Conserving Musk Deer the Uses of Musk and Europe's Role in its Trade (pdf, 360 kb)

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According to official CITES data, East Asia and Southeast Asia are the major traders and consumers of

musk products, primarily for medicinal purposes.  China was the major legal exporter of such products

from 1978 to 1996.  North America and Oceania also trade in musk, also primarily in derivative products

for use in medicine.  In contrast, during the same period, Europe mainly imported unprocessed musk and

France, together with South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Canada (a possible mistake in the

data), were the major importers of raw musk.  Hong Kong and Singapore were also major re-exporters of

raw musk, as was Cambodia, while the major primary exporters of legally traded raw musk, from 1978 to

1996, were Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.  Trends in the trade in raw

musk indicate a dramatic increase in the export figures after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1992.

During the 1990s, international trade in musk increased in a number of European countries.  In western

Europe, from 1978 to 1996, Germany, France and Switzerland were the only countries trading in musk and

virtually the entire volume of imported musk originated from the Soviet Union and Russia.  From 1994 to

1996, approximately 60 kg of unprocessed musk was imported by Germany, 99% of which was re-

exported to Hong Kong and Singapore.  The German role as a trading centre for raw musk increased after

the break-up of the Soviet Union.  In the period 1989-95, Switzerland imported approximately 12 kg of

unprocessed musk, 92% of which was re-exported to France and South Korea.  France imported approxi-

mately 97 kg of unprocessed musk from 1980 to 1995.  Only 7% of the 97 kg was re-exported, primarily

to Hong Kong.  

The impacts of hunting and trapping result in an estimated three to five musk deer killed for every male

deer with a sufficiently large musk gland.  Since an average of 40 male deer with sufficiently large glands

are necessary to produce each kilogramme of musk, this equates to the hunting of about 160 deer in total.

In turn, this means that amounts of raw musk imported legally by France, Germany and Switzerland over

the past two decades represent the deaths of tens of thousands of musk deer. 

The use of natural musk in the European perfume industry has declined in the 1990s, as the cost of its

inclusion in perfumes is now generally considered too high

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Assuming that the musk imported to France

was used primarily in the European perfume industry, the share of musk used in perfumes by France

constituted between 5% and 15% of the unprocessed musk in trade globally from 1978 to 1996.  A further

decline in the use of musk in the European perfume industry is anticipated for the future, since newer

synthetic musk compounds are increasingly replacing natural musk in perfumes.

Natural musk is also used for homeopathic medicine in Europe, but to an extremely limited degree: less

than one thousandth of the total world trade volume in unprocessed musk, 1978-96, was for this end use. 

Illegal trade in musk in various countries in Europe (e.g. UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany) is centred

primarily on medicines used in traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM), mainly because of trade without

appropriate CITES permits, but unprocessed musk has been seized in France.  According to CITES annual

report data for 1978-96, there were no musk derivatives recorded in trade to European countries, excepting

reports of some from China in 1990-92, which were not confirmed by European countries.   Most products

which contained musk or claimed to contain it which appeared on the market in Europe during that period

were probably illegal, therefore.

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The most important action to reduce the use of natural musk, mainly in medicines but also in perfumes, in

both musk deer range and non-range countries, would be the increasing of public awareness and

knowledge of the conservation concerns surrounding musk deer, among all user-groups.  Use of musk from

wild deer should also be reduced through increased substitution with synthetically produced musk, natural

musk from farmed deer and musk taken from live musk deer captured in the wild.  Recommendations for

action to promote the future conservation of musk deer are based on the following areas of focus:

Improvement of scientific information on the conservation status of musk deer

Accurate assessments of musk deer populations and their conservation status are crucial to effective

conservation of the species.  Therefore, studies of the species should be undertaken urgently in the known

range States - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, North and South Korea, Russia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (possible range State), China, Mongolia, India and Nepal.  Most urgently, these

are needed in China, Mongolia and Russia, because these are the range countries where exports and use of

musk occurs in the most significant quantities.  This report recommends the results of such assessments to

be presented to the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES.  The taxonomy of various

musk deer species should be clarified, in particular because recommendations for legal actions under

CITES are established at species level.

Investigation of harvest, trade and demand in musk deer range countries

Surveys of the domestic markets for musk deer in China, South Korea, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Mongolia

and Russia, should be undertaken as priorities because these domestic markets seem to be of high

relevance, but the demand for musk, and its harvest and legal and illegal trade should be surveyed in all

musk deer range countries.  For example, the level of demand for musk and the characteristics of the

market for traditional East Asian medicines containing musk should be examined and studies are needed

to clarify the scale of illegal trade in musk along Russia’s eastern border.  This report recommends the

results of such surveys be presented to the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES.  

Improvement of legal protection for musk deer in range countries 

Appropriate measures to protect musk deer need to be taken in musk deer range countries, including the

further establishment of protected zones; classing species and subspecies of musk deer as protected by law,

where this is not already the case; revising the regulatory system for the exploitation of musk deer and

export of musk in Russia; establishing such a system in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (if this is a range

country); and encouraging the accession to CITES of the musk deer range countries Bhutan, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.

Sustainable use initiatives and farmed deer

The Chinese policy on musk deer farming needs to be reviewed and, where applicable, developed into an

economic and species-appropriate management concept, while plans for the extraction of musk from

captive musk deer in Russia should be supported and, if economically feasible, used in private business

with management plans and initiatives.  Projects that can demonstrate sustainable harvests of musk from

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