Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
to anywhere near the level dreamed of by some unrealistic Chinese officials, they could
yet become a serious problem. But thus far—and given realistic projections, into the
near future—all conceivable negative biological affects on the species directly affected
by Chinese trophy hunting have been inconsequential. In short, trophy hunting kills in-
dividual animals, but, at least at the intensity seen up to now, does not hurt populations
or species.
ON-THE-GROUND REALITIES
But is simply “not hurting” good enough? Does lack of harm meet the intention of a
“dynamic incentive structure” (as proposed by economist Swanson), or of sustainable
use leading to conservation with equity (as suggested by biologist Freese)? Is Chinese
trophy hunting creating incentives to conserve wildlife and maintain wild habitat into the
foreseeable future? Or is it instead merely making use of a resource that, although perhaps
globally rare, exists in sufficient local abundance to create employment?
Establishment and Management of Hunting Areas
Trophy hunting in China began somewhat informally during the 1980s, generally at
the instigation of individual foreign hunters who inquired, were given permission by
local authorities, and, before leaving, recommended that others be allowed to follow
them. The first official international hunting area in China, Taoshan in Heilongjiang,
opened in 1984. However, hunting areas in eastern China never succeeded in capturing
the attention of many hunters, probably because the few species present in sufficient
numbers to hunt were more common or more easily obtained elsewhere. Things were
different in China's west, however, where the Dulan hunting area in Qinghai opened
in 1985, the Subei area in Gansu opened in 1988, and a number of hunting areas in
Xinjiang were established in 1990. These quickly attracted the attention of foreigners
primarily interested in taking blue sheep and argali; although none developed into
large-scale operations, each became locally important. By 2004, no fewer than nine
international hunting areas existed in Xinjiang, three in Gansu, and two in Qinghai (in
addition to two areas in Tibet where some international hunting had occurred, although
no formal establishment had yet taken place). 29 The establishment of international
hunting areas was given official imprimatur by the Wildlife Protection Law of 1988.
Between 1985 and 2001, approximately 600 foreign hunters legally took 507 blue
sheep, 238 Tibetan gazelles, 170 argali, 18 white-lipped deer, 17 goitered gazelles,
and 16 ibex (as registered by the State Forestry Administration, or SFA) at western
Chinese hunting areas. 30 Stretched over seventeen years and a dozen or more hunt-
ing areas, these amounted to very little. But viewed as a whole, Chinese authorities
considered that they had accounted for 11 million dollars of direct foreign earnings
(see Table 8.1). 31
Although the details differ, international hunting areas in the western provinces are all
managed under a similar approach. At the local level, all are operated by staff employed
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