SPECIES STORIES - Wildlife Conservation in China: Preserving the Habitat of China's Wild West - page 136

Figure 7.4 Approximate locations of argali observed (with numbers observed) during
September 2002 in Yeniugou, Qinghai (larger, dark markers), along with locations
argali had been observed during similar time of year in 1991, 1992, and 1997
(smaller, light markers). Light shaded areas bounded by dashed lines represent
the approximate extent of regions affected by pastoral activity during September
2002. Dark shaded areas bounded by solid lines represent approximate extent of
regions affected by winter domestic livestock grazing, as indicated by location of
encampments and evidence of past grazing.
occupied by plateau argali suggests that they have never been abundant. If their recent
rate of decline has thus been gradual rather than dramatic, it does not make the situation
any less critical; it simply means that their present conservation difficulties should be
understood as adding to existing challenges for the species.
Chinese have approached conservation of argali from two angles: nature reserves and
international (trophy) hunting areas. The amount of area currently under formal nature
reserve protection that—at least on paper—contains argali is a jaw-dropping 676,300
km 2 , almost twice the area of Finland. This impressive acreage must be viewed, how-
ever, with three important caveats in mind. First, some large reserves that claim argali
as resident barely touch on appropriate habitat (e.g., the 17,000 km 2 Kalamaili Shan
Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, which is primarily arid scrub unsuitable for argali, and the
3,960 km 2 Annanba Wild Camel Nature Reserve in Gansu, which is almost entirely
desert, just abutting the Arjin Shan), or no longer contain substantial argali populations
(e.g., the 4,790 km 2 Qilian Shan Reserve, which primarily consists of isolated forested
fragments in any case). Second, the largest and most undisturbed nature reserves, such
as the 247,120 km 2 Qiangtang Reserve in Tibet and the 83,000 km 2 Kekexili Reserve in
Qinghai, are predominately made up of habitats that seem to lack winter range for argali.
Despite their size and relatively undisturbed nature, they appear to contain low densities
of argali. Third, as detailed in Chapter 6, most Chinese nature reserves in the west are not
managed appreciably differently from nonprotected lands. Funding and staffing levels