to advance the discourse on rhino horn trade policy. We also found that 33 (39.29%, n = 84) practitioners were open to using synthetic horn for patient treatment, which has implications for the viability of synthetic horn as a conservation tool. This is probably because clinical cases in which rhino horn is medically appropriate are uncommon. While 58 (69.05%, n = 84) of our interviewees were in favor of trade legalization, only 32 (38.10%, n = 84) thought it likely that trade legalization would cause them to increase their prescription of rhino horn over current levels. In this study, we interviewed 84 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in the Chinese province of Guangdong. ![]() The need for empirical research into the potential impacts of legalization on demand was made more urgent in 2018 when China publicized its intentions to reopen its domestic trade and permit the use of rhino horn in medical treatment. Proposals for trade to be legalized and supplied through the dehorning of live rhinos or the production of synthetic horn are contentious. This has embroiled the conservation community in a debate over the efficacy of banning trade relative to other solutions. 6Centre for Complex Systems in Transition, School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africaĭespite the international ban on the trade of rhino horn that has been in place since 1977, persistent demand for horn in Asia has driven a spike in poaching over the past decade.5Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa.4Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.3The Nature Conservancy, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.2ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families Over the Life Course, School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.1Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.Hubert Cheung 1 * †, Lorraine Mazerolle 2 †, Hugh P.
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